The holidays must be a weird time for our pets. Their familiar homes are suddenly brimming with strange trinkets and lights. New smells are wafting in from the kitchen. And did I mention there’s a tree in the living room? While most pets adapt quickly to our inexplicable traditions, a few will find ways to […]
The holidays must be a weird time for our pets. Their familiar homes are suddenly brimming with strange trinkets and lights. New smells are wafting in from the kitchen. And did I mention there’s a tree in the living room? While most pets adapt quickly to our inexplicable traditions, a few will find ways to […]
It happens at least once a year. Family members taking turns with strep throat, and they bring the dog in to see if he might be the culprit. It’s a completely reasonable concern, although I’m surprised at how often it has been suggested by the family physician or pediatrician. Because the answer is the same […]
It’s been hard to escape news of the opioid crisis over the past few years. And it’s just as difficult to ignore the complicity of the nation’s health care system in creating it. Opioid medications—drugs similar to morphine and named for the opium poppy plant that produces them—have an important role to play in patient […]
Finding a new dog isn’t trivial, and I’m often faced with questions about the process. There are so many variables to consider. Should you adopt a puppy or rescue an adult? What size dog best fits your lifestyle? Some questions have easier answers than others, and many require a degree of generalization that makes me […]
For many of us, the relationship we have with our pet is the best one we’ve ever had. He never gets moody, he listens when you talk and he’s still interested in cuddles despite having seen you naked so many thousands of times. This issue takes into account the good, bad and furry side of […]
The couple who took a wandering pig that police delivered to the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA and who had plans to turn it into a Fourth of July barbecue, according to a Newsplex interview, had their charges certified to the grand jury in an August 25 preliminary hearing in Albemarle General District Court. More than a […]
Can’t anything be easy? There are a million toys on the shelf at the pet store, and you feel like you’ve been warned about every single one of them. This one has a squeaker, which you heard is a choking hazard. Your cousin’s dog got an intestinal blockage from rawhide, so that’s out. Pretty much […]
You’ll know when it’s time. She’ll tell you. It will be sad, but you’ll know it’s the right thing to do. Except it’s not happening that way at all. None of this makes any sense, and every decision seems wrong. She walks so slowly and can hardly be bothered to eat. It must be time, […]
I suppose there’s no good time for a cat to pee in your bed, but two in the morning is particularly objectionable. Wrested from sleep by the noxious mess saturating my sock, I resigned myself to a bleary-eyed bout of laundry and mattress cleaning. This wasn’t the first time, and I needed a better solution than […]
This town loves food and dogs, so it’s only natural that so many places in the area allow us to enjoy both at the same time. We haven’t compiled an exhaustive list by any means, but we’ve rounded up several of the restaurants, wineries and coffee shops that not only share your affection for your […]