I’ve always thought it funny that carrots are considered a spring vegetable. By always, I mean for as long as I’ve known a few things about how vegetables grow.
So now we are moving on to dog vaccines. All vaccines are important, but since our dogs are out and about more often than most cats, they become especially important. In addition, several of the diseases that we vaccinate dogs against are fatal in many cases. So these vaccines don’t just hel…
So now that we have talked about the basics of immunity and vaccines, I’ll talk about the actual diseases that we vaccinate pets against. As I discussed last week, what we consider “core” changes based on area and lifestyle, but I’ll talk a little bit about that as we go.
This soup reflects a few of the lessons I’ve learned over the past year. For starters, it reminds me to appreciate simplicity. Humans have a knack for overcomplicating things and for better or worse, we’ve had to learn to simplify our lives in some ways lately. A soup made of mostly celery, …
With NASA’s Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars, it’s a great time to do some reading about Mars. Our closest planetary neighbor has fascinated people for thousands of years, with its vivid color and wandering path across the sky. It was among the first handful of planets identified in…
So while we often do vaccines throughout the year, a lot of people think of Spring as “vaccine season” so it is a great time to discuss them. Since puppies start their vaccine series whenever they arrive in a home that can be any time of year. I actually love to spread out vaccines throughou…
While my yard is still mostly snow, the warm days last week are a sure sign that Spring is coming. I went out to talk to clients in just my scrub top. The birds are singing, the snow is melting and the mud is becoming plentiful. While it is Vermont and we might get more winter, it’s time to …
Chances are that you use olive oil in your everyday cooking. But have you tried it for baking? It may sound unusual, but baking with olive oil is common in countries such as Spain, where there is a fresh and flavorful supply of olives.
Avid readers are often jealous of my job as a librarian, thinking it involves a lot more reading (for fun) than it does. Honestly, sneaking in an occasional picture book is a victory most weeks. But one advantage I do have right now is proximity … I can wander the stacks looking for semi-ran…
So while I yapped on about my by-product pet peeve last week, it got me thinking about some other veterinary-related fallacies that I try to educate against. We’ll now be discussing what things in this profession that irk me and how it affects my practice model. Don’t worry, it won’t necessa…
This winter, my wife and I joined a winter CSA from a local farm. A CSA is essentially a subscription with a local farm where you pay in advance and sign up to receive a regular schedule of in-season goods. Though CSAs also exist for meat, baked goods, and other specific niches. Depending on…
One benefit to my readers is that whatever continuing education I’m currently doing comes through into my articles. This may not seem like a huge benefit because I get excessively excited about random topics, but I swear it is. The great thing about all of my continuing education is that I a…
Imagine you create something so good that people name it after you. But then, you get into an argument, and someone takes your creation away and changes its name on you. As the decades pass, your creation lives on, yet you go forgotten.
Genres have been combining and breaking down for decades now, to the education and joy of readers everywhere. One of the most experimental, vibrant areas for this is biography. Once the home of often-dry, tome-like paperweights about Important Men, biography has expanded into a wide variety …
Pandemic stress talk time! While I could go on about human stress for a long time, I won’t because that’s not my area of expertise (well, at least not giving advice on it.) A lot of people got new pets during the pandemic. A lot of schedules changed during the pandemic. Many schedules aren’t…
Heart disease is checked off for this month of hearts, but now we will move on to my other heart favorite-heartworm. Those of you who are less veterinary inclined probably don’t automatically associate heart holidays with heartworms as I do, but since this is my article you still have to joi…
If I had to pick my favorite fruits, I don’t know that citrus would come close to topping the list. Yet my feelings on the matter change about this time each year. The dreary days have me craving foods that pack a punch of flavor. I’ll take anything to help me get out of my winter rut and fr…
What does a picture of a heart bring to mind to you? Love? Chocolate? Heart disease? Heartworms? I think it is clear by now that my mind travels to strange places, and for the next two weeks while others think of loving hearts I will talk about issues with pet hearts. I swear I did get invit…
I am once again starting my article by telling you a personal story. If we aren’t careful, 2021 will reveal more about my life than you ever wanted to know! So I got up to pee in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. I’m shuffling along, only 10% awake, in my bare feet, and WHAM! I step i…
I try to read 104 books each year – two books per week. I failed in 2020 (78 books) largely due to my daily doom-scrolling of Twitter during morning reading time. My hope is to get back on track in 2021. Here’s my entirely subjective list of favorites from the past year. And just a pitch for…
If you find pancakes boring, then it might be time to give aebleskiver a try. Aebleskiver are round, Dutch filled pancakes, and they’re about to bring some excitement to your breakfast game. Think of them as pancakes crossed with donut holes with the added lightness of popovers. In other wor…
I am going to start this article with a personal story. So if you’re not ready to learn more about my personal life you should probably skip it. But if you alternately want to know more about cat bathroom habits — read on.
So let’s say you read my resolution article. You’re thinking I’m being unrealistic right? You’re feeling a little bit salty because let’s face it, 2021 also is sort of terrible. Then I start talking about making your pet lose weight like you don’t have anything else to worry about. It’s icy …
Nonfiction often doesn’t get as much attention as fiction, and I’m not sure why. In the right hands, a true story can be as suspenseful as a made-up one, and there’s the added little excitement that it’s true. I’m reminded of Fargo, the Coen brothers’ 1996 movie and subsequent TV series that…
I’ve avoided sharing a chili recipe for a long time. It’s not that I don’t like chili; I do. The problem is that everyone wants the best chili recipe. Or the spiciest. Or one that’s made without any beans. No, make that only with beans. Maybe a chili that’s not too spicy but includes coffee …
So everyone knows by now that I love to talk about pet weight loss. I do know that your eyes probably glaze over as you stroke your adorable fat cat and lament that I just don’t get how cute they are fat. I do. Trust me. But they will be cute thin too, and most importantly...healthier.
So what better way to work off those Christmas cookies and Thanksgiving gravy than delightful walking with the dog? Great idea, and then we get two feet of snow! For those who don’t love snowshoeing and cross country skiing, this can definitely throw a wrench in the plans. Never fear though,…
If we ever needed a good drink to close out a year, now is the time. That’s why this week, I bring you the Hot Buttered Rum. Warm, indulgent, and boozy, this is what we need as we cope with the tragedy this year has brought upon the world, and we look forward to better days ahead.
My Christmas tree is up and full of lights, which prompted that it is time for a holiday season article. As with everything else, we don’t exactly know what the holidays will hold this year. We certainly know we won’t be having a giant feast or gathering. To be honest lights, trees and bakin…
Had you asked me to name my favorite kid’s books before I started as a librarian, I probably would have picked ones from my childhood, along with a couple the boys particularly loved when they were learning to read. But the more time I spent in the children’s collection at the library, the m…
We are now officially down to the gift buying wire. Maybe you started early because we’re shipping things more. Maybe you’re giving up because we want this year to be a distant memory. Maybe you’re trying to think of the perfect gift to try and salvage some 2020 joy. Some people thrive on la…
If you imagine a croissant in cookie form, you have yourself rugelach. These small Eastern European cookies originated from the Jewish communities of Poland. Today they’re found worldwide yet remain especially popular in Israel, especially the old-fashioned variety filled with chocolate.
Time to talk teeth! Teeth are integral to overall health and are often overlooked. I’m going to talk about dental cleanings, the anesthesia that is associated with, and everything else. I will walk you through a dental at our clinic and explain why being under anesthesia is in the best inter…
As the days get darker and colder, and more people move to work from home again our cats have a big change. Did you know that even indoor cats are affected by daylight changes? Did you know that even cats who want their owners home all the time can stress with stay-at-home changes? I have al…
Rutland Free Library’s movie-streaming service, Kanopy, is celebrating noir fiction this month, so I thought I would add a few books to the list. Noir is briefly described as detective fiction that features flawed leading characters – there’s a large crossover with “hard-boiled” fiction, but…
Way back in September, when you could still travel a little on occasion, my wife and I went to Cape Cod for a few days. Always curious about the local foods of wherever I visit, I was excited to find a historic grist mill still working in the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts. Situated on a qu…
Spays and neuters are one of our most common surgeries, but also one of the things that people have the most questions about. They are also one of the things with the most grey areas. We do support sterilizing our non-breeding pets for many reasons, but your veterinarian can discuss all opti…
The theme for 2020 seems to be “I’m not sure how this is going to go” (that is if you rule out obscenities.) Thanksgiving is coming up, and of course, I’m not sure how this is going to go. I know that gatherings outside your bubble aren’t going to be popular, but inside my bubble, I’ll still…
Spending extra time at home during lockdown this spring meant more time for trying new things. One of those included starting my own quinoa plants from seed. I had no expectations, but plenty of time, so why not? I set up grow lights and seed trays in the basement, tucked the tiny quinoa see…
I was gazing at my dog this weekend, thinking of all we have gone through together and how she has cute grey hairs in her eyelashes. Then I realized that my cat is 15 and my dog is 12. They are not just into senior years, but bordering on geriatric. They are both at the age where we lose pet…
I grew up and went to college in Canada, which meant I was steeped in CanLit classes. Instead of “Red Badge of Courage” we read W.O. Mitchell’s “Who Has Seen the Wind?” But we also read widely in American, British, and world literature. So when I moved south, I was surprised – and continue t…
This time of year seems to bring out the aches and pains — in us and our dogs. The rapid swings in temperature and humidity can be tough on joints. The (usually) beautiful weather means we are doing more; both for fun and prepping for the winter. Nobody likes pain, but I appreciate pain in p…
Susan Haefner is what is known in theater circles as a “triple threat,” a consummate actress, singer and dancer — to say nothing of director, choreographer, producer and teacher. With a résumé full of Broadway, national touring and regional theater credits, she is one of a handful of theater…
I don’t know about you, but this year I’m celebrating even the smallest of victories. And successfully growing lemongrass in my garden this summer is one of them.
OFF THE LEASH
While 2020 has been a big mess, one of my achievements is that I’ve been successful in slowing down my refined sugar intake. I finally followed the advice I give to pet owners and just don’t buy anything I shouldn’t be eating. This is easier since I cut out a drastic amount of grocery trips.…
As with everything else this year, Germany’s Oktoberfest was canceled. It’s not the first time in its more than 200 year run that the world’s largest beer and folk festival was canceled, though the last time was back in 1949. With more than six million global visitors over the 16 (or more, d…
It promises to be a hugely weird Halloween this year, but it never hurts to do a little spooky reading to get into the mood. These are not your standard horror titles (Dracula, Frankenstein, Stephen King … although I’m a big fan of Frankenstein & King is so good he scares me).
We have been booked with a lot of surgeries and dental cleanings lately, so it seemed like the perfect time to revisit anesthesia. Anesthesia and surgery can be a scary thing for pet owners. One of the most common fears that I hear about procedures is putting pets under anesthesia. I think t…
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Rutland artist Lopi Laroe (LMNOPI) has created giant timely murals around Rutland and the United States.
Currently open public art exhibits, galleries and museums throughout the region.
Currently open public art exhibits, galleries and museums throughout the region.
Currently open public art exhibits, galleries and museums throughout the region.
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Apr 21