I often get a lot of people that are reluctant to start medications for different things, but we still need to do something. There is a really great place for holistic medicine during this ‘“in-between” phase, and also that we can add on when our current medications just aren’t quite cutting…

So I have written a lot of articles about feline cystitis, but you’re going to get one more! For some reason, we have been seeing and talking about these guys a lot lately. This issue is truly so widespread, and many cats have bladder inflammation long before they show us signs.

It is time to kick off this (coldish?) summer week with some Mythbusters! The kids are getting unfocused, you keep thinking about vacation plans instead of work. Essentially, it is time to take a fun break! We will get back to serious information next week. That isn’t to say these aren’t imp…

Is it early for summer, late for summer, in between for summer? Who knows anymore. I feel like dates have become fluid and the weather does what it wants. But as I sat out scorching in the sun I realized it’s time to talk about the heat.

We’re doing lots of our annual exams right around now. But what does that really mean? Why not just go to a shot clinic or find your own? What’s the benefit of an annual exam? We will be transitioning off curbside soon, but it can be extra hard to know what’s happening when you’re in the car…

The warmer weather is here, the vaccines are here and all of our covid puppies are raring to go.

Ticks, ticks, ticks! I went walking this past weekend and my dogs were covered in ticks. I found a tick on my human child as well. Thus starts the time of year when I am emotionally scarred from ticks and consider surrounding myself with a ring of fire to stay safe. I start thinking I see th…

Today I’m going to talk about one of my favorite topics. I know I say that about weight control, tick prevention and a hundred other things. I suppose I have a lot of favorites, but one of my all time passions is pain control. There are a lot of reasons that I am passionate about pain contro…

Off the leash

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.

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 …

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…

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…

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…

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 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 …

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

No doubt about it, it is dark. I now feed the horses in the dark and have to scramble to get all of my creatures exercised before dark. My dogs get extra stir crazy when they don’t get long walks in the woods or fields during the week, so when they get room to run they make the most of it.

So I’ve talked about fall allergies, fleas, and ticks. You might be wondering why I’m so enamored with fall at this point! The truth is that I love outdoor time. I could spend all day every day outside and be happy. I don’t enjoy sweating and I hate bugs, I sunburn easily and I adore foliage…

Some of you may know this about me, but I love fall and I hate ticks. Unfortunately, fall brings a whole new vigor to ticks. I can balance these two things out because I love being in nature without sweating and bugs that much. However, I am very vigilant about preventing ticks on my dogs an…

I think the most common question I’m getting lately is about itching dogs, which typically takes the form of licking. I understand because I am starting to get sneezy in the morning. Of course in the time of COVID that induces a little bit of panic. However, the same thing is happening to me…

It may be fleeting, but we have had a few mornings where I threw on my sweatshirt and pulled out my fleece slippers. Wood is getting stacked, my horses are getting fuzzy and I joyfully do.

Cats in general come into the vet less than dogs. I think there are several factors behind this. First, very few cats respond well to “do you want to go for a ride?” They do not want to go for a ride, they don’t want to get in the carrier, they don’t want to leave that delicious sunspot that…

Work from home and partial schooling from home is here semi-permanently for many people, which gives families extra time at home together. While spending so much time together, you may be realizing how much a pet is missing, or how much a fun break would help everyone. We are seeing lots of …

When I recommend acupuncture to people, they often look at me, a little funny. We love to buy organic foods, we aim for all-natural pet products. In fact, clients often put off starting medications for non-life-threatening issues. Holistic medicine is the perfect way to bridge this gap. Whil…

Today I am going to start with a story. One of my dogs had been acting a little off lately, so I brought him to work to look at. (I will come back to this story in an article soon for different reasons.) This dog can’t stay at home alone, so he often comes to work with me. He hung out happil…

Many people have had more time out with their dogs this Spring. This is great because quality time counts no matter why. However, it brings two things up. First, we notice a little bad manners more. Second, now that we are returning to work/school/play our dogs have gone from lots of attenti…

If there is one thing I hate its change. As you can imagine, I’ve been having to adjust on the fly a lot lately. As you can also imagine, I’m not loving it. However, I have the benefit of being able to conceptualize change. Our pets don’t have this luxury. This makes some things easier and s…

Well, I feel like I have been gone from writing forever. I’m sure that everyone missed me talking about weight for the summer and ticks, but the good news is that I have been storing up a lot of thoughts and tips to share with everyone.

I know that COVID-19 is everywhere you turn, and everything you read. If we address pet care seriously on the front end we might reduce the time and impact in the long run. We are currently doing curbside service so that people aren’t coming into our building. However, depending on how thing…

I often wait on this article, but have had many muddy, sunny dog walks by now. The days are longer, the sun is brighter and the rain is happening. Sure, we might get more snow, but I think it’s time to talk spring!

I have been lucky enough to be seeing a lot of little adorable smoosh-faced puppies lately, which led me to think about some cosmetic surgery. Not for me, I’m a lost cause! For the dogs. Did you know that vets do “cosmetic” surgery on pets? These don’t involve tummy tucks or enhancing any bo…

Your dog vomits all night, your cat is hobbling on three legs — we know your call will be to the vet. But what about when that pesky annual exam is due and they are healthy? Clients bring their pets in when they are sick, hurt or need vaccines. While almost all veterinarians send out reminde…