My uncle used to be in the law enforcement profession. He told me stories of prisoners being stabbed with a “shiv” and not even being aware of it until they weakened due to internal bleeding. Something like an ice pick makes a very tiny hole, and when you stab someone in the back, it’s not […]
Author Archives: Doc
When I was in high school and college, there was a certain time when it was considered "mandatory" to take a foreign language class. I'm sure that in some schools you could have taken German or Japanese. In Kennett it was French or Spanish. I chose French, having the odd notion that it might be […]
It is very common to have a problem with a dog that jumps up on you. It is the natural greeting behavior of dogs to lick one another in the face. [ See “Super Puppy” by Peter Vollmer] How could your dog lick your face without jumping up toward it? Despite the fact that this […]
I’ve posted a case like this in the past, but it never ceases to amaze me. This dog doesn’t look like she feels very happy, and that’s accurate. “She doesn’t feel very good. She has to go out a lot, and she’s drinking a lot of water. I think I saw some blood in her […]
Some animals wear crazy costumes. Some wear bandannas, and some wear harnesses, and some wear halters like the “Gentle Leader”, but a collar is still the most popular item of pet apparel. I had an interesting case this morning that really shows how important it is do a good physical examination of the patient, no […]
I've posted before about why we don't feed bones to dogs. They really don't get any nutrition out of them, and they can certainly cause some problems. Today we have another example. This guy looks pretty calm and snoozy, and he is… now. When he came in, he was unhappy and straining. The owner knew […]
“So, on those microchips, what kind of range do they have?” About three inches. When people don’t really understand what microchip identification is, they can have some unrealistic expectations. Look at this little thing: do you see any room for a power supply? I mean, I’ve heard of the “button battery”, but you’d have to […]
I was at a veterinary convention and heard a report from our state licensing board. They told us that the vast majority of complaints they receive don’t involve actual bad medical care. The complaints almost always arise from poor communication. Sometimes the veterinarian failed to give the client a realistic expectation of what could be […]
You’ve probably seen the TV ad where the doctor rushes across the ball field trying to make a catch. “You wouldn’t want your doctor doing your job, so why try to do his?” It’s about folks trying to diagnose themselves and treat with over-the-counter remedies. Some do this because they want to save money (and who […]
"Now why is there two sets of directions on this bottle?” What do you mean? “It says on this label, give one pill twice daily, every 12 hours. Now, which is it?” That is a true story. I knew that we had experienced some communication difficulties with this client while he was still in the […]