Who said veterinary medicine wasn’t fun? There’s the man who got out of jail (he didn’t say why- either for going in or getting out) and came home to find his dog sick. This enraged him. We know this because he brought the dog to us (he was passing by, thought he’d drop in) and … Continue reading Hysterical Clients
DrMc Tales
Saying goodbye to Mac the Mountain Lion
Mac the Mountain Lion died Saturday night, October 13th. He was wearing spots when I first met him. One of two foundling cubs, Mac was the lucky one. The sibling he was cuddled against had already died. He barely weighed 5 pounds. At the Applegate Park Zoo, the little orphan was bottle fed by Donna, … Continue reading Saying goodbye to Mac the Mountain Lion
Well your cat doesn’t have lice, but…
It is remarkable what word associations may trip in your brain. Someone was talking about head lice in children the other day and I found myself mulling over my encounters with the louse, an ectoparsite (“ecto” pertaining to bugs found crawling around on the outside of the body, as opposed to those living in your … Continue reading Well your cat doesn’t have lice, but…
A Border Collie called ‘Dunkin’
The afternoon was humming along as I made my way from one exam room to the next. Behind Door No. 1 was a kitten with a snotty nose. Behind Door No. 2 was a tiny parrot with a broken leg. And behind Door No. 3 there was Dunkin. Dunkin (not, his owner assured me, named … Continue reading A Border Collie called ‘Dunkin’
Starbucks Drama
Sometimes it is difficult to find the thread where it all began. Maybe this story started when I first stopped giving out my real name to people taking my order for pizza or coffee or things. People never seem to be able to spell my name. What with the influence on “finding yourself” and being … Continue reading Starbucks Drama
Job Shadows
Job shadow. Verb? Noun? We aren’t talking ghosts here, nor what Peter Pan lost. A rather loose definition of a person who “job shadows” is someone who accompanies another on their job site all day, watching and learning what they do at work. Children are often paired with their parent. My own have never shown … Continue reading Job Shadows
The French Fry Challenge
Beware! Traveling veterinarians are everywhere! Along with the vast hordes of people who undergo summer migration in odd patterns they refer to as “vacations,” we made our way across the North Pole to Europe, specifically France. You may (or may not) recall that we had entertained an exchange student from that country earlier this year … Continue reading The French Fry Challenge
Summer Vacation / Hawaii 5 Days or Less
Well, I said helpfully, I just called up so you could yell at me. Complete silence for a moment, followed by protestations. They had never been upset with me. Everyone was so lovely at the clinic. Their pet had never been away from them before. Their dog boarded with us for a week. A joyous, … Continue reading Summer Vacation / Hawaii 5 Days or Less
Adam’s Rib
So our school held a softball banquet for the team. Parents were asked to provide potluck. We brought ribs. Which somehow reminded a physician friend of her med-school days and the particular anatomy class when one of her classmates suddenly realized that both male and female human beings had the same number of rib bones. … Continue reading Adam’s Rib
The Parrot Who Ate Caramel Corn / Heart Failure
Unbelievable. If I dared roll my eyes during an interaction with a client, my eyes should have been doing cartwheels during the intake history I was noting on the chart. My patient, an African Grey Parrot named Joe, was lying face down in his carrier, his beautiful red tail inelegantly dragging in the muck and … Continue reading The Parrot Who Ate Caramel Corn / Heart Failure