She was a little old lady, short and round as a dumpling. She energetically grabbed her dog from the exam table and tipped him onto his paws. You’d never have guessed her age except for the grey hair. Her dog found his footing and waited expectantly by her feet. “I’ve got to go”, she declared, … Continue reading Little Old Ladies
Humor
Molly and the Spider Plant
It was Molly who reminded me. Molly is an English Springer Spaniel. Her soft, silky black ears make it irresistible to gently pull them. Her owner was bewailing the fate of her garden, as young Molly had developed a fascination for a particular potted spider plant. She sought my advice. My mind went drifting back … Continue reading Molly and the Spider Plant
My Husband’s Hospital Vacation
My first indication that text messaging had gone too far in my household was the afternoon I checked my phone and discovered the following message : “Just wanted to let you know. I thought I might be having a heart attack so I checked myself into the hospital.” It had been sent from my husband’s … Continue reading My Husband’s Hospital Vacation
My Christmas-motif salad wreath emoji
My staff said they needed to speak with me this afternoon. Well, of course. Had we not just enjoyed a dinner and dancing together on Saturday to celebrate the holidays? I met their loved ones. We shared food together. There were contests and prizes and drinkable holiday cheer and overall it was quite the festive … Continue reading My Christmas-motif salad wreath emoji
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
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
Walking Your Dog
Walking the dog is good exercise, good for the dog, good for the family. Done properly, you take in some sunshine and fresh air. You have time to admire the blossoming trees and critique your neighbor’s landscape. Wait a minute, there’s a “proper” way to walk your dog? Hmmmm… Young puppies need exercise to … Continue reading Walking Your Dog