Human/Animal Bond

Thursday, October 30, 2025

My Invisible Dog
March 19, 2025

I thought I was a responsible pet owner. Auggie Doggie caused me to rethink this almost daily.
Dying: A Tale of Two Species
March 19, 2025

As a daughter and as a veterinarian, it's not easy to watch my father die.
Black Wings
October 28, 2024
Don’t Blame the Janitor
January 27, 2024
In the Hollow
October 31, 2023

The downed cow's owner somehow thought "over the ridge, just before the trees" was a near reasonable address to give the vet at 5:30 on an October evening.
Oil in Water
October 28, 2022

The thief in the kayak heard only a strangled slurp as the bow of the now empty dinghy nuzzled into his boat's side
Geriatric Pet Care is Not for the Faint of Heart
July 27, 2022

Caring for a geriatric pet comes with a new set of challenges
Fighting like Dogs and Cats
June 10, 2022

What kinds of things can happen when a dog decides to take on a cat?
Writing Neurotic Instructions for Dog Sitters
May 6, 2022

That's why nothing untoward happened that did not involve tuna particles
A Flash of Blood and Euthanasia
February 4, 2022

Bandy was my best friend in a world that was wildly out of my control
An Indirect Effect of the Pandemic
January 14, 2022

A week too easily became a month and then six.
COVID-19 and Animal Visitation Programs
July 9, 2021

What’s the risk of animal visitation programs? People.
Pandemic Pets
May 21, 2021

For some people, the love was temporary, like a summer fling
The Cat's Meow
March 5, 2021

Meowing beyond kittenhood is believed to be a language designed for interacting with humans
Clinical Hope: Two Dogs, Three Universities and a Cancer Trial
February 26, 2021

"I was anxious to get into this trial"
Your Dog’s a What?
January 15, 2021

No longer is your dog a mongrel or a mismate, but rather it’s a “breed”
Giving Thanks for our Pets
November 25, 2020

The VetzInsight team thought this year would be a good time to voice our reasons for being thankful about our own pets.
Things that Go Urp in the Night
October 29, 2020

As I neared the bathroom, something raked across my calf. I jumped, teleporting against the wall, heart pounding.
How to Achieve World Peac… – SQUIRREL!!!!
September 25, 2020

"Daddy! We found a baby squirrel and I’m sure it’s mom abandondeded it and if we don’t do something it will die!"
Persistence is Her Middle Name
September 18, 2020

The act of listening and watching for her physical cues is a valid avenue of communication
Uncle Mikey’s Maxims
September 11, 2020

I was sure I’d screwed up tremendously and had failed Uncle Mikey’s expectations
The Dog After the Grief
September 4, 2020

7 years later, Part 4 of Euthanizing Aggressive Dogs: Sometimes It's the Best Choice
Forget Where’s Waldo - Where’s Wallace?
June 26, 2020

We turned a big corner in the Take Your Dog to Work Day marathon when Wallace became the unofficial face of VIN on the road.
Four-Legged Therapists
June 19, 2020

My first important therapist, Cinder, began seeing me when I was about six years old
Spring 2020 Trivia Quiz
June 5, 2020

It's another trivia quiz and not one question has anything to do with COVID-19 or the election!
Nuking My Cat (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love I-131)
May 29, 2020

I can’t even trim Steve’s nails, so the thought of giving her pills twice a day made me anxious
Fearmongering During a Pandemic is Very, Very Bad
March 19, 2020

Hand sanitizers will not kill your pets because it has different ingredients than antifreeze
Puppy Hate: Isn’t There a Word for Judging Something Before You Know It?
March 6, 2020

It's easier to hate an abstract idea than a breathing, licking example
Stunk by the Skunk
January 27, 2020

I really did not want to get on a plane smelling like skunk
Decrease Your Cat Allergies by Vaccinating Your Cat
January 20, 2020

Can you vaccinate your cats so you're less allergic to them?
Night of the Dogs
October 28, 2019

All three dogs leapt and hung on by their teeth, trying to get at its great, thick neck
Why Did the Turtle Cross the Road?
June 17, 2019

Help turtles survive our infrastructure
3 Bigs and a Little
April 15, 2019

With 3 Newfs and a Pom, we have 408 lbs of dog
Photographing Faceless Black Animals
March 12, 2019

I bet a lot of your photos of black pets look like black blobs too
Sheep Make Joy and Sweaters
January 21, 2019

Like 6th graders, sheep flock together by instinct to protect themselves
New Year's Resolutions to Benefit your Pets
December 31, 2018

The new year is a perfect time to make changes that will earn big rewards in your pet's life
The Joys of Living with an Older Dog
December 10, 2018

We find humor and sweetness in living with an old dog
“I Could Never Give Them Up”
November 12, 2018

I went into this knowing he wasn't staying
Through the Door Darkly
October 29, 2018

"A rustle downstairs jumpstarted my heart. I dove back under the comforter, blood pounding in my ears."
What Kids Learn from Pets
October 22, 2018

Pets teach children bits and pieces of how life works
"We Sent your Dog to a Farm"
September 10, 2018

I always wonder what other lies they told me
So You Want to Marry a Veterinarian
July 9, 2018

Veterinarians often expend their emotional energy during the workday
Got Goat, Will Travel
May 28, 2018

What about when they have to go to the bathroom?
Saying Goodbye
May 7, 2018

Saying goodbye is never easy, regardless of how or when it happens.
The Dangers Children Can Cause Pets
March 12, 2018

My children aren’t the only ones to facilitate a critter jailbreak
Listen to Me: I Need to Give My Dog Away
February 16, 2018

Dad taught me the importance of listening to people
A Rose by any other Name
December 4, 2017

Think carefully about the name you bestow upon your new pet
My Life as a (Veterinarian’s) Dog
August 28, 2017

Donating blood isn't the only thing I do "in the name of science"
It's Take your Dog to Work Day!
June 16, 2017

Know your dog and your colleagues before bringing Fido in
Veterinary Guilty Pleasures
May 1, 2017

The number one guilty pleasure is popping something icky
Serving the Service Dog
April 14, 2017

Babysitting a service dog involves complexities that don’t arise with other pets
To Help or Not to Help
March 24, 2017

She couldn't legally be treated without the owner's permission
Kindergarten is for Kittens
February 6, 2017

The socialization period is thought to end around seven weeks
Don't Feed the Wildlife
October 31, 2016

Once, the swarm had been controlled by the local bats.
How to Love your Local Shelter
October 24, 2016

A shelter is a community’s animal resource center
Lying Down with Dogs (and Cats!)
April 4, 2016

Opinions on sleeping with pets range from desired to disgusting
Raccoons make lousy pets. Really.
February 1, 2016

Nothing stops them from chomping flesh when they want to
The Eight Most Vital Things Pet Owners Need
November 16, 2015

Taking care of a pet means a lot more than just putting down a bowl of food
Caught Between a Rock and a Soft Spot
November 2, 2015

After writing about TNR, I'm still not sure which side I'm on
Releasing the Hounds from Hell
October 26, 2015

He loved to hang two or three heads out the window; he loved the wind on his faces, the cool air, and the sounds of car wrecks behind him
Pets, Kids: Is there a Difference?
August 24, 2015

Yesterday I realized that control is an illusion
The Great Escape
August 3, 2015

He had somehow forgotten to close the garage door all the way
The Parrot's Tale
July 13, 2015

Nikolai's awesomeness results from tons of socialization and work
Companion Animals Soak up the Bad AND Good
July 6, 2015

Pets have a body-mind component to health and illness
Why Do I keep You? Let me Count the Ways
April 13, 2015

Admit it - sometimes even you wonder why you have pets
A Four-Legged Mentor
February 2, 2015

I was created by a horse
Even Big Burly Guys Faint at the Vet's
January 19, 2015

At the clinic, vets see a pattern to the pre-fainting routine
I'm Moving and can't Take my Pet
November 24, 2014

Pets are not disposable, but they shouldn't be an unwanted anchor either
Why is There a Cat on my Computer?
November 17, 2014

Cats don’t care how they get your attention as long as they get it
Dissed by your Cat
June 9, 2014

Claire The Cat didn't always hate living with us
Why Should I Give her Back?
May 19, 2014

A collarless, unkempt dog or cat may be lost, not abandoned
The Pet Parent Trap
April 7, 2014

He’s a dog and he’s loved, but he’s not my son
“He Just Went off to Die, Doc”
March 31, 2014

Dogs and cats don't wander off to die to spare our feelings
Listening to Van Gogh’s Heart
February 10, 2014

His early life taught children why it is cruel to abandon animals
Cat Hoarding: How Many is Too Many?
January 27, 2014

We removed 156 cats that first day, in the terrible heat in a small, stinky house
Pet Guests for the Holidays
December 16, 2013

Is it in everyone's best interest for you to bring your pet on this trip?
I’m Calling the Colonel! My Chicken Tale
October 21, 2013

The upside and downside to chicken ownership
I am Cat Furniture
September 30, 2013

I often find myself covered in cats without realizing that they’re there until I need to move
Horsing Around
August 5, 2013

Every year over 170,000 horses become unwanted in the U.S.
After the Loss, Pet Owners Tell their Pet's Story
July 29, 2013

Grieving people talk about their pet's life at euthanasia
Getting your Goat
June 10, 2013

Goats do not see themselves as pets
An Alpacalyptic Halloween Tail
October 24, 2012

This is a dark tale, a saga of things that lurk in darkness.
The Worst Form of Animal Abuse
October 4, 2012

The most common form of animal abuse is overfeeding.
9/11: Remembering the SAR Teams at the Pentagon
September 11, 2012

Emergency task force teams that included SAR dogs were immediately deployed
The Puppy Mill Bust
September 4, 2012

"Smell" is insufficient to describe the palpable wave of ammonia and rotting fecal matter
The Veterinarian-Client Bond
July 16, 2012

We almost never hear about the most critical bond and the one that most impacts the success of any veterinary care. The veterinarian-client bond -- yeah, I just left out the patient.
Hoards of Herds
June 19, 2012

With livestock medicine, indications of hoarding can sometimes be a bit more subtle – people rarely have problems with horses walking on the counters or goats peeing on the carpet.
How One Veterinarian Answers the No. 1 Question
April 13, 2012

As an emergency and critical care veterinarian, I have to say "What would you do if this were your pet?" is one of the most common questions that I am asked – nearly every day of practice.
Uncharted Waters: Life and Death in ICU
May 7, 2011

When faced with a sick patient, medical people (both human and veterinary, and for all I know slimy 8-legged doctors on Alpha Centauri) formulate what is called a problem list.

Human/Animal Bond

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