Ehrlichiosis
Just before Christmas Arras fell ill with a nasty tick borne disease: Ehrlichiosis. I had mistaken his symptoms for “signs of old age” - I thought my high-octane Malinois was beginning to show signs of wear and tear from his working career. I was...
Anal Glands
This week’s newsletter is decidedly not about holiday sales. Instead, it’s about a health issue – one that causes a bit of embarrassment & happens to most of us dog owners at one point or another. Here’s my story:
Ear Cropping
I find cosmetic surgery so peculiar - and by that I mean those done for vanity or aesthetic reasons. For the sake of SB, I'll be sticking to the topic of dogs. This week's newsletter on ear cropping is the first in a series on...
Heat Stroke, part 2 - The Reality on Car Temperatures
This week's newsletter is the second edition in our series on heat stroke: the reality on car temperatures. We've sourced this information from a handy website called MyDogIsCool.com.
Keep cool and pass it on.
Heat Stroke, part 1
Our Golden State is finally aglow with sunshine! As our long, hot summer days kick-off in full swing, here is some invaluable information about heat stroke in dogs: what it is, who gets it, and how to treat it. It's the first edition in our series...
Foxtails
I had no idea what a Foxtail was until I moved to California. In fact, I had only learned of these nasty barbed bits of grass from endless conversations at the Schutzhund club. The story that stands-out the most: a handler who retired her young, highly...
Roaming Vets
Just when I thought the primal urge to roam was limited to our four-legged best friends I scored this: veterinarians who embrace their wanderlust. These docs have tossed away the shackles of brick & mortar to make house-calls. Saving on time and...
Ticks Suck
Many of you may already know I grew up in Connecticut, home to an abundant tick population and where Lyme Disease got its name (Lyme, CT). Living with ticks became the norm. Certain times of the year were worse than others in which case we...
Toxic Holiday Plants
Two plants synonymous with holiday decorating have long been known to be toxic: Poinsettia and Mistletoe (known for that brilliant tradition of snogging underneath it).
However, they get a bad rap. Read on....
Chocolate
I’m betting that right now you have a pile of it. From your kids’ Halloween booty to your own not-so-secret stash of hand-made chocolates, you’ve likely acquired quite a sizable collection of the world’s most popular food (3,000 years of cultivation...
Mental Health - Military Dogs & Veterans
Recently, I’ve come across a lot of material devoted to the mental health of war veterans and military dogs. And with Labor Day Weekend under our belt, I thought it appropriate to pay homage to these working dog heroes, their handlers, and war veterans.
Rattlesnake Bites: What To Do
Last summer Oliver, our year-long visiting Frenchie, was bitten on his forehead by a rattlesnake. It happened just outside the backdoor to our house. True to the tenacious spirit of French Bulldogs and thwarted curiosity channeled into pain and...
Feed This! - 'Cause dogs can't cook & cats won't
Many of you probably already know this about me: I’m a fan of feeding my dogs a raw diet. I’ve been doing it for 14 years and counting. I’m also a fan of the Sonoma County-based raw dog food company, Feed This. Cathy Bechler and Tiffani Beckman...
Mold + Walnuts = 911
Three years ago I had a frightening experience that involved our two youngest dogs: the accidental ingestion of moldy walnuts with body tremors on par with Parkinson’s disease and a finale of grand mal seizures. It was Sunday afternoon to boot.
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