Category: Pet Stories

Pet Stories

Snakes are People, Too!

After a few minutes a small, 3 inch, green frog came walking out of the can, traversing down the length of the snake’s back, like he was on some bridge over the abyss in The Lord of the Rings!

It was only 7 p.m. The E.R. was empty. How strange! Then a young 8-month-old brown and tan Doberman girl was rushed in because she had been bitten on the upper right muzzle by a rattlesnake. The snake in question fit in a Zip-Loc sandwich bag because he (or she) was one of the Spring crop of baby Rattlers.
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Two Little Bite Holes Caused All This Damage?

“Bite wounds can sometimes be much more extensive than they appear.”

A small 14 pound Westie, name of Henry, lay shaking on my exam table. His gums were pale pink, almost white, his heart beat rapidly, his eyes glazed over with a faraway look. Blood dripped from two little 4 millimeter holes in his skin on his right side.

“What happened?”

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Quaker Parakeet Casting

Then I devised a practical lightweight birdie bandage.

Orlando, the Quaker Parakeet suffered a broken left leg, which wouldn’t have been half as bad if he hadn’t previously broken his right leg and it never healed quite right. He needed his legs to stand and to hold his food to eat.
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Standard Poodle Cannot Play

Gariella was rescued from a garage where she and her sister had spent the first year of their lives.

I met Gabriella in the living room of her parents’ house. She was a beautiful, well-groomed apricot Standard Poodle. Her parents had spoken of her in my office because they were worried about her.
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Standard Poodle Learns to Play

Gariella was rescued from a garage where she and her sister had spent the first year of their lives.

I met Gabriella in the living room of her parents’ house. She was a beautiful, well-groomed apricot Standard Poodle. Her parents had spoken of her in my office because they were worried about her.
Continue reading “Standard Poodle Learns to Play”

Two Rottweilers and a Porcupine

Einstein would have absolutely loved these 2 statistical anomalies, (if not only for the mathematical curiosity) but also the shear anecdotal quality.

As a veterinarian, I’m often asked, do any dogs scare you?   Like Rottweilers?
Or Pit Bulls?  And the answer is forever “no way!”  I’ve had two questionable moments with Rottweilers.

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Portuguese Water Dog Revenge Chews Gentle Leader

“As soon as he thinks you’re not looking, he’s going to work at that Gentle Leader until he gets it off.”

“I’m gonna hafta get ridda my dog if he doesn’t stop pulling.   I can’t have him pulling when I’m pushing the baby stroller.” Continue reading “Portuguese Water Dog Revenge Chews Gentle Leader”

Shepherd Mix Battles Diamondback

A dead 6 foot diamondback rattlesnake lay stretched across the truck bed.

The Lady in question was a 9-year-old female German Shepherd mix.  She was camel-tan with a black mask.   Lady’s rump raised up 2 inches above her tail and had a cute little dimple in it.  Basically, she was fat and did not look too fast or self-reliant.  She looked like she ate a lot of Alpo and laid around digesting all day.

Boy, was I wrong!

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Cat Attacks Owners Hands and Ankles

Mrs. Small couldn’t implement any of this advice because she was 100% blind. So what was she going to do?

Talia was a 2-year-old black domestic short-hair cat with a penchant for stalking her mom, wrapping herself around Mrs. Small’s wrist and bunny-kicking her hand.  Ouch!

My usual favorite remedies for this sort of cat exuberance include increasing structured playtime.  At least 20 minutes twice a day of hard ball-chasing, string-chasing fun (supervised, of course!)

My next favorite remedy if the kitty is already very well entertained with attention and exercise, is a “natural” slightly unpleasant consequence.  Not punishment, because that usually ups the stakes and makes the cat gain your attention with more vigorous and inconvenient means. Continue reading “Cat Attacks Owners Hands and Ankles”

How I Diagnosed a Fur-Lined Ectopic Urethra in a Golden Retriever

“When Brinkley squats to poop, pee comes out the back of his leg.”

 

Golden Retriever Puppy
Brinkley Relaxes by the Fireside

I thought Brinkley’s mom was kidding or lying when she first told me about his little problem.

 

“When Brinkley squats to poop, pee comes out the back of his leg.” Oh, really?
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