So as you can see, blogging has not been part of my top "to do " list in this past year. Many of us start the year with such strong, good intentions but then we are blindsided by, well, life. For me, it is lack of egotism that makes me understand that blogging is informative and fun..an open diary to share your thoughts/opinions, and when it comes to veterinary medicine, I have plenty of those!!
The saying is if you fall off your horse, the best thing to do is get back on. So here I am back on and pushing forward, both literally and figuratively (I'm jumping horses again!). Many people spend years agonizing of what career path to take. I have been fortunate, for although it has taken many twists in turns (from working at the San Francisco zoo to my stint in Africa), I am still very passionate about what I do every day. The staff keeps me going, the patients keep me on my toes and the clients keep me grounded.
Veterinary Medicine is one of the most fascinating careers one can have. I have had the honor of learning from some of the best in the field but it is made even better by the appreciative people that are touched by it on a daily basis. Although many are struggling to keep a step ahead of the crumbling economy, I have found that through team work, clear and open communication and general understanding of each other, we can all get through this while maintaining the same goal: the best possible care for the pets we all love.
Through this blog I intend to share small bits of knowledge that I have learned throughout my years in practice, as well as new things I have researched and have proved to be use full. I hope that my readers find it to be entertaining and informative.
So this is my new found love: Antlers
Yep, the kind you find on deer... or off, as many of you may not realize deer shed antlers and grow new ones again!
So how does this fit into small animal veterinary medicine? Well, now I have a puppy. Puppies chew. They are born with no teeth, get a whole set of baby teeth during the next 6 weeks only to have them all fall out again by the time they are about 6 months old. Thus they "teethe" on everything from table legs to shoes. Now, it must be said that with aggressive chewers there is a chance that teeth may be chipped as they are hard. But with my 10 month old puppy Puddles (an 8 lb chihuahua mix who was dumped at the clinic with a prolapsed rectum that I just had to save), they are amazing. No risk of allergies or salmonella, or handling dried body parts of animals that I wouldn't want my pup to chew on then lick my face like real bones or cow hooves.
Puddles will chew on the ones you can get at the pet store that are sterilized "recycled" (thus GREEN for the environment) for hours and hours. She's happy and it keeps her new teeth sparkling clean and come on now.. how many of you really follow my advice to brush their teeth DAILY??!!.
I hope that this finds you all in good health and happiness!
Dr. B
