As I conclude this series of posts highlighting some of my Miami Herald columns from 2009, I'll offer up the one that got me into hot water with the legal department earlier this year. 

Q: Last week my cat Ginger spent two days at the veterinary hospital after my daughter mistakenly applied the dog’s flea medication to her back. I immediately gave her a bath to get it all off but within...

OK here's one about becoming a veterinarian. It coincides neatly with one that appears in my USA Today column this week on the merits of pursuing a veterinary education against all odds. 

Q: My daughter insists she’s going to become a veterinarian when she grows up. She’s only twelve years old but never a day goes by that she doesn’t ask what more she should be doing to help reach her goal....

After reading yesterday's comments on Internet sales and information I thought it appropriate to offer this Miami Herald article today. Remember, I only get 400 words to play with!

Q: My cat Aarwen was just diagnosed with diabetes. She’s doing well on the insulin injections I give her twice a day, but I’ve read online about a variety of new treatments that don’t require these frequent shots....

Here's a subject I consider extra-appropriate for this time of the year. When buying pedigreed pups online it's buyer beware all the way. My conclusion after reading questions like the one below? Some people are just not pet-worthy. 

Q: I bought a dachshund puppy from an expensive breeder in Texas and had him flown all the way down only to learn that he’s missing a testicle. Please tell me...

Here's another example of what my Miami Herald readers can look forward to every weekend. Critique away. 

Q: I need you to help settle a family dispute. My wife’s mother says that pets can spread diseases to our children when they sleep on their beds. I say it’s an old wives’ tale. What do veterinarians say?

A: It’s been reported that up to 79% of pet owners allow pets to share beds with...

This week I’ve got more going on than I care to list. Some of it is my standard holiday fare (party-catering, get-togethers, gift-finishing, tree-trimming, etc.). Most of it, however, is related to a backlog of work secondary to this entire year’s October through December season.

I’m sure you’re feeling a similar pinch. It’s in the spirit of mutual empathy, then, that I ask you to help me...

There’s something about the holidays that always seems to help usher a high percentage of our older pets out of this world. It’s something many veterinarians I know comment on. As in, “Is it the humans who are suddenly ready for euthanasia or are our pets picking up on stressful holiday cues and ‘choosing’ to go the way of the rainbow bridge?”

I don’t know the answer. I just know the holidays...

I’m a veterinarian so I get breaks on animal care. This I know. I operate under no illusion that the dozen backyard-raised eggs––delicious though they might have been––offered fair and just compensation for an expert ultrasound examination earlier this week.

Tulip’s ultrasound this past Monday was an inexpensive affair for me. Meanwhile, the owner of a diabetic patient spent $300 on the very...

Ever asked yourself this question? If you’re like a great many of my clients you most certainly have. You’ve also asked your friends, your breeder, your neighbors, your mother in law and, eventually, perhaps, your veterinarian.

It can be a confusing topic, more so because there’s no one right answer. I should know––I’ve got at least a few up my sleeve depending on the dietary scenario in...

Yesterday’s post raised a tough topic you might’ve missed if you weren’t looking for a rusty needle in a happy entry’s haystack. In it, I described the sweet young thing I hope will soon become a part of my extended family. In so doing I described her now-treated cardiac condition, too.

Yes, it’s true this little dog has incurred at least $4,000 in veterinary bills (rescue-dog discounts...