If my recent rash of whiny, self-indulgent posts haven’t put you off this blog forever, then here’s to a very Merry Christmas from Vincent and Sophie, Dart, Helen, Poppy…and me. Here are a few pics…silly and sweet, I think, from my recent photo session (I finally gave in and had a few proper pics taken, as some of you suggested I should). I know it’s self indulgent, too, but I couldn’t...

With the holiday season in full swing I sometimes forget we’re just a couple of weeks away from the first Presidential primaries. And it’s getting hot out there. Celebrity endorsements are flying fast and furiously. (Hmmm…should I vote for Oprah’s candidate or Barbra Streisand’s?) And the debates are looking more like precursors to a yearlong knock-down drag-out fight. I can’t wait.

But what...

The Everglades has lots of problems. Among the National Parks, it gets ranked almost dead last by environmental groups as a result of development, farmland runoff (primarily the sugar industry’s), canal-clogging invasive species of vegetation, global warming and now—get this—snakes.

While snakes make up a small percentage of this country’s pets, they’re an increasingly popular pet here in...

Though we know a judge has heard our pleas and remanded Vick into the hands of our penal system (for what’s been deemed a [relatively] harsh 23 months), it’s clear that jail time will never be enough for some Vick-haters out there. And I won’t argue with them.

While we could go on at length debating whether Vick’s comeuppance is complete,  one thing is certain:

These 23 months were brought to...

Let’s say you have a kid. Or maybe you have a few kids on your Holiday list. These children like animals—or maybe you just want to pass along a little some of you with that present (and you’re obviously a pet-person). And let’s imagine that giving an animal to a child as a Holiday gift happens to be anathema to your personal ethic. What is a responsible child-gifter to do??

To this end (and by...

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. After recommending a holiday pet gift that suggests you shove your hamster into a “Hamtrac” racecar, snap the plastic door shut and watch him run circles around a miniature racetrack, I got to thinking (and it didn’t take much): Something about that vision just ain’t right.

After confessing this sin to my mother, who vehemently agreed (or so it...

Now that you’re feeling overstuffed and you’ve successfully avoided the midnight trip to the vet after the turkey-carcass-in-the-garbage meal your beloved may have consumed, here’s a fun post for you:

Every holiday season brings in a bigger haul of new pet products to the marketplace than the previous year’s stash. But who’s got time to sort out the losers from the well-designed toys, treats,...

Yep, it’s time again for some happy posting. Given the last few posts most of you regular readers are probably breathing a sigh of relief. Whew! She’s finally given up harping on THAT for a while. You’ll also be pleased to hear that tomorrow’s post is just as lighthearted in tone—and just in time for your Holiday shopping spree.

Here are the top ten things I’m thankful for this year…as a vet, a...

Yesterday I made my first pickup from my local farm cooperative’s stash. Over the summer, I’d signed up for a winter’s supply of fresh, organic veggies raised by local growers here in South Florida. It got me to thinking: some parts of the country probably offer the Thanksgiving bird this way, too.

Imagine picking up your freshly slaughtered, humanely-raised bird the day before the...

I’ve never considered myself real big on vaccines. Still, I rely on them to handle a huge chunk of the work I’d have to do if I didn’t have them around. Think of all the parvo pups and distemper cases alone—where would we treat them? How would we deal with the refuse, the contamination, the inevitable transmission?

That’s why I, for one, am grateful to the drug companies for doing this kind of...