I’ve heard of “Apple Bottom” jeans for those sexy Cuban backsides and Applejack brandy for cold winter nights, but this is the first I’ve heard of “applehead” Chihuahuas.

‘Course it stands to reason that a Chi with a domed head might remind me of an apple, but I’ve never had cause to consider the etymology of appleheadedness in Chihuahuas until I was informed of this breed “type.”

Sad to...

In Florida, where I live, a veterinary practice may be owned by anyone––a veterinarian, a corporation of non-veterinarian investors, a veterinary technician, an animal welfare organization...indeed, by anyone who cares to set up shop and hire a veterinarian. 

In many other states, however, such rules are not in play. Veterinary hospitals must be owned by veterinarians. That usually means...

“Trap, test, spay or neuter, vaccinate and release.” That’s my mantra when it comes to treating stray cats, feral or not. 

If you were paying close attention, serious cat people, you’ll have noticed that my party line didn’t include “ear tip.” Wondering why? Here’s my answer, couched in a recent experience:

In a couple of weeks a group of veterinarians will be getting together at...

Share your home with some intelligently designed indoor fauna? Yeah, me too. 

If you’re anything like me, you’ll understand when I explain how their presence constantly gives rise to thoughts of ancient dogs on the range and slinking cats in prehistoric prowl mode. While my feline ferals may be most reminiscent of their animal antecedents, I can even picture my Frenchies’ forbearers...

Last Thursday arrived sunny and unseasonably cold here in Miami. My morning flew by in a flurry of surgeries and appointments and I was making good time. I had only two procedures left when my cell rang with the urgent message: “Bear on the way. Better be here before the media if you want in on the action.”

That was my boyfriend, intrepid veterinary surgeon Dr. Marc Wosar at Miami Veterinary...

What does the case of the California woman whose womb carried eight implanted embryos have to do with veterinary medicine? Only that the ethical slippery slope is steeper in our sister profession when it begins to approximate ours.

Implanting eight embryos into a woman following in vitro fertilization is not even remotely defensible if you ask most bioethicists. Where does the woman’s psych...

OK, so you’re pregnant. Congratulations! And now your OB/Gyn has issued a list of concerns. Among them you might read a line-item or two on your appropriate interaction with pets. Some human docs may even suggest you adopt drastic measures to reduce your exposure to them, given that they may carry diseases harmful to your fetus. 

The wording under one local OB/Gyn’s “Pets and Your Pregnancy”...

Let’s say you LOVE your veterinarian. Or maybe you don’t; but you still trust him. Of course you want what’s best for your pet and you’re smart. You understand that being a good client can make the difference between stellar care and the decent to excellent care you’re currently receiving.

After all, this is the person that can make the difference between life and death, comfort and pain,...

The new year is upon us. Though 2,009 is just another number, the ‘turning of the clock’ always provides exciting new incentives to reassess the state of any given process. In this case, the process in question is the evolution of the veterinary industry.

There’s no doubt that veterinary medicine is rapidly evolving relative to almost every other medical field. The resulting change is...

A shocking news story out of Northeastern Pennsylvania: A basement-dwelling groomer offers “Gothic kittens” for sale on eBay. The uniquely “Gothic” quality? A pair of pierced ears, a pierced neck and a pierced tail.

What the seller didn’t know is that not only is it illegal to sell live animals on eBay (hooray for eBay!) it’s apparently illegal to pierce cats in Pennsylvania.

No, it’s not...