I am waiting on hold for my vet and hear a loop message, over and over: “Is your cat or dog obese? Ask us about the signs of diabetes.” This makes me crazy. Unlike cats, dogs don’t get diabetes because they’re fat. The Obesity-Canine Diabetes Myth Almost all* canine diabetes is akin to Type 1…
Traveling With Pet Insulin & Why I Can’t Go to BlogPaws
As I reported here earlier, Frankie and I had a successful trip to San Diego, where we flew together for the first time. The insulin I carried with me apparently didn’t fare quite as well. We had no problems during the trip, but the week following our return… Well, this requires a bit of background.…
I Hate UPS, the FDA and Intervet/Schering-Plough (But Love Doggie Stylish)
Did you ever want to start a rant and then realize you have far too many things to explain in order for people to properly understand what you are ranting about? That’s what just happened to me. After working up a good head of steam and venting in this post title, I suddenly understood that,…
Seven Canine Diabetes Myths
When my dog, Frankie, was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus at the end of 2007, I did what many people do when they learn their pet has a chronic, incurable illness. I wept. Ok, maybe a little more and a little more noisily than many people. Then I started researching the disease on the internet, which…
Blaming the dog
‘Tis the season for retrospectives, and I’ve been feeling pretty sorry for myself. Many of my prime writing markets have disappeared this past year, or have stopped using freelancers. Yes, I wrote a dog book that’s been well received, and that’s exciting. So was launching this blog. But they don’t pay the bills and won’t…
The best medicine
One of my favorite books about animals is Tell Me Where It Hurts, by Dr. Nick Trout. Compressing a great many cases into one day of veterinary ER drama, Dr. Trout’s book is not only passionate, well written, and poignant but it explores our central frustration when dealing with illness in animals: They can’t express…
Driving Mister Frankie
Surfing dogs…best friends and our best friends…dog-loving restaurants and hotels… There’s much to tell (and show), but the San Diego adventure begins with — what else? — the story of driving with my car-averse pup. The drugs The day before we were scheduled to leave, I tried Xanax, the latest vet prescription, on Frankie. It…
He’s a dog, not a disease
I really didn’t want to blog about canine diabetes. Specifically, I didn’t want to create a site where people only came to discuss illness. I was terrified of having a comments section where all the avatars wore angel wings, and where the Rainbow Bridge was the most popular travel destination. And I especially didn’t want…