What does a veterinarian do when faced with pet-themed entertainment masquerading as science? In my case, I write about it. Consider the recent to-do over the unwelcome advances of humans towards their dogs. Hugs in particular, it was widely reported, are disfavored by a majority of our canine companions.

How can that be? Our dogs love their hugs! 

I know I’ve been remiss in offering blog entries lately but Im pretty sure you’ll forgive me given that I’ve been up to my eyeballs working on my brand new veterinary practice. This, amid all kinds of challenges, not the least of which involves keeping up with the rapid pace of veterinary design and technology.

Indeed, the speed of innovation in veterinary practices these days is such that anyone who doesn’t work constantly to maintain their facility and invest in equipment every few months is probably out of step with modern veterinary medicine. And no pet owner wants a veterinarian who doesn’t keep up, right? 

Have you ever wondered what a house cat’s ideal meal should be? In a cheeky quote attributed to esteemed veterinary cardiologist and feline nutrition pioneer, Dr. Paul Pion, the recipe goes as follows: “Take one vole and put it in a blender.” 

That’s it. Done. This blenderized meal is nutritionally complete and, to employ pet nutrition’s newest buzzword, it’s “biologically appropriate” too. 

I know, I know. It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I’m a tad late to the table on my gratitude list. In my defense, though, I spent most of the holiday in Tahoe snowshoeing with dogs and cooking up a storm at my sister’s place. The rest involved traveling back and forth to Miami, an odyssey that featured trying not to slide off a mountain (this, despite chains on my tires and the best efforts of a rented Kia). 

Last week’s feline renal failure patient came in feeling especially under the weather. I’d been monitoring her progress for about eight months and was impressed by her improving blood values and overall condition. Though her kidneys weren’t getting any younger, Zoe’s owner was doing a great job. That is, until the pharmacist over at the big box superstore threw a wrench in the works.

If you have a pet you’ve almost certainly been to a pet emergency room. Sure, a few veterinarians are still willing to see their own patients after hours, but in the case of a major medical calamity, we’re all grateful for the services of a fully staffed, well-equipped, 24/7 veterinary emergency facility. 

But that doesn't always mean your veterinarian is 100% happy to see you go there. Indeed, every single veterinarian I know will cop to a love-hate relationship with their local ERs. 

I have a friend whose pug adoration is legendary. And since I live with one too, we tend to connect on this issue. But when he sent me this video of a pug screeching and bawling during his toenail trim (like only a pug can), I couldn’t see the cuteness (though Wallace is cute indeed). All I could see was a patient with a serious foot-handling phobia. 

Just in time for Halloween, I’ve interviewed Jackson Galaxy, mojo-licious host of Animal Planet’s wildly popular My Cat From Hell and co-author of the new book, Catify to Satisfy. The twenty-minute chat was in advance of his upcoming appearance at next month’s Miami Book Fair, for which I’m preparing a small Miami Herald piece. 

True opportunist that I am, I thought I’d offer you some of the interview’s juicier outtakes here on Dolittler. 

Veterinary medicine is a profoundly human science. So much so that it perfectly mirrors the many deficiencies, uncertainties and flaws that characterize our human experience. It is, by its very nature, shockingly imperfect.

But that’s not what anyone wants to hear when they bring their pets to the vet ...

Right around mid-August I tweeted this cute pic a client took of me after I’d performed a C-section on her dog. It was a timely tweet, orchestrated to coincide with the emergence of the #ILookLikeASurgeon hashtag on Twitter. 

It started when women engineers in the UK started posting pics of themselves on social media with the #ILookLikeAnEngineer hashtag. Female physicians and surgeons, feeling it every bit as necessary to advance the cause of gender diversity in medicine, took to the #ILookLikeASurgeon hashtag in droves.