Hi all! Yeah, its been a while. For those of you who don't know, I became a mom to twin boys in November 2011 and have absolutely very little free time anymore. I'm not finding the right motivation to write fiction these days (and I'm at work right now)...

I'm currently attending the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Asso0ciation) in Denver to get continuing education hours in order to keep my license. I have been learning many new things, got a refresher on some other things and had a good time with some friends. Last night we escaped the hotel room and visited a nearby mall, ate some really good Greek food and tasted some exotic teas...

If you're one of those dog owners who eat after your puppy & lets them eat however much they want of whatever they want, walks out the door after your puppy, kiss your puppies face and gets all excited when you get home then your dog has you trained...

I know I'm a little late considering how little is left of the summer. I've been trying to write this for at least a month. I'm really looking forward to frost this year. Why? Because I'm tired of the fleas. Usually fleas are a fall problem in this area. Ticks are the spring problem. This year the fleas arrived in April and have been here all summer long...

I finally made it out to my parents after the fire on the 23rd. I should have gone last weekend but it slipped my mind. I was surprised at how much had burned. I was also surprised at how much of the trees my grandparents (Marvin & Ruth Nelms) had planted many years ago still stood. The yucca plants look pretty strange...

1. Have records from your previous veterinarian. We'd like Doctors notes, lab results, x-rays if any and a list of all medications. This is especially important for second opinions. 2. Keep track of how long problem has been going on, how often and what also happens. Also a list of possible toxins they have access to would be helpful. Toxins like antifreeze, fertilizer, insecticides, chocolate, raisins, onions, tylenol, etc...

Obedience training is probably the best thing you can do with and for your dog. Training eliminates confusion, making life simple when your dog knows whats right and wrong. So many dogs are eager for rewards and praise that once he/she knows what's expected of him that you'll soon have a relaxed, happy and confident companion whom you trust. So long as you are consistent with your commands and being the leader...

I decided I need a change of pace and I finished a book last night that I really enjoyed reading. Cirque De Freak A Living Nightmare I'm letting out a side most people don't see. My freaky side, the one that loves reading and writing urban fantasy; primarily the mystery, suspense thriller stories but I'll read the occasional romance if there is more than romance to the story. ...

Even the cuddliest, fuzziest, sweetest pup can bite if provoked. Most people are bitten by their own dog or one they know. Some owners actually promote aggression in their dogs or allow aggression to go unchecked. http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/dog_bite/dog_bite_brochure.asp...

Britain has an estimated 7 million pet cats and 1 million ferals. By comparison, the United States has approximately 60 million pet cats and 60 million ferals. Feral populations are swollen by breeding and the dumping of unwanted pets; 5 million cats and dogs are 'dumped' annually according to the US Department of Agriculture while American surveys suggest that between 36% and 60% of unneutered pet cats go feral within 3 years.--Americanferalcat.com- http://www.feralcat.com/sarah3.html [I'm not sure why they compared us to the UK and not some other country, perhaps it's because both countries contain many pet lovers.]. ...

For those of you who would like a little more clarification about how we came up with animal limits, license fee's, that insurance requirement for keeping vicious or potentially vicious dog and many other things. Here it is. How did we come up with the vicious or potentially vicious dog recommendation? We followed state guidelines. Did you know dangerous dogs are required to be microchipped by a licensed veterinarian? I'd forgotten until I re-read LB-1055...

I attended the city council meeting last night. Frustration and anger were far too high. Perhaps I should have written this while I was in the mood to rant. I thought I'd wait and get things straight in my head. So many people who attended last night were confused, didn't understand why we started this and misunderstood the proposed ordinances http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1540967.html. ...

This is a long one. I guess I've been holding it in too long. Happy Reading! KENNEL COUGH Lately we've had a resurgence of canine (dog) kennel cough aka a bacteria known as bordetella bronchiseptica. That name might look a tad familiar. Human whooping cough is bordetella pertussus...

We had a second opinion puppy come in that I'm not sure I should talk about but it's such an interesting case. I'm keeping names to myself so as not to embarrass anybody. This poor dog had been having digestive problems for a month. Well, we did a diagnostic workup- x-rays, blood work, exam and only found a solid mass in the intestines. ...

Forgive me for being brief, this is a subject I prefer to avoid but a long time friend may be taking a final journey in a few days. We've enjoyed his company every time he comes to visit. We've lost a lot of long time friends of the last year or so. Puppies I met when I first started working after college 13 years ago are now old dogs. Where has the time gone?...

This is one of many cases where the adage "Nothing is ever free" comes true. When you find a free puppy / kitten in the newspaper or street corner you don't know a lot about the animal you are considering to take home. Have they had any vaccines? If so, when and what kind / brand? Because your vet want's to know, so they don't have to repeat anything. (So, I'm also having fun learning html code.)...

If your dog hasn't been vaccinated for parvo in a year or more or if your puppy hasn't had any vaccines or hasn't had a set of three then you might want to look into it. Here's why... I was going to post part 2 of getting a puppy but passing on parvo information seems more important right now. There is a lot of parvo going around in our community...

I thought I'd elaborate on the comment I posted a week or so ago on the letter to the editor http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1463443.html that was written by Linda Dethlefsen. Now, I'm not a trained pet behaviorist (but I can recommend on locally) and I'm not trying to fix anybody's pet problems. There is a book my Doc's recommend and I believe the library has it. It is The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell and she explains why dogs do what they do. Someday I'll go for training...

I was playing around on one of my favorite veterinary web sites and I found this. We get asked this question on a daily basis and honestly, it's getting old. Here's a very good list: Vomiting (bring in within 1 day or less) Diarrhea (bring in within 1 day or less)...

Sure. Who hasn't thought, "We'll let her have just one litter." It's that first litter and well every litter that's unpredictable. Things could go easy and the puppies could come out without any problems. But there are so many things that could go wrong, so many things you need to know about. And all those things that go wrong could be expensive...