Blog

In veterinary school we had a class called “restraint.” One of Merriam Webster’s definitions is restricting movement. From experience, I’ll tell you that “restraint” in vet med often meant heavy metal gates, squeeze chutes, ropes, twitches, and rodeo/judo throws, plus the old standby, pile-‘o-techs imprisonment. Between growing up on a ranch, going to veterinary school, […]

Can outdoor cats learn to live happily indoors? You bet! My daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, and I teamed up to share these tips with a reader who is making the switch for her feline family members. Q: We hope to move in a couple of years. Are there any steps to prepare our four outdoor […]

Dr. Sandra Lee, better known as YouTube and TV star Dr. Pimple Popper, may amaze her viewers with the cysts she’s removed, but can she top this? I’ve removed as many as 20 in a single surgery session! Of course, my patients are pets, but their cysts are no different from those we humans get. […]

A cat has been timid since kittenhood. Now 8 years old, she’s suddenly become so terrified she won’t come out from hiding. What could have caused it, and what should her humans do? Here’s what my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, and I teamed up to tell a reader. Q: We adopted our 8-year-old female cat […]

I’ve been privy and partner to the final breath of thousands of pets. Client’s pets. Veterinary team members’ pets. Neighbor’s pets. Family member’s pets. Shelter pets. And of course, my own pets, which for like most of you, are not only considered family members, but our kids. On Saturday, December 15, 2018, we suddenly lost […]