Category: I am a Veterinary Professional

Nocturnal Cats

Question: I have two one-year old male cats Sergeant and Figaro. Sergeant had been waking me up every night …due to his noisy midnight explorations. Sergeant’s latest discovery has been the spiral door stopper which makes a lovely Boinng sound. I have had to remove all of them in my apartment. I have tried keeping them up all day by playing games with toys, hoping they will sleep through the night. However, that is impossible when I have to be away in the daytime and it is time consuming. I now close them both in the bathroom where the litter

Behind the Scenes at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL

All in all it was a magical hour and a half. I highly recommend that everyone who visits Chicago visit the Shedd Aquarium. It will give you a new appreciation for the husbandry training that can and should be done in all zoos.

Dog Park Etiquette

These dogs are displaying appropriate, well-mannered greeting behavior.    You’ve owned dogs for ages, you have pets galore.   You know all the stories, they’re now just a bore.   But have you heard the one about Dennis? Dennis, the Dog Park Menace?    Rumor has it he’s at every park. He comes in many disguises making him easy to miss.     Here’s how he might appear.     The dogs are playing, each a brown or black blur   When off in the distance appears a mass of white fur.  The ball of white bounces, looming larger and clear  Then Splat! A squashed Scottie dog yelps out

A Successful Behavior Technician Conference at the Oquendo Center in Las Vegas

I just got back from the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians’ First Annual Behavior Conference at the Oquendo Center in Las Vegas. Over forty-five technicians plus a few practice managers and dog trainers made the trek to this inaugural event. It was a smashing success. I was honored to be one of the chosen speakers, along with Monique Feyrecilde, LVT, Sherri Yschak, RVT, Ginny Price, MS, CVT, VTS (Behavior) and with labs presented by Terry Ryan and Marcia Rafter Ritchie, VTS (Behavior), CPDT. While many of you have attended tons of veterinary or training seminars, I have to tell you that there

Pet Food Recalled After Cats in Rochester, NY, Area Fall Ill

On October 3, 2009, Diamond Pet Foods announced that they had voluntarily withdrawn from distribution two brands of cat food Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat. The recalled bags are those with the following date codes. RAF0501A22X 18lb    RAF0501A2X 6 lb.,   RAH0501A22X 18 lb.    RAH0501A2X 6lb.    SO far, based on calls from pet owners and veterinarians, the problem appears to be centered in the Rochester, NY, area. The company has contacted all retailers and outlets to which these lots were shipped and asked them to pull the product from the store shelves. The retailers

Dogs in Bali Learn Some Dog Tricks

Day 4 of my Indonesia Trip (Sept 2009) One fact that’s wonderful about dogs is that whether they’re a pampered pet from America, a trained competition dog in Germany, or a street dog in Bali, the language is the same. So no matter where I go, I know I’ll be able to communicate with them. On the morning of our first full day in Bali, while my friend Asri and her family and I are waiting at Lovina beach for our dolphin-watching boat to get fixed, a little village dog follows a visitor to the beach looking for food. The

Low Stress Handling® Silver-Level Certification

Individual Certification at this level demonstrates to clients and employers the individual’s dedicated interest in Low Stress Handling®. Hospital Certification at this level demonstrates to clients and staff the hospital’s commitment to appropriately training staff in Low Stress Handling® methods.

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