NKUT

In the age of the "Doodle" I find myself wondering, on a very regularly basis (hourly), why people choose to over produce (breed) dogs and cats.

Spoiler alert: your highly priced doodle is actually a mutt.
And don't get me wrong, I love a good mixed breed dog, I also love many purebreed dogs.
But why this fascination with owning a purebred animal.  Why is that Goldendoodle worth so much money and value to folks?
Perhaps I am jaded, but then again I deal with a lot of shelter stricken animals.  And some of these ARE those "Doodles" and "Puggles" you just had to have.  I don't know each and every one of their backgrounds, but I know it started with someone purchasing them, thereby feeding into the supply and demand; then for whatever reason, they end up in the hands of a shelter.  And if they are lucky, it is an amazing shelter, like one of those involved with the No Kill Utah Coalition.

I am pleased to say there are many places working towards a no-kill shelter environment, but we still have a long way to go.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg really.  Some animals sit in shelters for years, with no way of understanding why their life involves only a dog-run, food, water, and walks.  It likely is better than a lot of alternatives, but we have evolved side-by-side with our canine companions so that they often thrive off of living in a home with their person or family.  Cats too.  Although our feline friends are a bit more finicky and prefer their oh-so important alone time, they also would prefer to be in an environment with someone to love and care for them.  There are outliers of course.  The semi-feral cat that is happiest with living and hunting mice in a barn.  The skittish dog that maybe doesn't want a big family to dote on him, rather a single human companion. 

The bottom line is this: too many folks are contributing to our overpopulation of dogs and cats in shelters across America; whether it is by accident or for profit, it is a serious problem that has no other solution at this time; we need to eliminate our excessive breeding and increase spaying and neutering of dogs and cats (until science comes up with a better solution).  Although the number of shelter animals euthanized (killed) each year has reduced, it is still far too high.  Any number above zero is too high quite frankly.

For some more information on NKUT, go ahead and click the link!  There are so many amazing dogs and cats in shelters, just wondering why they've ended up there, and hoping that you'll give them a look (instead of that overly priced mutt you were thinking about). 
And let's not even bring up the "Munchkin" cats.

Hello from the other side.

One might say I took a break from this blog.  Maybe it was the whole moving to a new country thing?  Or perhaps it had to do with immersing myself into the manic world of studying, stressing, and more studying (otherwise known as veterinary school).  Regardless, here we are, SEVEN years later. It's as if we all blinked and I moved to Scotland, left my family, friends and dog behind, and then moved back; oh and then moved to Utah.

I have recently decided to jump back into my blog for two very legitimate reasons:
1. I recently saw the wonderfully awful film, Jurassic World, which showcased a "Paleo Vet" (read Dinosaur Vet).  My inner child rejoiced, and then I remembered, wait, didn't I  make a blog that one time where I called myself a Dinosaur Vet?  Yes, yes I did and I am still dreaming of the day that I too may share the role of Paleo Vet.  My criticism of the medical accuracy in Jurassic World will be saved for another time.
2. I recently took a step in my career that led me to leave one veterinary family and enter another.  The clinics could not be more different, and yet the principals and love for animals are the same.  This transition has allowed me to reflect on my career choice, and myself as a veterinarian.  Long gone are the days of Mr. Herriot (a tip of the hat to you sir).  We live in a world where veterinary medicine is on the close heals of human medicine with regards to our diagnostics and treatments for the plethora of conditions we see.  I had a client today who was shocked to learn that I was not only his dog's primary physician, but also I could be its surgeon, cardiologist and anesthesiologist all at once. I realized then and there I needed a space to share my stories, vent my woes, and merely ramble about the day-to-day life of a veterinarian.  Because, no we are not the money-hungry doctors of your dogs and cats, rather the individuals who are up late at night, stressing, wondering, brainstorming what to do with your beloved fur-baby.

I want the pet owners of the world to understand what it is we go through on a daily basis, all the highs and lows.  I want fellow veterinarians to know, they too are not alone when worrying if they made the right calls. I want awareness for compassion fatigue.  And I want all owners to know that we love your pet, just as much as you do.  Even if it empties its anal glands all over our scrubs at 8 a.m. on a Monday morning.

So stay tuned, I plan on posting again, in less than seven years.