Albuquerque Journal Articles
Life should be so simple and joyful for all of us. We have named Mick because he ROCKS!
Second in a series Diane and Richard called from the shoulder of I-40 right after Jasper, the roadside beagle, had a desperately needed drink and a snack. If you don’t carry dog food on a road trip a ham sammie from the cooler works just fine. I’d treated their aging miniature poodle for congestive heart failure. We stayed ahead of Mandy’s abnormal heart rhythms and the fluid in her lungs until her 16-year-old ticker just couldn’t sustain life. We had shared that sense of relief when treatment adjustments reduced her symptoms but I always had to remind them that more…
Who will win this intense competition? The puppy who comes home with our family in just one week, that’s who. And who will it be? Even we don’t know yet. Stay tuned.
First in a series Simple Cure? Driving home from Amarillo Richard had his eyes on the road while his wife Diane took in an outrageously beautiful New Mexico sunset. That’s when she saw something moving on the roadside. “Hey, Richard – slow down! That’s a hurt dog!” Rather than a tragic accident this was a blessing, and for more than a canine waif. Diane had suffered with depression for years. Following the death of their dog several months earlier her condition had worsened. She had been diagnosed with depression and was having trouble getting out of bed in the morning.…
We’ll have our new baby in just 2 weeks – already set up for success.
Last in a series Who Knew? I fidgeted, I hoped unnoticed, as I conducted a final exam of Lila, the Boxer mama and the qualifying 6 of her original 9. I carried the tired but stable mother to her owner’s semi truck while Ms. Adler lugged the box of puppies. I quickly bid her adieu and hurried back inside. My partner Dr. Virginia Vader and our nurse Bobbi had been hard at work. I just had to snuggle those 3 white orphans. For Gretchen Adler, our Boxer breeder client, this was just business. Had I known when she called, that…
Third in a series We Accept Rejects I didn’t know it at the time but for a Boxer to compete in the conformation ring, at least 2/3 of its coloring must be brindle or fawn. As I carefully delivered our anesthetized patient, Lila’s groggy puppies by Caesarian, infant number 3 landed in the hands of our veterinary nurse Bobbi. Our client, Gretchen Adler, was busy reviving the pupster I had handed her a few minutes earlier. As Bobbi pulled the placenta off the youngster in her hands we heard a clear order, “Let the white ones die.” Had I heard…
These Border collie puppies play well with others but there is more to life than fun and games. There is also hiking, snuggling, and fun and games. One of them gets to be the new Nichol family dog
Second in a series Caesarians in dogs and cats usually go well. Lila, the Boxer mama on my exam table, was not entirely tuckered out; her vital signs were strong. We started warm fluids IV and administered morphine for gentle sedation and pain control. Lila relaxed and accepted the oxygen mask and gas anesthesia. Once she was intubated and her abdomen prepped she was wheeled into surgery. Gretchen Adler, the owner of this nascent Boxer family, knew exactly what she wanted. Reluctantly donning the surgery cap and mask that I had pressed into her hands she stated unequivocally, with added…