Q&A: Experience – How to Track Your Hours, What Experience to Get and Can Coursework Make Up for Lacking Experience?

Hi Sharon Thanks for your great blog! I’m a 28-year-old career-changer who went straight to work rather than going to college when I was younger.  I’ve just started on my bachelor’s degree, which I’m planning to obtain over 5 years by going to school part time and working full time. Since I don’t plan to Read More …

“50 Things Your Vet Won’t Tell You” – A Controversial Article from Reader’s Digest

Whether or not you’ve read it before, I urge you to check out this article that appeared in Reader’s Digest not long ago. Why? Well, it rustled a few veterinary feathers, including mine. http://www.rd.com/slideshows/50-things-your-vet-wont-tell-you/ The article is entitled, “50 Things Your Vet Won’t Tell You” and while I know some of the things mentioned are Read More …

Anesthesia & Surgery: An Owner’s Point of View

Most veterinarians have or have had pets at some point in their life. I am no exception. I’ve had little creatures like hamsters, rats, and rabbits and currently I have 2 cats, both adopted from the shelter I used to work and volunteer at. Though both cats have been anesthetized 1-2 times (that I know Read More …

The Story Behind “A Letter To My Dogs”

For those of you who don’t know, I have never owned a dog. Though I am convinced that one of my cats is a dog, I am afraid that is the sad truth. Yet despite never having owned a dog, I do not feel like I have lacked that companionship and love. I feel as Read More …

What Is The Best Pet For A Vet Student?

Regardless of how many times I’ve been asked to write about it, I’ve been reluctant to specify a particular pet that would be best for a vet student. Why is that? First of all, we don’t all have the same preferences (furry vs. scaly, high maintenance vs. low maintenance) or even allergies. As someone who Read More …

Couples: Getting A Pet When You’re Not Married

I may be going out on a limb here, but I think pets may be a good way to gauge how couples will handle the responsibilities of having a child. I mean, let’s face it, no one wants to pick up after their dog or scoop litter boxes, but parenthood isn’t glamorous either, and someone Read More …

Swimming Kitty in the News

Perhaps you saw the recent news article about a Calico cat that showed up on the shores of Governor’s Island in New York, making finders suspicious that it swam all the way from New Jersey. If you haven’t yet read the article, feel free to indulge yourself, but if you do, please read critically! http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110421/od_yblog_upshot/calico-cat-does-the-dog-paddle Read More …

Dealing With Pet Allergies as a Vet Student

As someone who has allergies, specifically in response to cats, I can say that years ago I would never have considered owning a cat, even if it was suggested to me as a good pet for a vet student. However, I happened to befriend a cat at the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA where I Read More …

Getting Your Research Published

Anyone in the field of veterinary medicine should be familiar with PubMed, a free, searchable database of published research. We, as students and researchers, access these databases frequently when doing background research for an upcoming proposal, research project, or school assignment among other things. While I am accustomed to searching through the literature and citing Read More …

Training Your Cat

Anyone out there who has a cat is probably reading the title of this and laughing. Go ahead, laugh, but fact of the matter is, cats are highly intelligent creatures and very trainable! I acquired my first cat in 2008. Kali was adopted from the Pasadena Humane Society in Southern California when she was about Read More …