dog attack restitution check redacted

Another chapter in the long, painful, lonely, and frustrating story of being attacked from behind by 2 aggressive dogs without warning comes to a close with the payment of dog attack restitution received this week. The attack happened nearly 1 year ago, the day before Thanksgiving 2021. That makes Thanksgiving 2022 the anniversary. Essentially, the holiday feels ruined. And, yet, the check arrived more than 6 months after it was ordered. The restitution process is convoluted and lengthy, with it not becoming official until like late July and then having a 91 day waiting / comment period (as if the month’s prior didn’t count) and then a letter going out demanding payment. Here’s how all that feels today.

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dog dna test results family tree

It’s bittersweet to receive Dream’s dog DNA test results after her unexpected death on Sept 27, 2022, but the results are still kind of fun. Especially, the random big dog breed in her family tree. We used Embark, just as we did for Mr. Stix’s big breed reveal. Because Dream was so lanky, we thought she might have some whippet DNA, but nope.

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adverse vaccine reactions in dogs quiz graphic

For those new to Champion of My Heart’s award-winning dog and veterinary content, let’s recap that we gained some notoriety when Lilly, our original canine heroine, died from an adverse vaccine reaction to a routine rabies booster shot. That whole saga in painful detail here. Following that devastating experience, I pay particular attention to what shows up in the veterinary profession world about adverse vaccine reactions in dogs and cats. I recently found an online quiz about adverse vaccine reactions for veterinarians and staffers to take. Unfortunately, you need a login to see the whole thing. It’s free to get a login. I have had one to this professional site for years, so I tried to take the quiz. I only got 2 of 9 answers right. The quiz includes some adverse vaccine reactions in dogs and cats I’d never even heard of. Sharing, as a friend says, for the good of the order. Let’s learn a little something together.

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Dream - brown and white puppy in a purple harness

Devastated to report the unexpected / sudden death of our most recent foster puppy Dream. Feel like I jinxed things by writing about our preparations for her arrival in real time and by writing about that anesthesia-related deaths study. Her heart stopped during emergency surgery September 27. It appears that whatever caused her broken leg also caused an internal injury that went undetected until her chest and lungs began filling with fluid. She only lived with us for 19 days, but we love her like our very own. The pain of the loss is as bad (or maybe even a little worse due to the shock) as losing our Lilly in 2013. A few of my fav pix and a short tribute video at the bottom of the page.

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dog anesthesia risks

Researchers looked at more than 157,000 cases of dogs needing a general anesthesia / sedation events between 2010 and 2013 and reported on the dog anesthesia risks of death. The published study includes insights into relative risks based on age, health status, type of procedure (including spay/neuter), and even length of dogs’ noses. It’s meant to be reassuring, but even an experienced Dog Mom like me learned a few things. Don’t miss the context and caution about possible overestimation of risk at the bottom of the page.

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foster puppy example

With our latest foster puppy (DREAM) in the house for a full week now, here’s an update and real-world foster puppy example of how parts of our foster puppy set up actually work. Written and video updates ahead, including the #1 skill I taught my own dogs that keeps chaos to a minimum. Plus, live video of baby DREAM! Don’t miss it!

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foster puppy set up thumbnail graphic

With another foster puppy arrival imminent, I decided to document the foster puppy set up I use to prepare the house. I figured since I needed to do all the work, then I might as well explain my process. Photos and text ahead, if you want to speed read. Otherwise, scroll all the way down the site’s page to see a video that shows how I keep foster puppies safe inside and outside the house, including where they sleep and potty and hangout, etc.

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dogs detecting covid study results graphic 1

A study published in June 2022 reported on results for dogs detecting COVID compared to other testing methods. It’s pretty neat. Let’s take a look at what the dogs found, including how dogs detect COVID, how long the dogs trained, and what it all might mean.

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Cuterebra in dogs — also called warbles, botfly larva, and straight-up maggots — rank pretty high on the yuck scale. Yes, in some cases, they can be dangerous too. Based on real-life experience with them over the years, let me answer some common questions in case you ever need to know. To see what cuterebra holes look like and what cuterebra themselves look like scroll all the way down. That way I don’t accidently gross anyone out. Your choice to scroll that far, or not.

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veterinary access issues graphic - just the headline

Let’s continue looking at the problem of veterinary care inequities and how veterinary care access issues hurt us all, including veterinary professionals. That’s important because if they keep cutting back their hours and services, quitting entirely, or, worse, dying by suicide, everyone’s access to veterinary care is only going to get worse.

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