Newsworthy

  • New Dog Hemangiosarcoma Study

    Grateful to Dr. Sue Cancer Vet for alerting everyone to this new dog hemangiosarcoma study via her great social media videos. I dug around to find the full paper. I read it at the very beginning of the recent 4-day power outage, thinking how heroically productive I was being despite work limitations. I’m just going to hit a few of the main points, but basically this paper looked at possible associations between the number and location of splenic masses or lesions in dogs and them ultimately being diagnosed with cancer. In all the cases, looked at retrospectively, the dogs had their spleens removed (splenectomy) and follow-up pathology to figure out what was what.

  • Reusable Migraine Gel Mask Danger to Dogs

    My friends and former, longtime colleagues at the American Animal Hospital Association’s TRENDS magazine shared this alert online this week. Apparently, reusable migraine gel masks may pose a serious toxicity risk to dogs — with veterinary toxicologists reporting cases of dogs developing major tummy troubles, rapid onset of neurological signs, and tremors, ataxia (wobbly walking), and seizures. Yikes!

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    Adverse Drug Reactions Under Reported

    Having been through a lengthy, expensive, and devastating experience with an adverse rabies vaccine reaction with our original canine heroine, Lilly, I felt a little sick when I saw reports of under reporting of adverse drug reactions. The study was based in the United Kingdom, but I think we can assume similar gaps exist in the United States too. Before you read the rest of this post, make a guess in your mind about how stark the under reporting is. I guarantee it’s worse than you think. (Also, this post includes info on how to report adverse drug reactions in pets.)

  • Is Vaping Near Pets Dangerous?

    There’s a joke in the journalism world about headlines that ask questions. Why? Because the answer is almost always no. It has a lot to do with headlines being framed as clickbait. That is not the case here. The answer is a big YES. Indeed, vaping near pets can put them at risk, especially if the area is not well ventilated. Here’s why and what to look for.

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    Private Equity Veterinary Hospitals, New Searchable List

    A famous, longtime writer in the veterinary space who I follow online shared a link to a new site that lets you search for private equity veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and U.K. When the big corporate consolidators, or corporations that own a lot of veterinary hospitals, buy what was once a privately owned veterinary hospital, they often do not change the name of the practice. Until now, it was also hard to know if that big company is actually owned / funded by private equity. It’s affecting veterinary patient care, client service, and even doctor and staff retention and morale. This quick post also includes links to documentaries on the effect of private equity ownership of newspapers and other news organizations.

  • Canine Cognitive Decline Guidelines

    When I saw the headline that an international working group recently published canine cognitive decline guidelines, I thought — “perfect timing” — since we adopted a very old, frail, and often confused dog a while back + our other dogs are getting older too. When I read that the guidelines included a diagnostic flowchart, I got super excited. Except, now that I’ve read the paper and looked at the flowchart, it’s not as helpful (to me personally) as I’d hoped. That said, it includes good info about behavior changes to monitor and how to rank their severity over time. Toward the end, I include details and accommodations we’ve made for the Old Man Dog.

  • Police Officer Shot and Killed a Dog in Wheat Ridge Colorado

    Monday, September 1, 2025, around 9:45 am, an officer from the Wheat Ridge Police Department in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, shot and killed a pet dog. That dog’s name was Boss. He lived near a highway exit with his owner, Dave, who is experiencing homelessness.

    I learned about the case on Friday, September 5, 2025, from my veterinarian, who provided veterinary care for Boss.

    I looked into the case because Boss’s life matters. He lived and died in my community, and that matters to me on both small and big scales. Unfortunately, Boss is a painful example of something that’s shockingly common. Police shoot and often kill dogs more frequently than you might think.

    So, in Boss’s memory and to tell a story that, so far, no other local media has covered, I’m writing about some really difficult things. This is long, but I hope you will read it and share it.

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    Heart Dog Audiobook Now Available

    !! Heart Dog Audiobook Now Available !! I know everyone is busy getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, so just a quick note to let you know that the audiobook version of Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate is now available on many audiobook platforms. This was a big goal for me in 2025 to record and edit it myself (after taking an online class this spring that I purchased in 2024). A lot of people lose their dogs this time of year, so perfect timing. I hope.

  • New Colorado Vaccination Rules and Fallout from Rescue Group Rabies Scandal

    A while back I wrote a Q & A about that puppy rabies case in Colorado. The Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act Program (PACFA) , which handles licensing, inspections, and enforcement of animal care facilities in the state, as an offshoot of the state’s Department of Agriculture, established new Colorado vaccination rules for the facilities here and for rescue groups and shelters bringing in animals from other states. There’s going to be some fallout.