That Great Bakery in the Sky

What I'm Wearing:

Blouse: Worthington (JCPenney)  |  Cardigan: Anne Taylor Loft 

Jeans: House of Derreon (Macy's)    |  Boots: Bare Traps (DSW)

Photo bombed by my cat Abby.  Oh, the life of a crazy cat lady.

Yes.  Those are CATS on my cardigan.  In my opinion, any outfit is instantly elevated by the appearance of little cat silhouettes:

Yesterday I helped an older gentleman say goodbye to his pet cat of 15 years.  The old tom used to come around the man's bakery looking for handouts, until one day the baker took pity on the cat in the frigid winter temperatures and brought him inside.  The rest, as they say, is history: the yellow tom had no interest in ever going back outside.  

As together we said goodbye to the old tom cat, still purring even though his poor little body was racked with disease, the old baker tearfully said to me, with a smile, "Don't worry, doc.  Animals have souls just like ours. I'm really not sad, because I'll see him again one day.  Only not like this! He's gonna be healthy again, doc! Not like this...not like this." And the old tom passed away peacefully, purring all the while.

People say to me all the time that the worst part of my job must be euthanizing animals.  I can honestly say that, in most cases, it is not.  "Euthanasia" literally means "good death", and being able to bestow a peaceful passing upon a suffering animal is often the greatest gift I can give my furry patients.  Like the old baker, I  believe there's more to come after we pass away - more for humans as well as for animals.  And that, my friends, is an encouraging thought.

So goodbye, old tom.  May you find some peace in that great big bakery in the sky.  And if it's not too much trouble, save me a doughnut.

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Friday's Fab Favorites /  Favorite Fashion Friday

Weekend Veterinary Woes

Sometimes I really hate Fridays and Saturdays.

That seems like an awfully un-American thing to say, doesn't it?  But for a small animal veterinarian, those two days of the week hold a special significance.  For whatever reason ( :: insert theory here :: ), these are often the busiest and most heartbreaking days of the week at work.  I won't bore you (or depress you) with details, but suffice it to say this past Friday and Saturday were no exception to this general ho-hum rule of thumb. Tonight I enjoyed a nice, quiet evening of margaritas and enchiladas with my sister and brother-in-law, and threw together a super casual outfit for my foray into public (sans white coat, blood stains, and fur).

What I'm Wearing:

Shirt: Thrifted |  Jeans: Thrifted  |  Cardigan: Levi's Outlet  |  Necklace: Present from sister (I think from Kohl's?)

Belt: Thrifted   |   Boots: Tractor Supply Company

To be perfectly honest, I threw this outfit together after I got home from work, and by the time I left for dinner I had thrown my hair up into a bun and changed necklaces.  Am I the only one whose outfits tend to evolve as the day progresses?

On a different note, these photos also give you a peek into some of the things I've done to my piano room!  The pig-jumping-into-a-lake picture over the piano always makes me chuckle.  Although, seeing that most pigs can't swim, it kind of takes on a darker note and feeling when you realize that poor pig is probably committing suicide.  (WHOAH, Megan!  Depressing much?  Sorry, ya'll...I guess I really AM in a dark mood.)

Anyway, give your fur-babies a hug tonight, folks.  It's a cold, sad world out there.  Or just swing them over your shoulders in a backwards embrace of love.  Whatever works.

Calvin may look highly annoyed in this photo, but he was actually purring.  Quite loudly and enthusiastically, I might add.  Yeah, he's an odd one.

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I Feel Pretty

Pencil skirts and heartworms

It's that time again...Inspiration Monday at Two Birds!  This week's photo features Louise Roe in a sweater and pencil skirt combo.  I admit, I actually googled Louise Roe because I wasn't sure who she was.  Fashion journalist, model, television host...this lovely lady wears many hats!  Anyway, here's the pic:

And here is my take on Louise's look:

What I'm Wearing:
Shirt: Charlotte Russe (thrifted) |  Belt: Francesca's Collections  |  Skirt: American Eagle (thrifted)  |  Shoes:  Nine West (thrifted)  |  Purse: Jule   |  Sunglasses:  Gucci knock-offs (from my trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

The temperature climbed back up into the 70's, so it was WAY too warm to wear a long-sleeved sweater like Louise.  I was actually quite happy with the way these items pulled together - I've had this skirt for a really long time and never worn it, primarily because I've never been happy with any shirt I tried pairing it with.  Yay for Inspiration Monday victories!

Can you believe it's April already?  March usually crawls by, but this year it seemed to pass SO quickly!  A new month means a new VETERINARY CAUSE OF THE MONTH.   April is...drumroll please...

National Heartworm Awareness Month!

Heartworm is a potentially devastating parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes to both dogs AND cats.  The good news is that this disease can easily be prevented by administering once-monthly year round medication to your dog or cat.  

Every state in the USA has heartworms, so no cat or dog is safe from this parasite without heartworm medication:

Heartworm PREVENTION is extremely important because this disease is often fatal, even with treatment!  For years folks thought that only dogs get heartworm, but we now know that this isn't true.  While rare, there have been many cases of cats contracting heartworm disease.  Now there are medications for cats, too (such as Revolution) to prevent this from occurring.

Many veterinary clinics run specials this month to encourage you to bring your dog or cat in for testing.  Many dogs and cats who get heartworm do not show clinical signs until it is too late, so yearly screening is really important!  Call your veterinarian today to make your appointment for a screening test, and be sure to ask for more information to make sure your pet is protected.  Your pets will thank you for it!

If you have a cat or dog, please take a moment to watch this short 2 minute video about heartworms:

Learn more:

Click here to learn about heartworms in dogs.

Click here to learn about heartworms in cats.

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Two Birds:  Inspiration Monday

Kitty kidneys and clouds.

What I'm Wearing:

Shirt: Charlotte Russe (hand-me-down from sister) |  Jeans: House of Derreon  |  Boots: Thrifted - similar boots here |  Necklace: Present from sister  |  Bracelets:  old - maybe Kohl's?  |  Earrings:  Handmade gift from friend  |  Jacket: Rampage Clothing Co. (hand-me-down from friend)  

Hair:
Twisted, with a sloppy pull-through bun.

So it seems the weather realized, "Oh crap! It's too soon for summer weather! Back to spring!"  On one hand I'm thankful, because I really disliked turning the air conditioning on in MARCH.  On the other hand, my first rotation (which starts on Monday) is "equine field services", meaning I'll be outside taking care of horses.  I would actually prefer to have sunshine and warmth for this rotation, please!  Sigh.

This has actually been a pretty depressing week.  On Tuesday I took my cat Abby into the vet hospital for x-rays because I felt a strange lump in her abdomen.  It didn't feel like kidney to me, but the location seemed odd for it to be anything else.  The x-rays came back and, in looking at them, we discovered that both of her kidneys are small and her right kidney is lumpy-bumpy.  So it turns out it was in fact her right kidney that I was feeling, but I didn't recognize it due to its small, abnormal shape.  We decided to do bloodwork and a urinalysis on her to check her kidney function.  

Diagnosis?  It looks like my poor dear has early stage renal disease.

Renal failure is not at all unusual in older cats.  In fact, it is one of the reasons why it's so important to take your cat to the veterinarian yearly for checkups, especially once they hit the age of 7 years.  There's not much I can do right now for Miss Abby since she's not showing any clinical symptoms, but it is SO important to just know that her kidneys are bad so that I can look out for any of the tell-tale signs of disease progression.  I also may switch her to a prescription diet specifically formulated for cats with kidney disease.  I'll have to take her back into the hospital in 6 months for more bloodwork, just to make sure her disease isn't progressing.

Luckily I caught it early, so I can be extra vigilant in looking out for the clinical signs of chronic renal failure (such as drinking and urinating a lot).  I'm also giving Abby an extra heaping dose of pets, cuddles, and loving, because she's so special to me and I'm so thankful she's in my life.

Abby, taking a nap in the sunshine after returning home from the hospital.

If you have a pet, give him/her an extra cuddle today.  How I wish they could all live forever!

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