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ovaruling · 9 months

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Some dermatologists say the findings, in a study published in January in the journal Nature Communications, aren’t new when it comes to concerns about ultraviolet, or UV, light from any source. In fact, the results reaffirm the reason why some dermatologists have changed the way they get their gel manicures or have stopped getting them altogether.

“Tanning beds are listed as carcinogenic and UV nail lamps are mini tanning beds for your nails in order to cure the gel nail,” Curtis said.

A form of electromagnetic radiation, ultraviolet light has a wavelength ranging from 10 to 400 nanometers, according to the UCAR Center for Science Education.

Ultraviolet A light (315 to 400 nanometers), found in sunlight, penetrates the skin more deeply and is commonly used in UV nail dryers, which have become popular over the past decade. Tanning beds use 280 to 400 nanometers, while the spectrum used in nail dryers is 340 to 395 nanometers, according to a news release for the study.

“If you look at the way these devices are presented, they are marketed as safe, with nothing to be concerned about,” said corresponding author Ludmil Alexandrov in the news release. “But to the best of our knowledge, no one has actually studied these devices and how they affect human cells at the molecular and cellular levels until now.” Alexandrov holds dual titles as associate professor of bioengineering and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

The biggest limitation of the study is that exposing cell lines to UV light is different from conducting the study on living humans and animals, said dermatologist Dr. Julie Russak, founder of Russak Dermatology Clinic in New York City. Russak wasn’t involved in the study.

“When we’re doing it (irradiating) inside human hands, there’s definitely a difference,” Russak said. “Most of the UV irradiation is absorbed by the top layer of the skin. When you irradiate cells in the petri dish directly, that’s slightly different. You don’t have any protection from the skin, from corneocytes or the top layers. It’s also very direct UVA irradiation.”

But this study, taken with previous evidence — such as case reports of people developing squamous cell carcinomas, the second most common form of skin cancer, in association with UVA dryers — means we should “definitely think harder about just exposing our hands and our fingers to UVA light without any protection,” said Dr. Shari Lipner, an associate professor of clinical dermatology and director of the nail division at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Lipner wasn’t involved in the study.

If you’re concerned about gel manicures but don’t want to give them up, there are some precautions you can take to mitigate the risks.

“Apply broad spectrum sunblock that contains zinc and titanium around the nails, and wear UV gloves with the fingertips cut off when it is time to cure your nails,” said Curtis, who doesn’t get gel manicures. “I would recommend alternatives to gel nails, such as the new wraps that are available online.” (Gel nail wraps or strips are stick-on gel nail products that don’t always require being set by UV nail dryers.)

Some salons use LED lights, which “are thought to emit either no UV light or much, much lower amounts,” Lipner said.

Lipner gets regular manicures — which typically last her seven to 10 days — not in an effort to avoid UV light but rather because she doesn’t like the nail-thinning acetone soaking involved with gel manicures.

“Regular manicures are just dried in the air,” she added. “Gel manicures have to be curated or sealed, and the polymers in the polish have to be activated, so that can only be done with the UVA lights.”

If you have regularly gotten gel manicures, Lipner recommends seeing a board-certified dermatologist who can examine your skin for any skin cancer precursors and treat them before they become serious problems. (Ultraviolet light can also age the skin, showing up as sunspots and wrinkles, she said.)

There isn’t enough data for experts to weigh in on how often people can get gel manicures without putting themselves at risk, Lipner said. But Curtis recommended saving them for special occasions.

Russak doesn’t get gel manicures very often but uses sunscreen and gloves when she does, she said. Applying serums rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin C, beforehand might also help, she added.

“As a dermatologist, I change gloves probably three, four times with just one patient. And with a regular nail polish, after three, four glove changes, the nail polish is gone,” Russak said. “The gel manicure definitely has a much better longevity, but is it really worth the risk of photoaging and development of skin cancer? Probably not.”

People with a history of skin cancers or who are more photosensitive due to fairer skin or albinism, medications or immunosuppression should be more careful about taking precautions, experts said. But whatever your risk, the dermatologists CNN spoke with urged caution.

“Unfortunately, full protection is not possible, so my best recommendation is to avoid these dryers altogether,” said Dr. Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

#they went soft on this obv but uh. stop fucking doing this altogether should be the message #my sister and i are genetically elevated risk for skin cancer but she won’t fucking stop these nails #and she never ever goes to the derm or does self skin check and i’m so worried for her

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fluffyapathybunny · 9 months

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So my 19 year old cat that I love so much and have had nearly half my life (I wasn't yet 22 when I got her and I'm nearing 41 now) has cost me about $1200 this year in vet bills alone. And probably more when the vet at Cornell University Hospital for Animals (an hour away from me, but the VMC that was closer was full) gets the T4 results back. But I love her so much. And I could have lost her today if she'd had any complications due to having to be sedated for xrays. But she's a fighter (I even had to warn the vet and the techs that she's a spitfire) The doctor said she has a heart gallop and a small murmur, and that she might have hyperthyroidism, which could have given her the heart problems. We're hoping it's benign so I can get her on medication to see if that'll reverse the heart problems. We'll see. I know 19 is so old to be having to be put on medication but I did ask the vet if she thought it would be worth it. Also I'm so glad Care Credit is a thing in NY. And I might have to request the limit be upped if I have to get more tests done for her (especially an echo for her heart, and an ultrasound, and other bloodwork) I would not have been able to pay all this off out of pocket...

She elected to sleep in the back seat on the way home (forgive the mess, we're in the process of moving for the next week and a half)

The vet (and other pet parents I talked to) were amazed she did so well on harness. Considering she's technically just very tolerant of it. But she was also rather lethargic when I first brought her, and she started getting more alert about 6 hours after we got to the waiting room (despite everything, we were there about 11 hours and the students and staff and vets were so apologetic about it ;v; )

#So it was a day ;v;#I was riding on 3 hours sleep (woke up at 11:40 last night) and had to call in to work (my shift was 2am-10am because it was truck day)#plus I think I'm a bit night blind now and going to an unfamiliar place after getting off I-81 didn't help #thank goodness for gps

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kaeyaphile · 2 years

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hi i was reading your tags and i hope you get a wonderful night's sleep, and the job right afterwards!! can i ask you if it's ever really hard to be a veterinary assistant, like emotionally or anything? do you get attached to animals and then have to watch them get sick/die? or is it calming just to be part of their lives for a short time? i've thought about pursuing that career, but i'm hesitant about it for that reason. no stress if it's a bad time to answer this ask, get lots of rest and everything! <3

thank you!!! 💗 i don't know if i've got the job yet unfortunately and ofc i still definitely don't wanna get my hopes up but!!! i have a good feeling!!! 🤞🏻

okay so regarding your question – i may have typed you out an obscenely long thing but i've got the power of anxiety + caffeine + adderall on my side right now so hopefully it works and also hopefully you don't think i'm totally insane! 😂

i've loved animals my entire life and i've had a lot of pets my entire life as well, and i worked at a veterinary hospital for almost 2 years (not including the internship i did at a different hospital while taking the veterinary assistant certification courses) and i LOVE it – but as with every job there are good days and there are bad days and there are days that are in-between, and as much as i hate to say it a majority of people who go into the veterinary medicine field get desensitized to stuff really quickly (i did but i know for some people it can take a while which is healthy and makes sense) so watching surgeries or euthanizations or witnessing a dog being beheaded in order to send it in to get rabies tested (which i witnessed while working – a german shepherd came in that had died of suspected rabies and we legitimately need to saw the entire head off of such cases and mail it to cornell university for them to study and/or test it and yes – it is as gruesome and messy and emotionally scarring as you're imagining), but as long as blood/viscera/pus/poop/pee/general bodily fluids (as a veterinary assistant you'll need to collect and package a lot of the fecal matter and run labwork on blood and search for ear mites with the microscope and clean up explosive diarrhea, etc) is something you can handle it should be fine! plus honestly nobody ever expects you to just be able to walk in an assist with surgery on your first day, everywhere i've gone/worked has been very understanding if you need to ease into it. and just with a majority of jobs, your coworkers and the practice manager and the veterinarians make a massive difference. if they're all good people and are competent and good at their jobs and genuinely empathetic towards both people AND animals, it'll make everything a lot easier emotionally. the practice manager at the place i worked at had been placed there due to nepotism and the company that bought the hospital being shitty and she was miserable and incompetent and mean, and everything went downhill from there tbh. hardly anyone that i used to work with there is still there, if that tells you anything about the state of things.

got a bit off topic there, apologies. but as for the emotional stuff, there's a lot of good! you'll get to see a lot of kittens and puppies (and exotics if you're lucky enough/willing to work at a vet that sees exotic pets)! and healthy animals need checkups and vaccines too! and a lot of people bring their animals to the veterinarian to get their nails trimmed too, or for boarding (depending on the hospital you work at ofc)! and after a pet gets proper treatment or meds for whatever ailment they had if they were sick/had surgery they'll come in again for a recheck and it's so good to see them happy and healthy again! but with that of course comes the bad stuff, and honestly? i'm not going to sugarcoat it for you because i'm not that kind of person and i don't want you to think working in veterinary medicine is all rainbows and kittens) – the bad outweighs the good some days. some days we'd have one euthanasia. the next day we'd have 10. you'll get parvo puppies. breeds that aren't healthy at all due to their "aesthetic" (ie: pugs). abandoned kittens that are covered with mites. pets with infections that are going necrotic. animals who's owners waited too long to bring them in, and it's too late to save them, so they yell at you. animals that are abused or neglected. animals that are surrendered to you because their owners either don't give a shit about them or simply can't take care of them anymore (my youngest cat, ruby, was surrendered to the hospital i used to work at because her owner was an older man who's health was declining and he had to go into a nursing home and ruby is quite honestly one of the best things to ever happen to me, but it doesn't always have as happy of an ending). and most importantly, not all pets get better. also, not all pets are friendly and/or cooperative. i've never been bitten, but i've been scratched by both dogs and cats and i know many people who HAVE been bitten.

now, with all of that said – if you truly love animals and prefer your job/career to be constantly moving around and doing things and sweating and cleaning up all sorts of messes, then being a veterinary assistant is for you. you do still have to deal with people, of course, and probably (in my experience at least) about half of the owners you meet will be miserable and treat you like shit. i've had people legitimately tell me that i must've gotten treated so much better when i was a veterinary assistant as opposed to my most recent job, a cashier. absolutely not. i laughed because i thought they were joking. they were not. it's still customer service. but yeah. i have multiple chronic illnesses/autoimmune diseases and mental health issues and the happiest i've ever been is when i worked as a veterinary assistant because i desperately need the constant motion in order for my body to function. some people prefer and handle staying in one spot and doing the same thing all day every day. that is not a veterinary assistant. you will constantly be moving, and you will constantly be cleaning. i was always, and i do mean ALWAYS, doing at least two things at once all throughout the day every single day i worked as a veterinary assistant.

tldr: if you truly love animals and want to help both them and their owners, enjoy constantly moving around, enjoy cleaning, don't mind getting down and dirty with all sorts of bodily fluids, are capable of being a self-starter (aka you don't need to constantly be told what to do) – you should definitely give it a shot. you don't need to commit immediately though, call up your local/favorite veterinary hospital and ask if they'd allow you to come in and shadow for a few hours or an entire day – they'll probably allow it. that way you'll really get to see what it's like, because even though i've basically typed you out a goddamn novel (i apologize again, i get really passionate about this), nothing can really prepare you for working in veterinary medicine other than experiencing it firsthand. so basically if you're genuinely considering it, try to get in somewhere and shadow for a day! and ask questions if you have them, veterinary hospitals desperately need/want people who have experience and know what to expect so they'll appreciate the interest and honesty.

#ask #asks #anon #anonymous #kayleigh answers things #tw animal death #i appreciate you anon 💗#and if you have any more questions pls feel free to ask me #i am legitimately always game to discuss anything veterinary related lmfao #i'm quite honestly embarrassed at how much i rambled but 🤷🏼‍♀️ i'm not gonna delete all of it now #but yes i have a good feeling about the job!!! so fingers crossed!!! 🥲 🤞🏻 🙏🏻 😂

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finishinglinepress · 1 month

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FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: eyes that look with sun but see with moon by Jack Greene

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/eyes-that-look-by-jack-greene/

eyes that look with sun but see with moon moves the reader through rooms of Vermeer to atomic fall out shelters to dioramas of taxidermied deer, finally arriving where it started: in light. The experience of the #poems is an intimate, internal gallery, one that merges words and images and light into a new gravitational pull, each in and of its own frame, and all a part of this #life, this planet.

Jack Greene is a poet and photographer. His poetry has been published in the Liliput Review, not enough night, Bombay Gin, Mungo vs. Ranger, Rattapallax, and the Sextant Review. He holds a MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University, as well as BA in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a past recipient of a Colorado Council on the Arts Poetry Fellowship and served as a poet-in-residence for the Colorado Council on the Arts. He has taught poetry and creative writing workshops and courses in the Front Range. His photography has been exhibited at Naropa University, the Boulder Jewish Community Center, and the University of Colorado, Boulder, and can be viewed at jackgreenephotography.picfair.com. He lives in Longmont, Colorado with the writer and performer Lisa Trank.

PRAISE FOR eyes that look with sun but see with moon by Jack Greene

Jack Greene brings the master photographer’s eye for the instant to language. Allen Ginsberg’s first teaching to me was “it’s easier than you think: look out your eye like looking through a window.” Easier said than done. It takes time to master the moment. You love the poets you love to think with. That’s the extent of it. All the rest is valentines. I’ll be reading Jack for a long time.

–Steven Taylor

Jack Greene is a poet of condensed lyric irony, light (sun and moon) and tender memory. The child’s fear of “trees sprouting out of rocks” leaps out, as does the “simulacrum” deer behind museum glass, suddenly alive, nose moist from “a drop of shellac.” Animation reminiscent of Williams Carlos Williams’s glittering green glass shard in the dirt behind the hospital, animated by light and by noticing what’s tangible is always celebratory.“Vermeer’s Aquarium” is a gem, as well, where we sit “like pilgrims at a shrine” and witness depictions of art-mind, as with Proust and Joseph Cornell who continue in their hermetic practice as wars come and go. There are quiet poems honoring family, a hypnagogic cinematic image of a mother’s wedding veil unraveling in a light beam and the “father’s foot/a constant/song” which is the rhythm and a glow that remains with you in the reading of these singular poems. Kudos for this poet’s truth.

–Anne Waldman

In eyes that look with sun but see with moon, Jack Greene’s words come like meteors into the darkness. Behold our humanity, illuminated and elevated by these bright poem-lights streaking across the pages of this collection, precise in their economy of diction and style, but profound in their resonant permanence within the reader. While wholly new and of this time, Greene’s words arrive to further a tradition populated by the ancient Asian masters, Lorine Niedecker, Robert Creeley, Anselm Hollo, and many other greats. The poetry world has been improved by this gift.

–Matt Hohner

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #chapbook #read #poems

#poetry #flp authors #preorder #flp #poets on tumblr #american poets #chapbook #chapbooks #finishing line press #small press

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ataleoftwopitties · 3 months

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THE COUGHING DOG & COVID-19:

How a global pandemic affected awareness of canine respiratory disease

It's been about four years since the CDC confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. on January 20, 2020. Less than two months after that, it was declared a global pandemic as the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had spread between 114 countries and lead to over 4,000 deaths.

Fortunately, vaccines became available in record time by the end of that same year, which then led to lower rates of hospitalization and fatalities. Yet, COVID-19 has not completely gone away and rather continues to mutate, with different variants now circulating in every country, affecting even those who are vaccinated.

Similarly, dogs who are up-to-date on all their vaccines may still sometimes develop "kennel cough". Although it is generally a self-limiting disease, there is a wide range of viruses and bacteria associated with Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC), in which concurrent infection from multiple pathogens may be identified.

Symptoms of CIRDC may include:

Frequent, dry "honking" cough

Gagging or retching

Expectoration of mucus

Sneezing

Nasal and/or ocular discharge

Mild fever

Decreased energy and/or appetite

Disease may be transmitted through the inhalation of spores, or direct contact with infected dogs or contaminated surfaces. Dogs who are kept in close confinement, while under heightened stress, in poorly-ventilated areas with increased humidity (i.e. boarding/daycare facilities, grooming salons, shelters) are especially at risk for infection.

With an apparent rise in cases requiring hospitalization or more aggressive treatment, this type of severe kennel cough is now being referred to as atypical Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease (aCIRD), and is characterized by:

Mild-moderate inflammation of the trachea and bronchial airways for a prolonged duration (lasting 6 to 8 weeks or longer)

Chronic pneumonia or acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe leading to poor outcomes

Minimal or no response to antibiotic therapy

While aCIRD has been observed in multiple states within the U.S. in the last several months, the exact number of cases remains unknown as requirements for veterinarians to report aCIRD to their state animal health officials vary. Moreover, some veterinary clinics may actually have been treating cases like these perhaps over the last couple of years rather than just the past several months (mine included).

But, because there is no official health surveillance system available for pets the way there is for humans, it is hard to rule out whether or not these aCIRD cases are directly correlated to the same pathogen(s) - or even a new, unidentified one (or more).

Not to mention, without pet health insurance, many dog owners will often decline diagnostics due to cost - which removes the possibility for identifying infectious pathogens altogether. On the other hand, respiratory PCR tests that are performed may potentially be done too late, or use less diagnostic samples (i.e. nasal swab vs. transtracheal/bronchoalveolar wash). In other words, just because a dog comes back negative for all the pathogens listed on a canine respiratory PCR panel, does not necessarily mean they were NOT infected with by one of those bugs, nor indicate that a novel pathogen is involved.

According to Cornell University's Animal Health Diagnostic Center, PCR testing is recommended "during the acute phase of disease (ideally during the first week of clinical disease) and prior to initiating treatment. Delaying diagnostics may result in negative test results, as detection of some viruses may be inhibited by a rapid immune response, and antibiotic treatment may impede bacterial growth and detection."

Yet, despite the lack of data, COVID-19 has left many people more vigilant over respiratory illness - both in humans and their pets. This has led to more widespread media coverage of aCIRD being portrayed as a "mystery dog illness", further inciting the idea of an unknown novel pathogen.

Many "pet experts" and social media influencers on TikTok and Instagram were quick to issue their own warnings of this mystery dog illness, while some even claimed their dog had the “rare” disease - possibly giving the appearance of a nationwide outbreak that didn't even exist.

Yet, what we don't know is...

how many aCIRD cases there truly have been

how many cases actually have gone through the appropriate (and timely) diagnostics to rule out any common and identifiable pathogens, and

whether or not all these reported aCIRD cases are even connected.

What we do know, however, is...

There has been an exponential rise in pet ownership since the pandemic. More pets = more pet illness reported. According to a 2019 ASPCA survey, about 1 out of every 5 American households acquired a new pet since the pandemic. "Looking back at the decade prior to the pandemic, there was a 4.7% growth in American pet ownership from 2009-2019. In comparison, that growth rate more than doubled to 9.77% growth in American pet ownership from 2020-2022."

Veterinary care has been disrupted in the last few years. Many businesses were forced to close or limit their hours, including non-emergency vet clinics. This caused many owners to have more difficulty with scheduling appointments with their primary vet, or rather some may have experienced financial constraints after being laid off. As a result, decreases in timely vaccination and wellness checks occurred, as well as a decline in owners’ willingness or capability to afford diagnostics/treatment for their sick pets. Additionally, many pet owners also previously expressed fear of getting COVID-19 from vet clinic staff themselves during the height of the pandemic. This may have influenced owners' decisions in bringing in their sick pets sooner than later, possibly allowing milder forms of kennel cough to develop into pneumonia.

Many pet owners are also (ironically) hesitant to vaccinate their dogs. Common misperception and mistrust surrounding COVID-19 and other human vaccines have spilled over to pet vaccines. Out of 2,200 pet owners surveyed by Boston University School of Public Health, "nearly 40 percent of respondents believed that canine vaccines are unsafe, more than 20 percent believed these vaccines are ineffective, and 30 percent considered them to be medically unnecessary. About 37 percent of dog owners also believed that canine vaccination could cause their dogs to develop autism, even though there is no scientific data that validates this risk for animals or humans."

Changes in human activity since the pandemic have also changed the socialization of dogs. As quarantine restrictions, social distancing, and other pandemic precautions took place, more Americans limited their dogs' playtime with other dogs - both at parks and daycares. Even as "most companies are returning to the office, many workers will still benefit from increased time at home compared to the pre-pandemic norm - 'Workplace experts agree that most organizations will stick with the post-pandemic norm of spending two to three days per week in the office.'" With more people working from home, fewer dogs have required regular boarding at a daycare/kennel facility - which was a typical driving force for keeping dog vaccines up-to-date. This has led to larger populations of dogs with less immunity to respiratory infections.

Whether or not kennel cough/aCIRD may be due to one or more types of infection, some dogs may develop more severe symptoms that lead to pneumonia in as little as 24 hours - especially unvaccinated puppies and older adults with other underlying health issues. Dogs with pre-existing heart conditions, respiratory disease or anomalies like collapsing trachea, laryngeal paralysis, brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, as well as those who are obese, have limited ability to recover and thus higher chance of fatal outcomes from kennel cough.

This is why it is important to have your dog examined by a veterinarian at least once or twice a year. Dogs age faster than humans, and cannot verbally tell us when they feel unwell. They may instinctively hide their pain or not show any symptoms in the early stages of illness, preventing owners from realizing they are sick.

Wellness exams and screening tests allow veterinarians to detect diseases before they progress, and begin any treatments that will help your pet live healthier and longer.

How to Protect Against Respiratory Disease:

"Control the controllable." --- As of now, there are vaccines available in the U.S. which protect against the following respiratory infectious agents: - Canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) - Canine distemper virus (CDV) - Canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV) - Canine influenza virus (CIV) subtypes H3N8 and H3N2 - Bordetella bronchiseptica

Talk to your vet about which vaccines are essential for your dog's health and lifestyle. Although there may still be possibilities for side effects from vaccines, they are often mild; dealing with a vaccine reaction may end up being a lot easier than dealing with your dog's chronic pneumonia.

Limit your dog's contact with other dogs. Try not to allow them to touch noses or play with dogs they do not know well, or have visible signs of respiratory illness (i.e. coughing, sneezing, nasal or even ocular discharge). Avoid dog parks and boarding kennels when there is a known outbreak in your area.

Invest in pet health insurance, or at least be prepared for unexpected medical expenses - aim to have at least $5000 in savings for emergencies. You may also consider looking into financial programs like CareCredit or ScratchPay, or inquire about any grants funded by your local animal shelter or hospital.

SOURCES/FURTHER READING:

Arbach, Lara. “Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex.” Today’s Veterinary Nurse, 12 May 2021, https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/preventive-medicine/canine-infectious-respiratory-disease-complex/.

“Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC).” Merck Animal Health, Nobivac, 28 Nov. 2023, www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/nobivac/canine-infectious-respiratory-disease-complex-cirdc.

“Canine Respiratory Disease Advisory.” Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Health Diagnostic Center, 1 Dec. 2023, www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/news/canine-respiratory-disease-advisory-0.

Desmon, Stephanie, and Meghan Davis. “What We Know - And Don’t Know - About Atypical Canine Respiratory Disease.” Public Health On Call, 5 Dec. 2023. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/understanding-atypical-canine-respiratory-disease

McKoy, Jillian. “Nearly Half of Dog Owners Are Hesitant to Vaccinate Their Pets.” The Brink, 7 Sept. 2023. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/nearly-half-of-dog-owners-are-hesitant-to-vaccinate-their-pets/

“Post-COVID Rise in Pet Ownership Evident & Persistent.” Strategic Insights for the Pet Industry: Pet Owners 2023 & Beyond, American Pet Products Association, 7 Dec. 2023, https://www.americanpetproducts.org/news/blogpost/2023/12/07/post-covid-rise-in-pet-ownership-evident-persistent.

Reagan, Krystle L., and Jane E. Sykes. “Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease.” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, vol. 50, no. 2, Mar. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2019.10.009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7132485/

Smith, Sage M., et al. “Opportunities for Expanding Access to Veterinary Care: Lessons from Covid-19.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, vol. 9, 11 Apr. 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.804794. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9036088/

*** BONUS FEATURE *** Last month, I won a free bottle of this respiratory/cardiovascular supplement from CBD Dog Health... studies for efficacy have yet to be performed, but their reviews and testimonials from other dog owners seem promising.

MycoDog "Breathe" Mushroom Tincture

"A proprietary water extract of Cordyceps, Reishi, Artist Conk and Chaga, with Ashwagandha preserved in organic, vegetable glycerin... hot water tripled extracted from the fruiting bodies of fungi cultivated and wild-harvested in North America." Artist Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) --- known for its antimicrobial properties; used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat esophageal cancer and reduce phlegm Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) --- known for its antioxidant properties; used in traditional Chinese medicine as vasodilators and to improve circulation to the heart Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) --- known for its immune-modulating nutrients; used in traditional Chinese medicine to break down mucus and nourish the heart Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) --- known for its anti-inflammatory properties and promoting energy; used in traditional Chinese medicine to improve lung function and stop a cough Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) --- known for its calming, adaptogenic properties; used in Indian Aryuvedic medicine to enhance stamina while recovering from illness

#CIRDC #mystery dog respiratory illness #canine health #covid 19 #aCIRD #atypical canine infectious respiratory disease #one health

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studyabroadconsultancies · 4 months

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Top Universities in the USA: Where Indian Students Can Shine

The United States has long been a favored destination for international students, boasting some of the oldest and most prestigious universities with notable alumni. The well-developed educational system in the USA provides extensive learning and research opportunities, coupled with excellent work prospects and a high quality of life, making it a global attraction.

With over 4000 recognized educational institutions, the USA houses 198 top universities, according to the QS World University Rankings 2024, featuring 1500 global institutions. This concise blog by MSM Unify highlights the top ten universities in the USA, according to the aforementioned rankings, along with key details about each.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Established in 1861, MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is renowned for cutting-edge research and academic excellence, particularly in fields like engineering, architecture, arts, business, IT, and humanities.

2. Harvard University

Founded in 1636, Harvard is one of the oldest and most innovative universities in the USA, excelling in IT, animation, arts, business, law, and medical sciences.

3. Stanford University

Prestigious globally, Stanford offers top-notch education in business, education, engineering, computer science, law, and economics.

4. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

Known for its distinguished faculty, UCB consistently ranks among the top in fields such as architecture, engineering, arts, design, business, and science.

5. University of Chicago

Located in Chicago, this institution offers affordable education with a rich history and influence on society, providing courses in engineering, arts, law, business, and medicine.

6. University of Pennsylvania

Situated in Philadelphia, this Ivy League institution is known for impactful research and offers courses in accounting, engineering, animation, design, business, and humanities.

7. Cornell University

In the scenic landscapes of Ithaca, Cornell offers diverse academic and research programs in accounting, architecture, engineering, arts, IT, and hospitality.

8. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Synonymous with academic rigor and scientific innovation, Caltech in Pasadena attracts students worldwide with courses in engineering, business, IT, science, and humanities.

9. Yale University

Located in New Haven, Yale is an Ivy League institution distinguished for academic excellence in architecture, business, engineering, mass communication, nursing, and education.

10. Princeton University

Known for excellence in academics and research, Princeton, situated in Princeton, offers courses in business, engineering, architecture, science, law, and humanities.

In summary, these top universities in the USA provide outstanding academic and career opportunities. Choosing to study at one of these institutions can elevate your career prospects significantly. For further information or guidance on studying abroad, contact MSM Unify, your trusted overseas education consultants.

Read for more info: https://www.academia.edu/113129513/Top_Universities_in_the_USA_Where_Indian_Students_Can_Shine

#study blog #education #study in usa #university #studyabroad #studying

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qocsuing · 9 months

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A common nail salon tool may cause DNA damage

Radiation from nail dryers may damage DNA and cause cancer-causing mutations in human cells, a study has found — and that might have you wondering whether your regular gel mani-pedi is worth the risk.Get more news about factory direct sale medical hydrogel wholesaler,you can vist our website!

“The findings contribute to data already published regarding the harmful effects of (ultraviolet) radiation and show direct cell death and damage to tissue that can lead to skin cancer,” said Dr. Julia Curtis, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Utah, who wasn’t involved in the study. A form of electromagnetic radiation, ultraviolet light has a wavelength ranging from 10 to 400 nanometers, according to the UCAR Center for Science Education.

Researchers exposed cells from humans and mice to UV light, finding that a 20-minute session led to 20% to 30% of cells dying. Three consecutive 20-minute exposures made 65% to 70% of the exposed cells die. The remaining cells experienced mitochondrial and DNA damage, resulting in mutations with patterns that have been observed in skin cancer in humans. The biggest limitation of the study is that exposing cell lines to UV light is different from conducting the study on living humans and animals, said dermatologist Dr. Julie Russak, founder of Russak Dermatology Clinic in New York City. Russak wasn’t involved in the study.

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petnews2day · 1 year

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Malnourished dog abandoned in Greenwich apartment

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/Nov0Q

Malnourished dog abandoned in Greenwich apartment

GREENWICH — When a 1-year-old male French bulldog named Nino was taken by a Greenwich woman into the animal hospital at Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in late 2022, he was in a pitiable state and severely malnourished. The dog was later euthanized. On Dec. 29, the woman was charged with cruelty to animals in connection with […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/Nov0Q #DogNews

#Dog News

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catesknox · 2 years

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How to Prepare Your Kittycat intended for the Vet

Begin your cat on the correct foot by keeping her wholesome from the moment your current four-legged good friend defrosts your own personal heart. There's certainly nothing like getting a little ball associated with filler huddled on your run, purring in delight because you have provided her a permanent home. You've thought of every thing for your brand-new kitten: a comfy bed (or two), food items as properly as water bowls to be able to sit atop a fashionable area floor covering, canine kitty food, a rough provider, modern toys, a good litter box ideal for the aristocracy, brushing essentials plus a damaging blog post that will unquestionably (with any luck) offer several hrs regarding delight. That should include it. Nearly. While they have absolutely some sort of big browsing list, there's one thing absent out on a discussion with your animal medical practitioner. "Most kitties have plenty of power and also exhilaration, " created certified vet technical assistant Laura Lee Muller on Pet Cat-Friendly Residences, a good web site developed by the American Organization of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). "Do not necessarily let their power disturb you from preserving them beneficial. Your pussy-cat requires some sort of thorough physical examination as well as defense from avoidable ailments by receiving proper needles. Ideally, this first check out on the veterinarian should take place inside the initial full week you take your kittycat house. If you have multiple pet cats in your household, your brand-new pussy-cat must be checked by your animal medical practitioner before getting into into your house. micron How to get ready your own personal kitty cat for typically the vet Your current kitten cats' very first take a look at to be able to the vet may include investigation tests, deworming, plus vaccines. The regularity in which kittycats ought to receive vaccines is based on fixed standards, such as all those presented by the AAFP's Cat Vaccination Advisory Board. very well Based upon criteria, kitty cats ought to help typically most likely for the vet [for vaccination] between 6 as well as eight weeks of time, " claims Doctor Bruce Kornreich, director of the Cornell Feline University Hospital at Cornell University College regarding Vet Medicine. "Vaccinations are usually offered about each a couple of to four several weeks involve that much the feline is several months old, although quite a few vets could spread this leaning on five months previous. ". Injections drop under two groups, key and furthermore non-core. Main vaccines are recommended intended for all pet felines, these kinds of as feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline herpesvirus one particular (FHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV), and also rabies. Non-core vaccines are taken into thing to consider discretionary, suggesting the fact that they are implemented about some sort of case-by-case foundation. These types of shots consist of often the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV). While FeLV can be thought about a non-core injections, the AAFP quite indicates this vaccination for all kitties. Deworming deals with internal bloodsuckers, such as tapeworms, hookworms in addition to roundworms. According to the particular Cornell Feline Health Center, roundworms are the most regular cats' colon parasite, impacting 25% to 74% associated with cats, with better charges in kitties. Kitties typically obtain roundworms off their mother. " Some vets will certainly empirically deworm felines, micron Dr. Kornreich says. "At the minimum, the poop case in point needs to end up being accomplished [to check for inside bloodsuckers]. inch Kittens can additionally possibly be inclined for you to ectoparasites, such as fleas, head mites because well as ticks. "It's vital that pet feline owners adhere to item regulations about just precisely how ectoparasite products are used, very well Dr. Kornreich says. "Some items are not intended to be offered in order to young kittens and cats, and that they mustn't make use regarding doggy products on pet kittens and cats. ". Maintain a new mindful eye If your own personal kitty can be experiencing drowsiness, discharge from your eyes or nose, diarrhea, bad being hungry, vomiting, decrease of hair, elevated vocalization, unable to be successful, low-temperature levels, and coughing, call your current vet. These are symptoms that your particular kitty might be ill. Dermititis, scaly or crusty body, circular areas of tresses damage, inflamed skin spots, and extreme grooming in addition to damaging may indicate ringworm. According to the Cornell Feline Wellness Center, it can among the most generally happening skin conditions impacting on felines. Ringworm is, inside point, a fungal contamination, getting absolutely nothing to do with worms. Although ringworm is treatable, get aware that it is definitely a zoonotic disease, implying that it might be passed from a contaminated kitten to a human offered around call with this. Deep breathing infections can turn out to be fairly common in felines, according to the Cornell Feline Health Center. These types of infections are triggered by means of a selection of infections, bacteria, fungi as okay as protozoa. Symptoms regarding upper respiratory system tract infections include clear or colored discharge from often the eye or nose, breathing problems, sneezing, conjunctivitis, situation, ulcers on the teeth, and anorexia. Inside some unusual situations, in accordance to the facility, animal cats may have a good trouble breathing. Your vet will be aware of how to decide the reason for indications and proper therapy. When your cat strikes your ex initial birthday celebration, carry on having health checks once each year, then two times a year as soon as kitty turns 10, Doctor Kornreich states. " The earlier a new trouble is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can be applied, " Dr. Kornreich says. "Most of the times, there will be described as a much better result. ". Picture: www.africaphotobank.com|Getty Images. Right here are a variety of the top medical problems kitties may come across. Whilst this list can be never ever exhaustive, it delivers some sort of peek right directly into a new few issues that quite a few kittens may experience. Cat Contagious Peritonitis (FIP) The idea is a viral condition caused by an anomaly of a typical coronavirus that impact on animals. Any pet feline that will gives coronavirus can be likely in danger regarding establishing FIP. Even so, animal cats with vulnerable the immune system systems, such as kittens, are likely to express FIP. It's not a highly transmittable disease, although it is almost generally fatal. Two major varieties of FIP can become classified: the "wet" kind identified by means of a build-up of fluid inside abdominal region and a "dry" form providing signs such as chronic weight management, anemia, scientific depression, and large temperature. inch Usually, almost any type of pet feline that is less compared to two years inside age group that creates a a fever, is nonresponsive to anti-biotics and also starts to be able to accumulate water, FIP should be high up out there, " says Dr. Kornreich. Good to know: Nearly all canine cats that get coronavirus do not generate FIP, according to Dr. Kornreich. There's no recognised therapy for FIP, however, many medications are showing promises in medical tests. Feline Panleukopenia What it is: A great extremely transmittable viral issue triggered by the feline parvovirus. It commonly offers a high death price. Kitties are particularly susceptible. Points to keep a great eyes to? high temperature sickness diarrhea beoing underweight nervosa leukopenia (decreased volume of white blood stream cells). Good to understand: Vaccination is usually useful for managing the condition. Cerebellar Hypoplasia It will be the Unusual regarding this brain, the brain's ingredient responsible for muscular tissue coordination. In utero or maybe first neonatal infection having feline panleukopenia can cause cerebellar hypoplasia. It's a new steady condition with simply no remedy. What things to look outside for: Lack of skill, mind bobbing, rare locomotion. Outstanding to recognize: "Pet cats and kittens with cerebellar hypoplasia may live joyful day-to-day lives in case they're succeeded, and even the husbandry is such that it cuts down danger, " Dr. Kornreich says. "The feline's motions can be jerky and troubling to help owners, but we recognize that cats can live a good balanced life or else. inches. facts about tuxedo cats

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desaletushki · 2 years

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Veterinary Telehealth Market Size Growth USD546.8 Million By 2030

The global veterinary telehealth market size is expected to reach USD 546.8 million by 2030 according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 17.6% from 2022 to 2030. An increase in the adoption of telehealth services among pet owners coupled with the rising prevalence of animal diseases is a key contributor to market growth.

The key advantages of veterinary telehealth such as saving transportation costs and reduction of ancillary expenses are driving the growth of the market. In addition, the doctor’s advice and virtual care can be obtained on an immediate basis. Further, it also saves time as animal caretakers can skip the time consumed during long waiting hours. Such factors are boosting market growth.

There is increased adoption of IoT and AI by farmers and pet parents. This can be attributed to the increase in internet penetration and user-friendly animal healthcare websites or apps. Such factors are anticipated to increase the demand for veterinary telehealth over the forecast period. In addition, increasing cases of zoonotic diseases coupled with the concern of owners about their animal health is also propelling the market.

Upsurge in pet ownership globally is contributing to the rising adoption of telehealth services by pet owners. Furthermore, according to Pet Food Manufacturers Association statistics in 2021, 3.2 million households adopted a pet in the U.K.since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, pet owners are preferring telehealth services to veterinarians because of the pandemic situation, thereby increasing the adoption of veterinary telehealth services. Thus, rising pet ownership further contributes to the market globally.

Additionally, several healthcare Companies had launched telehealth solutions and services. For example, in March 2021, a leading integrated healthcare company in India, Practo, launched a veterinary telemedicine service. Moreover, in 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that veterinarians minimized their contact with pet owners using telemedicine during pandemic. Thus, these key factors contribute to an increase in the number of veterinary telehealth services during the ongoing pandemic

Browse Full Report: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/veterinary-telehealth-market

Veterinary Telehealth Market Trends And Growth

The other animal segment dominated the market with a revenue share of 27.16% in 2021. High consumption of poultry and cattle products on a daily basis is contributing to the growth of this segment

The tele consulting segment dominated the market with a revenue share of 29.08% in 2021 owing to the increasing demand for virtual quality animal healthcare services

Due to the presence of well-established market players and increasing research and development activities by these players, North America dominated the market as of 2021 with a revenue share of around 37.0%

However, Asia Pacific is anticipated to show lucrative growth over the forecast period owing to the rising adoption of veterinary telehealth services and increasing livestock population in the region

Industry players are involved in strategic initiatives such as acquisitions and mergers, collaborative agreements, and geographic expansion to gain an edge over the competition

For instance, in April 2021, Guardian Vets, the industry leader in veterinary client communications technology, telemedicine and triage launched Virtual CRS, Overflow Protection and Callback Support, three innovative services. These services had reduced burdens on veterinary practices

Key Players And Veterinary Telehealth Market Share Insights

Industry players are involved in business activities such as strategic collaborations, new product launches, and regional expansion as emerging countries are still in the loop of adopting veterinary telehealth. For instance, in August 2020, Televet partnered with Cornell University Hospital for Animals. With this, the company would deploy its telehealth platform for the University’s veterinary telehealth operations. This extended the company’s market growth. Additionally, in July 2020, Zoetis partnered with telemedicine companies such as Vet-AI and Video With My Vet. The telemedicine platforms follow telemedicine guidelines for the U.K. and allow veterinarians to acquire information from clients on their smartphones through virtual consultations, thereby driving the market. Some of the prominent players in the veterinary telehealth market include: Airvet, Activ4Pets, BabelBark, GuardianVets, PetDesk, TeleTails, Televet, Vetster, VitusVet, Whiskers Worldwide, Virtuwoof, FirstVet, PawSquad, Petriage Inc

Request Free Sample Report: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/veterinary-telehealth-market

#Veterinary Telehealth Market Size #Veterinary Telehealth Market Trends #Veterinary Telehealth Market Forecast #Veterinary Telehealth Market Growth

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thomsengbkwoods · 2 years

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Is Your Cat Shedding Their Pearly Whites? Here's Why

Have you observed that your pet dog feline shedding teeth? Discover if it's simply main teeth or if there's a demand for issue.

For people, superb oral health and wellness and health are essential to living a long, pleased life-- and also the exact same holds for our feline good close friends. One sign that all is not well in your feline's mouth is missing teeth, though it's not constantly straightforward to educate when your kitty is losing teeth considering that numerous of us probably don't make a habit of drawing back pet cat's pretty pink lips to analyze her fangs.

It is important to pay focus, however, due to the fact that inadequate oral health can bring about many more significant illnesses, including heart troubles, as well as felines are phenomenal at hiding their pain. If you strike see your pet cat is shedding teeth, drooling more, or experiencing discomfort while eating, figuring out the reason is crucial to taking care of the trouble and also getting your feline's oral wellness back on the ideal track.

Is a Cat Losing Teeth Ever Normal?

Just like youths, kittens have key teeth-- or milk teeth-- that begin to occur at regarding 3 weeks old. These sharp, clear teeth are not permanent-- in fact, the feline will certainly start shedding them three to four months later. At this phase in a pet cat's life, missing teeth is regular and anticipated. By the time the kitten is 8 or 9 months old, she will have all 30 of her full-grown teeth, which preferably should keep her chewing and additionally chomping till she's a senior as well as also crabby tabby.

While many grown-up cats will certainly lose a tooth or more throughout their life, that does not mean feline losing teeth is regular-- actually, it's generally an indication of injury or infection and also will likely need vet emphasis.

Why is Your Feline Losing Pearly Whites?

If your animal cat is losing teeth, there are most likely three primary factors: illness, injury, or diet plan routines. Gum disease (or periodontal disease) is among the most usual feline dental conditions. Actually, according to the Cornell Feline College Healthcare facility, as numerous as 85 percent of pet dog cats over the age of 6 may have gum tissue illness, which is caused by a buildup of plaque along the periodontal line that eventually starts teeth to relax along with befall.

" Felines who are older are more probable to lose their teeth than younger cats," states Nicole, a vet service technician at Heritage Animal University Hospital in Olathe, Kansas. "Felines will create tartar in addition to a plaque on their teeth throughout their life, as well as likewise these will at some point result in gingivitis, which is a threat variable for missing teeth as well as additionally can similarly bring around cardiovascular condition."

A feline with gingivitis or another kind of infection related to a harmed or injured tooth will likely have a nasty breath. He could in addition drool, be incapable of shutting his mouth. Excessive pet grooming is also or a sign. Smelly breath might similarly suggest a sore tooth.

Any one of these symptoms-- including missing teeth in pet dog felines-- values a fast check out to your veterinarian, particularly if your feline's periodontals are red as well as bleeding and also he has racked up in his mouth or blemished teeth. Along with getting your cat started with various sorts of precautionary care to prevent even more tooth loss and also damages, your veterinarian might require to draw out any kind of damaged or sore teeth.

How to avoid Your Feline from Losing Teeth

According to Heritage Pet Health care facility's Nicole, the very best methods to quit your cat from losing teeth is a regular oral treatment. "The gold standard is cleaning your pet cat's teeth, but you intend to see to it any items you are making usage of are categorized for felines; never utilize human toothpaste on felines," she claims. Nicole generally refers people to the Vet Oral Health Council to find tooth brushes, tooth paste, and also various other oral items that are safe for usage on pet cats.

Your veterinarian may recommend your feline obtain his teeth correctly cleaned up to avoid tartar and also plaque build-up. An outstanding cleansing is generally suggested each to two years. The process regularly consists of an examination, X-rays, anesthetic, as well as a comprehensive damaging over as well as listed here the periodontal line.

Feeding your feline, a diet routine developed to market feline dental health, helps. Brands such as Hill's, Purina, in addition to Royal Canin make oral food-- they may need a prescription, yet your vet can give that for you." best cat litter mat

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swagdinosaurbird · 2 years

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The Benefits of an Animal Hospital

A full-service pet healthcare facility is the location to choose thorough take care of your pet dog's clinical requirements. They have the facilities as well as know-how to take care of extra difficult medical situations and commonly house your family pet overnight. Moreover, medical facilities are more likely to offer detailed tests. Some veterinarians additionally concentrate on particular locations, making them an excellent option for particular types of problems. Depending upon your needs, you can select in between a little pet clinic and a big pet healthcare facility. If you're thinking about taking your animal to a pet healthcare facility, it is necessary to understand what to expect. If you do not recognize what to anticipate, you're probably in for a shock. Thankfully, there are lots of methods to make your go to as positive as possible. Keep in mind these helpful suggestions when determining where to take your family pet. Nevertheless, these physicians can supply important solutions to your pet dog! Here are some of the things you can expect to discover at veterinarians near me.

The dimension of your medical facility plays a large duty in the treatment your pet receives. While a tiny animal clinic might just offer fundamental medical care, a large pet hospital has even more room and also more team to give top notch care for your animal. Furthermore, a larger animal health center is more likely to use innovative analysis devices and even more veterinarians and accredited staff. The Cimarron Pet Medical facility provides the best of both worlds: services that are typical at a veterinarian clinic, yet with a medical facility's level of expertise. A Long Island indigenous, Dr. Patricia Doherty obtained a B.S. from Stony Brook College and also gained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell College University of Veterinary Medication in 2007. After college graduation, she completed an extensive teaching fellowship in little animal medication in New Jacket, as well as has exercised in emergency care and in a little pet technique in Westchester and also Connecticut. Hire one of the best veterinarian from this website.

She has a special rate of interest suffering management in elderly people, and she creates customized therapy prepare for each individual, taking into consideration the demands of the proprietor and also the worries of the customer every action of the way. If you're searching for a top quality clinical center for your pet dog, you might wish to consider employing a clinical service. There are a number of reasons why you should select an animal health center instead of a family pet store. Vet medication has actually long acknowledged the value of preventative treatment, so regular exams can aid you find issues early. Along with ensuring your pet remains healthy and balanced, your veterinarian will provide you vaccinations that will certainly avoid several diseases and health problems. This page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterinary_medicine elaborates more on the topic, so you may need to check it out.

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sistercelluloid · 5 years

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This his has nothing to do with classic film, but I feel like you’re family, so I hope you’ll bear with me in remembering my sweet, beloved Linus, who we lost last week. He lived to be sixteen years and eight months old, but his life seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.

We adopted him when he was just shy of three; he had been so horribly abused that a neighbor called the woman who ran the local no-kill shelter and begged her to somehow get the people who had him—I refuse to call them his family—to surrender him. In his early days with us, his trauma surfaced in heartbreaking ways, as when my husband Tim pulled on a pair of heavy boots to go out and shovel snow—and Linus wailed and shook violently, ran to a corner, and tried to dig his way into the wall.

When we first met him at the shelter, he was clearly anxious to be let out of the kennels. Far and away the smallest dog there, he broke free of his handler, snuggled into a spot on the sofa between us, sighed, and settled in. He was home already. While we waited to sign the final adoption papers—we’d already been through an application process the FBI would gaze upon in awe—I ran through a bunch of names in my mind. “What about Linus?” I asked Tim, thinking of the Peanuts character. “He’s looks so sweet and thoughtful, like he’s got a lot on his mind.” And when we got him home, the first thing he did was burrow deep into his carrier and pull out something that had been scrunched up in the back: his blanket.

He sniffed his way around his new home, and just to make sure we knew it was his, he peed on every rug. Then he curled up on the sofa with his brand-new stuffed bear, chewed the nose off and gleefully pulled out the stuffing.

The bear would be first of a long string of victims which ran the gamut from stuffed toys to silk eye masks.

Linus 1, Mister Fluffy Bunny 0.

And oh, yes, that poor Santa hat—his revenge for the 15 seconds he had to wear this silly outfit for a Christmas card photo.

He literally loved his soccer ball to bits, and no shiny new replacement—even if it was exactly the same thing—ever made him as happy. So I’d just grab his old one, gather up the trail of stuffing strewn across the living room floor, and sew it all back together again.

Only the Grinch was spared from being torn apart, and they became such fast friends that I took to leaving him out all year.

When we first brought Linus home, we weren’t sure how long his walks should be. No one had ever bothered to take him for a real walk before—at the shelter they’d heard he’d been let out in the yard maybe once or twice a day. And being a dachshund, he took a whole bunch of steps for every one of ours. So we decided to just walk him until he got tired.

He never got tired.

After three or four miles, I’d be splayed face-down on the sofa, and he’d be like, “So, where are we goin’ now, Ma?”

Sometimes before we even got to the street, he’d meet Patty or Helen or Michelle from our apartment building, who all adored him. And oh was it mutual. He’d squeal and yip, waggle his butt, and run up and smoosh against them, just unable to contain himself. And he’d bark at their husbands.

Down the street we sometimes ran into Jeff and John, who’d swoop off their stoop the minute they saw Linus. They even bought dog biscuits to keep on hand for him. One night when we passed Jeff, we didn’t stop because he was on the phone. But he let out a whoop and waved us over. He proceeded to tell the guy on the other end Linus’s entire life story—and then ignored him completely talk to Linus, asking over and over, “Who’s a good boy?”

We’d often stop at the coffee shop on our walks, where he’d make new friends. In the summer, I’d often hear a sudden “Ooh!” only to turn and discover Linus had rubbed his cold nose against someone’s bare calf. And then there was the firefighter with arms roughly the size of Bluto’s, who cooed baby-talk to him and treated me to a cappucino because he loved him so madly.

It took my breath away how open-hearted Linus was, after all the horrors he’d been through. People hold grudges for years, sometimes forever, over the tiniest slight. But once Linus was safe and happy and loved, he was willing—happy, even—to give the whole human race a second chance. He was such an old soul, such a sweet spirit.

For all his years in our family, Linus went with us just about everywhere. He especially loved the “come-withs” at our upstate house on weekends. And because he was crazy-smart, he picked up on clues instantly. When he saw Tim make any move toward the Linus bag—the little canvas pouch with his portable water dish and snacks—he’d go crazy. He also went nuts when I took my bra out of the drawer, because it meant I was going somewhere so probably he was too. It got to the point where if we were heading out without him on the weekend, I had to sneak my bra out when he wasn’t looking.

We took him on our vacations…

…on camping trips…

…on family visits to the lake…

…on day hikes (where once he was super-excited to meet a countryman)…

…to every park we could find (whether he was allowed there or not)…

…to street fairs and festivals…

…to drive-ins…

…and to restaurants, where, on the rare occasion we dined outside without him, we’d get grilled about it by the waiters. (“We were just out shopping and we didn’t know we’d be stopping to eat!” we’d plead, heads down, like guilty criminals.) At one place where we dined often, the manager would greet him with a full plate of bacon. One day, a woman at a nearby table complained, “You served that dog before you waited on me!” and he replied dryly, “He’s a regular.” To know Linus was to love him to the point of obliviousness to all else.

And, um, yes, he had a little portable bed, to protect him from the hard ground. (Though sometimes after we finished our meals, he’d venture off just far enough to sneak a peek at what the people at the next table were having.)

He also had a bed to cushion his naps in the backyard. Okay fine, two beds.

Mostly, though, he roughed it.

Oh and he had a bed in the car, though sometimes it was more of a pillow.

Though having fluffy beds pretty much everywhere, including three in the house, didn’t stop him from checking out other options.

Linus was so sweet and supremely silly…

Once, in a rare attempt at hunting, he somehow wound up in a stack of planters, while the chipmunk had long since scampered down the driveway.

When it was too chilly for the yard but just warm enough to get near it, he loved to watch the world from the screenporch.

Being so close to the ground, Linus was not a huge fan of the cold and wet. (When we got a couple of inches of snow, I’d croon, “It’s up to your knees out there…”) He’d take a few steps and then lift a chilly front paw as if to say, “Taxi!” And I’d pick him up and carry him out to the plowed road for a quick walk. Then he’d come in for a vigorous pat-down with his super-absorbent doggie towel, play-fight with it after he was dry and happy, and burrow under his blankets again.

Always a sun puppy, in bleakest February he’d follow the scant rays around the house. (I call this The Linus in Winter.)

On sleepy weekend mornings, Linus had a little ritual he loved. I’d give him breakfast and take him out for a walk—and then he’d all but march me back to bed. (Tim was usually still there.) He’d head toward the bedroom, stop and turn around to make sure I was following him, and harrumph at me if I wasn’t moving fast enough. Then he’d stand by the bed and wait to be lifted up, barking at me to follow him under the covers so the three of us could snuggle.

He also made a huge fuss whenever Tim came home. You’ve seen the heartwarming videos of dogs whooping and jumping and hurling themselves wildly at returning soldiers, who’ve been away for years? That was Linus when Tim came back from the deli.

He loved belly rubs…

…and deep, long snoozes, and honest to God you’d sell your soul to sleep like that for five minutes.

And if he snoozed on something I needed, I’d just wait until he woke up.

He was also great at self-snuggling, where one minute he was lying flat on his blanket and the next he was a dachshund burrito.

Linus never met a snack he didn’t like (that’s a telltale yogurt ring on his face)…

…and his devotion to whatever you had on your plate bordered on the monastic.

A couple of weeks after we brought him home, we went out to a family dinner and brought home a big, fat, juicy steak bone. When we gave it to Linus, he didn’t seem to know what to do with it at first—because apparently in his almost three years of doggie life, no one had ever given him a bone. But he quickly caught on, and wouldn’t let go. We somehow managed to pry it away from him for his nightly walk, but upon returning, he raced down the hall, frantic to reclaim his prize. After that, he got lots of bones.

When my Mom visited, she actually teased us about spoiling him. Imagine. And then there was this.

But how else would I treat my best editor? When I was stuck for a word, I could always turn to him for support. Or, more often, just chuck what I was working on and curl up with him.

He’d also sense our miseries and truly sympathize. Whenever I cried, whether from something real or even an old movie, I’d soon find him clinging close to me.

Every autumn, on the Feast of St. Francis, we took Linus to be blessed, which I think may have helped him through the health crises in his life.

In the summer of 2007, a few weeks after my company closed its doors, I was spending some time with Linus upstate. One day, rather than racing around the yard, he seemed sluggish, mostly sitting in one spot under a tree. I chalked it up to the weather, which had grown more sultry as the afternoon wore on, and thought it best to bring him inside. But when I picked him up, he howled in pain. Trying (and failing) not to panic, I softly cradled him into his bed and called the vet, but they’d already closed. So I called a cab to get to the emergency vet in the next town.

An hour passed. No cab. By now the sky was black, and it was pouring. I called again (I vaguely remember screaming). A half-hour later, the cabbie drove right past me as I stood on the screenporch frantically waving my arms. I ran outside, caught up with him and jumped right in front of the car.

By the time Linus made it to the vet, his back legs were paralyzed. He had ruptured a disc and needed emergency surgery, but whether he’d ever walk again was highly uncertain. They brought him into the back, gave him steroids, pain medication and sedatives to stabilize him overnight, and told me to get him to Cornell veterinary hospital first thing in the morning. I called Tim from the front desk, sobbing so hard he could barely understand what I was saying.

As I waited for him to drive up from the city, I sat outside crying on a bench under an awning, as the rain pounded against it. A woman who’d seen me inside came out, sat beside me, and pulled my head onto her shoulder. “He’ll be alright,” she said over and over, like a lullaby, or maybe a prayer. I’ll never forget her. (And she was right.)

During the drive up to Cornell, I sat in back with Linus. Bundled in blankets, he clung to my lap, drifting in and out of a fearful, fitful sleep, trembling the whole time. When we arrived, they whisked him into surgery within an hour, removed the ruptured disc and fused the ones on either side. They were going to keep him for another three days, but he was so scared and miserable in his cage—he hadn’t spent a night without us since we first brought him home—that they let him leave a day early, giving us strict instructions on how to get him back on his feet.

Naturally, at first, he was wobbly as a newborn foal. I’d hold him as he took a few halting steps and then lose his footing and stumble to the ground. I started to look into scooters, in case he needed one. But then suddenly, less than a week after surgery, he went from staggering to running, in a single motion. So there we were in the yard, him scampering around like he’d never left, like it was just another Tuesday, and me crying my head off. I started to call Tim, but then I put the phone down. I wanted Linus to surprise him when he came home.

The only lingering result of his trauma was that occasionally when he sat down, he would swing one leg out to the side, like Rita Hayworth in her pinup shots.

I told Tim if anything ever happened to me, he should take me to Cornell and tell them I’m a German Shepherd.

A few years later, a routine vet visit turned up some disturbing lab results. So we went back to Cornell, where a battery of tests revealed a dangerous tumor. He needed surgery right away, and the only available slot was the day before Thanksgiving. For the second time, everything went perfectly, and in their post-op report, the clearly perceptive vets actually wrote, “Linus is a very good dog.” Tim and I had our holiday dinner at the only place we could find open, a bar in downtown Ithaca. I ordered a cocktail, only to have the waiter snap, “Today we have beer and wine and that’s it.” Yipes. But since he was stuck working, I could hardly blame him for sounding like Sheldon Leonard in It’s a Wonderful Life. (“We serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast, and we don’t need any characters around to give the joint atmosphere!”)

And once again Linus, desperate to go home, was released early, enjoying some post-holiday deli turkey on the trip back.

But the following year, Linus was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease, which is something of a plague for dachshunds. Every story I dug up was more horrible than the one before, and the typical prognosis was two years. Linus was blessed with another four, and until he was near the end, fate was somewhat benevolent to him. But in the last few months, one by one, a series of cruel symptoms came crashing down on him. Cushing’s attacked his retinas, dementia darkened his wonderful mind, and sometimes he struggled to stand. Before, the vets always had an answer. Now they had none.

Often I’d pick him up, wrap my arms close around him, and try to will time and trauma away. Do your worst to me, I’d plead, but leave his little fourteen-pound body alone.

It’s one of the cruelest twists of nature that they get so much less time on this earth than we do. I would have happily shared my years with him if I could have.

The night before Linus died, Tim and I slept on either side of him, guardians at the gate with nothing left in our desperately depleted arsenal but how much we loved him. At first, he shared my pillow, his nose pressed against my neck. But then he shifted, resting his head on my hand and curling his body into the crook of my arm. Then he sighed and settled down, just as he did those first few moments we welcomed him into our family.

Despite his age and his illness, losing Linus was an awful, sudden shock. Losing someone you love so much always is; there’s no “preparing” for it. It’s not just a turn of phrase to say I don’t know what to do without him. I really don’t. I can’t put his beds and blankets and bowls away, but I can’t bear to look at them either. I can barely breathe.

I know he lived a long, happy life, and he was loved like crazy, and we’ll always have our memories of him. But none of that helps right now. I’ve collapsed in tears in the diner, in the supermarket, on the street, everywhere. And it’s worse at home. I wake up crying and go to sleep the same way. I miss everything about him, even the smallest things, like the sound of him lapping at his water bowl and his paws click-clacking on the floor. As little as he was, he filled the house. And he filled my heart. Losing him has thrown open the gates to a very dark place I can’t find my way out of without him.

Goodnight and sleep safe, my sweet, silly, beautiful, beloved pup. You were such an indescribable blessing, beyond any words I can find. I have no idea if there’s a God, but there better be a Heaven for you. May the angels hold you as close as we did for all those wonderful years.

Remembering Linus, Our Sweet, Beloved Pup This his has nothing to do with classic film, but I feel like you're family, so I hope you’ll bear with me in remembering my sweet, beloved Linus, who we lost last week.

#Cornell University Hospital for Animals #dachshunds #grief #linus #pets

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