Tag: Ask My Vet

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Ask My Vet: Why do certain breeds look the way they do?

Andy

Ask My Vet is a series based on questions I have—and maybe you do, too—about dogs. Katniss’ veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Kennedy of Arbor Animal Clinic here in Austin, provides answers and expertise as a part of this series. Question: Why do certain breeds look the way they do? Dr. K: In a word, artificial selection, the hallmark of human domestication. Our favorite English naturalist, Charles Darwin, is most famous for his theory of natural selection: the survival and reproduction of individuals due to different advantageous traits they possess. For example, the giraffe with the longest neck will be able to … Continue reading Ask My Vet: Why do certain breeds look the way they do?

animals, austin, dog, Dogs, Humor, Keeping it 100, Musings, Personal, Pets, writing2 Comments

Ask my vet: What does it take to be a veterinarian?

Andy

Ask My Vet is a series based on questions I have—and maybe you do, too—about dogs. Katniss’ veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Kennedy of Arbor Animal Clinic here in Austin, provides answers and expertise as a part of this series. Question: What does it take to be a veterinarian? Dr. K: If you make it through the academic gamut of the vet school application process and get invited to interview they will always ask you why you want to be a vet. When you are sleep-deprived in your clinical year of vet school and your family hasn’t seen you in months they … Continue reading Ask my vet: What does it take to be a veterinarian?

animals, dog, Dogs, Humor, Keeping it 100, Musings, Personal, Pets, writingLeave a comment

Ask My Vet: What items are most harmful to pets, especially during the holidays?

Andy

Ask My Vet is a series based on questions I have—and maybe you do, too—about dogs. Katniss’ veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Kennedy of Arbor Animal Clinic here in Austin, provides answers and expertise as a part of this series. Question: What items are most harmful to pets, especially during the holidays? Dr. K: Chocolate season—it’s the time from Halloween to Valentine’s Day full of the sounds of panicked pet owners calling vet clinics about their dogs that ate chocolate. This year has been pretty uneventful in terms of holiday toxicities thus far, but the season is young! I find myself wondering … Continue reading Ask My Vet: What items are most harmful to pets, especially during the holidays?

dog, Dogs, Humor, Keeping it 100, Musings, Personal, Pets, writingLeave a comment

Ask My Vet: Can dogs really predict natural disasters? Do they know when we’re ill?

Andy

Ask My Vet is a series based on questions I have—and maybe you do, too—about dogs. Katniss’ veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Kennedy of Arbor Animal Clinic here in Austin, provides answers and expertise as a part of this series. Question: Can dogs really predict natural disasters? Do they know when we’re ill? Dr. K: “It seems like everyone out there has an opinion on this topic, and no one has any peer-reviewed data to back it up. I do agree with the majority of those folks out there. There are too many cases of pets cuing humans in to impending change … Continue reading Ask My Vet: Can dogs really predict natural disasters? Do they know when we’re ill?

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Ask My Vet: Do dogs really age seven years every year?

Andy

Ask My Vet is a series based on questions I have—and maybe you do, too—about dogs. Katniss’ veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Kennedy of Arbor Animal Clinic here in Austin, provides answers and expertise as a part of this series. Question: Do dogs really age seven years every year? Dr. K: “The short answer: It depends. One human year could be equal to seven dog years at one stage of their life or 10 dog years at another stage of their life. The obvious point would be that dog life spans are significantly shorter than human life spans. They are longer today … Continue reading Ask My Vet: Do dogs really age seven years every year?

Dogs, Humor, Keeping it 100, Musings, Personal, Pets, Texas, writingLeave a comment

Ask My Vet: Can dogs only see in black and white?

Andy

Ask My Vet is a series I am starting based on questions I have—and maybe you do, too—about dogs. Katniss’ veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Kennedy of Arbor Animal Clinic here in Austin, provides answers and expertise as a part of this new series. According to AAC’s website, Kennedy “completed her undergraduate studies at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, North Carolina, where she worked on the college farm raising antibiotic- and hormone-free livestock. She graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011 and worked in an urgent care facility in San Antonio before joining AAC.” Kennedy is affiliated with the … Continue reading Ask My Vet: Can dogs only see in black and white?