Dr Judy's Non-Blog

4/10/12
If I haven't said it anywhere else, I'll say it here:
Read The Art of Racing In the Rain.

It's also a terrrific book on tape, lasts from Indianapolis to Cleveland and back.
  *Not a chick book, not a guy book, not a dog book. A really great book.*

Unlike Marley and Me, in The Art of Racing in the Rain the protagonist has a brain, sees the household situation for what it it, does what he can to make his companions lives better. But yeah, it's a book with a dog in the starring role.

"A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope--a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life  . . . as only a dog could tell it."   <-- that quote is from Amazon, where they pay English majors to write book reports.


Amazon carries it, your local bookstore carries it, your library has it, it may even be on your honey's bookshelf right now.
--Judy
--------------------------

9/20/11
I am humbled by my nascent technical skills. It took a while, but I replaced many of the photos on my website with pics from clients and friends, as well as a few generous folks out there who liked the idea of my project and wanted to contribute--THANK YOU ALL!  If your pics aren't up yet, I'm just looking for the right place to put them.    
xxx Judy
------------------

8/4/11
Puck (my big fat hairy adult kitty) appears to be fully accepting Fabio, the kitten. LilyWonka has stopped chasing him as well...after a brief intervention that was, um, memorable for her. Ben got home alive from camp Palawopec and was delighted to find a new kitten in his house. He had been asking for one but had no reason to imagine it might really materialize.
What a fun surprise Fabio was for him!
--Judy
--------------------

7/29/11
New kittens are the best. Ok, second best...my cat Puck is and always will be the best. Evidence: he's already stopped hissing at the fuzzy, fuzzy space invader. It is really a wonderful thing to have a ridiculous little interloper who doesn't have a sense of decorum or style come gallumphing into the room, flip onto his back to mercilessly attack a bit of paper, jerk to his feet and dash away with a crazed, haunted look in his pretty eyes.
  Makes my inner kitten want to do the same. Rowwwwr!
(We kitten owners fascinate only ourselves with our loving, fascinated ramblings, blissfully unaware of the boredom we inspire in others, sorry!)
--Judy
-------------------

7/18/11
Today is my eldest daughter's 18th birthday. She is ambitious, responsible, and very smart, mostly. She spent part of the day in a (human) healthcare clinic getting the second in a series of 4 shots for post-exposure prophylaxis against Rabies.

A baby bat was found where she is working this summer and a well-intended effort was mounted to save the little bugger. Sadly, it died. Because of the summer heat, the bat was too decomposed for the state lab to test it for Rabies. As a result, 14 children are undergoing a series of shots.

The bat didn't bite anyone, but the kids were exposed. Many touched it.
RABIES IS FATAL IN PEOPLE.
To be safe, all the kids who directly handled the little guy had to be protected in case the virus made it into their system through the cuts and scratches that summertime kids wear like badges of honor. With the shots, they should all do fine.

The moral of this story is that
1) bats carry Rabies, even baby bats.
2) kids aren't immune to Rabies even if they have veterinary parents
3) even smart kids can have impaired thinking when there are helpless babies involved.
Bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes may be affected by Rabies. Even if they look healthy. Even if they look tame.
These are wild animals. Do not pet them. Do not feed them.
If they are acting not-so-wild, assume the worst and avoid them!
Call animal control if they are suffering or in a position to hurt somebody.

If you do get bitten, confine the animal if possible, and call animal control immediately.
Cleanse your bite wound thoroughly and get yourself to a doctor right away for care.
If the animal is available for testing, you probably won't have to have shots. If they cannot test the animal that bit you, or if it tests positive for Rabies, you MUST get the shots. It's not just about you coming down with Rabies, it's about the rabid version of you infecting your family, and the nice nurses and doctors in the hospital where you will be taken if you come up with weird neurologic symptoms in a month or 6.
So don't be a hero, and don't be stupid.
Here are a couple of case reports from the CDC website. Scary, true stories.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5615a1.htm