Veterinarian, Speaker & Author
Over Labor day, I attended the Soldier Hollow Classic Sheepdog Trial Championship in Heber Valley, Utah. Wow, I had so much fun watching the Border Collies herd wild range sheep. One by one, a dog teamed up with their handler to bring two groups of sheep down the mountain. After steering the sheep through a …
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After receiving complaints from the public, the Food and Drug Administration has expanded the chicken jerky investigation to include duck and sweet potato treats. All of the products were either made in or have ingredients from China. The FDA warns people who use these products to watch their pets for: VomitingDiarrheaBloatIncreased thirstIncreased urinationAnorexiaLethargy The FDA has published more information on …
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August 17th is Black Cat Appreciation Day! This day was started to bring attention to the blight of black colored animals in shelters. For some reason, black animals are not adopted as quickly as animals of other colors. Some think it is the association with bad luck that is causing this phenomenon. I think the …
There are two amendments working their way through Congress to provide more humane conditions for egg-laying chickens. I will never forget walking into an egg-laying facility in during veterinary training. Three hens were crammed into tiny cages, cages smaller than most people use for finches and canaries. The next time I needed eggs, I made …
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Right now the United States Department of Agriculture is considering a proposal to crack down on puppy mills. Because of a loophole in the law, many dogs live in filthy conditions with no medical care. The females are bred back to back which means after they whelp a litter of puppies, they are bred again …
It time for the annual 2012 Desert Dog Police K9 Trials! Come to Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday April 14th and Sunday April 15th to see the police dogs and their handlers compete. Pictured below is Kaos competing at the 2011 competition. You may recall Kaos visited me in the hospital and brought great joy when I was …
It is my pleasure to announce the winners of the 2012 Animal Charity Grant: The Humane Society of Southern Arizona in collaboration with the Pima Library Foundation! This November 4th, I look forward to speaking on their behalf. This is a great example of two terrific organizations coming together to create a wonderful event for donors. …
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Join Dr. Nelson at the Tucson Festival of Books, March 10 and 11, 2012 at the University of Arizona. Stop by booth #243 on the central mall or join the fun at a panel dicussion. More information at tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. –Animal Behavior-Mild to Wild: Saturday, March 10th from 11:30 to 12:30 in room 111 of the …
Last weekend, my husband and I attended the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. Wow, we saw some fantastic horses! In an outdoor ring, yearling fillies strutted their stuff. The poise of these youngsters amazed me. Then we walked over to another outdoor ring for a reining competition. The agility and flexibility of the Arabian breed is …
I will never forget walking into a large pork producing farm during my swine rotation in veterinary school. I saw pregnant sows in small crates, the crates were so small that the pigs couldn’t even turn around. They could only move a few inches forwards and backwards. Growing up in Minnesota farm country, I was …
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