When reading the best seller “Freakonomics,” I was pleasantly surprised to see Levitt and Dubner list female veterinarians as one of the top 3 most desirable on-line daters. My boyfriend didn’t appreciate me photocopying the page and mailing it to him, but I thought it was important to realize the obvious: we are hot commodities (why oh, why do you need me to remind you?).
Men are usually “dog” people who love to wrestle with Fido and enjoy some of the hobbies of dog ownership such as hiking and being outdoors, but often have a misperception that women only want a pet so they can groom it and braid its hair. But female vets escape that stereotype – guys know we probably have a higher tolerance for dirt, hair, drool, and mud. Considering men may realize that they have some similar qualities to dogs (dirt, hair, drool, mud, and of course, loyalty), why wouldn’t they want to jump on the love train? Currently, 73% of veterinary students are women, and nearly 50% of practicing veterinarians are too. If I can make a broad generalization, female veterinarians are hard working, somewhat anal retentive, outdoorsy, love animals, and are well-rounded. C’mon guys - what more could you ask for?
Gastrointestinal parasites can result in severe blood loss through the intestinal tract, weight loss, chronic diarrhea, or anal itching. Not an ideal way for you to lose weight (unless you are one of those self-flagellating evangelist). There’s also the issue that most gastrointestinal parasites are specific to a particular species. In other words, if it’s a cat or dog intestinal worm, this worm would typically stay in the intestinal tract of that species. However, if the parasite gets into a non-traditional species (i.e., a housewife), the worm doesn’t “know” where to go; instead of just migrating through the intestines, the worm ends up migrating throughout the body including the eyes and skin. This can result in cutaneous larval migrans (a fancy way of saying that larva are migrating through your skin, body, and eyes), and can even result in blindness in children. Not worth changing for a few pounds! For this reason, it is very important to make sure that your dog is routinely dewormed, and that children and adults wash their hands after exposure to animal feces. This is another reason why it’s so important and part of your responsibility as a pet owner to pick up your dog’s poop wherever you are! See lecture on poop-scooping later in this chapter).
Cutaneous larval migrans is a devastating but rare disease. On a side note, this disease is why you should lie on a towel on the beach in Mexico, as worms can survive in the sand and crawl into your skin. This is the primary safety reason why dogs are not welcome on beaches – if the worms move from the dog to the sand, to you, it’s unlikely that Kevin Bacon or Beetle Juice will come to your rescue. So don’t forget that towel!
This blog helps answer all those questions that you've had about your dog that you didn't think you could ask a veterinarian! Whether or not you're an experienced dog owner to the novice dog owner, you'll find some answers to some fun, humorous, offbeat questions. Feel free to post comments if you have any questions, and I hope you find this information helpful! Further information can be found at my website: www.drjustinelee.com or in my book "It's a Dog's Life... but It's Your Carpet."
