It was 11:03 p.m. on a Friday when my phone exploded with the call that still keeps me up at night. A dad from Ohio had given his 65-lb Labrador three regular 325 mg aspirin tablets because she was limping after a hike. He’d read online that dogs and aspirin dosage was “totally fine.” Within
It was 6:42 p.m. on a Tuesday when Sarah’s text came through with a photo that made my stomach drop.Her 4-year-old Golden Retriever, Max, had just projectile-vomited a neon-green puddle the size of a dinner plate.The message:“Doc, dog throwing up green liquid… he ate some lawn grass an hour ago. He’s acting totally normal and
It was 3:17 a.m. when my phone lit up with the message every vet dreads:“Doc… Rocky just threw up a coffee-cup full of dark red blood clots. He’s wagging his tail and begging for treats right now. Dog throwing up blood clots but acting normal is this really an emergency?” I told them to leave
It was 2:11 a.m. when my phone rang with the worst kind of call. A client was screaming through tears: “Doc, something just grabbed Milo off the porch! There’s blood everywhere and he’s limp… what animals attack cats at night?!” We rushed Milo in. He had four perfect canine punctures on each side of his
It was 9:47 p.m. on Thanksgiving night when my emergency phone started blowing up — four calls in 20 minutes, all the same story. What Thanksgiving foods can cats eat? That’s the exact question I get from panicked owners every single Thanksgiving usually at 9 p.m. while the turkey is being carved and the cat
It was 2:14 a.m. on a humid August night when my phone nearly exploded off the table.A mom from Georgia was screaming through tears:“DOC! My cat just ate THREE whole plums —pits and all — while I was on a 5-minute call! The internet says cyanide… can cats eat plums or is she going to
It was a Sunday afternoon when my phone rang with a panicked voice on the other end. A worried cat mom from California had just given her constipated 9-year-old tabby, Muffin, a full teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil after reading online that it “works wonders.” Within an hour, Muffin was vomiting yellow foam, hiding under
It was a quiet Tuesday evening when my clinic received three identical panicked calls within an hour.Each owner sent the same video: their cat balancing on the kitchen counter, delicately lapping from an unattended glass of Diet Coke.The messages were frantic: “Doc, is soda toxic to cats? She just drank a few sips what do
It was 9:15 p.m. on a Friday when my phone started blowing up.First message: a blurry photo of an empty spaghetti bowl.Second message: “DOC, GARFIELD JUST ATE HALF A PLATE OF SPAGHETTI MARINARA. GARLIC BREAD TOO. CAN A CAT EAT PASTA OR AM I ABOUT TO LOSE MY CAT TONIGHT?!”I called her immediately.The cat was
It was 2 a.m. when my phone lit up with a hilarious video from a client in Florida. Her 6-year-old tabby, Pickles, was sprawled on his back, purring like a freight train while she gently scratched his cheeks. Caption: “Doc… he literally begs for this every night. Do cats like massages or is mine just