By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS Jan 9, 2010 First, the Trainers It’s a sunny morning in Folsom and something odd is happening at the Folsom Zoo. Zookeepers and staff are waving their arms, flailing their legs, and balancing in weird positions. No, they’re not there to entertain the animals. They’re playing the training game. The game where two people collude to train a third person to... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM. Sunday 10/25/09 Last week when lecturing at a seminar with Sarah Kalnajs, I watched an interesting video that Sarah showed. When her friend who had a history of cluster headaches was visiting her, Sarah’s dogs performed an unusual behavior. Typically they would hang back instead of interacting with the visitor but in this case they climbed onto his lap and kept licking his... [Read more]
Day 4 of my trip to Indonesia (Sept 2009) Dolphin Encounter Today we went dolphin watching at Lovina beach in Bali; I give the trip mixed reviews. First, we had to ride out further than expected to get to deeper waters in hopes of seeing dolphins. This was actually okay because we enjoyed the ride and the scenery. But instead of seeing the horizon or having a postcard view of the coast we saw a brown... [Read more]
Sophia’s Indonesia Trip, Day 3 (Sept 2009) Hornbill Impressive Hornbills On day 3 of my Indonesia vacation and our first day on Bali, we stop and visit Bird Park. The park has the standard variety of parrots, most of which are also present at other zoos. But they have a large collection of hornbills, which most other zoos do not. These large birds form monogamous pairs and live in tree holes... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS May 30, 2009 Memorial Day Weekend has passed signaling that summer is right around the corner. For many, it’s time to start planning ahead for major vacations. Whether it’s an extended road trip or a visit to the home of relatives some of the 77 million dog owners and 88 million cat owners will want to take their pets. Here are some tips to make traveling with your pet... [Read more]
Sophia Yin, DVM May 4, 2009 Question: My cat has always been a talkative animal, but her insistent meowing has been worse recently than ever before. Sami has always been much quieter when living in a household with another cat, but now Sami cries constantly, anytime I or my boyfriend is in the house she is crying. It’s not a talkative friendly cry, it’s a desperate sounding cry for attention. ... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM Madison, Wisconsin, April 25, 2009. It’s a quiet, gray day outside in Madison, Wisconsin, but inside, the room’s abuzz. Fifteen dogs of various sizes are being handled by veterinarians and veterinary students in the Happy Pets, Happy Vets behavior and low stress handling workshop. The workshop, organized by the Behavior Club at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of... [Read more]
Sophia Yin, DVM Rabbits can be cuddly and cute but require specialized care. Potential adopters should consider all of the behavioral and health issues involved in caring for a rabbit before making a decision. Twas the week after Easter And all through the house A bunny was stirring All quiet like a mouse It tasted the carpet It marked the new couch It left little green presents Which made Dad a... [Read more]
