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Why I chose in-home pet euthanasia for our beloved dog

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

By Denise Hamilton, special to Southern California News GroupHis breathing grew ragged.He’d lift his head, fighting for air, his flanks heaving like furry white bellows. Our 16-year-old husky mix dog Sirius White was nearing the end.Nine weeks earlier, the vet and I had huddled outside the clinic in the rain because they were only doing drop-offs.Our dog’s increasingly hoarse bark and panting wasn’t something lodged in his throat. The x-ray showed inoperable lung tumors.Two months, the vet said. But there are things we can try. Chemo, radiation.But he was so old. I wanted his last days to be peaceful.The vet rattled off medications we could try. Steroids, gabapentin, CBD oil, Chinese herbs. I ordered them all.My father had died of emphysema, gasping for breath in the hospital. Now the anguished memory of watching a loved one die this way roared back.Did the vet do home euthanasia visits?She shook her head. Too busy.She went back inside to get my dog and I stared at the curtain of co...

Travel: Mammoth Lake’s rustic alpine hideaways are perfect for fall

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

Summer’s hot and crowded days have passed, and many of us are seeking relaxing fall escapes into nature. Here’s a tip: head east over California’s mighty Sierra Nevada to Mono County and the Mammoth Lakes region for a big dose of high elevation mountain scenery—think rushing streams, dense forest, serene lakes and fall color.Autumn is an ideal time to visit the eastern Sierra. Crowds are light, temperatures are cooler and, even better, the region’s aspen forests provide a dazzling, albeit brief, display of fall color. (Find the latest details on those hues and a map of where colors are nearing peak display at https://californiafallcolor.com/.)One of the best ways to immerse oneself in Mammoth’s abundant natural splendor is to overnight in a rustic cabin and live like a pioneer — 21st century-style.There are many cabin choices in Mammoth, from historic lakeside cabins in the dense woods to more modern tiny homes set in mountain meadows. I recently spent two nights at the Alpenh...

Here’s why foxtails can be dangerous for pets

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

Whenever warmer weather rolls around, pet parents have to deal with the bogeyman of the outdoors: foxtails.These anxiety-inducing plants are the portion of a weedy grass that contains the grass seed. These weeds grow mostly in the west, southwest and central areas of the country in all kinds of environments, including in our yards and cracks in the sidewalk.“Because they are pointed on the end, they can pierce skin with the pointed end and the barbs on the outside of the seed pod make them very sticky. They will not fall out and will advance forward through the skin and travel through tissues, bringing bacteria with them and causing pain and infection,” says Dr. Ilana Halperin, chief of service for Community Medicine at UC Davis Veterinary Medicine in California. “They can also enter any body opening — eyes, nose, ears, prepuce, vagina and mouth. They are painful and will cause tissue damage and infection. They can travel deep into tissues, even entering the lungs and other internal...

What is the best comedy sketch of all time? Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key have an answer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

Christopher Borrelli | Chicago Tribune (TNS)CHICAGO — This isn’t meant to be answered with certainty, but for a moment, ask yourself:What is the single best comedy sketch of all time?From any source — Abbot & Costello, Monty Python, “Saturday Night Live,” “Portlandia,” “Chapelle’s Show.” There’s no ruling body on the question, not even a Rolling Stone-esque comedy magazine to claim that authority. But there is a smart married comedy couple, Elle Key and Keegan-Michael Key, actor (him), producer (her), now co-authors of a slender, conversational book, “The History of Sketch Comedy.” And by the end of that history, they try to answer this question, and thus, must go through Chicago.Key and Key’s pick? Bob Odenkirk and David Cross’s “The Audition,” from HBO’s influential ‘90s series “Mr. Show.” The setup: Cross auditions for Odenkirk (Second City vet, Naperville native) and Dino Stamatopoulos (Columbia College alum, Norridge native) and asks to perform a monologue ironically titled...

How to weigh the pros and cons of buying pet insurance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

By Lois M. Baron, special to Southern California News GroupPeople buy pet insurance for peace of mind. But in truth, insurance coverage comes with so many variations from so many different providers that you can’t sign on any old dotted line and assume all will be well.True, insurance can cover things like emergency care, cancer treatments, some surgeries and prescriptions. But the devil is always in the details: Some policies exclude specific breeds. Regular exams — which can run into hundreds of dollars with tests and vaccinations — usually aren’t covered. Reimbursement might be capped per year or per diagnosis. And the list goes on.The Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego, California, sums up the situation in a blog post: “Research shows that owners with pets who are generally healthy throughout their life will pay more in premiums than they will receive in claims. However, there’s no way to know if you are getting the puppy or kitten that is going to be perfectly healthy. ...

Orioles ace Kyle Bradish, one of MLB’s best pitchers, will start Game 1 of ALDS vs. Rangers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

Kyle Bradish was acquired by the Orioles as part of a haul of minor leaguers the Los Angeles Angels traded to Baltimore for starting pitcher Dylan Bundy in 2019. He made his major league debut in 2022, blossomed into the Orioles’ ace in 2023 and now, the 27-year-old will toe the mound for Orioles’ first postseason game since 2016.The Orioles will face the Texas Rangers on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Camden Yards and it will be Bradish, as anticipated, who will get the start, manager Brandon Hyde said Friday. Rookie Grayson Rodriguez will start Game 2.Bradish bounced back from a foot injury in April to post one of the best seasons by an Orioles pitcher in decades. He finished with a 12-7 record and a 2.83 ERA in 30 starts spanning 168 2/3 innings, becoming the first qualified Orioles pitcher to post a sub-3.00 ERA season since Mike Mussina did so in 1992.The right-hander was one of only five MLB pitchers this season to have an ERA lower than 3.00. Over his past 22 starts, he ...

What pet best fits your lifestyle?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

There are many options for those looking for a family pet. Here’s a fun quiz to help narrow down your pick for a new animal bestie.Are you an extrovert, loyal, down for anything — whether it’s a day at a museum or the beach? Then you’re probably a dog person.There are countless breeds and every dog is an individual, so research is key. But here are some places to start:Toy: If you have a small space like an apartment, a toy breed like a Yorkshire terrier, Chihuahua or Maltese might be for you. This is the ultimate lap dog, but many breeds in this category have spunky personalities — so watch out.Hound: Sight and scent hounds fall into this varied group. It’s a big category including breeds like the basset hound, beagle, bloodhound, dachshund, English foxhound, greyhound, Irish wolfhound, Rhodesian ridgeback and whippet.Herding: Often known for their intelligence, desire to please and work, herding dogs need a job — whether it’s on a police force, like the German shepherd and Belgian...

Bruins mull final roster decisions prior to season opener

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

The Bruins may be down to one group of players for practice following Thursday’s preseason finale in New York, but it is still a rather bloated group.With a need to get down to the 23-man roster limit by Wednesday’s opener, there are 29 players still in camp, including goalies Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman and Brandon Bussi. With Bussi no doubt earmarked for Providence, the only remaining goalie decision will be who gets the opening night start.For the forwards and defense, there are much tougher choices to make. Let’s take a look at how it breaks down:ForwardsAs of right now, the B’s have five extra forwards in camp. While coach Jim Montgomery said he has not made a final decision on whether training camp star Matt Poitras will be around on opening night, it’s hard to imagine him going back to Guelph before the B’s at least take a nine-game look at him.In Friday’s practice, Poitras was again centering Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic, the l...

Cat expert explains why your cat is always acting weird

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

By Melissa Hart, special to Southern California News GroupSamantha Bell’s Hollywood apartment is a cat’s dream home, filled with elegant scratching posts, plant-festooned cat trees and tasteful baskets holding feather wands and catnip mice. Window seats allow her kitties access to fresh air.“I think about the things my cats are missing from the outdoors and adapt their indoor habitat so their needs are met,” she says.Bell is the cat expert for Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal protection organization that includes a Los Angeles-based adoption center. She creates weekly short videos addressing behavioral issues in cats and kittens, tackling everything from litter box issues to tips for how to train your feline friends out of 5 a.m. breakfast demands.More than 46.5 million people in the U.S. own at least one cat, but few of us truly understand the feline brain as well as Bell.Please demystify what’s going on inside my cat’s head.Cats live in a world of predator and prey. ...

What mobile clinics in Dollar General parking lots say about health care in rural America

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:16 GMT

Sarah Jane Tribble | (TNS) KFF Health NewsCLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — On a hot July morning, customers at the Dollar General along a two-lane highway northwest of Nashville didn’t seem to notice signs of the chain store’s foray into mobile health care, particularly in rural America.A woman lifted a child from the back of an SUV and walked into the store. A dog barked from a black pickup truck before its owner returned with cases of soda. Another woman checked her hair in a convertible’s rearview mirror before shopping.Each went right by a sign exclaiming “Quick, Easy Health Visits,” with an image of a mobile clinic.Just after 10 a.m., registered nurse Kimberly French arrived to work at the DocGo mobile clinic parked in the store’s lot. She checked her schedule.“We don’t have any appointments so far today, but that could change,” French said. “Last night we didn’t have any appointments and three or four people showed up all at one time.”Registered Nurse Kimberly French works 10-hour shifts ...