Bark, Bake & Beyond

Decorating cakes with fondant is a lot of fun, but where do you start?  As you are starting to work with fondant, the supplies and questions can be overwhelming. But, one step at a time, and one YouTube video at a time, and you’ll get there, just like I did. I love frosting. Love it. But, to be honest, I’m not that great at getting my frosting perfectly smooth on a cake, and I just like the look of a fondant cake more. You can do more with decorating a fondant cake in my opinion. Do I like the taste or texture of fondant when I’m eating it? Not especially. It’s not bad, it’s just ho-hum. But, all of that tasty frosting is hiding just below the fondant, so it equals out. I get to make beautiful cakes, and get to eat the frosting, too! Just like with my post on cake and cupcake baking supplies, I thought it would be a great idea to have all of my suggestions for fondant supplies in one place. Click here to view my Fondant Supply list on Amazon.com . For page transparency: ...

Alright ladies, this one's for you. Well, not really, but you may understand a bit better than the males out there reading this blog. Bladder infections. Who has had one? I’ve had too many of them. Therefore, when a client comes to me and tells me that their dog or cat is urinating frequently, they are seeing blood in the snow when the pet is urinating, or if the cat is urinating out of the litter box, I know this needs immediate attention. I’m a worker. A really hard worker. At the time I write this, I’ve been a Veterinarian for 15 years. I work 80 hours a week, including nights, weekends, and Holidays. I have only missed two days of work, the last one about 13 years ago. Why? A bladder infection. I will be sick or in pain for other reasons, and as long as I’m certain I will not pass my sickness on to others, I know my role in the Veterinary world is extremely important. Especially those 7 ½ years as a solo practitioner, I went to work every single day. But, a bladder ...

It’s Friday and it’s time for another cool case. Sometimes it’s hard to call these “cool” cases. Most of them were so traumatic to the pet and the owner. Maybe the better word sometimes is “interesting.” Today we meet Annabelle (name changed for privacy). Annabelle and her mom were in town visiting family. They had driven up to the Midwest from the South, and were just in town for about a week. Annabelle was a new addition to the family. A sweet and energetic little Golden/Poodle mix of about 6 months of age. This was a bit of a family reunion and other extended members of the family were in town as well. As is common practice, we travel with our dogs. So, sweet little Annabelle was not the only dog at this family reunion. On this beautiful Saturday morning, a few family dogs were outside running around. One of the other dogs was a 100lb Dogo Argentino, and he was unfortunately not friendly. Poor Annabelle was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and this other, quite mea...

Pop quiz! What cake helps you get a partial serving of your daily vegetable needs and can help make your eyes more healthy? Carrot Cake - YUM! And, I’ve tweaked this recipe a bit to make it more healthy than most. This recipe even has two ingredients in it to help you reach your daily fruit intake as well. So, push those bad feelings about eating cake aside, and let’s enjoy this one! Years ago, when I first started making this recipe I used all the oil it called for. It was tasty, for sure, and very moist, but it didn’t stack well for making a multi-layered cake, and I wanted it to be healthier anyway. So, as I often did back in the day, I made two separate recipes and took them into the Animal Hospital for everyone to try some of each and give me their honest feedback. I found that they enjoyed the recipe with part of the oil, substituted for applesauce, just as much as the original. And, that partial substitution gave this cake more body and held it together better for stack...

One of the most common questions I am asked during a new puppy exam is “What toys are okay for my puppy?” The choices out there are overwhelming! We not only want these toys to be fun, but we also want them to be SAFE.  The easy answer to this question is that for a young puppy, probably most toys are safe. However, they quickly learn what their teeth are for, and many toys immediately become NOT safe. Before bringing our Golden Retriever puppy home, our kids had a blast picking out toys for him. We had a stuffed tree log with little stuffed chipmunks, we had super long and squishy plush toys, and we had rope toys. They were squishy, they were squeaky, and they were a lot of fun to play with. Most of these toys lasted a few months. Once Onyx learned how to chew the ears off the chipmunks and the tails off of the other toys, I knew it was time for all of the plush toys to go. My biggest concern with toys is the possibility for them to become an intestinal foreign body. Yes, it...