Calling all wild women!
Hello fellow readers and happy April! Spring is either around the corner or already showing up for many of you, and it's time to get back in touch with nature and our true selves. That is why I picked Women Who Run with Wolves for this month's challenge. While I definitely recommend this book for all female types, it is also a great read for male people because this book can help you understand the feminine and believe it or not, you have aspects of the divine feminine within you as well. I know. Hard to believe...but anyway - I still recommend that you read this book because it is life changing. I first stumbled across this book about 5 years ago, and have listened to it twice on audiobook already. This is my first time actually reading it and I'm so excited to see what new things I glean! If you are reading it for the first time, treat yourself to the audiobook. Dr. Estes is a cantadora - a female latin storyteller. Part of the reason I loved it so much on audiobook is because she does the reading and she is a master at storytelling. This book explores the divine feminine archetype and the wildness that we all have inside ourselves (because we are, in fact, part of nature even though we like to separate ourselves). She talks about the powerful forces we have inside, such as instinct, intuition, creativity, and love. In this book, she explores the wild woman and helps us come into contact with this ageless powerful part of our psyche. I admit - I straight up cried through some of the stories. I hope this book resonates with you and I would love to hear about how it impacts you in the comment section. 
If you need a reading schedule or want to follow along with the schedule I am using, here you go:
April 1 Introduction Singing over the Bones April 2 Chapter 1 The Howl April 3 Chapter 2 Bluebeard April 4 Chapter 3 Vasalisa the Wise Tasks 1-4 April 5 Chapter 3 Vasalisa the Wise Tasks 5-9 April 6 Chapter 4 Hymn for the Wild Man April 7 Chapter 5 Skeleton Woman April 8 Chapter 5 Skeleton Woman April 9 Chapter 6 The Ugly Duckling April 10 Chapter 6 The Mistaken Zygote April 11 Chapter 7 Joyous Body April 12 Chapter 8 The Feral Woman April 13 Chapter 8 The Feral Woman April 14 Chapter 9 Returning to Oneself April 15 Chapter 9 Returning to Oneself April 16 Chapter 10 Clear Water April 17 Chapter 10 Clear Water April 18 Chapter 11 Retrieving a Sacred Sexuality April 19 Chapter 12 Marking Territory April 20 Chapter 13 Battle Scars April 21 Chapter 14 Initiation in the Underground Forest April 22 Chapter 14 Initiation in the Underground Forest April 23 Chapter 15 Shadowing April 24 Chapter 16 Wolf's Eyelash and Afterword And as usual, I invite you to join me for a facebook live on the last Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m. (April 25th) MST/7 p.m. EST where I discuss the book. Bring your favorite bevvie of choice! To find facebook live (I call it DRSW Afterhours) https://www.facebook.com/events/589769789726646 I hope to see you there! If you need the book, I also included an amazon link where you can order it, and if you would like to see my entire reading challenge, go to this page. Alternatively, you can check out the other reading challenge posts on my blog orreading challenge page. Happy reading! Dr. Sarah
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You probably know that I believe that healthier, happier, more emotionally intelligent humans make for healthier, happier pets. This is why I started a monthly reading challenge - so we can also improve ourselves together! When you create a better you, everybody around you (including your pets!) benefit as well.
If you missed my January and February reading challenges, well - you can still get caught up, especially since this month is a much easier read. March's book is Mindful Moments. I chose this book for a couple of reasons:
A couple of tips for reading challenge success: 1. Try to read at the same place and time every day to build consistency and good habits. 3. Try keeping a journal about your thoughts as you work through this book. 4. Get your book for next month - Women Who Run with Wolves 5. If you got behind on the reading challenge for January or February, this is an excellent time to catch up! 5. Join me for a Facebook Live on March 28th at 5 p.m. MST/4 p.m. PST/7 p.m. EST as I discuss this book during DRSW after hours - I will drink wine, you can have your bevvie of choice, we will chat, and have a great time. Be sure to mark that you are attending, and I will see you there! :-) Happy reading, and stay mindful! xoxo~Dr. Sarah Need the books?
I believe that healthier, happier, more emotionally intelligent humans make for healthier, happier pets, which is why I started this monthly reading challenge! When you create a better you, everybody around you (including your pets!) benefit as well!
This month's book is Mindset: the new Psychology of Success. I chose this book because, I've read it before many times, and it has greatly impacted the way I think in all aspects of my life in positive ways. I used to have a really tough time with failure...really tough. I felt like it defined me, damaged me, and every time I failed it was the end of the world. This book helped me reframe all that, so I want to read it again with you! Consider this book your love note to yourself during February, the month of love. Here is the reading schedule I will be utilizing: 2/1: Chapter 1 2/2: Chapter 2 Grow Your Mindset** 2/3-2/5: Chapter 2 2/6: Chapter 2 Grow Your Mindset** 2/7-2/9: Chapter 3 2/10: Chapter 3 Grow Your Mindset** 2/11-2/12: Chapter 4 2/13: Chapter 4 Grow Your Mindset** 2/14-2/16: Chapter 5 2/17: Chapter 5 Grow Your Mindset** 2/18-2/19: Chapter 6 2/20: Chapter 6 Grow Your Mindset** 2/21-2/23: Chapter 7 2/24: Chapter 7 Grow Your Mindset** 2/25-2/27: Chapter 8 2/28: Chapter 8 Grow Your Mindset** 
The chapters in this book are longer, so I gave us several days to get through them. The 'Grow Your Mindset' days are for the sections at the end of each chapter where the author gives us several exercises to work through to...you guessed it...grow our mindsets. A couple of tips for reading challenge success: 1. Download the PDF calendar, print it out, and post it somewhere you will look at it every day. Check off each day as you complete the reading or exercises for that day. 2. Try to read at the same place and time every day to build consistency and good habits (remember our book from last month!) 3. A journal is helping for the grow your mindset exercises. 4. Keep notes on what stands out to you - I would love to hear about it! 5. Get your book for next month - Mindful Moments, by Deepak Chopra! Happy reading! xoxo~Dr. Sarah
 Did you know that during the month of February, veterinary professionals actively promote awareness around dental health in dogs and cats, and often offer awesome discounts on dental care and dental products?
It's true! Dental health is incredibly important to your pet's overall health and wellness. Dental disease causes more than just bad breath - it is painful, shortens the life of dogs and cats, and reduces their quality of life. When a pet develops periodontal disease, they have infection and inflammation in their gums. Bacteria from the mouth can then enter the bloodstream and land in the heart or kidneys, putting extra wear and tear on these organs, shortening the life of the pet. Dogs and cats can start developing dental disease as soon as they get their adult teeth - around 6 months of age. In fact, over 70% of pets over the age of two are suffering from some level of dental disease. Just like people, dogs and cats get plaque buildup on their teeth. Plaque can be scraped or wiped off, but if it sits on a tooth for longer than 72 hours it can harden into tartar, which requires professional equipment to remove! Fortunately, there are several things you can do help promote dental health in your pet:
It can be hard to choose dental products that actually do what they claim to do on the label. Here is a few of my favorite dental products that you can purchase for your pet! Frequently Asked Questions about Pet Dental Health: How often do I need to brush my pet's teeth? Pets accumulate dental plaque just like humans do, so ideally you should brush your pet's teeth daily. It helps to set up a habit so you remember, such as, every time I brush my teeth, I brush my pet's teeth. If you can't brush every day, try to brush every 3 days because it takes that long for plaque (which can be removed with a brush) to harden into tartar (which can't). Do I have brush the inside of my pet's teeth? They won't say 'AH!" Fortunately, pets don't seem to accumulate much plaque on the inner surfaces of their teeth (the tooth surfaces that are closest to the tongue). You can give your pet the benefit of brushing just the outsides of the teeth - play close attention to the big teeth in the back and the canine teeth where pets seem to accumulate the most plaque, and don't forget the bottom jaw! I'm brushing my pet's teeth but they are stained brown and don't seem to get cleaner. What am I doing wrong? You aren't doing anything wrong - the brown staining is most likely dental tartar that is hard, adhered to the tooth and can't be removed with brushing alone. If this is the case, your best choice is to schedule a dental cleaning for your pet so that you can start fresh with clean teeth! Do dental chews help clean a dog's teeth? Chewing safe, long-lasting chews can definitely help to scrape teeth clean. And chewing is good for your dog's mental and emotional health as well! What science has found is that it isn't necessarily the type of chew but how long the dog chews for - chews that last 10-2 minutes are more effective than chews that last less than 10 minutes. Why are veterinary dental cleanings so expensive? They cost more than my dental cleanings! Pets don't understand that we are trying to help them when we clean their teeth - we can't ask them to say 'AH!' and if we tried to clean their teeth while they were awake, it would be incredibly stressful for them and we would not be able to clean below the gumline, where most dental disease likes to hide. Therefore, we have to anesthetize animals when we clean their teeth, and anesthesia is very costly. Most dental cleanings will cost $800-$1000 and more if there is any dental disease that requires extractions. To budget for yearly dental cleanings, I recommend saving $100 a month, or investing in pet insurance or a veterinary wellness plan that includes dentistry. How does dental disease affect my pet's overall health? If your pet has periodontal disease (gum disease), then that means your pet has inflammation in their mouth. Periodontal disease increases the body's burden of inflammation, and chronic inflammation is a key contributor to many health problems. Furthermore, bacteria gets into the bloodstream from infected gums and showers the valves of the heart and the kidneys, increasing wear and tear on these organs, shortening a pet's life space. Lastly, dental disease is chronically painful.
January is a perfect time to start new habits that support your overall wellbeing. The book I have chosen for this month to help us become the greatest version of ourselves is Atomic Habits, by James Clear.
The reason I chose this book is because Clear uses tiny changes to easily create remarkable results (and that is the book's subtitle). I like tiny changes, and I like easy, and I've noticed a couple of bad habits that I would like to change (like scrolling for an hour on reels instead of building my business, my health, or my relationships). As I go through the book, I will be posting my thoughts, a-ha moments, things that I am doing because of the book, etc. all on facebook - so please follow my progress there to see what I am learning and doing differently. If you want to grow yourself and do this book challenge with me (yeah let's do it!), then get the book (I have an amazon link below) and follow along on this schedule: January 12th: Introduction January 13th: Section 1 and 2 January 14th: Section 3 January 15th: Section 4 and 5 January 16th: Section 6 and 7 January 17th: Section 8 January 18th: Section 9 January 19th: Section 10 January 20th: Section 11 and 12 January 21st: Section 13 and 14 January 22nd: Section 15 January 23rd: Section 16 and 17 January 24th: Section 18 and 19 January 25th: Section 20 January 26th: Conclusion January 27th: Review any parts that you want to read again January 28th: Rest! January 29th: Rest! January 30th: Make a plan to implement one thing from the book, and share with me on facebook what you chose to do. January 31st: Start your new plan! New habits take practice and accountability - let's be accountable to each other! Warmly, Dr. Sarah
And if you want a look ahead to February's book - we will be reading Mindset: the New Psychology of Success together. Please join me!
 As a veterinarian, you are well-acquainted with the importance of staying mindful and focused on your work. Your job requires you to be calm and collected in order to properly care for your patients and provide them with the best possible care. That's why mindfulness is an essential skill for veterinarians. With regular practice, mindfulness can help you stay focused, reduce stress, and increase productivity. Here's a look at why it's so important.
Being a veterinarian is one of the most rewarding job titles out there. But, as with any job that puts you in contact with animals, work can be tough. That’s why it’s important to make time for yourself and practice mindfulness. Here are some tips and tricks on how to stay mindful while you work long hours at the clinic.
Happy holidays pet parents! 🎄🐶❤🐱 I hope this season for you is beautiful and filled with gratitude. I want to share my gratitude for all of you during this season of thanks and gratitude. Without you I would not be able to share my passion for education for improving pet health care. By working to bridge pet parents and veterinary professionals we will only further improve the lives of the pets we so dearly love. Now tis that time of year when we shower each other with gifts - including our fur family members! I have compiled a list of some of my favorite pet products that are sure to bring joy to your pet, a smile to your face, and are safe and healthy. Take a look and rest assured if you purchase anything off these lists, you are improving your pet's quality of life...and they sure are worth it. Thank you and season's greetings!   |
AuthorDr. Sarah Wooten is a well known international influencer in the veterinary and animal health care spaces. She has 16 years experience in private practice and over 10 years experience in veterinary media work, and is a certified veterinary journalist. Archives
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