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From Birth to Earth: The Special Role of Your Veterinarian

Most veterinarians will be involved with hundreds, even thousands, of deaths in a career. In fact, it would be unusual for one of us to go a single week without witnessing or assisting in a pet’s passing. Why you should thank your vet team while your pet is healthy ›

Throw Out Your Food Bowl and Make Your Pet Work

We haven’t used food bowls to feed our four dogs in more than three years. We primarily use a variety of food puzzles, which we fill with measured amounts of kibble for each dog. It’s fun to watch them see which food puzzle is being loaded up. Watch the dogs forage for food in the grass ›

Tips for Building a 'Bank Account' for Your Next Vacation

As “America’s Veterinarian” – the nickname bestowed on me by my friend Dr. Mehmet Oz – I travel a great deal, as in all the time. And as a “road warrior,” I never miss an opportunity to pick up extra affinity points with airlines and hotels. Tips for earning hotel and airline points ›

Bearly — and Rarely — Seen Signs of a Very Large Visitor

I like to joke that it's as if Noah’s Ark unloaded here. I live halfway up a mile-high mountain at the extreme tip of Northern Idaho. When I stand on our deck and look south toward the closest town, over my shoulder it’s only 7 miles as the crow flies to the Canadian border. How the game "Scat-ergories" works ›

The Book That Changed My Life

It was 1989. I was furiously paddling and bailing water, working to keep the business boat afloat and moving forward. Our first child, daughter Mikkel was 4 and needed a father who was there physically and in the moment. "It caused me to think, reflect, accept, change and plan a new path" ›

Choose a Veterinarian As You'd Choose a Pediatrician

In March of 2009, Teresa and I found out that our daughter, Vetstreet pet-behavior expert Mikkel Becker, was pregnant, meaning we were going to be grandparents. We helped Mikkel with the single most important item on her to-do list: Finding a pediatrician we would trust with this precious life. How to choose the right vet ›

Do Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowgirls

I was speaking at the Ohio State veterinary meeting some 20 years ago when Dr. Bud Johnson asked me, “Do you have a young daughter?” “Yes, Mikkel is about 7 years old,” I said. “Make sure she grows up ‘horse crazy’ vs. ‘boy crazy,’” he advised. How Mikkel's daughter is following in her footsteps ›

Every Pet Deserves a Home

I have a really hard time going into shelters. I want to take a bunch of the animals home and feel so, so very sorry for all of those greybeards and other less-adoptable pets who so want to move from a cage at the shelter to a couch at someone's home. How one couple helps unadoptable senior pets ›

Treat Just One Species? Your Doctor Has It Easy

Almost no physician ever lives long enough to see a person go from birth to earth. That was even true when one doctor saw entire families, as was the case when I was a child and we had the same family doctor in Southern Idaho that saw 20 years of Becker children. Why vets joke about how easy being a medical doctor is ›

Take the Time To Show How Thankful You Are

Heartfelt “thank yous” are underrated. Notice I’m specifying plural gratitudes. And emphasizing genuine. My wife and I were taught to be generous and be thankful, perhaps to the point of excess. This is a lesson we’ve emphasized and exhibited for our children, Mikkel and Lex. The three rules of a successful thank-you ›

Giving Locally Helps Pets and Supports Your Shelter Volunteers

My wife Teresa and I come from parents who were extraordinarily generous with both time and money in supporting charities and those less fortunate. It’s a trait we feel blessed to emulate and to pass down to our two children. Why the Beckers concentrate the bulk of their giving locally ›

You Can Tell a Pet Lover by the Signs of Love

Can people tell you're a pet lover before you even say a word? Chances are they can — from a bumper sticker, piece of jewelry or other object. And chances are also good that you're not alone. I still remember when many a car featured a suction-cupped Garfield peeking out of a rear side window. The signs of love ›

Monthly Weigh-Ins Keep You Honest About Your Pet's Weight

While fat cats and pudgy pooches are funny in cartoons, in real life they're tubby time bombs ticking away their health with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, skin issues, joint destruction and pain, even an increased risk of cancer. How to tell if your pet is obese ›

Banking on Shared Memories Is More Valuable Than Gold

Teresa and I were talking the other day about having spent 33 incredible years together and about how well we know each other. Ours is a life really lived — warts and crowning moments, successes and dreams not yet realized. Why this history is like a precious bank account ›

Family Traditions Make Memories for a LIfetime

When Teresa and I were first married, I read a book about making memories. The title escapes me, but I do remember the suggestions because we put so many of them to work creating memories to last a lifetime. The craziest Becker family tradition ›

Little Things Can Cause Your Pet Big Pain

I was having a sleepless night, so I had a lot of time to think. For some reason, I got to thinking about all the maladies pet owners sometime see as minor anomalies or ignore completely that must be excruciatingly painful or uncomfortable. Why regular vet visits are important ›

If the Shoe Fits, Stock Up in Case They Change Models

Veterinary hospitals almost never have carpeting, so those of us who work in them are standing on vinyl flooring or some other rock-hard, easily-cleaned surface for up to 12 hours a day. We’re on our feet in the reception area, exam room, treatment area and even in surgery. The shoes Dr. Becker favors ›

When 'Compared To' Doesn't Cut It: Why Some Products Stand Alone

There is only one iPad. Sure, others say “just like an iPad,” or “better than,” but when you tried them out — let's hope you didn't buy the wannabe — you found out that these tablets didn't measure up. Dr. Becker's top six products for which there is no equal ›

Amazing Gracie Still Sharing the Gift of Her Christmas Adoption

About 18 months ago I adopted a Lab/Pit bull cross named Gracie from Second Chance Animal Adoption in our hometown of Bonners Ferry, Idaho. My daughter, Mikkel Becker, Vetstreet's pet-behavior expert, and I were doing holiday events for area shelters. Gracie's inspiring story ›

Being Nice Can Go a Long Way to Getting the Help You Need

Very few people have more interactions with customer service folks than I do. Besides being a husband, father, grandfather and son, I’m an entrepreneur who has owned his own business for more than 30 years. What not to do when dealing with customer service reps ›

Passing Life's Lessons From Father to Son

This past Father's Day I was on a tour for my new book, "Your Cat: The Owner's Manual," and I was thinking about our 22-year-old son, Lex, who has been gone the past year studying in Japan. Advice from a father ›

This Veterinarian Never Takes a Holiday, Especially Not on the Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is no fun for many pets, and few know more about that than a veterinarian. Although I “play one on TV” for Good Morning America and The Dr. Oz Show, I’m still a practicing veterinarian with more than three decades of experience. Dr. Becker recalls Independence Day emergencies ›

A Special Way to Share a Special Collection

Teresa had a denim jacket with buffalo nickels for buttons. They'd been pressed so they were dome-shaped, and I couldn't help admiring them every time my beautiful wife wore the coat. They gave me an idea for a way to share one of my hobbies with others. Dr. Becker's childhood collection ›

My Children's Mother Is My Wife ... and the Love of My Life

I'm known as "America's Veterinarian," and I can certainly hold my own in an exam room or in discussions about any pet- or veterinary-related topic. Despite all that, I really do think of myself as a Jack-of-all-trades, master of none, and I live a life of continual self-improvement. Dr. Marty Becker on his family's blessings ›

In the Digital Age, a Hand-Written Card Means Even More

We almost all know that mothers expect and deserve a hand-written card on Mother's Day. Same with Valentine's Day for anyone who loves or is loved. Three key things for thank-you cards ›

What I Like About Cleaning My House

At our Almost Heaven Ranch, we have floors that are all wood (walnut) or tile, with a few area rugs for comfort and contrast. While we deep clean the house top to bottom once a week, about every other day we use a Swiffer. How environmental allergies manifest themselves ›

How We Speak The Language of Love

I adore my wife, Teresa. That's the simple explanation of how I feel about her and a term I reserve for only her. To adore is "to regard with deep, often rapturous love," and that's certainly what I feel for her after 33 years of marriage. The five love languages ›

My Travel Tips

I travel. A lot. For business and for pleasure. I've flown almost 4 million miles on Delta and perhaps 500,000 miles on other airlines. I've been in almost 70 countries and I have stayed in hundreds of different hotels, including unique family-owned treasures and all the brands of the big chains. Dr. Becker's hotel and airline tips ›

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