So, along with an insane exercise program I have just begun, I have decided to start my hobby of baking. Now, I’m only talking about making a Bundt cake every so often or a coffee cake to take to work or such. I’m not talking about changing professions or starting the next Nabisco, because I actually love this pet insurance schtick.

Baking? Everybody I tell seems surprised. What can I say? I just like it. Maybe it’s a stress release like my mother-in-law thinks (she actually phrased it as,”a sign of something” and I’m thinking she meant stress), or the result of a deep seated passion for the perfect chocolate glaze, I don’t know. But I can tell you one thing, I like it.

The great thing about it is that I currently also work at a veterinary clinic that is very accepting of my new hobby - or at least the results of it. Literally - think of a pack of piranha but the cow is a pumpkin spice cake. This is great for me (my wife had this panicked look in her eyes as if I was expecting her to eat all this stuff I’m making), but it all comes with a price…the nick-names. In the last 3 days since I announced my new culinary pursuit, I have been called Julia Childs, Betty Crocker, and even June Cleaver. My response was that there are plenty of male chefs in the world… Chef Boyardee, Duncan Hines, Chef Tell… even Ron Popeil had a Chop-o-Matic and a Pasta Maker. I also just bought a T-shirt that says,”This recipe doesn’t call for your opinion.”

“Now,” you ask me, “what does baking have to do with Pet Insurance?” Well, when I really looked inside about why I want to start baking and what truth I’m seeking with it (other than the perfect coffee cake), I realized something. To bake, you have a goal in mind and a definite way to get there. Stress dissolves away as the recipe dictates what and how to prepare the dish and you know, with few exceptions, that you’ll get the same thing each and every time. After working in private practice for almost 13 years, one thing I can assure you is that veterinary medicine is not as simple as following a recipe in a cookbook. What most pet owners don’t realize is that veterinary medicine is much different than that. There’s so much more that can affect the end product when treating a sick animal than what’s in the books. That’s why your doctor cannot just follow a recipe for health and may have to change the plan multiple times in the course of treatment to get you a healthy animal. It’s not like baking a cake or like fixing a car. A living, breathing, wonderful little four-legged friend is so much more complex and there are so many different outcomes during treatment that it makes the future pretty much unknown. Your vet knows what he or she wants, but also knows they will have to deal with the difficulties and course changes as they arise. Let me tell you, from personal experience, that’s stressful enough without a pet owner’s economics entering into the mix.

That’s why we’re putting together VetCareComplete as the best of all available pet insurance. So that we take the economy out of the equation - one less variable to change the outcome that you want - a healthy and happy pet. By not thinking about the cost, you can allow your vet to offer the best and newest diagnostics and treatment to your poor little dog or cat.

So, maybe the real reason that I like baking other than making my house smell really nice, is that I can affect a quick and wonderful result by following a simple, little-old-grandmother recipe… stress free. Dr Keith and I are working hard so that your vet (and you, too) can feel that same freedom from stress - even if it’s just a little freedom.

We just want a stress-free world full of healthy animals, happy pet owners and vets… and some warm blueberry muffins.

With love from 350 degrees for 65 minutes,

Dr. A.J.