Dear Dr. Forsythe: I want a pet snake, but my mother is so afraid of them that if she just sees a snake, she gets sick. I think they are really neat and saved my allowance to get a boa constrictor. I told my mom they don’t bite, but she said I could never have one in the house. How can I convince her that it is a really good pet? Also, she let my younger sister have a cat and a turtle, but I can’t have a snake. This is not fair, since I am older.
Ramon, Sonoma
Dear Ramon: No, it is not fair, but you still probably won’t get a snake anytime soon. However, it may be a sign that you could become a veterinarian some day. When I was about 10 years old, I too begged for a pet snake. My mother said no and would not budge. So I finally rode my bike all the way from my home in Los Altos Hills to Sunnyvale (about 15 miles away) to buy a small boa constrictor with my own money. I bought “Chumley” and rode home with him in a little box in my basket on the front of my banana-seat stingray bike. Needless to say, when my mom saw the snake in my small aquarium later that night, she had a “hissy fit” and forced my dad to drive me back to the pet store to return him right away. Things got worse on the way back to the store when Chumley got loose in the car and Chumley wriggled under the back seat of my dad’s station wagon. I could not find him under the seat, and the bench seat on that car was bolted and soldered in place. So we went home and left the car with the doors open that night, and didn’t think about Chumley anymore. Then, about 10 weeks later, on a hot summer day on the way home from the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk after a fun day in the sun, Chumley reappeared from under the seat where he had been hibernating (much to our surprise). Needless to say, my mother just about died then and there, and she began hootin’, hollerin’ and hyperventilating like she’d seen the messiah. Once we pulled the car over, put the snake in our cooler and returned him to Payless Pets (with no refund) I was grounded for a month. But I am happy to report that all’s well that ends well: I do enjoy being a veterinarian, and my son Magnus now enjoys his ball python, “Lenny.” So the moral of the story is: Do what your mother tells you, stay out of trouble, become a vet (if you want to) and you can get a snake when you grow up!
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe: Which is better, Frontline or Advantage?
Cecelia, Sonoma
Dear Cecelia: They are both really good products, and very similar in their ability to fight fleas. As long as you are purchasing one of these products from a licensed veterinarian and placing it on your pet monthly, you are doing the best for your pet. Choosing between them is a little like choosing between chocolate and vanilla ice cream – they are both really good! I would just be cautious of imitation products that don’t really work as well, or bootlegged products made in China that come in packages that look identical to the real thing.
Dr. F
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