DocBott

Sunday Stanza

Trujillo: City of Eternal Spring

Where desert hush meets ocean’s breath,
Trujillo rises, defying death—
A city shaped by wind and time,
By ancient hands and truths sublime.

Adobe walls of Chimú remain,
Etched with whispers of sun and rain.
Fingerprints pressed in earthen clay,
Still warm with stories of yesterday.

Chan Chan stretches, vast and wide,
A kingdom carved by the ocean’s tide.
Corridors echo with footsteps gone,
Yet carry the pulse of a people on.

The huacas stand in solemn tune—
Temples of sun, temples of moon.
Moche hands once shaped the sky,
With ritual, rhythm, and asking why.

The coastal plain—both stark and kind,
A paradox etched in earth and mind.
Where sugarcane bends in emerald rows,
And desert wind forever blows.

The Moche River threads its way,
A lifeline born of distant spray.
Through valleys carved by hope and hand,
It breathes out life across the land.

Beyond it all, the Pacific Ocean calls,
Endless blue that rises and falls.
Once bearing sails of conquest near,
Now whispers calm to those who hear.

Surfers trace what ships once knew,
Seabirds stitch the sky in view.
Salt and sunlight kiss the shore,
Where past and present meet once more.

In plazas bright with colors bold,
Balconies gleam in wood and gold.
Each lattice carved, each shadow cast,
A quiet dialogue with the past.

The Trujillo Cathedral stands in patient grace,
A sentinel of time and place.
Its weathered stones, both worn and wise,
Have watched the centuries drift like skies.

At the Plaza de Armas the city finds its frame,
Four roads converge, like spokes to a flame—
Pizarro, Independencia, Orbegoso, Almagro aligned,
Each bearing the weight of a people and time.
They gather as one at the heart of it all,
Where footsteps have answered history’s call.

Yet spring eternal crowns this land,
With gentle breeze and tempered sand.
No harsh extremes, no bitter claim—
Just steady warmth, a constant flame.

And somewhere here, beneath this sky,
A younger soul once questioned why—
Why hearts are drawn to heal and mend,
Why broken lives we strive to tend.

Among these streets, these winds, this light,
A path was set, though out of sight.
Not in thunder, nor grand decree—
But quiet clarity… becoming me.

Trujillo lives—both old and true,
In ancient clay and morning dew.
A place that gives, then gently brings
The courage found in humble things.

And though I’ve wandered far from her eternal spring,
Trujillo, Peru’s gentle echo still remains in everything.

DocBott

My Take Tuesday: The Itch Is On!

Spring in Utah County is a welcome awakening.

As winter loosens its grip, the world breathes again—green pushing through the soil, blossoms opening to the sun, and birds filling the morning air with song. It’s a season that stirs something hopeful in all of us.

And yet… for some, spring carries a different kind of awakening.

For me—and for generations of my family—it signals the return of allergies. The sniffling. The sneezing. The relentless itching. Atopy, that inherited tendency toward hypersensitivity, has been a faithful (and unwelcome) companion in our lives. Grass, alfalfa, flowers—nature’s beauty has always come with a cost.

I remember a rosebush just outside my bedroom window growing up. Each spring, it bloomed with striking beauty… and brought with it nights of misery. I’d lie awake, eyes burning and swollen, a cold washcloth draped across my face, hoping for relief that rarely came. On one particularly bad night, I wrote in my journal: “Today more allergies, oh I hate them.”

It was a simple sentence—but an honest one.

Those early experiences shaped something in me—because now, I see that same misery in my patients.

Allergies are one of the most common conditions I treat as a veterinarian. But in pets, they don’t look like sneezing and watery eyes. They show up as scratching, chewing, rubbing, head-shaking… and often, painful ear infections. I see dogs with paws worn raw, skin inflamed, sometimes even bleeding. The itch becomes their entire world—an unrelenting distraction they cannot escape.

And it’s heartbreaking.

When our pets suffer, they suffer deeply. In many cases, far more than we do—because they don’t understand why.

The good news is this: we have more tools than ever to help them.

Managing allergies often starts at home. Simple measures—like frequent vacuuming, using electrostatic cleaning tools, and improving air filtration—can significantly reduce environmental allergens. And while it was once thought that frequent bathing might harm the skin, we now know the opposite is often true. Regular bathing—sometimes even daily for severe cases—can help wash allergens off before they trigger a reaction. For many pets, sprays or wipes can be a practical alternative.

Food can also play a role. Many allergic reactions stem from proteins—beef, dairy, eggs, soy, even fish. When food allergies are suspected, a structured elimination trial can help identify the culprit and guide us toward a safer, balanced diet.

And then there are newer therapies—targeted, precise, and often remarkably effective. One of these is Cytopoint, an injection designed to block the very signal that tells a dog to itch. By neutralizing Interleukin-31, it can provide meaningful relief—and, in many cases, restore comfort and quality of life.

But perhaps the most important message is this:

Don’t let them suffer in silence.

If your pet is showing signs of allergies, partner with your veterinarian. Together, we can tailor a plan specific to your pet, your environment, and the season at hand.

Because when we quiet the itch, we give them something invaluable in return—peace.

And in doing so, we often find a little more of it ourselves.

And that is my take.
N. Isaac Bott, DVM