Wilmette Vet Treats Oprah's Dog; Camels and Zebras

The veterinarian's new book teaches how to make your pet healthier.

Wilmette Vet Treats Oprah's Dog; Camels and Zebras

The veterinarian's new book teaches how to make your pet healthier.

Wilmette resident Dr. Barbara Royal has performed acupuncture on meerkats, built an underwater treadmill for an elephant and operated on a giant grouper as a consultant for Chicago's Lincoln Park and Brookfield Zoos and the Shedd Aquarium, but she also treats common pets like dogs, cats and rabbits at her Royal Treatment Veterinary Center in Chicago. The wide variety of patients has taught her a universal truth about animal care: for an animal to be healthy, it has to eat and do what comes naturally. “That doesn’t mean you can’t have a dog in a high rise apartment in Chicago," Royal said. "It just means that you have to take them out and give them the food they need.” That philosophy is behind her book, The Royal Treatment: A Natural …

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Katie, Oprah and the Slutty Brownie Divide

On a 14-hour drive back to the North Shore from Ohio after dropping her daughter off at college, Sally Higginson reflects on the chief difference between two daytime talk show hosts.

What’s the difference between Katie and Oprah? The slutty brownie. On the first episode of her new syndicated talk show, Katie Couric’s guest, Jessica Simpson, confessed a weakness for them. To the uninitiated, slutty brownies are a baked concoction featuring an indulgent mixture of brownie batter, chocolate chip cookie dough and Oreo cookie crumbles. What’s not to love? But when Katie heard them described, she proffered a mock-gag. Oprah would have been salivating, begging for a bite or even admitting to having a batch in her pantry. She would have had some on set and taken a bite on camera, connecting with Simpson and everyone else watching. I’m not saying that every woman dreams slutty brownie dreams. But no woman I know – no woman I …

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The Mom Next Door

Q&A with the Coupon Mom

Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson shares some of her money-saving tips and tricks with Patch readers.

Stephanie Nelson, the Coupon Mom, has appeared on numerous national talk shows, including Oprah, Dr. Oz, the Today Show, The View,  the CBS Early Show and more. Her book, The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Half, was released in 2010 and became a New York Times bestseller in its first month of publication.   I recently had the opportunity to interview Stephanie about her money-saving strategies and website, which in 2008 was named one of the Top 5 Best Coupon-Clipping Web Sites by SmartMoney.com. Her site offers printable coupons for groceries, restaurant meals and drug store items. She also lists state-by-state grocery deals so you can tailor your coupon shopping to your favorite store. I'm planning to spend the month …

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