Archive for January, 2010

What I am Doing This Week: Spending Time With My Rodent Friends

Monday, January 25th, 2010

What I am doing this week is allowing all of my highs and lows to be determined solely on the basis of how the rodents in my life are faring.  Which, if you know me you know, is not unusual.  It just seems that this week, the highs have been especially high, and the lows have been especially low.

First of all, we found out this weekend that our Wuzzy Rat may have a serious illness.  I am still processing it.  And I don’t even know the whole story, just the beginning of it.  However, when I do, I will tell you about it here and maybe on the blog of the awesome website I am now also working with, Omaha.net.

(I don’t know, is there a hairless rat blog section on Omaha.net??)

I will let you know as soon as I know more how she is doing and would appreciate your prayers for Wuzzy.

The good news this week is that starting in the spring, Petsmarts across the country will be carrying Oxbow Vitamin C tablets!! I have been discussing this the past few months with one of Petsmart’s veterinarians who oversees pet care nationally.  I have been asking if they would carry Oxbow Vitamin C 50 mg tablets and telling them why I think it is so important, and for such a large company, they responded amazingly fast.  I thought from the start that it was so kind of them to listen.  I know there were other pet lovers involved in their decision, but from here it feels like I said “Please?” and they said “Your opinion is valid” and more importantly, “yes.”

THANK YOU DOCTOR!

THANK YOU PETSMART!

And in keeping with our rodent theme, here is the “note” I left my friend Jenn yesterday at church…

January 25, 2010  Jennifer VanCleve is my awesome friend who runs Westwood Church’s Preschool Program.  She asked me yesterday to check if her guinea pig Peanut was pregnant.  (She had accidently been left with a male guinea pig at a preschooler’s home.)  She was not.

January 29, 2010 Yes, now there is really is a hairless rat blog section on Omaha.net!  I was kidding about having a hairless rat blog section!  You guys are awesome!  It will be called The Wuzzy Chronicles.  Wuzzy’s first article is up now.  YAY!  I am so excited about this new project!

Talk about an emotional rodent week…while Wuzzy Rat is still not out of the woods health-wise, I just heard today that another Rat Friend, Jack the Rat, has passed away.  He was one of my very favorite patients, and the sweetest pet.  RIP buddy.  You will be dearly missed.

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Follow Friday

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
 

People in Omaha I Admire:

♥♥♥Russlmnop♥♥♥

#HesCuteButHeDoesntTweetMuch

adamtrabold Anniedoodlebugz

ArtisticWarfare artistsforhope BelAirFashions

Blisser BlueSushiOmaha

BluffsCPA brookelouree CBWOmaha

chadjcox CrisBuckley codypeterson Dean_AdMan_Todd denisemuller

DivaKatrina dpblack DundeeTheatre

ehilpipre FSOmaha GoodwillOmaha

hardycd hayneedlepets

inCOMMONcd intoxicologist jamieskitchen jeremygrant

JeremyHL jesskamish jodifinch John_C_Davies

journalistbarbe katbron kathyniece

katieontheradio KittyBoy82 leewarren

leiabrown LetBethDesignIt listen2adelaide

LizEckermann LozaFina LuHug

MarbleSpark Maukingbird

Mechellsflame metroMAGAZINE

MikeBitter MissusLippy

mmeck1210 MyHopeSpace

NEHumaneSociety NHSCats nkromberg

nlharris2000 OmahaBaseball OmahaCM

OmahaCPA OmahaDentist

Omaha_NET OmahaOldMarket

omahajoe omahapolice OnSpotMassage OpenDoorMission

OxRxG Photoassassin PhrogWomen

plaiderpillar PositivityCoach programmerman

rahulgupta rosesandthorns5

ryandmcclure sarpycounty

secretpenguin shanink ShopShadowLake snbaird

sp_omaha teleshka The_Life_Coach TheOmahaBeef

thescottbishop tuckersarah

TwiterlessErika Village_Pointe WDBC702 whatcheer

More Great People to Follow on twitter:

adamsconsulting AidanM32 AlbertMaruggi

alyroz amazingreality Andy_Bishop angels510

ARTweestic BeTheMedia

_billnelson_ BizCoachDeb

BlankMustDie bluetreeband BranchedOakLake

canders7 captain_ned CarolKobza caseypea cbruemmer

CestMagniboutiq Cheryl_Selby Chriscarroll50

clearleadership cindyrobuck danapenn

DaviesWriter deanaontheradio Diamondsongrass

docmbe01 DowntownTrainer

dpwrs DrBobbieMcD drcmblake eleesha explorethebruc Ferg_e

FetchingMegan

FixItFish 4everJennifer

frascofula gfoutjr GinaUnfiltered

goldentwinecom GregoryPerez

GRHOP1 GuyKawasaki HaitianProject HealthyLoserGal

helpsavelives Hey_Its_Chriss Hyken iambeggers

lmnrn51 jantallent

JavaJoeMyspace Jay2daBee JesusNeedsNewPR

j_lavalley joekasper jordyclements

kc0ryz

kevinshe KHASTV la_loquita LaurelSlutsky

lenimandell lib22 LindaCarmical

livinitalliance lookman_ lowryagency misssweetsugar mitzchi

MorpheusRL _ MrScottEddy MrScottEddy1 muse4u2

musyimiesymoney MySOdotCom Neil_ODonnell

nenelilly NickDevious NoBullDoogy

noneshall Great music #RalphieSoapJail #OutOnGoodBehavior

phillipbarnes

PrivateTeacher

 

OldMtnMan organicguru pafford

prsun ProlificStudios puffclean PuppinGroup purrxlots

RendaInDSM Rentalowner rhondariha

RobertGirandola robertmclean

RodBurkert ronmc1

rossnelson savingsmallbiz Shadowbat ShoutMGB

ShelliBobbins so_tweet spreadingJOY stevegrimes

suevanfleet SuSiempre svilardo2 SydesJokes tami282

TheFisherbabe THEFLYLADY TheNetConnector tile4Unow

TinaFightsFire tonystevens4 TormentedOne

trailsampler truckinwife TumorWarrior

tweetclean



Finch93/FirstCorinthiansElevenOne This is my favorite list title! #JustLookItUpBuddy

It’s WINTER and these guys are talking about GARDENS! YAY!

gardener009 minigarden mygreengarden vgardening

Great Veterinarians:

AboutVetMed AmandaBrownDVM animaldoc atlantavet

AVMAvets Azzore BayCitiesVets burchamdvm CabrilloVet

catvetsusan

danielbeattydvm dogarthritisdoc

Dr_Dan_DVM drkarenbecker DrKeithWebb DrLaciTheVet drmcdole

drsteggy drwheaton DrYoung dvm360

cowartandmore CVAHky

debragarrison EqVetBusiness Junni_Vet LorieAHuston MediVetPet

Murrayhill_Vet NewportVet Noblevet NorthStarVETS

oaholathe pamshultzdvm PatrickMahaney

pawcurious petethevet

ps_inc pupsinteacups snoopydoc speakingforspot

VetAdventurer vethelpdirect

Vet_LIVE VetLovingPetsHB webhill

More Great Pet People:

Advntrsnpetcare AHOmktg Aithley allaboutpaws

AmazonCares amigothepotcake Amped4BellyRubs

AmTreibball austindogzone AutumnDachshund AutumnTheDoxie avivagen

awbertholf aylah234 barrie BaxterBog

BeanAndOlly bktassava blogpaws Bolonee

BooFixItFish BoSoxAmy boulderdog1

BowTieNewsBH BullyStickGuy bunnyandarattie

BunnyJeanCook BZTAT CareFRESH Careers4YourCat

I am doing some writing projects with CareFRESH! I am so excited! I assume by writing, they mean with something other than a Sharpie, but maybe not. We will see.

castorpolluxpet CatAWhack catloversonly

CindylusMuse CloudK9 ComfyPaws coolcitydogs

CritterCollege CyberEmma danapixie dancingdogblog DawgBlogger

DaysOfOurDogs DDFL dogloversdigest doggiestylish Dogingham dogspelledfwd

#barkoutloud hosted by turtlelady81 FangShuiCanines and LorieAHuston

Mondays at 8:15-9:30 Central (right after #petchat)

DottieGP DrDogs247 DREAMRescue EdnaAtNutro

elliethebeagle EmmySits FangShuiCanines

fearfuldogs Felissahadas fidofactor

FirstlineMag FlexPet ForeverGinger

fun4fido GoodDogz GoPetFriendly

GreyHealthcare HappyHealthyPup happytailsbooks

hemmingwayscat heypuppies hlane HAPetRescuers HOTLabRescue

HoundandHill IMOM_org

informedferret JasmineRade justanothertrnd

karifur karyngavzer KelleyDenz Kenzo_HW Kiboomu

kimhalligan1 K9_Kirsty kstancil lambybiscuits

laurabennett LChaimCanine LilyTheLabrador

lisahiser lookwhatlabs louisebear2 LuanneP

LyndaKelly lynnschultz mattiedog marisa_herrera

marthasmith MelzPetPals MentorPitbulls

Miabellaravioli MoxiePawsTM Mulder_Cat

my_dog_training MyPetzMagazine NannersMom

natalieatnutro 918Bo Nigelbugger Nutro OxbowAH

pattyvieira Pawpurrry PawsandNews pawsitivedawgs

Persephoneie Petchamber

petchat Mondays at 7:00 pm Central – tweetchat #petchat

PetDocsonCall09 PetParentAuthor PetSmart pettagcreations petwebdesigner

petxpert phxdogblogger pianoweatherman PowerLoo

PugPartners RatboneRescues ReneeATNutro roxannehawn SantinaKitteh

scottydsntkno SeeDogThink SeniorDogs SitStayandPlay

smartdogU Snowisle stafinois Staffpurrson

tacrabtree TheCVC ThePetWiki theratsplace thevetcheck

Theresa_MI

Theresa makes super cute guinea pig sleeping bags, and said I could share them with you!

Here they are!

http://www.abyssiniantreasures.com/

Sugar Pig in her Piggy Bag http://twitpic.com/12nwbm

Lucy Pig in her Piggy Bag http://twitpic.com/12nw1e

TheSophDog

ThisGoodThatBad ThroughADogsEar Tiny_TC

tombshopmom toriisadventure turtlelady81 2Minkies

Urban_Dog VetPerch Vetsweb VetTechLife vikkilong

vscook veterinarynews VetHubs VetPetNews VetStem waggytails2

wantmorepuppies WedgewoodPetRx

Widgetty wigglebums WildPaw

WillMyDogHateMe - Check out Edie’s great book!

WisdomPanel wvterry

Check out this fun article in February 2010′s DVM magazine!

http://bit.ly/bSqHzN

and this project: http://www.youtube.com/AmandaBrownDVM

then follow AmandaBrownDVM, webhill, phillipbarnes and WedgewoodPetRx

 

****************************

I may not be discriminating, but I do have excellent taste!

This is by no means an all-inclusive list of all of the wonderful people I know on twitter.

Here is the shortened link to this page:  http://bit.ly/bLk7JJ

The entire list is posted on twitter.

Have a wonderful week!

****************************

January 23, 2010

When I started writing this newsletter about twitter, I asked Russ, “How do I make sure that I don’t sound like a fourteen year old kid with too much time on her hands?”

I was still a bit wrapped up in the stereotypes about twitter.  Truth be told, I have completely fallen in love with the communication medium that is twitter.  I started tweeting in May 2009 at the recommendation of one of my two awesome brothers, and once I got my feet under me, really started enjoying it.

I have met veterinarians across the country and around the world.  I have met friends I may never have otherwise.  I have gathered a group of pet experts in one list and sometimes just watch them converse when I need to learn more about behavior and pets.  And if I have a question, everyone gathers to help me find the answer.  I LOVE twitter.  The only thing I love more than twitter is the great group of people I have met there.

I wanted a place to gather some of my favorite tweeters, so that when “Follow Friday” comes around, I am not overwhelming friends who don’t need their twitter stream taken over by the incredible list of awesome people I would recommend following.

If you have not yet been snagged by twitter, I hope you stick around the Riley and James Website for the actual pet information.  (“She’s strange, but she does have some good guinea pig information, I guess.”)  And if you, like me, have found twitter to be fun, informative, and a valid way to communicate with friends new and old, stop back by this post this coming Friday and every Friday.  You will love these guys.

 

MosabiQ

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Hounds for Haiti

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Who has pet-related items to donate to an online auction to benefit Haiti via International Red Cross Response Fund? All you have to do is take a picture of the item, I will get it where it needs to go!  Or e-mail Veterinarian Dr. V directly…Here’s her awesome website…

Hounds for Haiti | Pawcurious Vet Blog: Pet help, stories, and information with Dr. V | eat. play. l
January 23, 2010
And now, fine people, it is time to bid for the auction items.  You will love them!  Look for the glass bead work.  Those are my favorite.
February 2, 2010
Final Word!
$1500 raised for Haiti via International Red Cross Response Fund!
Awesome Job Pet Lovers!
Awesome Job Dr. V!

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What I am Reading This Week: Introverts in the Church

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

I have been thinking it would be fun to start a What I am Reading This Week thread in addition to What I am Doing This Week. I will continue with these random post threads (What I am Thinking, What I am Tweeting, What I am Walking Past…) until you say “Really?  Do we need to know everything??”  And then I will insert a picture of a baby Angora bunny, and you will forgive me, and let me continue.

Sophia Rose, cute bunny of Stephanie Voss

When I thought about starting a “What I am Reading” thread, I thought I would talk about JAVMA and text books, and interesting dog behavior books, and then I ran across THIS book, and I do not want you to miss it!!

So let this be a great start to what will hopefully be a year of me very often curled up in the corner with three dogs and a cat on my lap, chocolate coffee on the table next to me and a great book in my hand.  As I close each book and think through how my perspective has changed or widened, you will always be the first to know.  So far, it has been an extraordinary year!

Introverts in the Church

Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture

by

Adam S. McHugh

I will come back to this post soon and tell you why I loved this book so much.  For now, know that whether you are a part of the Church or not, whether you are introverted or extroverted, you stand to gain so much by reading this book.  Which is not to say, if you have the same graph in your head that I now do, that you need to read it twice.  However, I plan on doing just that.

Update:  December 3, 2010

In Janurary of this year, I said that I would come back to my very first “What I am Reading This Week” post and expand on it.  I had just read the excellent book Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh.

Right after I finished the book, I met the author online, and I was so excited!  I told him how much I loved his book, and when he asked me to review it, I wrote a post about it here on Riley and James.  I asked if he wanted to write Introverts in the Veterinary Field.  He did not.  I said that I might.

He asked me why his cat’s radiographs cost so freaking much, and I said that I did not know.  Actually, he never said “freaking.”  Some Christians do not like substitute swear words.  I do not know if he does or not.  I love them.

Anyways, I was tempted to tell him how much an abdominal study in a human radiology department would cost if one of us had gastrointestinal issues, but I do not actually know how much an abdominal study would cost for a person.  I assume, that as with pets, it would depend on the case.  I do know it would cost many times more than what it cost for his cat.  I confirmed with him that his cat is now healthy.  (He never did say what was ailing his kitty.)

Adam McHugh later “unfollowed” me on twitter, which, silly as it is, is kind of mean.  *sigh*   I probably will not read Introverts in the Church a second time, as (crazy alert ahead) I am sad that he unfollowed me on twitter, and I am sad that he seemed to just be “one more person” griping about the high cost of veterinary medicine.  I have such an incredible group of clients, and we have gotten so good at communicating with each other (my clients and I) that I am not used to dealing with that as much as I used to.   I still enjoyed meeting the author of such a great book, and I still highly recommend it.

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Winter in Nebraska

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

It’s winter in Nebraska,

the gentle breezes blow,

seventy miles an hour…

at 25 below.

Oh how I love Nebraska,

when the snow’s up to my butt,

I take a breath of winter

and my nose gets frozen shut.

The weather here is wonderful,

I guess I’ll hang around,

I could never leave Nebraska…

I’m frozen to the ground.

(written by the awesome and talented Janna Richards, Licenced Veterinary Technician and Pet Sitter Extraordinaire, January 9, 2010)

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Sock Monkey Sock Medical Notes

Friday, January 8th, 2010
My Awesome Niece got sock monkey socks for Christmas.  I was visiting while she was out and saw one of the socks laid aside with the ear next to it.  I sewed it on quick and left her this note, because she, too, has a strange sense of humor.  I told her Mama, “I wonder how many times I think I am hilarious, when in reality, I am just strange.”
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January 1, 2010
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S:   SMS presented with right ear injury, does not seem to be painful, no bleeding on presentation, injury appears to be accidental, no suspicion of abuse
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O:   BAR, friendly, BCS 5/9, no pulse, no respiration (normal for species), AD-completely severed at base of pinna, clean laceration
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A:   injury to base of pinna, AD, ear detached
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P:   exam, surgery:  ear sewn with um, brown thread, something-ought, two layer subcuticular (sub-yarn?) pattern, wound edges well-opposed, revascularazation and reinnervation should not be a problem
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Prognosis: great
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Client Communication:  Hi!  Nice socks!  Happy New Year!
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Recheck: as needed
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Shawn Finch, DVM

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