Shawn M. Finch, DVM

Every once in a while, I post a list of posts (mine or other ones that I think are fun).  That way, you can click the ones that look interesting, then click links on those posts…until you are completely immersed in pet information and lost on the internet…you know, Bunny Trails.  Fun!  Today’s Bunny Trail is a list of posts on the veterinary website dvm360.

And speaking of bunnies, my Saturday’s Pet Blogger Hop post this week will be about rescue bunnies and whether it is a good idea to surprise kids with REAL bunnies on Easter and will be linked to a NEW blog hop on the All Things Dog Blog.  Thank you for the kind invite Carrie!  Click this super cute picture to learn more about All Things Dog Blog’s Easter Rabbit Adoptathon!

Along the bunny theme, here is a picture of one of my very favorite and cutest patients, Sophie Voss.  She is an English Angora Rabbit.  Her color pattern is called “broken.”  Isn’t she gorgeous?  And so soft!  She was the first bunny I ever spayed.  Thank you so much Stephanie for trusting me with that “first!”  What a trusting friend, huh??

I called my veterinary school classmate, Anne Belshan, DVM and Micah Kohles, DVM, Oxbow’s veterinarian and a small animal practitioner in Lincoln Nebraska, (who had both done more rabbit spays than zero) for words of wisdom, and they were both SO helpful and encouraging.  Sophie did wonderfully and everything went without a hitch!  As ovariohysterectomies go, rabbits are actually easier than dogs, cats, rats, hamsters and mice!

…and along the bunny trails theme, here is a list of posts on dvm360…

Twitter

Conflict Resolution

Season of Joy (the Puppy)

A Dramatic Wellness Exam

Do Pets Mourn?

And finally, along the Easter theme…Remember! You can have cats or Easter lilies, but not both! Lilies are very toxic to cats’ kidneys.

May you have a wonderful and blessed Easter season.  Send me pictures of your own gorgeous bunnies (and other pets!) and I will post them too!

Skills for Communicating with Patients - Five Stars! This may be the most helpful book I have read from the  Veterinary Economics 25 Books List.  It is an excellent communication book written for MD’s, though the authors have worked with veterinarians too, which I thought was cool.  It is a medical school textbook and is taking me FOREVER to read!  SO worth it though.  I will review it for you as soon as I finish it!

Summary of my Favorites from the Veterinary Economics 25 Books List - Very fun project…I am finishing the last two books.

Anesthesia for the Pet Practitioner - Five Stars! This will be a two part review, the first part here and the second part on Wagging Tail.  Anesthesia for the Pet Practitioner is a wonderful veterinary anesthesia book that I have used for years.  The third edition was recently published by Banfield Pet Hospital, and that is the one I am reviewing.  It is also the best one yet!

The Complete Cat’s Meow by Darlene Arden - Five Stars! OK, I just started this book, but it has a gorgeous Max the Cat cat on the cover and is written by one of my Very Favorite People AND Darlene mentioned me in the acknowledgements.  (Thank you Darlene!!)  What’s not to love??  Even though I am only a few pages in, I can tell it is also an EXCELLENT resource for cat lovers.  See, I can be objective! : )

Love Wins by Rob Bell - Just kidding!  Different blog!  I do love it though.  The topics covered in this book are ones I have been struggling with and studying Scripture about for the past few years.  Just reading the intro sitting with Abby in the bookstore allowed me to breathe a deep cosmic sigh of relief.  Not that Rob Bell is the end-all authority on truth, or even claims to be.  He IS, however, very good at making a person think, and tackling Ideas That Shall Not Be Mentioned head on.  At least one Christian leader has been fired over saying he liked the book.  But I am a vet.  I like the book.  And now…back to pets!

Why all the book reviews?

Life is still sad.  I miss Ebony Dog and Wuzzy Rat terribly.  I also miss Fuzzy Rat, Piggy Pig and Princess Gerbil.

Max the Cat is in the beginning stages of Chronic Kidney Disease.  Not always a big deal for an old cat, actually.  (You know, unless he or she is your cat, or…unless it is.)

But then, when Ebony first got sick, I was hoping that if and when we found the underlying cause of her Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia it would not be awful, but it was.  So I am still in a pretty rough season and having a sick cat is freaking me out a bit.  I am writing about all that, but trying hard to keep it upbeat here.

Even so, a Princess Gerbil Memorial is in the works.  She deserves one as much as the other four!  It is not her fault she passed away when I was too exhausted to write One More.  And she was super cute and kind of quirky, so I think you will like it!

And finally…

Happy Heartworm-Free May!

And then…

I dunno!  A happier season maybe?  Just an idea…

Liz Marsh wrote a very nice article “Top 5 Veterinary Blogs” on dvm360 in February 2011 and included Riley and James! Woo!  Thank you so much!!  I guess that great news goes here.  Wasn’t sure where exactly to put it!

The other bloggers are Dr. Marty Becker (Pet Connection), Kyle Palmer, CVT (who blogs on dvm360), Brenda Tassava (Veterinary Manager Advisor) and Generation Vet (by Hillary Israeli, VMD and Phil Barnes)…all super awesome.  I am very complimented to be included in such a great group.

Thank you Liz for the nice things you said about Riley and James!  And thank you too Kyle and My Imaginary Best Friend (Dr. Amanda Brown) for saying such nice things!

UPDATE: Dr. Wittler had her March Firstline Magazine open on her desk when I came in to work the other day, and there was the print version of this article!  I did not realize it was going to be in print too - how fun!

Wouldn’t that be something?  If we went through this entire month and NOBODY was diagnosed with heartworm disease??  We just saw another case of heartworm disease very recently…So sad.  I know I have been on an “I hate cancer” kick lately, but as always, I am on my “I hate heartworm” kick too.  (I have quite a few kicks…)  Heartworm disease is 100% preventable, and though treatable (treatable in dogs - not so much cats and ferrets), prevention is so much less expensive and easier on the dogs’ systems.

I promised to be more upbeat here at Riley and James as soon as possible!  So here goes…

Today’s monthly heartworm post is on how heartworm preventative medications work!

Science…medicine…the wonders of canine physiology…heartworm examined not as a pet stealer or dog damager, but more clinically, as a very cool (disgusting) mortal, intricate parasite.  How exciting is that??  Well, I think it is exciting…

The Medicine

All heartworm preventative medications currently on the market are a form of macrocyclic lactones, medications derived from bacteria in the Streptomyces genus.  They do not prevent heartworm infection in the strictest sense, they prevent heartworm disease - they kill the larvae (L3 and L4, “baby heartworms”) before they can mature into adult worms.

(Interesting side note!  Until the late 1980’s, only daily medications were available because they were only powerful enough to kill the “L3″ stage, which lasts only two or three days.)

Macrocyclic lactones are neurotoxins to the heartworm larvae (L3 and L4), paralyzing their mouthparts and causing them to starve to death.  The medication needs to be repeated monthly because they kill all of the parasites that are in the pet’s system that have infected him or her in the last thirty days.  The picture that came to mind when I was trying to make it understandable was one of a rainstorm.  Bear with me…

Heartworm preventatives are not umbrellas - they are windshield wipers.  Your dog is continually at risk of being bitten by a mosquito that is carrying heartworm larvae (L3) - the mosquito would be the cloud and the heartworm larvae would be the raindrop…if clouds were buzzy and annoying and raindrops were potentially fatal.

The Worm

We think of heartworm preventatives as protecting our pets against heartworm disease, and they do.  But they do it more as a windshield wiper (that sweeps every thirty days) than an umbrella that is a constant barrier to infection.  Our pets are at risk of being infected by heartworm larvae - but are protected from heartworm disease that is caused by adult heartworms in the pulmonary vessels and heart.

The Disease

I think the disease should be called subcutaneous-tissue-then-pulmonary-arteries-and-if-it-is-a-really-heavy-infestation-even-right-heart-and-vena-cava-worms, but it is not.  Heartworm is too cute of a name for such a horrid disease.

That’s All I’ve Got.

If that helps you understand the pathogenesis of heartworm disease, awesome.  It helps me to be disciplined when giving heartworm preventative medication to my pets to think of it as a “windshield wiper” stopping heartworm larvae that may have already started their unholy travels to the very heart of my pets, rather than a barrier or “umbrella” that I can just put up when it is sunny and warm and just right for a heartworm attack.  If it just grosses you out, and you like being grossed out, that is good too, I suppose!

Coming Soon…More Awesome Heartworm Information of Some Sort

Let me know what other heartworm related topics you would like to cover.  Ideas…heartworm disease in cats and ferrets, treating heartworm disease, I would love a guest post from someone who has had a pet with heartworm disease, or worked in a rescue organization and dealt with heartworm disease, or any guest post with a heartworm-related story!  Let me know if you have topic ideas or would like to write a guest post here!

Today’s To Do List:

Noodle the Poodle - Wormshield tablet

Max the Cat - topical Revolution

(Joy the Puppy is on injectable Proheart 6.)

Coming Next Month…

How do injectable sustained release heartworm prevenative medications (Proheart 6 and Proheart 12) work?

Previous Happy Heartworm Free Month Posts…

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

American Heartworm Society Website

Isn’t this FUN?

-Dr. Seuss

Yes, of course they do!

I tend to anthropomorphize, I am highly (not excessively, highly!) emotional, I love, love, love pets and I spend most of my time at home and at work with them.

I realize that I am not unbiased.

So instead of just saying “yes,” I wanted to share this sort-of-a-scientific-case-but-more-of-an-intriguing-story…

Joy the Puppy has a built-in stress barometer…

localized juvenile demodicosis that manifests as periocular alopecia.

Look!  The scientist in me is coming out!  Let me explain that super-nerdy sentence and then move on to how it supports the theory that pets do indeed mourn.  I know that this is a case study of one subject.  Still, I would believe it with no proof, so it is more scientific than my usual carrying on here, wouldn’t you say?

localized - in one or a few areas.  Generalized demodicosis would typically be more serious and warrant a more aggressive search of an underlying cause and more aggressive treatment.

juvenile - puppy disease.  Again, adult-onset would typically be more serious and warrant a more aggressive search of an underlying cause and more aggressive treatment.

demodicosis - a form of “mange” - Many mammals have a species-specific mite, demodex, which is present in small numbers even in healthy individuals.  Since I am an animal doctor, not a human doctor, I will not say “human” or “eyebrows” to you.  Dogs have a species-specific demodex mite called Demodex canis.  It can become a clinical problem if there is an immune system issue or stress, though the underlying cause is not always known.

microscopic view of Demodex canis

periocular - around the eyes

alopecia - loss of hair

When Joy was a pup, she had a mild case of localized juvenile demodicosis that manifested as periocular alopecia.  It came and went pretty quickly and quietly, with no discomfort to Joy.  I treated it with “benign neglect” and she did great.  She had no symptoms for over a year.

When Ebony Dog passed away last month, the disease came back with a vengeance.  Joy moped around the house.  That is, she had decreased energy levels and was much less active than usual.  She circled on the bed that she and Ebony had shared, finally flopping down every night with a deep sigh and her chin on the floor at the edge of the bed.  She would come to a complete stop during walks with Noodle the Poodle and look around as if confused.  For her whole life, walks had always been the three of them:  Joy, Ebony and Noodle.  Most telling of all, the area around both of Joy’s eyes went completely baldy-bald…um, I mean alopecic, again.

Here is Joy in all her shiny gorgeousness…

Here is Joy at the worst of her recent bout of demodicosis…

And here, I believe, is the reason for the stress that has caused this most recent flare-up…

She and Ebony were so close…

In fact, Joy wanted to be Ebony when she grew up…

Joy the Puppy is mourning the loss of her friend Ebony Dog.

I saw it with Wuzzy Rat when Fuzzy Rat passed away…

(She had no hair to let fall out as an outward sign of her mourning - ha!)  I have seen it with other personal pets.  I have seen it with clients’ pets.  This is the first time I have seen it with such clear physical manifestations.  Have you seen this with pets you have known?  The mourning, I mean?

My Prescribed Treatment for Joy: Routine cleaning with a gentle cleanser and topical medication, extra attention, extra love, extra walks and extra empathy.*  Her stress levels are going down, her immune system is becoming strong again, her demodicosis is going back into remission and her hair is growing back.  That is to say…her heart is healing.

*I miss her too Joy.  We’re going to be ok though Puppy, I promise.

Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic - Inside One of the World’s Most Admired Service Organizations

by

Leonard L. Berry, PhD.

and

Kent D. Seltman, PhD.

Five Stars!

✩✩✩✩✩

This is a really good book about Mayo Clinic, an organization I previously knew nothing about.  And THAT is my favorite thing about it - learning so much about <Mayo Clinic>.  I love to learn.

The cover isn’t awesome.  It is red, white, blue and yellow, but I have not been wearing my fuzzy red mittens in this warm spring weather, so I did not need something to coordinate with them.  I was going to say “Look how much I have matured over this year, no longer judging a book by its cover…” but I just spent an entire paragraph on the cover, so I will not say that.  Maybe next year…

Dr. Berry is a marketing professor and author, and Dr. Seltman was the director of marketing at Mayo Clinic from 1992 to 2006, so they know that of which they write.  They keep the book professional and structured in such a way that even those in fields other than healthcare can extract leadership lessons from the book.  However, the best parts of the book (as is often true) are the stories and pictures.  Even in their strict professionalism, they capture well the love doctors, nurses, support staff, patients and families have for Mayo Clinic, and I loved reading about that.

The history of Mayo Clinic is fascinating.  (Yes!  New thing!  I’m a history buff.)  Dr. Mayo and his two sons started the clinic over a century ago on a solid, medically and ethically sound foundation from which the clinic, now on three campuses and associated with all sorts of other health care partnerships and health care websites, has seemed to stay very true, which is super impressive.

I also loved learning about the excellence of the present-day doctors of Mayo Clinic.  They have to be team players to make it.  Very persuasive cases were made for the validity of standardized procedures and evidence-based medicine, which are big parts of Mayo Clinic.  The typical Mayo doctor is truly on the cutting edge of medicine.  Many of them lead within the organization and research and teach.  That is the part of the book that was most challenging to me as a veterinarian and that will stay with me the longest I would guess.  We as veterinarians have much to learn from our human MD friends, and as often as I can put my scruff down and accept that, I come away a better doctor.

*****

This fits nowhere in a professional book review, as is a subpoint of a subpoint in the book, so I will put it here anyways, because it is too awesome not to mention, and it was one of the first things to really cheer me up during this sad season of Finch pet loss…

As you know, I am unhealthfully obsessed with the show Scrubs.  In one particularly tasteless gag, J.D. tells a family their grandfather has passed away while he is dressed as a clown.

That really happened in Real Life!  It is in the book!

It was casual Friday…It was Halloween…A doctor was celebrating, as was the rest of the hospital…I will apologize now to the grown grandchildren to whom this happened and who are now dealing with more severe clown phobias than the rest of us, but I am still laughing, and I read that section a month ago.  It is just too horrible to take seriously, and not, as the book authors propose, a valid argument against casual Fridays.  I am quite sure it has never happened before or since.

*****

I honestly can say I agree with the rest of the book and will read it again to find more parallels to my veterinary life.  Whether you are in an entirely different profession, are a veterinarian, or are a real … human … medical doctor, What in the world are we supposed to call you guys?? …um…you will enjoy and learn from this book.

(B&G Tasty Foods kept a couple of these clown oil paintings from the original restaurant and let me take a picture for my 24 clock project of Blogathon 2010.  In the original post, I cropped the clown out to protect you. I think it fits nicely with the clown paragraph of this book review, though.  The sandwiches at B&G are so good they are worth the clown night terrors you will have for weeks after.)

Coming Soon to Riley and James…

Do Pets Mourn?  The Story of Joy the Puppy and Ebony Dog

Happy Heartworm-Free April

Happier Posts…

A friend has asked when I will return to my normal, more upbeat posts here…I am working on it Georgia Little Pea!

Summary of the 25 Veterinary Economics Leadership books - two books to finish!  Woo!  This has been such a fun project!

And Elsewhere…

Wuzzy Chronicles

I have taken a break from my monthly column at Omaha.net, but I do miss it.  Genius idea to name the column after a mortal pet.

The Wagging Tail

This is a collaborative blog to which I contribute about once a month.  I think it is time to get back on the ball here as well!

Dr. V has a Brody Signal - it is a picture of her super cute pup that she puts over a flashlight and shines into the night.  Other pet lovers the world over see the signal, get the message and join her in her mission to make the world a better place.*

Today’s Mission:

“A Virtual Fundraiser to Aid Animal Relief Efforts via World Vets”

I do not think we even know how bad this tsunami and earthquake disaster in Japan is yet.  Not everyone is found.  The nuclear scare is not over.  I cling to stories of individuals because the big picture is just too much.  Everyone seems to be two degrees from loved ones in Japan.  Or one.  Or zero.  World Vets is in Japan, helping with relief efforts.

Sometimes people rescuers need to focus on finding and rescuing people and need pet rescuers to come along side of them to rescue the pets.

Sometimes pet owners need to know they are loved, and we understand how awful it is to be be seperated from and even lose loved ones.

Sometimes communities need to know that we care and that we long for a concrete way to show that and that we would do anything to make the situation better, even though we cannot fix it.

Sometimes people cannot take in the horror of an entire country in pain and need to hear one encouraging account of a rescue…a reuniting…a hopeless situation that ended happily.

Pray for Japan

Reach out

Support World Vets

“Rejoice with those who rejoice.

Mourn with those who mourn.”**

*Dr. V does not have a Brody Signal.  *sigh*  I wish she did.  But her super awesome blog Pawcurious works just fine when pet lovers need to be gathered for a common goal.  I think she should do both.

**Romans 12:15 (New International Version of the Bible)

March 18, 2011 Veterinary Practice News Article:  Vets, Animal Groups Rally to Help in Japan Relief Efforts

March 15, 2011 is…

Adopt the Internet Day.

In honor of Petfinder’s fifteenth birthday, pet lovers/bloggers everywhere are spreading the word about adoptable pets.  Here are some fun ways you can help…

If you have a website, write a blog post about Adopt the Internet Day.

Dedicate today’s Facebook status and picture to an adoptable pet from Petfinder.

Adopt a pet!

Share an adoptable Petfinder pet on twitter with the hashtag #adopttheinternet.

For more great ideas right from Petfinder, click the super-cute badge.  (Also, you can cut and paste the badge into your own blog post if you would like.)

Happy Birthday Petfinder!

May the next fifteen years bring you even closer to obsolete.

(I mean that in the nicest every-pet-has-a-forever-home sort of way!)

Thank you for being a Pet Saver on the grandest level.

Also, just as important, today is my Mom-in-Law Karen’s birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!!  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

While I wait for life to get less sad, I have been writing considerably less than usual.  After Fuzzy and Wuzzy Rats and Piggy the guinea pig passed away, I could see where this season was heading, and put a few Very Favorite Writing Projects on hold (The Wagging Tail Blog and Omaha.net) and cut down my writing here to a much slower pace.  My Carefresh Ask-a-Vet project is still full speed, but that one is Q&A - much easier, and a good respite from the sadness.  Good call on the slowing down thing, though.  Ebony Dog and Princess Gerbil passed away soon after.  Russ has gotten me “I’m a winner” stickers that I wear every day I get out of bed since Ebony died.

100% success so far.  I am a winner.  75% success staying out of bed.  I am STILL a winner.  I still get a freaking sticker.  (Yes I really wear them.  Unless we just met, and even then, really, it should be obvious what a dork I am.  I LOVE the stickers.)

Anyway, that is all my prelude to my Super Awesome List I have for you.  Until I can get back to writing more regularly (and even then), here are some MORE great veterinary blogs I found thanks to veterinarians on my first list of great veterinary blogs. If there are more veterinary blogs you love, let me know! Yes, this is getting out of hand - I love it!  And yes, we should be out saving and preserving lives.  We take turns.  You know, as a worldwide veterinary community.  Save-write-sleep-repeat.

More Great Veterinary Blogs

Also, I included a few blogs from human medicine, because they are just awesome.

can’t spell, dvm

CantSpell, DVM

Funny Vet

Dr. Scott

The Real Housecats of Orange County

Dr. Kelly Wright

The Story Behind the Pictures

Dr. Leslie Brown Sheridan

VETBLOG

Toronto Vet

A Vet’s Guide to Life

Dr. Chris Bern

Vogue Vet

Vogue Vet

The Weird Veterinary World

C. Todd Dolen, DVM

and 2 people blogs…

Dr. Grumpy in the House

Dr. Grumpy, MD, Neurologist

33 Charts

Bryan Vartabedian, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterologist

And, of course, remember to visit the wonderful pet bloggers in the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop…

Coming Soon on Riley and James (and quite a few other blogs, I have a feeling…)

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Adopt the Internet!

Happy 15th Birthday Petfinder!

Thank you Pet Savers everywhere for all you do to help pets!!

Our herd is down from eight to three, 37.5% of capacity, and we are not repopulating.  Fortunately, Max the Cat, Noodle the Poodle and Joy the Puppy all tolerate hugs*, because they have been put on Grief Duty.  I find myself asking “Who’s next?” and waking the poor things up if they are sleeping too comfortably.  Noodle has been known to sleep with all four paws up on occasion.  He has been the recipient of the rudest awakenings.

In an attempt to back off from this dangerous path, I am making the conscious decision to appreciate my pets on a day-to-day basis and enjoy the time I have with them.  Yes, approximately 67% of the remaining herd is oldie-old, but they are also all healthy, and probably tired of being included in my late night panics.  So hold me accountable.  There is much grieving yet to do, but I do not want to miss out on today.

I can’t really pull myself out of this of course, even with all of your wonderful support (And you ARE wonderful - thank you so much for walking through this with us) - This is going to take the power of God Himself.  While I hope you are in a happier season, this next quote is a good reminder to us all, and then a word of “encouragement” from my very favorite singer ever, Rich Mullins.  And then, I will come visit the blogs of other pet blogger friends on the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop.  And then…I am going to go hug my cat.

“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

-Jesus

“It’s hard to be like Jesus.”

-Rich Mullins

*Note:  Hugging most dogs is ill-advised.  Normal dogs do not like hugs.  Hugging most cats is just asking for it.  Our pets are all sorts of special.  Do not attempt this at home unless you are a Trained Pet Hugger.  I am not.  I just have really tolerant pets.