Shawn M. Finch, DVM

To all of the Pet Savers in Omaha and beyond…

Thank you for all you do to help pets!

I think that you are great.

Happy May Day!

Things that have cheered me this sad week…

You ALL showed up with hugs and encouraging words after Piggy passed away.  And some of you just sat with me and sighed.  You are all wonderful.

Wednesday I saw sixteen cats as patients, which I am pretty sure is an all time personal high.

My last two patients of the day Wednesday were two blond Pomeranian brothers, who took turns jumping onto my lap to get squoze then onto the floor to dance in happy circles then back onto my lap again.  One of them had tiny pom-sized sled dog boots.

My patients right before Happy Pom Kids were two of my favorite guinea pig patients.  Angela had to tell me to give them both back.  It was hard to let go.

The day Piggy died, the girls and I started a HUGE photo album project to cheer ourselves.  It is working.  Also, Russ found these pictures of Amanda (2) with Ebony…

and Abby (6 months) with Ebony…

who was just over one year old at the time.  Look how much she looked like Joy does now!  (I took this picture of Ebony (left) and Joy (right) today…

I don’t look for gorgeous black pets.  They just find me.

My friend started a blog that I absolutely love.

Long, rambling disclaimer:

If you let your kids read Riley and James for the guest posts written by kids, or the hamster pictures or other fun stuff, but you don’t want them to read the word BOOBS, have them skip this post.  The link isn’t kid-appropriate, but only because it is Things Grown-ups Struggle With That Kids Should Not Have To Yet, not because of inappropriate material or pictures.  We try to shield our kids from Almost Everything in the World.  I know I probably overstep, and I will pay for the therapy as they need it, but hilarious names for anatomical parts is one thing we definitely do not shield them from and even encourage them to learn.

That being said, here is a very thoughtful, sensitive, multi-layered new blog by one of my very favorite people in the Whole Wide World.  It is about Life, but it also has a Cat I Love and a Dog I Love.  In fact, I love the whole family.  You would too if you knew them, I just know it.  Thank you Friend, for starting this blog the week I needed something to take my mind off the sadness of losing Piggy and helping put things in perspective, as you also do so well in Real Life.

Boobs and Coffee

by

Vera Jo

And finally, this Christmas 2010 picture of Piggy that I forgot I had…

AND this picture of Piggy that Dave drew cheered me.  I put it as my phone screen background…

May you have pets in your life as wonderful as Piggy and Friends in your life as wonderful as mine, and may you find reasons to smile, even during the most difficult of weeks.

♥

Please welcome the newest Riley and James guest blogger, Abby Finch!

Abby’s wonderful teacher gave her the book Marvin the Golf Caddy Dog for Christmas.  When we were reading it together, we noticed the shelter in the book looked very similar to the Nebraska Humane Society and had its logo.

We confirmed our suspicions with Abby’s teacher and friends from the Nebraska Humane Society that the author is indeed from Omaha.  In fact, he had given the books to the school to give to the kids.  Our friends at the Nebraska Humane Society suggested Abby review the book, and here is what she has to say…

What was the book’s title?

Marvin The Golf Caddy Dog.

Who is the author?

Harold R. Mann.

Who are the main characters?

Marvin and his best friend, Ted.

What is the book about?

Marvin’s owner didn’t like him so he left him on the street, which made me mad and sad, and then Marvin found a golf yard, and then he made a new friend named Ted.  Marvin helps his friend Ted play golf, but one day Marvin gets caught and ends up at the Humane Society, then Ted rescues Marvin.

Did you like the book?

Yes.

Why?  What did you like about it?

I liked it because I like dogs.

If a friend or sister or cousin asked you about the book, would you recommend they read it?  Why?

Yes, because it is a good book and I want other people to know about it.

How many stars would you give this book?  5

My first Riley and James post was entitled I Love to be Boring.  (I realize what a dork I am, but I still think that is hilarious.)  My point then (and now) is that I love my pets and my patients and would love nothing more than boring, nothing-to-report wellness exams time after time.  Truth-be-told, I love your pets too, and the pets I read about and the pets I hear about…

I even love the pets in medical journal case studies:  ”The cat presented with this super awesome disgusting lesion and the following history…”  ”Oh no!” I yell and flip to the conclusion.  My family no longer jumps when I yell at my journals, and pats me sympathetically on the shoulder when I cry over them.

I LOVE treating very cool cases.  But do you know what would be even cooler than treating very cool cases?  If horrendous medical issues were so rare, we only read about them in journals!  And do you know what would be even cooler than that??  If horrendous medical issues were so super rare, that we only read about them in history books!

You laugh, but have you ever seen a dog accidently given “blue eye” by a vaccination?  Me neither!  Have you ever seen a dog with distemper?  Me neither!  A cat with rabies or plague?  Me neither!  Ok, those cases are still out there, but they are far less common than they used to be.  With continually advancing medical and surgical care, increased awareness of pet welfare, husbandry and behavior issues, we are approaching boring, and I love it.

Can we fix everything with appropriate husbandry and medical care?  Of course not!  Accidents and illnesses and aging will always be with us.  Life can be unfairly random, and sadly, every pet’s story ultimately ends the same way.  Still, we have to work with what we’ve got, and start from where we are.

I have decided to dedicate this year on Riley and James to The Pursuit of Boring.  Of course it will take more than a year, and of course we can only approach Boring, we can never actually reach it, but maybe, just maybe, someday we can say to our friends:

“Your cat is thirty and healthy?  That’s nice.  *yawn*  Well, I’m heading down to take my dog in for his wellness exam.  They never find anything!  Then I have to stop by the shelter.  They have a dog in that needs help, first one of the decade.”

It could happen.

Our hairless rats passed away recently.  I have had (and have) pets as wonderful as these two, but none better.  Goodbye Fuzzy and Wuzzy Rats.  We love you, and we will miss you very much.

Fuzzy (left) and Wuzzy (right), July 2010

My last story about Fuzzy and Wuzzy was just published on Omaha.net.  The link to the story is below.  Maybe I will write a remembering or looking back sort of story later (or a photo story - that would definitely be the cutest choice…)  But in Real Life, this is the last chapter.  I am really not ok with that.

Being a Vet and Coping With Loss

Friends have been asking me pet welfare questions online.  They ask darkly hilarious questions knowing the answer is “no.”  They know me well enough to make me laugh and stop way before they make me cry.

Example:

Q:  Can I dip my dog in bleach to treat his fleas?

A:  No.

In July of 2010, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln Extension Office released a seven page paper, in print and online:

Feral Cats and Their Management

by

Aaron M. Hildreth, Stephen M. Vantassel and Scott E. Hygnstrom

I wish the authors had thought to play the very fun Ask the Vet a Welfare Question Game with me, or any veterinarian for that matter.  I also wish they were trying to be darkly hilarious.  Sadly, they were not.

I have e-mails sent to the three authors of the publication.

Subject:  WITW (That’s how I say THAT) were you thinking?!?

I am hoping they would still like to play “Ask the Vet a Welfare Question” with me.  After they play, research more recent literature, consult the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association), the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners), perhaps even their “neighbors” the Nebraska Humane Society, which is doing a stellar job carrying out a successful Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program in Omaha and surrounding areas, they could write a new Opposite Report.  I would even be willing to help them write it.

Here are some “Ask The Vet a Welfare Question” questions that I think would be fun.  I also included my answers, because they are not always as obvious to everyone as I had thought!

Q:  As members of a respected university, one that invests heavily in training the veterinarians of the future, should we suggest shooting cats in the head as a potential tool in an integrated pest management program?

A:  No.

Q: Shooting cats in the heart?

A:  No.

Q:  The lungs?

A:  No.

Q:  Padded jaw foothold traps?  Snares?  Body-gripping traps?

A.  No.  No.  No.

Q:  Should we have consulted the 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia before publishing this paper?

A:  Yes.

Q:  Should we have glanced at Nebraska euthanasia laws?

A:  Yes.

Q:  Would the American Animal Hospital Association or American Association of Feline Practitioners or Nebraska Humane Society have been good resources?

A:  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.

Q:  Should we have consulted one of the many, many veterinarians, veterinary team members and others with an interest in animal welfare, whose hackles are now up (figuratively speaking) before we made them angry?

A:  Yes.

Q:  Should one of us have walked down the hallway and consulted one of the many fine veterinary professors on East Campus before publishing our report?

A:  Yes.

Q:  Should we have listened to the leadership of Husker Cats, the feline welfare group that cares for feral cats on the UNL campus when they explained their TNR/feline health program directly to us?

A:  Yes.

Q:  What if I was too busy to do all that research, would it have been ok to just ask my veterinarian while I was in with my huntin’ dog what he thought about feral cat control?

A:  Yes.

Q:  Can we have a do-over?

A:  I don’t know.  Maybe.

*****

I hesitated to publish this in the hopes that the UNL extension publication would just pass quietly into the abyss.  It seems as though it will not though, and even if it were about to, I really could not let it just pass without saying something.

To the authors’ credit, they have brought up and given us another opportunity to discuss a very important topic:  feral cat control.  Let me know what you think.  If you promise to be nicer to them than they suggest we be to the cats, I will also help you contact the authors.

To the Original Owner of Joy the Puppy,

Thank you so much for the gift of Joy. She has been a wonderful addition to our family, so gentle and playful with our kids, and fitting right in with our other two dogs.  She is loved and warm and fed.  I pray that you are as well. I will keep an eye out for you in and try to make sure that you are.

If you had been in a different season of life, with a home and resources to take care of the both of you, would you still have her with you?  I bet you miss her.  I can not tell you how much I appreciate you giving her up so that she could have a healthy life.  If things have turned around for you, and there is room in your life for a puppy again, I will do everything I can to help make that happen.

Forgive me for being so angry initially that she was such a skinny thing.  I know that when you ran out of puppy food, you shared your own food with her, and probably gave up a meal or two at least, so the little bottomless pit would not have to.  She had the cutest little bug eyes-I would have held on to her until the last possible moment too, if I had been in your place.  I will remember that the next time I am getting worked up to judge someone who is probably doing the best that they can.

Be proud of your dog.  She turned out great.  She started off so cute and grew up to be gorgeous.  If you hadn’t protected her from the streets of Omaha in her first few bitter cold weeks, she may not have survived.  If you hadn’t taught her a person’s love right from the start, it would have taken us years.  Thank you so much. If this does not reach you directly, I will try to thank you indirectly every way that I am able.

Sincerely,

Shawn Finch, DVM

Two winters ago, clients of mine found a man dressed in several layers of badly worn clothing wandering up and down the dog food aisles of Petsmart with a tiny, emaciated black puppy in his arms.  He was saying to himself that he could not afford dog food.

The young couple asked the man about his puppy.  He said he needed someone to take her because he did not have any money to care for her.  They asked if he would take twenty dollars for her (which they had brought with them to spend at Petsmart, but probably not quite like that), and he did.  They brought her to my hospital to be examined.  Other than her very thin body condition, I found no other physical problems.  They did not know if they were adopting or rescuing…they just saw a puppy in need and a man in distress and sort of swooped.

Two days later, Layla came home to live with us, and after much name-trying, we renamed her Joy Layla Finch.  The name Joy was suggested by the daughter of Joy King, who had been our very dear friend and had recently passed away.  We also named her in honor of our other dear friends’ newborn daughter whose twin sister had just passed away.

The conversation with Joy King’s daughter went something like this:

“Are you sure your Mom would not mind having a dog named after her?”

“This puppy is so happy, like Mom was, and has such gorgeous black hair, like Mom did…Not only would she not mind, she would be honored!”

Joy…what an odd thing to name our new puppy during what was such a sad season for so many friends we loved.  She has more than lived up to her name.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

When I first met Joy, I was so angry at the man who had almost let her starve to death that I could not see straight.  My friend Janelle said, “He did take her to where he knew she would get help.”  That statement stopped me in my tracks.

Having probably very little even for himself, the man who first owned Joy did everything he could for her, and maybe the reason he held on to her as long as he did was because he did not want to give up his puppy.

I feel as though I owe him an apology and a thank you, though I have never met him.  So I will write one here, and though he will almost certainly never see it, I hope it serves as a reminder to myself to let my first reaction be one of compassion, not one of judgment.

I also hope God blesses Joy’s original owner beyond what I can even imagine.  In what must have been such a difficult season in his own life, he looked past himself and reached out with love and compassion to care for a tiny, helpless, goofy puppy who needed him.

A while back, I posted a series of Pug Health Articles written for Pug Partners of Nebraska.  Here is a list of those articles, in case you need to find them quickly!  They are not just pug-specific.  But the poor dears do lend themselves so well to health issue discussions!

Introduction:  Pugs are cute, but they do have issues.

(haha I still think that is a hilarious title!  Woo!  I crack myself up!)

Allergies

Anal Glands

Coprophagia

Dental Disease

Ear Care

Eye Care

Orthopedic Issues

Paw Care

Respiratory Issues

Skin Care

Weight Management

If there are other Pug (or any) topics you would like me to cover, please let me know!  I always thought Dave and Sara should get a Boston Terrier to match Riley the Great Dane’s markings, and a Pug to match James the Mastiff’s markings.  Don’t you agree??

Mona Lisa, the super cute Boston Terrier

Ebony (our gorgeous Lab Mix), James and Riley (also gorgeous!)

Typhoon, the super cute Pug

I thought it would be fun to post links to some fun pet (and not pet) related things I have been reading or working on lately.  Check out as many as you have time for.  Add your own favorites in the comment section if you would like.   My Favorite Things seem very random when I write them out like this, but they make sense in my head!

♪♫ ♪♫ ♪♫ These are a few of my favorite things ♪♫ ♪♫ ♪♫

Artists for Hope You may remember me talking about this wonderful group here and in the Wuzzy Chronicles.  They just returned from another trip to Cazale, Haiti to visit the children and staff of The Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center, and to continue their work with local Haitian artists.

Thank you Artists for Hope for the kind mention on your website! A veterinary blog and an artist/children’s welfare blog may seem like an odd combination, but in Real Life, it is a very natural fit!

Generation Vet has a thirteenth episode out.  I am still not over the fun of a veterinary comic strip.  It may seem strange to be such good friends with an imaginary veterinarian, but I LOVE Dr. Amanda Brown!

My Cat - My article on Omaha.net about Max the Cat is up.  He is THE best cat in the world.  If you and I are “real life” friends, you have probably met him, but if you have not, meet him here.

Next up on Omaha.net will be an article about dealing with pet loss.  As you know, I prefer writing about happy topics, but covering this subject is long overdue for me.  I think I have done it in a way that will be more helpful than depressing.  You will have to let me know when it comes out in a week or two.  Thank you Mom-Karen for the gentle nudging to address pet loss and grief.

Writing! I am LOVING working with Carefresh!  Still hoping to work with  My Favorite Dog and Cat Pet Food Company in the World and dvm360 (Here’s my Look At Me! blog post about twitter for veterinarians.  May be helpful for non-vets too.)

Being a Vet - I spent all last week at work (usually I work one day a week) and just loved it.  Wonderful staff, wonderful clients, wonderful patients.  This week I am back on Mom Duty (Haha, get it?  We are never off Mom Duty!) and have more time for writing.  And time for feeding Fuzzy Rat, who is still having vestibular (balance) issues.  I appreciate my pets providing me an endless supply of blogging material, but really, boring would be just fine!

Petchat and Dogtalk - One last fun link, in case you read this today…petchat and dogtalk are both tonight.  If you read this LATER than today, they are every Monday night!  Very fun, and I learn so much from other pet lovers.  They are both worth checking out!

My Small Tipsy Rat - I am going to go mix up some Critical Care and peanut butter, and spend some quality time with Fuzzy Rat.  Have a great week!