Shawn M. Finch, DVM

I just wrote a blog post for dvm360 at the invitation of Veterinary Economics Editor Kristi Reimer.  Ok, so it was not a direct invitation, it was the introduction to the June issue of Veterinary Economics, sort of a “Draw This Turtle” for veterinarians.

I opened my June Veterinary Economics and read it from cover to cover like I always do.  The last thing I read (It was on the front page - I read magazines and journals from back to front - I think it’s a lefty thing) made me space off and dream for the rest of my lunch break.  Kristi said (to me!) “We’re on the lookout for user-generated content.”

Earlier in the year, Charity, who I work for at Carefresh, suggested I write a list of every company I would like to write with.  I already have my dream Mom-Veterinarian-Writer career.  Really, could it get any better??

I write HERE (which I LOVE - thanks Dave!!) and for Omaha.net (which I also love - thanks Jordy and Morgan!), Banfield occasionally asks for my input for their blog and journal (Thanks Nina!) and I had just accidently landed my dream job with Carefresh (Thanks Charity and Tom!)  Was it even OK to dream bigger?

But I do everything Charity tells me to do.  So I started writing out my dream list.  And at the very top of my list was dvm360-Advanstar Communications.  They are the team behind most of my favorite veterinary journals, behind DogFancy and CatFancy, even, I just learned, some automotive, dental and sports publications!  I knew it was just a dream, but sometimes dreams can become Real Life.  And writing lists is fun.

Thank YOU for coming with me on this crazy (good-crazy) adventure.  It has been fun, hasn’t it? : )

And look, they let me post this…Twitter for Veterinarians

It had to be said - When the world of veterinary medicine (eighty thousand+ veterinarians) intersects with the world of twitter (six million+ tweeters), it is such an amazing thing.  It just is SO uncommon!  (Four hundred sixty-two veterinarians/hospitals on twitter by my count)  I wanted to make jumping into twitter easier for vets.  So I hope it does.  If you don’t see more veterinarians posting on twitter in the next month or so, assume they are, as always, busy preserving and saving lives, not that they are unable to figure out twitter, because now I hope they will be!

What I am doing this week is spending all the time I possibly can with Mom and Dad and their Ernie Dog.  Ernie is a ten year old four pound Teacup Poodle who is the absolute favorite dog of everyone who knows him.  If you know Ernie, you know I am not exaggerating!

This past week, Ernie sustained a very serious neck injury that left his little body very damaged.  Thankfully, he is making amazing strides in his recovery and will soon be back to his healthy goofy little self.

I remember my loudest nay-sayer (we will call him that for lack of a better term) telling me that I get too emotionally involved with my patients, and that I needed to change who I am.  Remembering that,  I prayed I would have the strength to throw myself even MORE into the situation, that I could walk more closely in step with Dad, empathize more with Mom, be more in Ernie’s cute little curly face as he did amazing and courageous things like take a step and then rebalance…eat off a plate…curl in a circle and lay down all by himself.  I am so glad I have not missed any of it.  I am so proud of my parents for carrying Ernie through his recovery, and so proud of Ernie Dog for all of the huge steps he has taken on his road to recovery.

Full story coming soon on Omaha.net…couldn’t talk about it till now, too difficult.  So, with Mom and Dad’s ok, I’m just putting my journal out there, what a sap!  And what an amazing little dog.

I love you Ernie Nelson!

This article was quite a departure from the pet-themed stuff I usually write.  But it was really fun to write.  And Roberta VanderZwaag is one of my favorite people, so it was a good excuse to spend time with her, and learn more about two things that are very dear to her, art and the children of Haiti.

So check it out when you have time.  It is in The Wuzzy Chronicles at Omaha.net.  I think they didn’t know where else to put it!  I said Wuzzy Rat would be honored to be associated with such a wonderful group as Artists for Hope!

This week I am…

wishing my wonderful parents, Bob and Betsy Nelson a happy 43rd anniversary!

♥♥♥Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!♥♥♥

…starting an article for Omaha.net for April about gardening and pets.  I gathered my favorite garden pictures and put them in a facebook album here…http://bit.ly/bFSBG3

Here’s one of my favorites…Max munching on his cat grass…

…gearing up to work a full schedule next week!  Working tomorrow (Friday, March 19) all afternoon, then  Wednesday, March 24, like always, and also Thursday, March 25, Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27.

Papillion Banfield is inside of the Petsmart at Shadow Lake Towne Center in Papillion near the intersection of Highway 370 and 72nd Street.

Call 402-331-1108 for an appointment.

I would love to see you!  The surgery schedule is already full, but the exam schedule is not, neither is the I-Just-Came-To-Weigh-My-Pet-And-Say-Hi schedule!  That one ALWAYS has room for you and your pet!

Here is a working list of stuff I have written located places OTHER THAN RileyandJames…

dvm360 - twitter

Omaha.net-The Wuzzy Chronicles

I have my own monthly pet column at Omaha.net!  YAY!

January 2010:  My Rat Wuzzy

February 2010:  My Rat Wuzzy - Part 2

March 2010:  Pet Overpopulation and You, Well, Let’s Just Start With You

April 2010:  Pet-Friendly Gardening

May 2010:  Long Live Your Pet

May 2010:  Artists For Hope

June 2010:  Ernie Dog

CAREFRESH

I am SO EXCITED to be working with Carefresh!!  I am helping with the “Ask a Vet” section of the Carefresh website, and some other fun projects.  I love everything to do with Carefresh-rodents, rabbits, kids, enviromentalism.  No, those aren’t ranked!  They are just things I love that Carefresh also values!

#dogtalk

Dogtalk is a fun discussion group on twitter that meets every Monday night.  Join the discussion from http://www.tweetchat.com/ and type “dogtalk” as the subject.  Or you can join right from twitter-If you use the hashtag “#dogtalk” you can follow the conversation, and join in.  Since I found this wonderful group, I have rarely missed a Monday, and I have learned quite a bit!

#dogtalk Monday, March 29, 2010 - “Cosmetic Surgery and Pets”

(Link coming as soon as I get my act together! Ha!)

Monday, June 7, 2010 -“Heartworm Disease”

Monday, July 19, 2010 - “Fleas and Ticks”

Banfield Journal

September/October 2009 pp. 6-7:  Overcoming Team Conflict - Learning From Our Canine Friends

November/December 2009, pp. 9-10: Seeing Our Favorite Clients - How to Create a Win-Win Situation for All

The Wagging Tail Blog

December 2009:  Recommending a High Level Standard of Care is Still the Best Idea

February 2010: Self Evaluation

March 2010:  Changing Times

Dancing Dog Blog

Guest Posts! Thanks Mary!

February 2010:  Debarking:  How would you like to be debarked?  A vet speaks out

April 2010:  Dangerous Dog Laws Keep Dogs and People Safe?

Shadow Lake Towne Center Newsletter Pet Tips

June 2010:  Storm and Firework Phobias

Dog Time

This site has a copy of all of the blog entries here at Riley and James.

Pug Partners of Nebraska

A series on Pug Health for new adoptive families

Some awaiting approval and/or publication…

Veterinary Leadership

And some I am working on…

Exotic pet care newsletters for Riley and James (with help from expert friends!) - Lizards, Birds, perhaps Capybaras because CaplinRous is so cool…let me know if you have suggestions or requests!  The reptile series is coming together nicely, thanks to the awesome Pet Nurse Angela Bucher!!  Thank you Angela!  The first one is published…Bearded Dragon Care.

Bible Commentary comments - This one isn’t original to me.  Mostly this is just a reminder to myself to keep checking back with my friend Stan Parker’s awesome commentary on the One Year Bible on Bridge Radio.  I realize this is a random thought for a pet blog, but if you happen to be reading the One Year Bible (and even if you are not!) you might enjoy Stan’s insight.  I have for as long as I have known him!

An update of PetSmart-Banfield Benefits

And a bunch in my head!

A summary of a very informative vaccination continuing education meeting I attended

More book reviews

An update on Walking Around Omaha (and now Papillion!)

*****

Ever since my brother Dave (Secret Penguin) suggested I start a veterinary newsletter four years ago, and built this website for me, I have absolutely loved writing!  I had no idea writing could be fun, having only written school assignments and medical records in the past.

Thank you for all of your support!  It is the interaction with family and friends and other fellow pet lovers that makes this so fun!

Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps-Veggie Tails Yes, I do know all the words.  I have for a decade!

Yesterday was an excellent continuing education meeting at Nebraska Humane Society on vaccines.  It was taught by Richard B. Ford, DVM, MS, ACVIM, ACVPM, Professor Emeritus, North Carolina State University.  More on that soon.  I am still processing, but pretty happy that I have kept up with the best of the field in my vaccine recommendations.

Today, I commented on a very well written and well thought out article by Mary E Haight, on her website, Dancing Dog Blog, “Pet Food Industry & Vets: Undue Influence?”

I thought maybe Mary would let me leave a second comment, but, even better, we will be working together on a “Guest Post” by me on Dancing Dog Blog soon!  Thanks Mary!!  I will put a link to it here.

My very BEST news of the week is SO FAR SO GOOD on Wuzzy Rat.  That’ll be the subject of the second article on my NEW COLUMN at Omaha.net, The Wuzzy Chronicles.  The first article is kind of Part One of the Story of Wuzzy, including the medical issues she is struggling with this week.  Even I, the craziest of rat lovers, am surprised at the different ways and different levels on which my sweet little rat’s story has touched so many different people.

When a company says, “Would you consider writing with us?” and you say “My rat is really sick this week.  Let me process that and then help you start a veterinary information blog, ” and THEY do THIS…

I will support them forever and thank them for being so kind.

(Dear Omaha.net, thank you.)

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 has passed away.  He was one of my very favorite patients, and the sweetest pet.  RIP buddy.  You will be dearly missed.