Joy the Puppy has had a challenging past year. She is doing pretty well now.
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Meet the newest Finch, Periwinkle Pug!
In 2013, when Joy the Puppy was four years old, she had her first of two surgeries for a torn cruciate ligament.
Joy and Russ at The Lake the week we adopted her. If your partner is in veterinary medicine, know that when they ask you to help rehome a patient, you have just adopted a pet.
The surgery Joy had is called a TPLO, or tibial plate leveling osteotomy, meant to stabilize the knee after the cruciate ligament, the criss-cross ligament behind the kneecap, is no longer doing so. Joy’s first surgeon was Dr. David Merkley*, one of my favorite teachers and vets of all time.
(*Fun Merk Fact - When I was having trouble learning to tie a surgical knot in vet school, Dr. Merkley told me it was easy. I said, “You try it left handed!” He did and said, “Wow! This IS hard!” His one and only moment of humility I suspect! Dr. Merkley is the reason I love surgery.)
Joy excited to be spending time with her BFF Frank Parker when they used to volunteer at Camp Kindness at Nebraska Humane Society. Frank’s Mom Allison, also a dear friend and awesome veterinary technician, and I assisted Dr. Merkley with Joy’s first TPLO.
Joy is now thirteen years old. She has significant arthritis which was becoming life-limiting despite her very impressive list of medications, supplements and mobility aids. For the record, Joy is ok with meds in treats, but thinks stairs, ramps and wagons are all terrible.
Joy trying to steal my beer at our brother-in-law Shane’s concert.
Last month, Joy limped for a day. I mean beyond her usual stiff hobble. They she seemed to rally, and I thought the scare of a second cruciate tear was over, but we kept our appointment with Dr. Tan (whose name does NOT rhyme with Dr. Zann, so do not try to remember how to pronounce either of them correctly that way) because I wanted his take on how to better treat Joy’s arthritis.
Turns out, Joy’s right cruciate ligament was long gone, and when it actually happened, I missed it. I felt like a terrible vet and pet parent for missing in my own dog what I routinely diagnose in other dogs.
The story gets so much better from here.
Dr. Tan and the Sirius Orthopedic Veterinary Center team stabilized Joy’s knee with arthroscopic surgery and even did some work on her other knee.
Spotify play list created by one of Nebraska Humane Society’s awesome social media people on Joy’s first day of recovery. I love it so much.
Joy is doing AMAZING you guys. Her mobility and comfort are better than I can ever remember.
Another sweet thirteen year old patient is one week behind Joy in her post-op recovery, also after TPLO surgery with Dr. Tan, and it is so great to be able to say to her family that our old dogs are going to feel so much better so soon.
Whenever I write to or call the Sirius team, I try to remember to add “and hi to Emily.” Well, the awesomeness of their team has once again increased, if you can even believe that is possible. During Joy’s care at Sirius, I learned that another one of my favorite people, Nellie, has joined their team. As ecstatic as I am that Joy is thriving, this…this matches it. Love you Nellie and Emily. Thank you for being there for Joy.
Please note the beautiful straight margins of Joy’s surgical sites. This is thanks to the amazing talents of Nellie who must have remembered the time we took a benign mass off Joy and her coat took a YEAR to regrow! Thanks Friend. She will look beautiful as always for this next year of healing and hair regrowth!
We are so grateful to the entire Sirius team for Joy’s loving care. You all are the best of the best. You have brought Joy - and so our entire family - so much comfort.
And Dr. Tan, thank you for seeing our puppy in your exam room where our old dog was sleeping - for being willing to invest so much in such an old dog who is nowhere near done having adventures.
Joy the Puppy now.
Joy the Puppy then.
As soon as Russ and I decided YES this was the best next step, no matter the outcome, I knew I would not look back and wish she had not had surgery. But this, seeing Joy be such a terrible sport about strict rest when she wants to run and play, and seeing her so happy again, has been the absolute best post-op scenario I could have hoped for.
Joy thinks post-op strict rest is BULL-ony. If I would just move my leg, she could tear down the deck stairs and play with Doug Dog in the yard.
Soon Sweet Girl. You got this. This will be your best summer yet.
Maybe Becky will remember…it was perhaps…10? years ago that my veterinary technician friend told me she is an empath and so am I. She said that is why we work so well together, and that is why patients’ situations affect us so deeply.
At the time, I knew she was on to something but could only think, “Is ‘empath’ a word? I know “empathy,” it is the word I confuse with “sympathy” and has to do with feelings.
So here we are a decade later. Thank you Becky for starting me on this journey. It has been literally lifesaving. Here is what I have learned so far -
SYMPATHY - feeling something for someone.
EMPATHY - taking on someone’s feelings as if they are your own.
HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSON (HSP) - one who empathizes with others more than average.
EMPATH - one who is on the extra sensitive end of being a highly sensitive person.
“Empaths, HSP’s, I know this is too much for you. You are absorbing the collective, nauseating worry. This is your superpower. You feel the pain of others. You are strong enough to handle this. You are.” -Kimberly Stover
For the past few years, I have been working on letting go of others’ emotions that I have absorbed.
Recently, I have had to up my self care game as I am now in a (wonderful) situation with roughly twice the caseload I have EVER had. I could see from the start that I would not last much longer in this field that I love if I continued to take on the emotions and illnesses and pain of every patient and client and team member as if they were my own. I needed to figure out how not to live and die with every case and situation.
Being all in comes naturally to me. If I have met you and your pet, I am all in and always will be. However, letting go of emotions that are ours to share then yours to own and work through does not come naturally to me at all. Dare I say I suck at this. It has not been an easy skill to learn at all, and I am still only just beginning.
I know well that you do not need me to try to take on all of your pain then crash and burn and not be there for you the next time you need me. You need me to be there with you and for you, and then to let go. Not to stop caring, not to become unavailable, but not to try to walk through something for you that you need to walk through yourself. The next family and pet need this too. My family needs this. I need this.
“A lot of pain you’re carrying isn’t even yours to carry. You’ve picked up other people’s pain along your journey. If you’re an empathic soul, bless you, but you still need boundaries. Lighten your load by being able to know what belongs to you and what doesn’t.” -Nathan Allen Pirtle
As I continue to work on improving in this area, let me declare myself the opposite of an expert and just say that here are two resources I have recently found to be very helpful -
The fun one - Thera-pets - a set of cards with super cute pictures and self care reminders by artist Kate Allen (@tlkateart on Twitter).
The serious one - The Empath’s Survival Guide, Life Strategies for Sensitive People by Judith Orloff, MD (@JudithOrloffMD on Twitter).
Friends and family who are tougher than me, I cannot tell you how often your strength and wise perspectives have gotten me through. Sometimes I need someone to remind me that this too shall pass…or to eat a sandwich…or take a nap…or step back and take a breath. Thank you.
Friends who are also highly sensitive people and empaths, within and beyond the veterinary field, let’s lean on others around us with different ways of processing and also keep encouraging one another. I know that our biggest struggle may also be our greatest strength. I just have not figured all of it out yet. We’ve got this…or we will. Our wellbeing and very lives depend on it.
I feel as though we are closer to the answers than we may think. And for what it’s worth, I can always trust my feelings.
Happy Veterinary Technician Week 2021!
If you have had a pet whose life has been touched by a vet tech, you know they deserve everything good. Please take this week - and all the other times throughout the year - to overwhelm the vet techs in your life with kind words and all the snacks.
I have been blessed to work with over FIFTY veterinary technicians in my career so far. Here is a list of those vet techs and why I love them.
(All photos are in dog and cat vision which is similar to red-green color-blindness for us.)
……….
Rhorig Animal Hospital techs - helped me with my high school science paper, brought ice cream to the kennel kid (me) who got sad seeing sad cases.
Pet Clinic techs - took care of every little pet we brought in as kids then 18 years ago when I was a grown ass vet without a hospital in town yet, took care of Oliver Cat and then, this past summer when I found myself in the same situation, took care of Joy the Puppy.
Joy the Puppy
Panama City Animal Hospital tech - taught me all the weird conditions this Midwest vet-to-be knew nothing about like tick paralysis and flea anemia.
ISU ICU head tech Amy - taught me to draw blood in vet school and, as central to my entire career as that is, even a million times better, let us adopt the best cat in the world, the blood donor Max the Cat.
Max the Cat
Columbine Animal Hospital - Becky, Lori, Sara - walked a baby vet (me) through jumping right into ER medicine and 80 hour weeks.
Companion Animal Veterinary Hospital -
Shawna - the best friend from Day One, walked with me through raising newborns and toddlers (not in the job description).
Lesley - also a dear friend and kid raising helper.
Lesley and Ebony
Janeen - skilled and smart and wonderful to work with.
Laura - We learned the beginnings of conflict resolution together. I am sorry I started out so terrible at it and promise I still work really hard on it to this day.
Banfield at Oakview -
Jeni - compassionate and kind and a very strong leader.
Andrea - gets all the things done with excellence and skill.
Kim - great tech and friend. RIP. I miss you Friend <3
Sara - taught me what it looks like to deal with chronic pain and still kick ass years before I needed it.
Erika - the best friend through every life stage, I am unwilling to go through any further life stages without you.
Erika and baby Joy!
Carrie - sweet and skilled and excellent with people and pets.
I would invite all the kids, and Carrie and Erika would do all the hard work of tours!
Banfield in Papillion -
Mallory - great tech and friend and now Boy Mama.
Mallory demonstrating that kittens can be pocket pets if you believe hard enough.
Angela - great tech and friend and still, I feel, on the same wavelength. Almost talked me into my first tattoo.
Janna - awesome perspective on all the things, only person we leave our pet kids with IF we leave them at all!
Kaelea - great technician and artist. She made a beautiful Ernie Dog ornament for me for Mom <3
Cindy - driven and passionate, now a vet.
Banfield in North Omaha tech team - tough crowd, taught me to work with a rough and tumble clientele, and I loved it.
All Creatures tech team - have taken care of each of Amanda’s Bearded Dragons with skill and compassion.
Angus <3
GD -
Caleb - compassionate and principled, days are always better in the same room as you, one of the best friends I will ever have.
Kelly - so many things, among them, taught me to love complex dental work and to look forward to anesthesia and surgery knowing our patients were always in safe hands.
Allison - taught me all the things about friendship between a dog and a cat and a person and a person.
Frank and Allison and Joy and I volunteered every summer with Camp Kindness. Frank was Joy’s best friend <3
Shelly - tough and skilled and loyal. You are stuck with me forever.
Shelly recovering our ratty patient from anesthesia post-surgery.
Liel - awesome tech and person, also stuck with me.
Bri - great at all the things.
Jessi - there for me for the patients we got to work with together and for that last month and for that last minute. I will always be grateful.
Becky - always on the same wavelength, even now. We learned together how to turn our compassion and passion into on-the-ground grief care and hospice care.
Becky with a sweet Husky from Taysia Blue Rescue <3
Koni - perfect combination of sweet and tough.
Angie - taught me behind the scenes nuts and bolts.
Trey - willing to run complex cases with me and learn even more about exotic vet care with me. Held patients when they were scared.
I worked friends into my comic, “When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.” I feel I captured Trey’s hair well!
Erin - steady and incredible and a wonderful friend.
Brookie - passionate and amazing, I will always be trying to draw you back into medicine with my mind powers.
Brookie and Cash from Nebraska Humane Society after his bilateral luxating patella (unstable kneecaps) surgery with Dr. Merkley. They adopted each other about a minute later!
Amanda - gentle and wonderful, now using those skills to raise the sweetest family ever.
Jenny - organized and compassionate.
Jenny - strong leader always on the floor with the team.
Laura - fun and wonderful, still here when I need an encouraging word.
Rhea - amazing and insightful and a fiercely loyal friend.
Taylor - strong as f.
Adrienne - amazing tech and Mama.
Nellie - gonna be an awesome tech because of who you are.
Emma - also an awesome tech-to-be with all the people skills.
April - strong and determined and only becoming more amazing.
Carolyn - witty and skilled and fun to work with.
Mary - great and steady and compassionate, will most likely not punch you - that is a protective front.
Street Dogs -
Molly and Lexi and the team - amazing and efficient and very skilled. They serve Omaha’s homeless and near homeless community with grace and compassion.
Elizabeth - The only time we get together is non-Pandemic era vet meetings, but I love it.
Techs at all the specialty practices - It is not scary handing precious patients over because I know they are in your care.
Urgent Pet Care techs - saved Joy this past summer and countless patients over the years.
The sweet technician at Urgent Pet Care let us visit Joy while she recovered from pancreatitis.
VCA MidWest Vet techs - I am gonna skip right over all the lives they save and help (for now) and say these techs walked our family through 14 months of cancer care with Luna and still when I call remind me that they loved her and check on me. Thank you forever. Love you.
A wonderful technician at VCA MidWest Vet took pictures of Luna while she was hospitalized for urinary system complications.
Luna being cute again (still).
Omaha and Bellevue Whirlwind Summer Tour of 2021 -
Techs at ALL the places - took me right in like a part of their team though I was, as always, awkward AF in every possible situation, said things like “We are so glad you’re here” and “FINCH it’s you!” which made the whole scary thing wonderful.
Liz at Morgan Pet Clinic - got me a job offer remembering the one minute long ago we knew friends of friends in the field, picked up where we left off.
Twin Creek Animal Hospital -
Jordan, Tabi, Ashley, Liz, Sarah, Emily - You have made me feel like a part of the team from the minute I got here, kind and compassionate and wickedly adept, you make me remember every day with every patient and every surgery why I love this career so much. Thank you. If it were not so early, I would say I love you (which I do).
Sarah and one of the two newest Dreves pups!
photo and dandelion wreath by Abby
For his birthday, Russ started a foundation to help other dogs and their families with expensive medical treatment in Luna’s name called “Luna’s Legacy.”
“I was stuck. My grief didn’t reach a turning point until starting this,” Russ said. We are all still recovering from losing Luna, and having Joy sure helps. We are hoping Luna’s Legacy will also be helpful for us all…and save all the dogs! Or at least help a lot : )
Thank you all so much for your help with this. That has been healing and encouraging to us also. And we have such a great base to start helping all (a lot) of the dogs!
One time, I needed two days off very close to one another. To make it work, Dr. Bashara worked both of my shifts.
Luna has finished her chemotherapy!
Tuesday was her last round of medication. All of her friends at VCA MidWest Vet signed a pink scarf for her with encouraging notes and love. She fell asleep with her pink scarf on, surrounded by love and support.
Thank you Dr. Clemans.
Thank you Brandy.
Thank you VCA MidWest Vet Team.
Thank you Team Luna.
We are not done fighting. Luna has quarterly check-ups to look for the return of the cancer, and we will be watching for signs of its return at home as well. She may need to go through a second and even a third round of chemotherapy. We will cross those bridges at a different time. This time is for celebrating <3
Please join us for an Open House to celebrate Luna's completion of chemotherapy!
Sunday, September 9, 2018
2:00 - 5:00 pm
at
Phill and Karen Finch's Home
We will have snacks!
Message me on Facebook or e-mail me for the address and directions -
shawn@finchdvm.com
In lieu of gifts, please come and tell Luna, "Congratulations Luna!" in a high voice. She will like that :)
Today and yesterday have been cool and rainy.
Amanda made amazing spice cupcakes.
School is starting (I have mixed feelings on this!)
It feels like fall is coming.
Even without the big garden (next year!) I am starting to buzz with happy thoughts of fall. It is good to feel happy.
We did plant morning glories and cherry tomatoes, and those plants are going crazy!
I got to see Stephanie - and a super cute Husky puppy - this morning.
I made pumpkin coffee with caramel creamer.
I am settling in for the morning to write articles for Dr. McGill for Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery.
I hope you are having a good week.
More soon on starting part time...Fetch 360 (used to be CVC) and the start of the school year. Hopefully Abby will do a fall time photo shoot of Joy and Luna as she has the past two years that I can share with you soon too!
Joy says she is always buzzing with happy thoughts. And also, she loves you.
Optimism is getting your terminal dog a Christmas collar in August. Someone has to be the outlier right? Why not Luna?
She is doing great by the way! Two more chemotherapy sessions!
Luna "choosing" a new collar and leash - she wants them all! She was a hit at the Farmers' Market with her ears and tail!
Sorry about the big pause.
I have been dealing with low level depression signs, just kinda feeling blah, and not writing at all.
I am hoping to get back to writing, because I love it - and you! I will probably post twice a week, including the comic, instead of daily.
I am doing better, and Luna is doing great! She goes back for her next chemotherapy session next week.
art by Abby
In other news...
Happy anniversary Finch! 22 years : )
I will be going part time in August! I will be able to be home when my kids get home from school most days! I plan on seeing as many surgery and medical patients as before, just in a shorter amount of time, so don't worry about availability.
A second client said I should not even be on the team since I don't see cats. For such a sensitive person, I would have thought that would bother me, but it amuses me. Thank you again for keeping me Dr. Bashara! And thank you Doctor Friends for seeing all the beautiful cats!
On an opposite note, one of my very favorite cat client couples adopted another cat. I will celebrate with them from afar <3
Yesterday I accidentally wrote in a medical record that a panting dog was painting excessively, and it made me giggle the rest of the day.
I hope you are having a good week! It is good to be back. Thanks for not giving up on me!
POST FROM TWO YEARS AGO
JUNE 28, 2016
We check Luna's complete blood count before every chemotherapy event to assure her white blood cells are not too low for her little body to handle chemo.
This week when we checked, her white blood cell count was way too HIGH. Dr. Clemens hospitalized her and went searching. Our biggest fear was that her cancer had spread.
Photo update from Luna's awesome medical team!
It turns out Luna has a urinary tract infection, which is very treatable. She stayed overnight at the hospital last night and will come home tomorrow if all continues to go well. We went to see her last night.
Amanda and Luna
Abby and Luna
Abby and Amanda and Luna
Thank you for your prayers! The little goofball continues to hang in there.
Besides the stellar medical care from the doctors and team at VCA Midwest Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, they have gone above and beyond taking care of Luna and taking care of us. The team let us visit last night and is letting us visit again tonight. They have sent us pictures and texts with updates that have meant the world to all four of us. It is so unnerving to not have Luna here - she is very much a snuggly and in your face dog, and her presence is sorely missed! The sweet updates have taken the edge off for all of us and made this separation bearable.
Photo from one of Luna's nurses, Tasha <3
Next update - hopefully Luna's homecoming! Then...a series of photos by Abby of Joy and Luna in flower crowns.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Amanda and her friends Rosalie and Alex dressed up for prom and went to dinner instead of the actual dance. How cute is she??
They had planned on going to an escape room and a movie afterwards. The night was cut short when Amanda became ill and had to return home. Boo!
Part two, arranged by Russ, is this coming weekend with an escape room. Hopefully the two gatherings will be as much fun as one entire prom night should have been!
We've been so blessed this entire time Luna has had chemotherapy. She has not had any serious side effects. One of the drugs makes her a little nauseous for a day or so. Otherwise, she has been her normal healthy adorable self.
Abby was incredibly amused at Luna's fluid lump. She is such a cute camel!
This week, she was really nauseous to the point of vomiting and not eating and running a fever. Russ, Abby and I took her in to work Saturday evening and got her Cerenia and carprofen and fluids under the skin.
We would appreciate your prayers as Luna recovers from this! She seems to be feeling better today. She is still not eating great, but is improving.
Luna resting with Abby after her big evening.
While we were driving home from the hospital Saturday night, the sun was still shining and it was barely drizzling. We saw a rainbow, which Abby said was a good sign. I agree.
Baby Snookie Jones!
Erika's baby piggy <3
Joy the Puppy as a puppy!
Happy birthday to my best friend, my partner, my husband and my co-parent.
You are the best, and I love you!
Also, you look super cute holding baby animals.
The bread basket from Black Tie and Tails was wrapped with a beautiful sparkly PURPLE bow. So of course I put it on Joy the Puppy. She was a good sport, and left it on for a couple pictures.
I took Joy and Luna to Beals Elementary to play. Only Joy was being photogenic!
Thursday was a rough day. I finally worked up the energy to be productive and went into the garden to pull last season's weedy growth off the fence.
No sooner had I started (thinking, "this is easier than I thought it would be!") then I accidentally pulled down a tiny bird nest with three tiny speckled eggs.
I started crying and called Russ, who, along with Jeff and Travis, was working hard to finish building a second story deck.
Russ said to put the nest upright and he would build a stand for it.
And he did.
I hope the birds come back to their nest. I will keep you updated.
From a Friend, when I was recently dealing with writer's block...
"Slumps are OK. You know how you let a field lie fallow so it can grow stuff again? That’s you. Your writing is lying fallow."
Thank you Friend. You always know what to say.
Every once in a while I will try to give you an update on my depression here. Mostly I have been doing very well. I consider this year from August 2017 - August 2018 a year of healing. I am trying to give myself that much time to get healthier, but it sometimes seems like a slow road. As a veterinarian, I - as you can imagine - like to fix things.
I was on five medications for my depression and Claritin for my allergies. (I was on way more for my allergies, but Claritin and no cats seems to be the trick!)
Recently my physician's assistant allowed me to discontinue two medications, including trazodone, which I was taking to help me sleep.
I have been sleeping well for the past several months, and anymore, trazodone seemed to just be making me groggy and dull in the mornings. Now I feel sharp and more myself again. I am by no means a natural morning person, but I enjoy mornings and getting so much done at work so early. I still was getting things done and enjoying it, but it was sure a struggle. Now mornings are back to normal again and so much better.
So that's the latest. Otherwise things have just been steady, which has been nice.
My spring container garden!