I am thankful for projects that have ended.
Omaha.net, Life with Dogs, Banfield Journal, AVMA landing page (one project), Carefresh social media content writer, Veterinary Economics board member, Gentle Doctor social media, Nebraska Poodle Rescue, Pug Partners of Nebraska website articles (one project)...All of these were wonderful, and all have ended. I was sad to see each one go, but another opportunity seems to always come up.
Being a vet is tough and full of heartache. It is the most rewarding career I can imagine. Through their childhood, Abby and Amanda have declared their plans to be vets (and teachers, artists, writers and more).
We want to be vets so we can pet dogs like Noodle!
We want to be artists like Uncle Dave!
"Don't you guys want to be Millard North Mustangs?"
"No Mom, we want to be Central Eagles!"
As a young woman, Abby has come full circle and is determined to be a vet. I am proud of her, and excited to share this amazing career with her.
I am thankful Abby wants to be a veterinarian.
Abby and Luna
As a young woman, Amanda is determined to be a librarian.
Amanda and Squirtle at Worlds of Fun
I am thankful Amanda does not want to be a veterinarian.
I am proud of her, and relieved that she will be shielded, not from the pain of life, but from the pain of the veterinary field.
Abby and Amanda are huge helps. The baby Boxer would not stop...needing another bath, while Teddy waited patiently for his walk.
They both could change their minds, and we will support them 100%, but where they are now stirs up a mixture of pride, trepidation and relief.
Abby with Olive, Robert and Uncle Dave. Don't think I don't obsess about the futures of our nieces and nephews too, because I do!
Amanda with Arthur. He is undecided about his future plans and prefers to enjoy the present. You are so wise Arthur!
I am thankful for Luna's housetraining issues.
This was a hard one for me to reframe with thankfulness.
Luna is three years old and still potties in the house. A lot.
Luna at her third birthday party. It's like you are not even focused on pottying outside, Luna!
We have used a kennel, enzyme cleaners, all positive reinforcememt, rewards, frequent trips outside with treats and praise...and still she is not trained. We got help from the Behavior Hotline at Nebraska Humane Society, one of my favorite resources, and followed instructions to a T...and still she is not trained. We have started bed time walks, and I am finally encouraged she might get this.
It's not for lack of studying!
When you say your puppy is difficult to train, I used to say, "it will happen." Now I empathize. Sometimes it doesn't happen.
When you say your dog goes potty inside, we rule out medical issues and work together until it is solved. I used to write it in the record and move on. Now I understand what a huge impact that can have on your mental well being.
As long as you're outside for the photo shoot Luna...
Luna has been the best textbook on potty training I have ever known. We'll get it. You will too. It will most likely not take you three plus years!
ONE YEAR AGO
TWO YEARS AGO
I am thankful for Joy's medical issues.
Joy has chicken and seasonal allergies.
I am not afraid to dive into an eight week food trial with a client, or to use weeks after to pinpoint an allergen. Because of Joy, I have successfully brought several patients through the process and to comfort by avoiding the food or foods to which they are allergic.
I don't think an entire year of pattern watching is too long to figure out seasonal allergies.
I too hate seeing my dog miserable. Itchiness truly can be worse than pain. When I tell you that, know that I understand.
Joy has hypothyroidism.
She was overweight. Her coat was a mess. I understand how easy it is to miss gradual changes when you see your pet every day.
Joy injured her cruciate ligament and needed surgery.
I understand the financial stress. Dr. Merkley showed no financial mercy, but he took amazing care of our dog, so I'm good.
I understand how major this is.
I understand how difficult resting your dog for 6-8 weeks is. Many times, Joy would run past us with her leash we were supposed to be holding flying behind her.
When you say you cannot watch your pet receive an injection, I remember being in the middle of Joy's surgery with Dr. Merkley and needing to stare at the clock across two rooms so I did not black out.
We expected our mutt-mix-Heinz 57 dog to be the healthiest thing ever. However, because of her medical issues, I have grown as a veterinarian and pet parent. My empathy has been stretched to encompass a little bit more than it had, and that is always a good thing.
I am thankful for my time at Banfield Pet Hospitals and my friendship with Tiemanns.
I used to say that I wished I had walked into Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals the day we moved to Omaha. That is not true though.
Though it exploded in our faces so to speak, I got to work with a friend.
I adopted our guinea pig Piggy from Banfield clients and Joy the Puppy from other Banfield clients. Fuzzy and Wuzzy Rats' breeder was a friend who I met because he worked at Petsmart.
I met Erika and Dr. Rubaloff, both of whom I still work with today, and I met the other awesomes at Banfield and Petsmart, clients and teammates, many of whom are still dear friends.
Every May Day I would bring everyone at all the Banfields and Petsmarts snack mix. That was such a fun tradition that I restarted it this Halloween, now with Banfield, Petsmart and Gentle Doctor.
I got to write for Banfield Journal and the Banfield website.
I became very aware of the importance of anesthetic safety.
I learned to think through cases with a logical step-by-step process, which still helps me today. I learned to start from the framework of wellness. That is a huge and not quite obtainable goal that I still strive to reach every day because of my training at Banfield.
I got to have lots of young want-to-be vets shadow for a half day or full day. It was so rewarding that I still do that today.
Sofia and me
I am thankful for my eight years at Oakview, Papillion and North Omaha Banfield.
When I left, I had a "get the best job ever or leave the field" attitude, which led me to Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals, truly the best job I have ever had, tied with Companion Animal Veterinary Hospital, my second and final job in Colorado.
The road's been rough, but I love where it has taken me.
I am thankful for the financial struggles we have faced as a couple and I have faced as a veterinarian.
We learned to scrimp. We learned to save. We became pretty good at finances. Like I tell Russ, if we had started out millionaires, we would have just made bigger mistakes!
ONE YEAR AGO
TWO YEARS AGO
New comic every Friday!
I am thankful Mom and Dad let us stay in their home for eight months.
Ebony chewed all their doorknobs and escaped to the cornfield every chance she got.
Max the Cat bit Mom and Dad's cat Oliver on the butt. (Doubly rude - Max was in Oliver's house AND Oliver must have been running away at the time!) I took Oliver to see Dr. Teter since I did not yet have a veterinary job in town.
I am thankful our house in Omaha smelled like apples when we first walked through.
That is why I told the previous owner (against Karen and John, our real estate agent's frantic advice) that I would pay anything to own her house.
Because Mom and Dad let us live with them, and because our house-to-be smelled like apples, everything came together to provide our favorite living space to date.
Finch home - the earlier days!
Buying our house is one of the best decisions we have ever made. We love our neighbors, we love the schools and we still love our little home.
ONE YEAR AGO
OBSERVING A FOUR YEAR OLD PROCESS WITH A MATURITY FAR BEYOND HIS YEARS
TWO YEARS AGO
I am thankful Russ's job as the youth pastor at Castle Oaks Church ended.
It ended poorly.
I truly do not remember all the painful details today...I remember I broke several teeth in my sleep and spent all my free time at the dentist...but it also was the first step in getting us home to Omaha to our families, and ultimately to Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals, and for that I am grateful.
In large part because of how painful leaving Castle Oaks Church was, Russ now is a carpenter. It is a perfect fit, and he loves it.
Now I can't imagine him doing anything else.
I am thankful I was with my pets when they died.
I tell people that the day itself will be difficult no matter what, but a year from the day they say goodbye to their pet, they will be glad they had stayed. I have never thought of that in relation to saying good bye to our own pets.
I held Buttercup Rat as she struggled through the end stages of fulminant pneumonia. She is buried at Ledges State Park in Boone Iowa. Both the day she passed away and the day of her funeral are sweet memories.
I got to tell Benji the Poodle it was okay to let go when the fibrous connections in his heart broke down and it could no longer function. Russ and I were holding him. Our friend Beth's giant dog Mesa passed away at the emergency hospital the same night. We got to go across the street and tell her dog good bye hours before she died.
As traumatizing as Obie's death was, I was there with him, and that is priceless to me.
Dr. Munger euthanized Herbie with us.
Dr. Wittler euthanized Ebony for us.
Max lay between us and gently fell asleep on our pillows.
Noodle got a Big Mac, and we laughed through our tears.
That last day truly is sacred. I had never thought to tell it to myself until now.
I am thankful that my first home euthanasia almost destroyed me.
Russ came with me. It was Kiltie the Scottie. She was going into liver failure, as Scotties sometimes do. She was owned by Vickie and her husband and their son. I loved Vickie. I loved Kiltie. Kiltie hated me. I didn't care. She was so beautiful, and her family was so wonderful.
I sobbed as I euthanized Kiltie. She tried to bite my hand. I kissed her forehead.
Mom noticed.
Several months later, Vickie brought in two eight week old Scottish Terriers. Their names were Murphy and Mattie McCook, McCook because they were from the small town of McCook Nebraska. They had tiny red plaid collars and were full of sass. I got to watch them both grow up into dogs as beautiful and sassy as their sister had been.
I was sad to leave the family in Colorado when we moved home.
To this day, every Scottie patient is dear to me. One Scottie can make my whole day awesome. This is neither here nor there, but at any given time, I have at least two pairs of Scottie jammies and an assortment of Scottie stationary.
Kiltie got into my heart, as pets will do, and I have never been the same.
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Post from one year ago today...
November 6, 2016
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Post from two years ago today...
November 6, 2015
TODAY?
I am thankful my client chose to have her dog euthanized when she moved into assisted living.
On our second appointment, she told me she would have me euthanize her dog when she moved. (I would not have, but we never got to that point, thank goodness.)
She was a sweet, caring pet owner. It was common in the past to have pets euthanized when moving or having a baby or with any other major life change or financial difficulty.
As she sadly told me of her plan, she was holding Benji in her arms. As if he heard, Benji jumped into MY arms, and we were never apart again. She was relieved and grateful. Russ talked our apartment manager into accepting dogs in the complex. He was the best little dog we have ever known.
Amanda, 3 months and Benji, 11 years. They adored each other.
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Post from one year ago today...
November 5, 2016
Post from two years ago today...
November 5, 2015
I am thankful for my first job at Columbine Animal Hospital.
The first job I accepted in Denver was at Columbine Animal Hospital. I worked 80 hours a week including overnights. I struggled as a vet just out of school and often on my own. The atmosphere at work was a smidge bit toxic. Well, no, it sucked. It was very demotivating, but I was in mountain and forest and lake and dirt bike country living my dream of being a vet, and we couldn't be happier. At first.
My boss at Columbine Animal Hospital had Russ and I over for Christmas Eve. He gave me my first stethoscope which I still have today and is the best one I have ever had.
He took me on a balloon ride. A balloon ride you guys!
He took us boating a couple of times and let me carry his Miniature Dachshund Sherman everywhere. Sherman loved being carried like a baby. (I got my first and only case of ringworm on my inner elbow from Sherman's ears.)
When work gets rough, it's never as rough as overnights with two snake venom cases and one vial of antidote. (Littleton Hospital saved us. I didn't know how gutsy that was to ask. I just asked.)
When I get lonely for my family, they are never as far away as they were that first year.
When I work super hard, it is never on a continually busy day then night shift with no technical help.
When I struggle with ethical decisions, and, I hope, choose correctly, I never get as much friction as I did at Columbine.
Columbine Animal Hospital made me tough. The rare down time I got was spent doing amazing things in the beautiful outdoors of Colorado. I treasure the time and the experiences. I haven't always, but I do now.
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Post from one year ago today...
November 4, 2016
Post from two years ago today...
November 4, 2015
When I was between jobs in 2011, I started a comic strip called "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet," that continued until I had all my frustrations from previous experiences out of my system. There were a few comics about my current job, but not rooted in frustration. I wasn't sure where it would go and how it would end. Part of me wishes I was still creating the comic. I processed what I needed to process, and thankfully, ran out of new material.
I am thankful for every situation that I was able to turn into a comic.
I will post a comic from "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" here every Friday until we have gotten through them all. If you would like to see the original website where all the comics are, it is here...
When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet
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Post from one year ago today...
November 3, 2016
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Post from two years ago today...
November 3, 2015
This Thanksgiving...
I am thankful that in 1997, the AVMA President told me I would never find a job as a veterinarian in Denver. She was giving a "motivational" talk to our veterinary class. She said that veterinary jobs were everywhere, unless we wanted to live in Denver or work with marine animals. I went up after the talk and explained my situation to her. "I would be able to find a job in Denver, wouldn't I?"
"No," she said. "Absolutely not."
Denver - No! You cannot work here!
Our whole plan for after I finished veterinary school was to move to Denver for Russ to go to graduate school at Denver Seminary. We were locked into our plan by our own excitement and stubbornness, so we saw no other option than to move to Denver where I would find the said to be non-existent veterinary job.
Denver Seminary
Being told I cannot do something is always a huge motivator for me. :) I applied for several jobs and accepted a job with Columbine Animal Hospital within days of arriving in Denver.
Columbine Animal Hospital
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Post from one year ago today...
November 2, 2016
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Post from two years ago today...
November 2, 2015
This Thanksgiving...
I am thankful that in 1997, the AVMA President told me I would never find a job as a veterinarian in Denver.
I am thankful for my first job at Columbine Animal Hospital.
I am thankful my client chose to have her dog euthanized when she moved into assisted living.
I am thankful that my first home euthanasia almost destroyed me.
I am thankful I was with my pets when they died.
I am thankful Russ's job as the youth pastor at Castle Oaks Church ended.
I am thankful Mom and Dad let us stay in their home for eight months.
I am thankful our house in Omaha smelled like apples when we first walked through.
I am thankful for the financial struggles we have faced as a couple and I have faced as a veterinarian.
I am thankful for my time at Banfield Pet Hospitals and my friendship with Tiemanns.
I am thankful for Joy's medical issues.
I am thankful for Luna's housetraining issues.
I am thankful Abby wants to be a veterinarian.
I am thankful Amanda does not want to be a veterinarian.
I am thankful for projects that have ended.
I am thankful for the day we had five euthanasias.
I am thankful for my small mammal and cat allergies.
I am thankful for my introversion.
I am thankful for my scars.
I am thankful for my OCD.
I am thankful for my depression.
Tomorrow...I will begin to tell you why...
Post from one year ago today...
November 1, 2016
Post from two years ago today...
November 1, 2015
FRANK THE CAT AND JOY THE PUPPY HELP TEACH SUNDAY SCHOOL
A sweet Dalmatian presents endless possibilities...
Oh Scamp! You are such a good sport!
It is difficult, but possible, to make a (friendly) hamster look scary.
I miss the Jones hamsters! They were good sports!
