Recently Kelly's sweet boxer Abe was in for dental work.
Here are super cute pictures from the day.
Abe recovering
Abe recovered but still tired...and still gorgeous
Thank goodness, we have nothing medically interesting to report at this time!
All went well, and Abe was tired for the rest of the day.
The End
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Post from one year ago today...
March 14, 2016
Noodle the Poodle passed away in the spring of 2016. I wasn't ready to write about how supportive you all were until now. Thank you so much. Now looking back at your kind words and remembering Noodle makes me mostly happy, not mostly sad. That has to be a step in the right direction, right?
Here are some of the things I keep close...
Jaime Williams and Ross Nelson brought me this beautiful stone right after Noodle passed away. I love it so much. At the risk of being punched, I gave Ross an unwanted hug. He either was too slow or was feeling poodle pity because instead of punching me, he hugged me back. Thank you guys so much! You are the best! (((hugs)))
This beautiful handmade card was from my former coworker Jan Green. I still miss you Jan!!
Janie Helt and her family gave us a beautiful Easter Lily and a sweet card.
From work friends <3 The inside reads, "The Arbor Day Foundation has received a donation in memory of Noodle. As a tribute, a tree will be planted and registered in Tahoe National Forest. This memorial was given by Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals. May this living monument to your friend comfort you during this time." Thank you guys. I love you.
My friend at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals, Dr. Belfiore (Megan Belfiore-DiGiacomo), recently had a beautiful baby girl.
Guilia Marin DiGiacomo
Family friends are sponsoring a Go Fund Me page for Giulia and her family. Here is their story as told on their page...
On December 29th, Megan and Dominic DiGiacomo welcomed beautiful Giulia Marin DiGiacomo to their family. Early on in the pregnancy, Giulia was diagnosed with arthrogryposis. It's a condition that prevents a child's joints from moving normally. Often, the muscles around the joints are thin, weak, stiff or missing.
After Giulia was born, it was learned the condition is primarily affecting her hands, feet and legs. She spent her first month in the NICU unit at Methodist Women's Hospital. Giulia has already been fitted with a cast on one of her legs, and will undergo numerous surgeries in her first years of life. To further complicate things, a G-tube was placed in Giulia's stomach to allow her to get proper nurishment because she was having problems feeding normally.
Some of the DiGiacomo's "Italian friends" have put this page together to help them with mounting medical bills. Megan spent the last half of her pregnancy on bed rest and has been unable to work since, to care for Giulia. They are down to a single family income, and more medical bills are coming in. They have a high deductible insurance, and their out of pocket expenses will be significant.
As you can imagine, it's been a stressful time for the family, and we just want to do whatever we can to help make things a little easier, especially for their two other daughters, Gianna and Gabriella.
We hope you'll make a donation to help them get through this challenging time. Any amount, no matter how large or small, will go a long way in helping them pay their bills and letting them know that we are all thinking about them.
Help spread the word!
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Post from one year ago today...
March 12, 2016
Read Donna Kay's sweet story about her dog Bo here, and remember, YOU know your best friend best <3 Do you want to read more from Donna Kay??
Guest Post from Donna Kay...
I graduated from college and moved away from home in 2013. Naturally, my 6 year old shepherd mix moved with me. It was just going to be the two of us on this big adventure. Life was grand; two walks a day, coming home over lunch to hang out, and weekends on the couch cuddling.
About 6 months into adulthood/debt, I noticed my walking buddy wasn't walking the best. I took him to a vet in town, who told me he had bad arthritis, and that it would be "best" to put him down.
Never one to take advice, I was put in touch with a different vet. She put him on a high dose of Rimadyl, with the agreement we'd do blood tests every year to check organ damage.
Wow, what a change! Monday the suggestion is euthanasia, and Tuesday I'm agreeing to a 3, 4, 5 year drug plan!
I'm happy to report my best friend is still with me, he even has big responsibilities now. He keeps the couch from blowing away, he makes sure his little brother Duke behaves, and he barks like crazy at rabbits on our twice a day walks.
Sorry Bo, but it's going to take a little more than arthritis to take you away from me.
My Sister-I-Love is one of my favorite people in the world. Other favorites include our family members mentioned in this story! Read about Epona Horse Rescue and Destiny and more. And stay tuned for more horse stories!
Guest Post from Jodi Finch...
All my life, I have been a horse lover. As a little girl, I spent hours sitting at the feet of my grandpa’s farm horses, never once worrying that they could hurt me. The earliest picture of me on a horse is Grandpa holding me on his big Paint gelding, Chief, when I was six months old. Grandpa got me my first horse – a Shetland pony – when I was 7. His mare, Chica, gave me my first foal when I was 11. Flicka and I were best of friends, until I was 19 and an accident ended her life, way too soon. For years after that, I begged and borrowed every horse I could, knowing some day, I would have a horse of my own again.
In November of 2014, my daughter Kylah and I were killing a boring Sunday afternoon by visiting the Lancaster County Horse Expo. In hindsight, my husband Shane said the $20 he gave us for the admission fee was the most expensive $20 he has spent in his life. On that day, we learned of Epona Horse Rescue, based just outside of Crete, NE. A few days later, Kylah, my younger daughter Madi, and I visited Epona for the first time, and knew we had landed in our “happy place”. I could tell stories for days on end about Epona, and our time volunteering, the friends we have made, and horse stories galore. But one of my favorites, so far (besides the one where I met my heart horse, Freebird), is the story of Destiny.
On a warm Saturday in October of 2015, Lin, our Director, talked me into going with her to the Palmyra Sale Barn Horse Auction. I had never been to the Auction, but I knew it was not somewhere I really wanted to be. Going is never an easy decision for Lin, as there are always more horses than we could possibly hope to save. However "something" kept telling her that day that we needed to go.
When I arrived, I found a bench away from the crowds, and sat down to wait for Lin. A few feet away, there were two young women with tears in their eyes, one on her phone – I could over hear snippets of their conversation… ‘yes, she looks young.” “She’s severely underweight” “She’s got visible wounds and fresh blood”… at that point, I was nearly in tears. Having never been to the sale barn, I wasn’t sure what to do next.
I texted Lin, urging her to hurry, as there was something we needed to take care of urgently. As soon as she arrived, I told her what I had heard.
We immediately went back to the sale pens, stopping on our heels at the very last pen. Standing there, with truly a heartbroken look was a very young mare, nothing but skin and bones, and bleeding from gaping wounds.
The caller on the other end of the young woman’s conversation was the county sheriff, we learned, when he showed up a few minutes after we discovered the mare. He examined her, and apparently had been told we were “those women from the Rescue”. He told us he could not see anything wrong with her, and rather curtly suggested “since you’re the Rescue Gals, YOU do something about it”. At that moment, we knew it was destiny that we went to the Sale Barn that day.
The little mare was the last horse in the auction pen. She was so thin, and very obviously depressed that no one wanted her. Thanks to the generosity of a beloved donor, we were able to win the bid and rescue this sweet girl. We learned from another attendee at the auction that she was somewhere between two and three years old, and has only recently been sold to the individual who consigned her to the sale barn. We immediately went to the pens, and after securing some hay (okay, maybe I pilfered it off the hay cart when the pen attendant wasn’t looking), began to assess her wounds and feed her small bites of the hay. She immediately warmed up to us, nuzzling me as though she was thanking me for helping her.
We took her home to the Rescue that evening, and bedded her in a safe, dry stall, and had our veterinarian come assess and begin treating her wounds. She had several deep cuts on her legs and chest, and an abscessed hoof, along with cuts in her face where her head had outgrown a halter that was left on for months on end.
Within a few weeks of healthy groceries, and good wound care, the girl we named Destiny began to gain weight and heal, not only from her wounds, but from her wounded spirit. Her eyes began to sparkle, and she began nickering greetings to us.
Then, in January, we discovered our sweet girl had apparently met up with a flirtatious stallion at some point. She was pregnant! Without knowing her background, we could only assume we would have a foal sometime between April and September.
Being that Destiny is a walking mystery, it should come as no surprise that she gave us no indication of being in labor in early April. On Monday morning, April 4th, Lin went to the barn to do chores - guess what? Peeking from behind Mama was the sweetest little face you have ever seen. Princess Buttercup was born sometime between 10 p.m. on Sunday, April 3rd and 7:30 a.m. on Monday, April 4th.
After a colic scare with Destiny, we are happy to report Mother and Baby (Princess Buttercup) did quite well, and spent the summer with another mare and filly, growing and playing.
However – the story doesn’t end there! Princess Buttercup is a beautiful buckskin filly. She is happy and healthy – and was adopted by my 13-year old daughter Madi in October! Madi worked diligently over the summer, doing one of the hardest, dirtiest jobs a kid can do – destasseling corn for two seed companies. Early (as in 4 a.m. early) mornings, and long, hot days in the field earned her enough money to donate to the Rescue to adopt Buttercup as her very own! She has big plans for herself and Buttercup in the 4-H and open class horse-show world, and is working to train Buttercup all by herself. You’ll have to stay tuned for more Buttercup blogs in the future!
Destiny is still at the Rescue, and will either remain as a Sanctuary horse, or be adopted by a suitable adopter, one who is able to care for her emotional wounds and understands that she was severely scarred by neglected and starvation.
Founded in 2004, Epona Horse Rescue is dedicated to helping equine that are unwanted, abused, or simply if the owner is no longer able to care for them. Since the beginning, they have saved over 150 horses.
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Post from one year ago today...
March 10, 2017
I recently was able to help with a medical case involving a sweet dog from Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska.
A few days later, I saw a dog from the same group for wellness care.
In my overly optimistic, often but not always securely grounded in reality mind, this is a start of an avalanche of Golden opportunities! Soon it will be Beagle-Basset-Husky-Golden repeat forever! I am so happy.
My interactions with Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska (GRRIN) before this have involved strong emotional support for the group. When a member of their team owned Spirit World, what did I do? I went and bought a sandwich and drank wine there with Dad. When GRRIN was at a rescue gathering I was at, I bravely stepped forward to pet their dogs behind the ears.
So far, becoming more involved in supporting this amazing group in a professional capacity has been AS REWARDING as all of my involvement thus far.
Drink in honor of rescue groups. Eat sandwiches. Pet dogs and cats. And if these Pet Savers need a foster home, an adoptive home, financial support, blog posts written, a rally attended, a new team member...we as a community will be there then too.
We love you Omaha Pet Savers!
Levi had his eyebrows done! You won't believe the transformation!
Meet Jynx!
Guest post from Russ's Mom, Karen Finch <3
Jacy
Jacy, our Lhaso Apso, was eleven years old when she developed a big, raw, open bleeding sore on her back hip.
It is very handy having a vet in the family who is also very attached to family pets.
She let us treat it as an infection for a little bit, but after a week or so said she probably needed surgery. I dropped her off at the clinic and refused to think about what Dr. Finch was not saying.
When I went to get her after surgery, I had to cry. She had staples all the way down her leg, and it made me sad. Shawn said there was more to it than she had thought. But still no C word, or maybe there was and my ears wouldn't accept it.
Karen and Phill with Lucy and Jacy - Photo by Liz
A few days later my phone rang and Dr. Finch responded with a choked up voice that the labs showed lymphoma. She said six to ten months was the prognosis. We discussed steroids or chemo, but she was eleven and still loved life as it was and didn't know what we knew, so we decided to just enjoy her while we could. I lit up Facebook and all my friends to pray!!!! Jacy healed fast, and went on with her life.
Jacy and Lucy
Well, thanks to a wonderful, super special surgeon, vet, daughter in law, it will be three years in May when all this happened. She is now fourteen and has enjoyed her life to the fullest. Slowing down a little, but not much, eyes are dimming, and maybe a little dementia, but no cancer!!!!!!
34 months and counting!
So, Dr. Finch, Shawn, don't dwell on the sad things because there are way more happy stories over the years. Even Wuzzy lived way past the ratties' life span!!!! We love you so much!!!!!!
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Post from one year ago today...
March 6, 2016
When I was pregnant with our first daughter Amanda, one of my favorite clients, Mrs. Cranfield, made me this quilt. I love it so much. As I was struggling with the ideas of being a Mom and a vet and going from being a couple to a family and far, far from our own families, it was a sweet sign of love and comfort. It still brings back all those feelings and I will always be grateful.
I did as I was told by Mrs. Cranfield and used the quilt for our girls. She did not want it hung up or folded carefully and never used. Amanda and Abby played on it and wrapped their stuffed animals in it and now use it as a blanket.
Thank you Mrs. Cranfield. That was so very thoughtful of you. I loved your Shepherds, and I hope you still are surrounded by beautiful dogs and are doing well.
The heart says "Rockabye Baby" with love, The Cranfield Family 2000
Abby walked into the kitchen the other night and said to Russ, "Do you have any wire I can bend into glasses to put on a marshmallow?"
Then this happened...
This is a marshmallow representation of Dwight Schrute of the show The Office made for and in honor of Abby's friend who has been watching reruns of The Office and was sad Michael was leaving the show.
Abby told her friend that if she persisted and watched the show past that sad part, she would make her a Marshmallow Dwight. And she did.
I can't make this stuff up.
But Abby can.
It is one of the infinite things I love about her.
Here is another marshmallow Abby made for the same friend for her birthday. Joy is a little sad she had to share her pillows.
The only thing I regret about the syringe post is that I did not consider if it would hurt Pete's feelings.
I perhaps should have been fired for posting about an internal issue at a business where I am employed, but I was not, and for that I am grateful.
I am not convinced it is not at least in part because there was a giant dog waiting on the other side of the office door yesterday morning to meet me, and if I did not spay her, someone would need to!
But we do make a great team, and neither of us is willing to give up on that dynamic or potential, and I appreciate that too.
I have been challenged to consider other single use products and their place in medicine, and I think that will be the subject of my next Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery article or review, because there is a lot of fascinating information out there.
Today I have been coloring. A lot. And spending time with the dogs and kids.
Abby walked into the kitchen this evening and said to Russ, "Do you have any wire I can bend into glasses to put on a marshmallow?" But she said I had to wait until at least tomorrow to post more about that!
Back to work tomorrow (phew). A couple of very challenging cases to start the day and more than a couple cute dogs I am sure.
I said I would keep you updated, and so there is that. Thank you all for reading my stuff and joining the conversation. I really appreciate it.
This also works with other plants.
We named the new kid Luna Lovegood. It is the first name we all four agreed on, and I love her as much as I would love the original Luna Lovegood.
Today I was told that my throwing away used syringes could be construed as bullying because the team is told to keep syringes and to clean and sterilize them for reuse and I am doing and advocating the opposite.
Of the years of civil arguing back and forth and bringing it up every once in a while to discuss again and researching and cost analysis and meetings...this is the day that got me.
I am a lot of things...stubborn, hard-headed :) ...but I am not a bully, and I work actively against bullying on a few fronts, so that remark hit right where it was intended.
For the sake of the pets and their people and the team and my own sanity and...not to overstate...the veterinary oath and my own veterinary license, I will continue to not reuse syringes meant to be used one time and discarded.
Further updates hopefully soon. Please comment here (as you or anonymously) or on Facebook with your thoughts.
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Post from one year ago today...
February 28, 2016
THERE ARE NO ALLERGIES IN WRITING
Bonus Leap Year Post from One Year Ago!
February 29, 2016
My friend Dan was not a cat person. In fact, I don't think he ever had any pets growing up. I couldn't picture him having a cat, or knowing what to do with one. Until General.
Not General, but he looked like this.
Dan was looking for Camaro parts at the junkyard and found a very tiny abandoned kitten stuck under the pedals of an old junk car. This was a very long time ago, so I do not have pictures of the exact car or cat.
The car that General was born in looked something like this.
Dan took this little kitten home and named him after General Motors. General hid under the dryer for the first month, reluctantly coming out for food and learning to trust Dan. After that, they were inseparable best friends.
Also not General, but he looked this gorgeous. Not bad for a junkyard cat.
Friday was a snow day.
We decided to go to the Zoo. It was one of our favorite zoo trips.
I left the pictures in full color because of the red flower and blue frog and Macaws and peacock.
Pink Fairy Duster - In the Desert Dome
Tawny Frogmouths
These birds are so unique looking! I stared at them a while and then had to go back to watch them some more. I tried not to be rude, but it seems that in general, birds do not mind being stared at as much as dogs and cats do.
Roadrunner
This roadrunner showed us the stick he had found, then put it down to pick up a piece of grass. He pranced the grass blade back and forth in front of us, then set that down too. I love his personality!
Baby Map Turtle!
Courtyard Outside the Jungle
Blue Dart Frog
Macaws
In the Aquarium
Sometimes we don't even go into the Aquarium because it tends to be pretty crowded. This day was perfect! Maybe a half dozen other people besides the Zoo Team were in the entire Aquarium during the time we were there.
Penguins! This picture is for Dave Nelson and Evan Choi :)
Our favorite part of the Aquarium, the tunnel, had no other people in it. We have never gotten to go through it alone! We stayed to make friends with the turtles and rays.
This. This is what got us to the Zoo on such a snowy morning. How precious is he?? Mama was not too impressed with us being close, so we only stayed to take a couple pictures and congratulate her <3
This was a very fun day! Next time, we should go together!
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Post from one year ago today...
February 26, 2016
As team members practice resolving conflicts with each other, they will become proficient at it.
Setting a mood of mutual respect and encouraging one-on-one conflict resolution will separate the “wheat” (important complaints) from the “chaff” (unimportant complaints).
When you consistently build up your team members directly and to each other, and handle conflicts with which you are personally involved privately and respectfully, you will be building the groundwork for an upward, positive spiral.
