Saying Goodbye

I recently did a house call for a friend from work and euthanized her family's dog. Here is the message I received 2 days later.... I'm never surprised but always touched when I read words like these and realize that pets are more than just "4 legged friends" in the households they live in.

Gabbi
Feb. 11, 2005 - Oct. 1, 2010
Life is not fair or unfair for it is just a series of twists and turns and today is one of those downward spirals that only time can mend. I have been fortunate to have a great wife, awesome kids plus Jonathan and Jack, my beautiful grandsons and 3 fantastic dogs so far in my lifetime. Well today ends the earthly path that Gabbi, my third Newfie, and I have taken For now I must walk it without my constant companion, taken so young at the age of 5 by cancer for she is now waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge with her brother Duke and sister Scarlet and for when I enter the Kingdom of Heaven with my 3 companions People and Angels alike will know how truly blessed I am. I do not think it is a coincidence that dog is God spelled backwards for this is his greatest gift to us, for when god made a lion he gave it great courage and with what was left over he gave it to a dog with a little extra going to a Newfoundland, next the keen senses of the tiger, the strength of a bear and the brawn of a bull and of course the Newfie got a little more then the other dogs, next came the cunningness of a fox and the wisdom of the owl and once again dogs got the overflow with Newfies getting just little more and the list goes down the line and this even includes the stubbornness of a donkey and once again the Newfie got a little extra. But the things that a dog got that no other animal has received is LOVE and DEVOTION and yes the Newfoundland got a little extra. For if I were sick I would have a head in my lap and sad eyes to sympathize with me and if I were lonely a nudge on my leg and a cold nose on my palm to truly let me know I could never walk alone. And no truer love can be given then that of a dog for it is given unconditional, for if I had to walk thru hell when nothing or no one else would stand beside me my courage would not wane because it stands beside me in the form of my Newfies and should I become homeless I would not freeze for I would be protected from the cold and comforted from the wind by my big Teddy Bears, my Gentle Giants, my Newfoundlands Yes I know I sing their praise but those that know the breed know it is well deserved and even though my heart is breaking today, it is much fuller for having known and loved and having been loved by my little girl "My Gabbi" she may not have taken many breaths on this earth but if you knew her then I promise that she took your breath away for she was a comical little girl with a smirk on her face and a steadfast devotion to an old country boy

Hugs and Kisses to Heaven
A Proud Newfie Daddy

Puppies make me smile

I think my favorite thing about my job are the puppies. If I could only see puppies all day, every day, I would be so happy. One of my great friends and her fiance just got a Golden Retriever puppy. He's already 27 pounds and only 12 weeks. He's going to be BIG! While they work out the mean guy vs nice guy routine, Emily is very strict and Ryan is a big baby, I just get to love on him all the time. Ryan wants the puppy to sleep in the bed, and Emily wants to move his crate out of the bedroom entirely! AS it is with all puppies, there is a lot to work through and a lot of patience required. He already took a bite out of the drywall!! I love this little pup and know I won't be able to hold him like this too much longer!!

Patient of the day

This poor kitty is named Chessie. She was just in for routine vaccines and an exam and was not too happy to see me. My assistant, Shannon, did a great job holding her for me but her facial expressions were priceless. The owner and his son actually sent this picture to me. No one wants to be a the vets on a Friday evening- patients included!!

Fail

Fail! That's all I can say for my blogging success so far! One month as a real life, working veterinarian and all I have is a post saying I'm excited to start working and then nothing to follow. In my defense, since I set up this site I've moved in with my sister, had my life from Auburn shipped up to Maryland, started a new job, planned a bachlorette party, and planned a wedding shower. That's impressive, you have to admit.

So here's my goal in writing- to post at least once a week what happens in my life as a veterinarian. There have been some really cool cases so far and some crazy owners so I need to make this a priority!!

Off to work!! TTYL!!

First Day!

I graduated on May 11, 2010 and have been counting down the days until today. No more Body Pump classes in the morning followed by early afternoon naps for this girl. Today is my first day of work. Our schedule is really great. There are 2 shifts: 8 AM- 4PM or Noon- 7:30 PM. Today I have the afternoon shift and to everyone's surprise, I will be a "real doctor" today, seeing my own appointments and prescribing treatments. I can't wait. I'm a little nervous. There are a million questions people could ask. Just yesterday I was asked "My cat is scooting, what's wrong?" "Does my parent's dog notice when they are gone for 1 day vs 1 week?" and "How do we keep the dog from getting ticks when he swims multiple times a day and the topical products wash off?". Just practice questions for today.

I'm really hoping today goes well and I hope I have some good things to post later. Maybe I can make this blog site fun. We'll see.....

Dinner was delicious!

Last night I cooked dinner for my family and grandparents. We had salad, green beans, rice and beef tenderloin fillets served with pear halves stuffed with blue cheese. The dinner was amazing! Maggie agreed!!