First published on the Riley and James website
by Shawn Finch, DVM
Age children should be before they own a reptile: 6.
Age children should be before they have primary care of a pet: 12.
Age children should be before the family owns a pet prone to aggression: 18.
Age I was married: 24.
Age I had my second child: 30.
Favorites…
Favorite dog name: Joey Cupcake.
Favorite cat name: Mr. Narwhal.
Favorite rabbit name: Junie B. Jones.
Suggestion for their new bunny’s name: Judy Moody.
Dogs or cats: both.
Being a vet or being a Mom: being a Mom.
Crabby owners or crabby pets: crabby pets.
Treating or preventing: preventing.
Hamsters or pit bulls: pit bulls.
Dogs I have disliked: 0.
Cats I have disliked: 0.
Number of years I have been a vet: 8.75.
Number of years I have been a mom: 7, including gestation.
Number of crabby owners I have had to deal with lately: 1.
Number of crabby pets: 10 maybe? But if you have read “Will Benji be there?”you understand why it was not their fault!
Primary guideline for scheduling appointments: No crabby owners, crabby pets are just fine.
Coworkers who stand by that with me because it makes work very fun: 5 of 5.
Coworkers on my list of favorite people: 5.
Percent of pets who come in for prevention-related reasons: 90.
Percent of pets who come in for treatment of disease: 10.
Hamsters who have bitten me: 3.
Percent of hamsters who have considered biting to thank me for their great care: 98.
Pit bulls who have bitten me, or even tried: 0.
How these statistics, excluding the hamster bites, make me feel: happy.
Average lifespan of a dog: 12 years.
Oldest dog I have known: 17. Breed: Poodle.
Average number of years that are added to a dog’s life when fed properly: 2.
Average lifespan of an indoor cat: 13 years.
Average lifespan of an outdoor cat: 3 years.
Oldest cat I have known: 21.
Breed: Siamese.
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor.
Average lifespan of a betta fish: 1 year.
Age of our betta: 3.
Secret of Fish’s youthful beauty: oxygen.
Most common cause of death in pocket pets and exotics: improper diet or housing.
Amount of Internet information on pet care that is accurate: 50%, I would guess. But I still maintain that it is a great place to start.
#1 cause of death in cats and dogs: euthanasia due to behavior issues.
#2: euthanasia due to overpopulation.
Most common signalment of a dog with cancer: senior patient who has had excellent care and grown old enough to develop cancer.
Most common issue owners who have pets with cancer deal with: guilt.
Stages of grief owners go through at the loss of a pet: 5.
Percent of dogs and cats over 2 with dental disease: 80.
Frequency of dental cleaning recommended for average adult pet: once a year.
Average lifespan of guinea pigs: 5.
Age of Piggy: 3.
Most common vitamin deficiency in guinea pigs: C.
Animals that do not make vitamin C: Primates and guinea pigs.
Amount of vitamin C in Piggy’s daily supplement: 25 mg.
Number of guinea pig diets with adequate vitamin C: 0.
Number of guinea pig liquid supplements with adequate vitamin C: 0.
Diseases Piggy has had: 2.
Diseases related to vitamin C deficiency: 0.
Most common vitamin deficiency in birds: A. Most common vitamin deficiency in reptiles: D.
More favorites…
Favorite rodents for children: rats and guinea pigs.
Favorite rats from children’s literature: Nicodemus and Templeton.
Favorite mice from children’s literature: Mrs. Frisby, Herman the Great and Ralph.
Number of favorite dog breeds I have: 23.
Number of least favorite dog breeds I have: 2.
Number of breeds I have mixed feelings about: 4.
Favorite canine from children’s literature: Carl.
Other favorites: Ann and Dan.
Number of favorite cat breeds: 1.
Number of least favorite cat breeds: 0.
Favorite feline from children’s literature: Socks.
