Vet Wisdom® Café

Wordless Wednesday - Our Catalog

We don't very often feature a product here for Wordless Wednesday, but we're pretty proud of our print catalogs. This is the cover from our most recent catalog which we've just started sending out! Lora, our Business and Print Manager, creates the catalogs (with a lot of input from the whole team!) Isn't it a great cover? The insides are not only fun to look at, but useful, with a lot of information about all of our products! If you want a copy of your own,  you can request one, or you can view the whole thing online too. 

Welcome to the New Year!

I can't believe it's already 2012!

Anyway, I love the time around New Year's because the world seems fresh and filled with possibilities.  I don't make resolutions because I never keep them, but I do spend some time thinking about what I really, truly like to do and figuring out how I am going to make time to do more of those things.

Two things always come up high on my list:  1) scrapbooking because it fills both my creative needs and my tendency toward family nostalgia and 2) reading because it's how I relax and stay connected to the larger world outside my own head.

It occurred to me that we have a couple of items in our online store at www.veterinarywisdomforpetparents.com that fill both these needs. I'm going to make use of both of them and I wanted you, dear blog reader, to know about them, too, because they're perfect for starting the new year with your pets. 

The first item is the scrapbook calendar kit, complete with stickers, die cut frames, wonderful background papers, etc.  This kit contains everything you need to make your pet the star of every single month of the new year.  It's great to make and then take with you to work...keeping your pet ever close and making you smile through all those dreary hours at your desk!

The second is the Dog Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Tips,Tricks, and Techniques for Living a Rich Life with Your Dog by Wendy Nan Rees and Kristen Hampshire.  This book includes so many ideas and conveys so much information about life with a dog that it's hard to describe.  Examples include how to make a doggy "passport" if you're traveling with your pet, as well as guidance for the question, "does my dog really need boots?"  If you like to read and you like to read about dogs, this book has something for everyone...

Anyway, happy new year and we look forward to having you in our blogging community in 2012!

--Laurel

 

Holiday Gifts for Pet Lovers

The holidays are upon us!

Mark the special occasion with a ClayPaws® Holiday Gift Kit! Give one to every pet lover on your list. Or, make a print for each pet in your own family! Our holiday gift kit is everything you need to celebrate your pet this holiday season!

 

Each kit includes:

2 ClayPaws® patties for two small or one large print (in your choice of White, Terra Cotta, or Soft)

1 Holiday paw print gift bag

2 decorative ribbons and 2 gold cords (for hanging)

1 green keepsake bag

1 stylus

1 gold star, and 1 yellow star charm

1 candy cane charm

1 patty pad and circle mold

Order kits now so they arrive in time for your holiday celebrations! Order online at http://www.veterinarywisdomforpetparents.com/holidaygiftkitstore.htm. Or call our customer service line at 1-888-271-8444.

--Tammy

Holiday Cards

With Thanksgiving just past, it's time to consider the holidays!

We wanted to let you know that we have three wonderful holiday cards that are now available! These great cards will be the perfect way to send holiday greetings to your clients and their pets this season!

Order these holiday cards now and share your holiday greetings!

(Quantity discounts available - combine with your sympathy and note card orders to receive these discounts!) 

 --Tammy

"And now, to all the good dogs..."

25 years ago, I was one of a handful of grief counselors beginning a new job in a field that we were inventing as we went along.  The field was referred to as "pet loss counseling" and even the veterinarians we were working with thought we might not be doing the right thing by "paying attention" to their clients' grief.

There was a prevailing belief that "paying attention" to the loss of a pet would just make matters worse for grieving pet parents.  "We've just killed their pet. What could we possibly do that would make them feel any better?" one skeptical veterinarian asked me.

Frankly, I wasn't sure myself.

Then, a wonderful woman named Cathy Bender visited me at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital and showed me her line of Eldorado Arts pet sympathy cards.  She created her cards so veterinarians could send them to their grieving clients.  Cathy was a gifted artist and paired her realistic artwork with poignant words to express just the right sentiment for the occasion.

Today, sending a sympathy card when a pet dies is standard procedure for veterinarians.  But, back in those days, sending a sympathy card when a pet died was a new idea. Cathy's cards, from her company Eldorado Arts, were among the first of their kind. 

One of Cathy's Eldorado Arts card pictured dogs of all sizes and breeds running together through the grass and it quickly became my favorite.  The card featured a quote from George Papashvily that read, "And now, to all the good dogs... the special ones you loved best, those of ours we still miss...good-bye, until, on some brighter day, in some fairer place, they run out again to greet us."  For me, this card conjured just the right blend of empathy, hope, and spiritual uplift.  I added my own note and sent them to all my dog-parent clients.

And, then, Cathy discontinued the card.

I was lost!  Oh, there were many, many other wonderful cards that replaced it.  Cathy was, and still is, a prolific artist.  But, I really missed that particular card.....

So, today, I have some fun news to share with you.

World by the Tail, Inc., is now the new owner of Eldorado Arts cards and my favorite design is once again mine to send!  Cathy decided to retire after 24 years in the card business and we were fortunate enough to become the keepers of her artistic legacy.  Along with Cathy's business, we acquired her original art, so my card is now one of dozens available for me---and YOU---to send to grieving pet parents.

Tammy has my "Good Dogs" card, along with all the other sympathy cards, posted on our veterinary website. Message note cards, blank note cards, and postcards are also available. Please take a look and help us welcome Eldorado Arts cards to our Veterinary Wisdom® line of client support products!

--Laurel

Thoughtful Holiday Gift for the Vets or Techs On Your List

"I have seen many pets arrive in our clinic for euthanasia, die in our care, or arrive deceased.  I show empathy for the pain and loss the family is experiencing.  I also find that making clay [imprints of pets'] paws for the clients allows me to grieve for the family's loss, and I feel better knowing I am creating a memory for them." --Andrea Tucker, Client Care Professional, Colorado Springs, CO

Andrea is quoted in a book called The Veterinary Caregiver's Book of Quotes by Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPM, PHR.  While we're happy to learn that she makes clay paw prints for her clients, we're actually more excited about the feeling of empathy she demonstates. This book is filled to the brim with many more comforting and inspirational bits of advice and wisdom (like the quote above) from veterinary nurses and hospital managers like Andrea.

If you have a veterinarian or veterinary staff member on your shopping list this season, this book would make an ideal gift.  And, if you are a pet parent who is interested in gaining some insight into how these caring professionals really feel about their jobs and the clients they serve, it would make a great read for you, too!

Honestly, the dedication and empathy for others that characterizes the veterinary profession always leaves me in awe.  That feeling shines through in this book.    

You can get a copy through AAHA (the American Animal Hospital Association), the publisher or by visiting our website at www.veterinarywisdom.com/caregiverbookstore.htm.

Enjoy!

--Laurel

Related products you might like:

Handcrafted Silver Pins

One Day Sale!!

We know that you've probably spent some of your holiday weekend standing in line at the mall for specials. Well, you don't have to stand in line to receive our ONE DAY SPECIAL!!

For today, Monday, November 29, 2010, only, you can get a very special deal on ClayPaws® Holiday Gift Kits! These kits will make the perfect gift for a pet lover on your list. Or buy one for your own family to make a special holiday ornament of your beloved pet's paw print!

For today only, use our special coupon code (11HGK10) to receive $5.00 off each holiday gift kit you order. Visit the holiday gift kit page and place your order for the kits you need. Then when you check out, enter the COUPON CODE:  11HGK10 into the appropriate place (a box marked "coupon code" will appear as an optional field).

The normal price for these kits is $19.95 each, so for today only, you can buy as many as you need for the holidays for only $14.95 each!

Don't snooze through this sale! The coupon expires at midnight tonight! Again, the coupon code you need is 11HGK10. Shop now for your holiday gift kits!

--Tammy

Don't snooze and lose!

It's that time of year again!!

It is our once annual  Stock Up and Save Sale on ClayPaws® kits! This is the beset deal we offer all year, and we want to make sure you know so you don't miss out!

Head on over to the website now and take a look at the deals! If you use ClayPaws® kits in your animal care business, now is the time to stock up! If you've been thinking about starting to use them, this is the best deal you'll get!

You can choose your type of clay, White, Terra Cotta, or Soft. If you order 40 kits, we'll include 6 FREE kits! Or go big, and order 80 kits, we'll give you 12 FREE kits!

Don't miss out - the sale doesn't last forever! Order here.

--Tammy

Celebrating Pet Parent Day!

So, we just found out that there's a holiday out there we thought you should know about and celebrate!

It seems that this Sunday, April 25 is national Pet Parent Day! It is a day to celebrate people who care for pets - mother's get a day, as do father's, so people who have pets should get a day too! I don't call my pets my children, but they really are (I don't have children, so kitties it is!) I'm going to see if I can get Henry, Ben, and Oscar to let me sleep in on Sunday!

We thought, in honor of Pet Parents, we would offer you, our blog readers, a weekend long sale! What better way to celebrate Pet Parenthood than treating yourself to something memorable from our pet parent website? Spend some time shopping - for yourself or for a friend, and take a 10% discount off of your entire order! You might pick up a pocket paw print stone or two, or start that scrapbook of your pet you've been thinking about! Or how about splurging on a handmade (limited edition) silver paw-in-hand pin?

Visit the store at www.veterinarywisdomforpetparents.com/store.htm. When you are ready to checkout, use the coupon code PP100423 to take your discount! (There is a box on the cart page to fill in the code.) And once you're done shopping, enjoy the celebration of Pet Parent Day! You care for your pets every day all year, so celebrate that bond this weekend! (The coupon is good all weekend, starting today, so go shop before it expires at the end of the day on Sunday!)

(photo from bigstockphoto.com)

--Laurel, Tammy, Dana, and everyone at World by the Tail, Inc.

AWAREness Is The Key

As many of you know, I write frequently about on-line pharmacies and the potential dangers they pose to the health of our pets if they are unsupervised or mismanaged. Well, I'm happy to tell you that the U.S. FDA has now created a brochure for pet owners outlining the safe and appropriate use of online pharmacies.

This brochure contains excellent suggestions for pet owners wanting to purchase medications online (and I'm sure will help veterinary practice owners sleep better at night). They encourage the following guidelines using the acronym A W A R E:

Ask your veterinarian what he/she thinks about a particular on-line pharmacy before buying medications there. While it's true that purchasing some medications online can save you time and money, your pet's health should always be the number one priority. If you work together with your veterinarian, your pet will benefit. Be careful with pharmacy sites that do not require a prescription or will continue to refill medications even when the prescribing veterinarian has declined the refill. For certain medications, there's an important medical reason to decline the refill (the pet's health status must be evaluated periodically by physical exams or blood panels). Most veterinarians will allow refills for up to  6 months (although there are exceptions for many drugs). Also, beware of sites that have no physical address or are not located in the U.S.

Watch for red flags. Things to look for include: pharmacies that send unusual looking, broken, or previously opened bottles; medications with a different name than the one prescribed; and any other things that seem unusual.

Ask about the pharmacy's accreditation. Before purchasing, check to see if the pharmacy follows the guidelines for accreditation. They must be accredited by Vet Vipps (Veterinary Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites).

Report any problems with a medication and any suspicious behavior to the FDA. Accredited online pharmacies are required to follow certain protocols and this includes monitoring a medicine's side effects or other problems.

Educate yourself about online pharmacies. The good news is that by reading this blog, you've already done just that! Do any of you have other ideas or things to look for? I'm curious.

Obviously, following these guidelines won't eliminate all potential dangers completely but it's certainly a giant step in the right direction. Isn't it great when you can let go of some of your stress and worry (even a small amount)? Whew!.... I feel better already!

--Dana

Fun Ways to Start the New Year with Pets

I can't believe it's almost 2010!  Honestly, doesn't Y2K seem like just yesterday!!??!!

Anyway, I love the time around New Year's Day because the world seems fresh and filled with possibilities.  I don't make resolutions because I never keep them, but I do spend some time thinking about what I really, truly like to do and figuring out how I am going to make time to do more of those things.

Two things always come up high on my list:  1) scrapbooking because it fills both my creative needs and my tendency toward family nostalgia and 2) reading because it's how I relax and stay connected to the larger world outside my own head.

It occurred to me that we have a couple of items in our online store at www.veterinarywisdom.com that fill both these needs. I'm going to make use of both of them and I wanted you, dear blog reader, to know about them, too, because they're perfect for starting the new year with your pets. 

The first item is the scrapbook calendar kit, complete with stickers, die cut frames, wonderful background papers, etc.  This kit contains everything you need to make your pet the star of every single month of the new year.  It's great to make and then take with you to work...keeping your pet ever close and making you smile through all those dreary hours at your desk!

The second is the Dog Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Living a Rich Life with Your Dog by Wendy Nan Rees and Kristen Hampshire.  This book includes so many ideas and conveys so much information about life with a dog that it's hard to describe.  Examples include how to make a doggy "passport" if you're traveling with your pet, as well as guidance for the question, "does my dog really need boots?"  If you like to read and you like to read about dogs, this book has something for everyone...

Anyway, happy new year and we look forward to having you in our blogging community in 2010!

--Laurel

Shopping for the holidays?

Well, look no further! I've already told you about our Holiday Gift Kits. Great for the pet lovers on your list! We also have a lot of other gift ideas, all gathered into one spot for you!

But - we are having a special ONE DAY sale! On Monday, November 30th only, we'll be offering up two different specials!! These sales will be valid only on Monday, so don't miss out!! Come back on Monday to find out what these specials are!

Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend, and we'll see you on Monday!

--Tammy

New Products!

We have some new products that I've recently added to our online catalog!

We have affiliated with Animal Behavior Associates. They have an amazing array of products, books, DVDs, etc. to help with all of your animal behavior needs and questions. Dan Estep, Ph.D. and Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D. are both certified applied animal behaviorists. They are highly qualified and have written numerous books and pamphlets! We are also carrying several of their books and DVDs/CDs. Check them out!

We have also added a selection of display easels for your ClayPaws® prints! We have four designs in bronze or black. They are inexpensive and quite nice. They work very well with most prints. (A large dog print or hoofprint might not work as these are sized for a typical 4" or so print.)