Who did YOU turn to for advice when you sat down to think about your New Year’s resolutions?  There are a lot of experts out there, after all!  I like to look at the thoughts of people who have achieved success in their own lives in some way or another, and I often use those thoughts as a model in developing a plan for the new year.  Just to keep this mental exercise interesting (and to improve the chances that I will actually follow through on the resolutions I make), I try to pick a new expert every sp often.  In the past few years, I’ve used life coach Cheryl Richardson’s ideas on how to review the old year and start the new year.  She suggests a look at eight categories - from personal growth to finances to health to career - to consider as a person looks to improve herself.  Her model is a good one that works for many people.  But I can’t say that, in reviewing 2006, I was as successful in improving the lives of my pets as I was in improving my own life.  Cheryl’s model takes days of self-reflection to complete.  I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the less time I seem to have for extended navel-gazing.

I wanted to do better for my pets in 2007.  Why?  Because of your example!  Despite thinking that I provide a pretty darn good level of care for my own pets (as well as all of yours), I am sometimes humbled and occasionally brought up short when I see what those of you who really, really, really care for your pets do!  I think about the owners of Mindy, Audrey, Sandy, Katie, and Dakota, and so many others of my acupuncture and herbal therapy patients.  They give up significant amounts of their free time to drive long distances to bring their pets in regularly for treatment that they know extends their pet’s lives and makes them feel so much better.  I think about those of you, like the owners of Lucy and Bosco, Basie and Deina, who ranged from being scared silly of injections to just not being comfortable around needles.  They all toughened up and learned how to give injections so that their pets didn’t have to suffer from the effects of diseases like diabetes and adrenal disease.  And I think about people like the owners of Tigger and Spencer, who, every day, deal with the reality of young pets with incurable diseases but keep their chins up and stay determined to give them the best quality of life while they can.  And I think of owners like Pam (see her story on our “Celebrations” page) who came up with a wonderful solution to the old problem of not having necessary information at hand for pet trips to the emergency room.  Emergency room veterinarians (who typically don’t know much about holistic diets and supplements) would often ask Pam what she was feeding and then tell her that her diet was the problem - and Pam knew that it wasn’t.  Pam took the time to find a solution that educated these vets and their staff, while helping make sure that Cody received better care.

So, fortified by these examples, off I went in search of a new model for improvement that included my pets and didn’t take days and days to complete.

Who would have thought to look to a comedian for life advice?  But in taking a break from all that resolution-making to read the first Sunday paper of the year (I’ve been told that “I will not procrastinate” needs to be on my resolution list...), I found the short, pithy, tongue-in-cheek article that Ellen DeGeneres wrote on how to keep your 2007 resolutions.  Her first rule?  Don’t make resolutions that are just plain dumb, like: “I will walk five miles every day” when you live in Chicago and know darn well that you won’t step outside when it’s cold and wet.  Instead, she suggests that you save this one for a June Resolution list, when you are more likely to follow through.  Rule number two was to make that pesky list shorter by resolving to keep doing something good that you are already doing - like: “I will continue to avoid feeding my dog those disgusting pig’s ears”.  She only offered about five rules, and they were all short and sensible.  Now, THIS I could get done in a single afternoon, instead of the days of self-reflection required in the past few years!

So here’s what I resolved to do this year:

1. I will continue to walk an hour every day. I will make sure to take Lizzie along some of the time, to benefit her operated leg.  If it is pouring, I will forgive myself if I don’t walk, but then my pets get that hour of my time!

2. My staff and I will meet once a month to discuss what we can do to make our hospital a more comfortable and pleasant place for our clients and patients.  (So if you have feedback, let me know, and we’ll discuss it at our next meeting.)

3. I will read at least half of one veterinary or medical journal every working day, so that I can be not just a highly educated medical professional, but one with current knowledge.

4. I will set better boundaries around my working schedule, stop working 65+ hours a week, and not apologize anymore for taking time away from work to rejuvenate myself.  That way, I’ll be a better, more caring Doctor for my patients, a better “pet Mom,” and a better family member. (That is, once my family remembers who I am!)

5. I will expand my lecture horizons and topics so that I get to learn new things, too, instead of my audience getting to have all the fun.

6. I will continue to feed all my pets, even the fish, one fresh food meal a day. (Yes, there is information on what fresh food to feed goldfish, and they love it, but that’s another column.)

7. My staff and I will more actively work to honor the spirit of our patients who are challenged by health issues.  Our Doctors will meet weekly to review difficult cases and offer input into how to improve the health and well-being of these patients.  Our webmistress and I will discuss opening up a place on our website where all clients can go, to ask for other people’s positive thoughts for their health-challenged pet.  (Medical research has shown the positive impact that such thoughts can have on a patient’s state of health.)

And that’s it!  Hopefully, all of you will see the positive impact of these resolutions when we see you at the hospital on your next visit. And who knows?  Maybe you’ll be inspired to make a few resolutions to benefit your own pets!