OPENING DAY!

Yes, like Major League Baseball, even a blog can have an "opening day!" I am trying to resist the urge to say, "Put me in, coach, I'm ready to play," as sung by John Fogerty in his really great baseball song, Centerfield!

Welcome to the initial offering of this blog, in which Helpful Buckeye will attempt to help dog and cat owners learn more about health issues and general care of their pets. Our goal is to provide a forum for you, from which you can gain helpful insight into matters of importance to your pets. Helpful Buckeye will strive to assist you in getting the absolute most out of your relationship with your pet. We will make use of:

• discussions of specific diseases,


• the natural history of dogs and cats and how it relates to how they act the way they do,


• tips and suggestions for improving the quality of your relationship with you pet,


• anecdotes from my years of practice, and


• questions from readers that reflect current concerns of dog and cat owners.

In the spirit of full disclosure, this blog is NOT intended to take the place of your regular veterinarian, NOR is it attempting to turn all of our readers into veterinary assistants. However, this blog does intend to serve as a learning center for the dispersal and sharing of helpful information which, in turn, will make all of our readers more aware of what they can do to enhance the owner/pet relationship. Whether you are already doing things correctly or incorrectly, Helpful Buckeye will provide you with the proper tools to assure that you will have the chance to succeed with your dog and/or cat. All you have to do is read, absorb, and apply the information in our blog. I know, it sounds simple, and sometimes, it can be simple. So, let's give it a try and see what happens!

Beginning on Monday, Helpful Buckeye will present a general outline of topics to be covered in our regular postings. We think all of our readers will enjoy this approach, as there should be something for everybody. Our goal is to have every reader feel as if they found one good nugget on each and every visit to this blog. We're excited about this opportunity to share our experiences with all of you, so, in the words of the home plate umpire, "Play ball!"

See you Monday!