SIDEBAR #53 - Travis Alexander forum

[Jasper52]

Just wanted to add to that at least for me you are right that I have to be careful about his skin getting too dry because his skin allergy has already made his skin seem very dry.

So I don't want to make it any dryer.

A couple times when he was really bad off and had the inflamed red and HOT skin, I actually rubbed Baby Oil all over him and rubbed it into his skin and he seemed to like that and helped sooth his skin.

The only problem with that is its kind of messy and he rubs himself into the carpet and it kind of stinks. LOL

But for emergency dry skin conditions it was about the only thing that helped sooth his skin.

He is so much better now that I don't have to do things like that anymore but he still has the flaky dry skin so I may consider maybe using a moisturizing shampoo to see if that may help him. I never really thought about that since I hate to use any chemicals on him but maybe something safe would be good.

So THANKS AGAIN to everyone.

With the really tough issues we face with our pets, my experience is probably like a lot of other people. Quite a bit of Trial and Error and the KEY is to recognize what did help your pet.

Its difficult to realize what things help them. Some things like food take a lot of time to recognize what works. So we just need to pay attention and learn what works and avoid things that don't work or are harmful.

This conditioner is expensive, but worth it: Colloidal Oatmeal Creme Rinse

A couple of other options that have worked well are:

Aloe Vera Drink - put in a spray bottle and spray and massage into the skin.

Organic apple cider vinegar: Shake vinegar well then mix 1/2 and 1/2 with water in a spray bottle. Spray and massage into skin but be careful to avoid the eyes. Fleas do not like the vinegar and it is soothing and helps with itching and dry skin. I used to use this on my dog (no flea issues, but some hot spots that the vet couldn't provide anything that gave her relief) and it worked wonders. This would be my choice!

 

[Hatfield]

Head&Shoulders 2in1 dandruff shampoo with the conditioner built in works well for dogs with dry, itchy skin. My Lab gets dandruff even though we have her on a high quality food with Oils in it- Nutro Ultra.

Thanks Hatfield Wellness is what I'm feeding my dog now too, it's the Core grain free, reduced fat kibble but I supplement also with the canned. Also give him cooked chicken from time to time. I pretty much cut out the cheese that he loves because of the fat content. Well, he does get a teensy bit once in a while. Then of course he gets a few small treats each day, and sometimes fresh carrots. One thing my vet suggested was to give him cooked green beans for snacks since they're low calorie and low fat, something I had never thought of.

This conditioner is expensive, but worth it: Colloidal Oatmeal Creme Rinse

A couple of other options that have worked well are:

Aloe Vera Drink - put in a spray bottle and spray and massage into the skin.

Organic apple cider vinegar: Shake vinegar well then mix 1/2 and 1/2 with water in a spray bottle. Spray and massage into skin but be careful to avoid the eyes. Fleas do not like the vinegar and it is soothing and helps with itching and dry skin. I used to use this on my dog (no flea issues, but some hot spots that the vet couldn't provide anything that gave her relief) and it worked wonders. This would be my choice!

Great suggestions.

That's the beauty of getting to talk to everyone here is some of these ideas we would never even think of.

I too like to give treats to my dog and when it can be a healthy snack then its even better.

I see no harm in that because they need to have fun in their life too and its one of the few things they really get to enjoy in their lives. I probably spoil my dog too much but its probably why he picked "me" as his favorite. LOL

My wife gets so mad at how our dog favors me. LOL
And I have to admit that I rub it in too.

We play the game where we both call him and he always chooses me over her and it drives her crazy. LOL

The funny thing about it is that this is our 3rd dog of our lives and this one was her turn to pick out. The other 2 were my hunting dogs Brittany Spaniels that we had years ago and so this time when we had to get another it was her turn. She picked a lap dog and thinking it would be a cutesy girly dog. For some reason, right from the start the dog seems to favor me more than her and its become a funny joke thing of the house.

He really is so neat and I never expected I would end up loving a lap dog like I do.

 

[Jasper52]

He really is so neat and I never expected I would end up loving a lap dog like I do.

Haha, this brings back happy memories for me. My dog averaged around 45-50 pounds. Whenever I'd take her to the vet, she would jump up on my lap. The receptionist always laughed and said "she's a little big for a lap dog"!!!!

 

[Bernina]

I'm going to probably be ducking tomatoes, lol!
My pups get Purina ONE, 2 cups each, twice a day..........plus free access to whatever the horses and birds eat (alfalfa and bermuda pellets, Animax, bran, COB (a grain mix of corn, oats and barley rolled in molasses) anything "live" that they might catch and decide to munch, table scraps and leftovers (specially vegetables and fruits) and real big marrow bones that I get from the feed store that are out of their freezer.

I've had them on lamb and rice dog food and noticed "fatty tumours" on Ontos about 2 years ago, and he'd also gained weight and got sluggish. Switched to ONE, tumours and excess weight are gone.
I went through the gamut of Lamb and Rice brands.......they were supposed to be "good" for wolfdogs.....pfffttt.......maybe for growing pups.

But my pups aren't fixed, only Ontos had a rabies shot 7 years ago, Poquita has had none. My last Samoyd had his rabies series (dang that was almost 15 years ago that he passed) and my first WD had a pup and adult rabies. I just don't do all the shots and vet stuff that regular domestic dogs have because of the high content wolf business in these critters for the last 20 years. Haven't had any litters of pups, either because of dominant females or crating during heat cycles.

The standard breed type dogs I've had seemed to have issues, Sammies, Dobies, shelties...any purebreds, they all seemed to have varying issues with allergies to fleas, bermuda grass, carpet and floor cleaners <-----seriously, used Mop and Glow down in Scottsdale and had Sammies with red paws :facepalm:, issues with Tide detergent with some when I washed their bedding.........like WTH?
Only unknown medical issue was an inflamed pancreas with one WD, 4 days at the vet and she was good to go. She was partially blind and totally deaf when she died, but she died on her terms, had a good supper the night before, the next morning she just went to sleep and never woke back up.
My last sammie was poisoned, and years later, one of my WD's was poisoned, both by a neighbor who later died of prostate cancer........Karma. I hear he suffered tremendously. Glad he did, he poisoned other animals I had also, fainting goats, and a pot belly pig, shot one of my horse's in the head (glancing .22 across the forehead, $500+ vet bill), took a bow and arrow to a pair of geese, and shot my cat while he had his foot on the back of his neck. (all this came out from other neighbors after we ended up in court with this idiot when he fenced off our easement) Lots of other casualties, thefts, and vandalism, that's why I got security cameras.

I think providing the most "natural" environment is the key, but when you have pets that have been genetically modified/bred to please the eye or alter their appearance for muscle mass, bone structure, ect., what exactly is their "natural" environment? How many pets could be dumped in a habitat that had a source of water, game and vegetation, and could survive without human intervention? Not a whole lot of them. Some would die just because their metabolism couldn't handle whatever they were eating(non-toxic) or eating too much of it. Others wouldn't be able to survive because the fur, feathers, teeth, hooves, or basic bone structure would eventually make it impossible to see, eat, reproduce, or move.

Quite a quandary...........:thinking:

 

[LinasK]

Haha, this brings back happy memories for me. My dog averaged around 45-50 pounds. Whenever I'd take her to the vet, she would jump up on my lap. The receptionist always laughed and said "she's a little big for a lap dog"!!!!

Yeah, we tell my Lab, "You're a Lab puppy, not a Lap puppy"!

 

[coffeejunkie]

Bubby is awake and doing well. He's still groggy as they have him on pain meds and some other meds, but he's passing gas which is a good sign. I wanted to go and see him, but they advised me not to. They don't want him getting all excited today. They want him to rest and lay still. The problem was he had little poops that turned into one big ball of poop and had set up almost like concrete!! Poor dog, no wonder he was in so much pain.

Thankful he's doing ok and thanks for everyone caring.

 

[Bernina]

FYI: Goji Berries: don't munch on these if you're taking meds for diabetes, heart or high blood pressure.

Been having to check a lot of "natural" foods lately for med interactions for the BF.

 

[Spellbound]

Thanks Spellbound so much. Pilling my dog is a nightmare because he is so picky and he learned all the tricks...LOL

But I had no idea Benadryl will dissolve in water and have never tried that. That's a great idea and I have to admit there are times I wanted to give him another dose and due to the difficulty in pilling him I would not give him a dose. Your tip will come in handy for me. I will try that for sure.

My Vet told me I could give him Benadryl more regularly if I needed to and that confirms some of what you are saying.

Thanks again so much.

She was getting good at separating the pill from just about everything, so I decided to try it. I started out letting it dissolve overnight, but discovered it doesn't take too long with warm water (you can also crush it up once it starts to dissolve and add a bit of canned .... or add it to your dog's bowl. It dissolves in colder water, too but takes longer.

 

[Spellbound]

Good questions and points but no worry there because we don't give him baths too frequently. We usually try to give him one every couple weeks. And we use just an Oatmeal type regular shampoo with no special chemicals. I even found that Baby Shampoo is always a good regular shampoo.

Many months ago we tried some of the Vets special anti-itching shampoos and it made him itch more than ever. LOL So we quit that and just give him normal baths with normal shampoo.

Thanks for asking.

I was recommended Pert shampoo for fleas .... and it has conditioner in it. Our current vet recommended Oatmeal sha poor and feels more baths are better for the raw/rashed skin, once a week is all right. I did that when son's dog really raw skin areas from his scratching. I have found smearing Vaseline on dry spots works well.

Bubby is awake and doing well. He's still groggy as they have him on pain meds and some other meds, but he's passing gas which is a good sign. I wanted to go and see him, but they advised me not to. They don't want him getting all excited today. They want him to rest and lay still. The problem was he had little poops that turned into one big ball of poop and had set up almost like concrete!! Poor dog, no wonder he was in so much pain.

Thankful he's doing ok and thanks for everyone caring.

Hooray for Bubby! (I mistook his name for Buddy earlier... forgive me?) Now for a fast and happy recovery. What an anxious time this has been. I agree .... no wonder he was in such pain, poor baby.

 

[GigiG]

Niner, I won't post anything here regarding your DH medical condition as it is not exactly private lol. Xo

Thank you for stating that, Zuri. I was a bit concerned about the privacy thing, too.

 

[Bernina]

Interesting news coming from the PHE (Public Health England):
[h=1]E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review[/h]
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...armful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review

An expert independent evidence review published today by Public Health England (PHE) concludes that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than tobacco and have the potential to help smokers quit smoking.Key findings of the review include:

• the current best estimate is that e-cigarettes are around 95% less harmful than smoking
• nearly half the population (44.8%) don&#8217;t realise e-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking
• there is no evidence so far that e-cigarettes are acting as a route into smoking for children or non-smokers

The review, commissioned by PHE and led by Professor Ann McNeill (King&#8217;s College London) and Professor Peter Hajek (Queen Mary University of London), suggests that e-cigarettes may be contributing to falling smoking rates among adults and young people. Following the review PHE has published a paper on the implications of the evidence for policy and practice.

I wonder if the US anti-cig groups are going to acknowledge this? :thinking:

 

[Renee110]

Just picked some cucumbers from my garden and found this interesting article about them. Dmacky, you might want to check out #4 if you wind up taking a nap today.


10 Things You Should Know About Cucumbers
It's not your ordinary vegetable.

By abbygrinberg


Well, we know who has replaced Panacea, Greek goddess of universal remedy: the cucumber. They’re delicious, yes, but cucumbers are so much more than just taste. Here are ten things that the supernatural cucumber does.

1. Is there more to cucumbers than just water?
Cucumbers also contain Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, Folic Acid, Calcium, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Zinc. All of these important nutrients to keep you healthy and happy.

2. Stressed?
Cut up a cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a calming and comforting aroma.

3. Had a few too many drinks last night?
We’ve all been in your shoes. Cucumbers contain enough B vitamins, electrolytes, and sugar to replenish essential nutrients that alcohol absorbs from your body. Say goodbye to morning hangovers after eating a cucumber before you go to sleep.

4. Need a pick-me-up after a long nap?
Stay away from coffee and other caffeinated drinks and eat a cucumber instead. Cucumbers are chock-full of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide just the energy you need.

5. Want to give your bathroom a quick and easy clean?
All you need is a slice of a cucumber to get rid of any tarnish or built-up residue. Take the slice and wipe it on any surface that needs some extra care.

6. Writing that dreaded essay with a pen and made a mistake?
Have no fear, the cucumber is here. Take the peel and slowly erase away the pen writing. You’ll have a clean page in no time.

7. Struggling to stay hydrated during the day?
Try snacking on some cucumbers. They are made up of 95% water and will help quench your thirst.

8. Hate how your bathroom mirror fogs up after a shower?
Rub a cucumber slice along the mirror. It will eliminate the steam and provide a relaxing, spa-like fragrance.

9. Forgot a pack of gum on your first date?
Ask your waiter (or come prepared) for (with) some sliced cucumbers. Take a slice and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds. The phytochemicals in the cucumber will kill the bacteria responsible for bad breath.

10. Ever hear the term “cool as a cucumber”?
The saying comes from the cucumber’s ability to cool the temperature of the blood. When applied to your skin, the cucumber cools blood and eases facial swelling which is why cucumbers are so popular in facial regimens.

Never take a cucumber for granted again. I mean seriously, look at everything it’s good for. Try these ten uses and get the most out of your vegetables.


http://brandeis.spoonuniversity.com/featured/10-things-know-cucumbers/

I love these little tidbit things!!!

 

[Niner]

Niner, I won't post anything here regarding your DH medical condition as it is not exactly private lol. Xo

Thank you for stating that, Zuri. I was a bit concerned about the privacy thing, too.

Oh - I didn't expect her to post the stuff here! LOL! No problems~

Just got home from the Vet, and Louie has a new splint; the ace bandage before was blue, now he has a purple one! Looks like I won't be making it the Garcia-Torres (Sierra LaMar) trial hearing on Wed. 9/2, which I was going to go to, but Louie has to be back to have the splint checked... oh well! Maybe when the trial starts, I'll stay my sister's. Than the week after Louie and Kimi both get neutered! :cat: :cat:

Okay - signing off! Take care everyone!
:seeya:

 

[Renee110]

Dmacky, the young man never came back, never brought me my money back, nor picked up his pressure washer. My beloved contractor is going to come with his crew and finish the job and I know it will be done correctly. That whole situation gave me such anxiety and really set me off. A friend of mine had a similar experience and she is taking him to small claims court next Wednesday.

My DH said to just let it go as it was not worth all the angst I experienced. Lesson learned. Thank you for asking!

I'm sorry it happened to you. This has happened to me too. I did, though, take it to small claims, for the simple fact of people like him depending on you NOT wanting to go through the hassle, and they do it over and over to other people. I would take him to small claims, and look for online forums or whatever to leave reviews. Many people google people's names to see if anything is out there on them. Here in Tennessee, you just go to the courthouse, pay something like 70 dollars to file a claim. They give you a courtdate. You do have to have his address so the court can send him the summons. Here in Tennessee a verbal contract is as binding as a written one. I did win my small claims but it was more of peace of mind than money for me. Doing that went a long way to making up for my stupidity in the first place. I did what I could. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[ILikeToBendPages]

So since you mentioned critter diets, I want to ask you all what you think of higher protein versus more traditional diets for dogs. I have been giving my dog a high quality kibble that has veggies and added probiotics, essential fatty acids, that sort of thing. Also it has no corn, wheat, or soy. I also supplement it with some of the canned food which he absolutely loves. Our other Schnauzer always had a lot of itching and skin issues until we cut out the corn in his diet so we have avoided that completely with our fur baby now. However, to make it more confusing, some of the brands now provide the higher protein, completely grain free, products. :crosseyed: I just don't know what's best and through research haven't found any real answers and no one I ask seems to know. Actually, the one I'm feeding him now is a higher protein content which I chose due to it's lower fat content for "healthy weight". I started feeding him this not long ago after he had a mild bout of pancreatitis and also for weight loss. TIA for anyone's opinion. :wave:

Hmmm something must be in the water. Last month dh changed dog food and it really upset the dogs tummy's. Our old food boasted now more grain on it's new bag, so he tired Purina ProPlan and it made them all sick, and Anna cooked rice and chicken and sweet potatoes for them for a week and then started on Rachel Ray's dog food for some reason.

If you have a dog food that is low in protein your dog will eat more and poop more. But then again more protein puts a load your kidneys and things, and I don't know if it's the same in dogs. I add olive oil to the dogs dry food a couple of times a week so their skin isn't so dry.


How's the weather? This morning it was seventy three and the radio said the high would be eighty four, but it only got to seventy five.

 

[Bernina]

Duggar admits being 'unfaithful' to wife amid Ashley Madison claims

http://www.kpho.com/story/29844323/...ife-amid-ashley-madison-claims?autostart=true

Like we didn't see this coming.
Wonder how many people in high places will be throwing out apologies?

:scared: How could anyone *think* for one second that hooking up on a website would be totally un-hackable?
"Open Marriages", both parties know, it's their thing, more power to them, just don't let it spill over my fence. Not for me.:truce:

"Adultery"? Being the one who doesn't know til after the fact? NOT cool. :stormingmad: I hope whoever has the names leaks ALL of them.

If you do it, say it or write it, you OWN it. Specially if you want some acknowledgement for being all pious and humble, when you're NOT.:gaah:





...........chaps my hide, all those "holier than thou" types.

 

[Renee110]

Missed it. So now that you got me onto Pink Floyd BPages, I decided to find them on Youtube. Here's some of their 2005 reunion. Gosh, they sound the same.

[video=youtube;ikDEHygZzlI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikDEHygZzlI[/video]

They came here to Nashville and I paid 300 to see them. It was awesome. The one and only time a concert was held at Vanderbilt Stadium. Man they put on a helluva show!!!! There was so much pot smoking going on around me I got high lol. Seriously. One good concert!!!! Worth the money too!

 

[Renee110]

My dh saw two baby skunks go between the brick columns on the front porch last night and set a trap, and this morning he had a baby possum in the trap and a mother skunk and two babies on the outside wanting in. The cat collector has been bringing in more feral cats in the last month, and she walks the neighborhood at night and puts out bags of food for cats which brings in raccoons, possums and many skunks which brings in coyote's. Many times I'm sitting on the porch swing enjoying the quite when she leaves and it seems to freak her out. We did have a kit of foxes live under one of our decks one year. Every once in a while you can see scissor tails.

I collected recipe books at one time and my favorite is a 1945 Fannie Farmer that I found at a flea market. It's all from scratch. If you're going to cook you have to have good knives. Dh has a set of Henckels that are OK, and I have three Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro - an eight inch chef's knife which feel perfectly balanced in my hand, an six inch utility knife and a two and half inch paring knife. It's better to get the best you can even if the three cost more than what you buy as a "set" of knives and steak and block and a steel.

I love prep work, it's calming to me. I love all cooking, I just don't do it at home during the week because I'm cooking at my sisters. I haven't made shrimp, sausage and oyster gumbo in a long time. It always goes good with crab and shrimp étouffée, a good coleslaw, fried catfish and fresh made tartar sauce.

My favorite thing to bake is cheesecake. I don't do just plain or strawberry. My favorite is a black forest cheese cake. I bake a pan of brownies and cut off the corners and edges to use later and press the rest of brownie in the bottom of a spring from pan then layer chocolate cream cheese cherry pie filling and chocolate bits and pecans then a layer of brownie and repeat for the second layer and top it off with my pie filling hot fudge and brownie corners. And next weekend I'm going to get a whole chicken cut it up and fry it to see if I can still do it.

I am salivating just reading this. I was born in New Orleans, and love cajun food! I haven't made a good gumbo or étouffée yet.... we moved when I was 10, so I wasn't raised there, but love the food!! That cheesecake sounds good too. You don't live in Tennessee do you??? I would pay you to make me gumbo!

 

[GigiG]

Duggar admits being 'unfaithful' to wife amid Ashley Madison claims

http://www.kpho.com/story/29844323/...ife-amid-ashley-madison-claims?autostart=true

Like we didn't see this coming.
Wonder how many people in high places will be throwing out apologies?

:scared: How could anyone *think* for one second that hooking up on a website would be totally un-hackable?
"Open Marriages", both parties know, it's their thing, more power to them, just don't let it spill over my fence. Not for me.:truce:

"Adultery"? Being the one who doesn't know til after the fact? NOT cool. :stormingmad: I hope whoever has the names leaks ALL of them.

If you do it, say it or write it, you OWN it. Specially if you want some acknowledgement for being all pious and humble, when you're NOT.:gaah:





...........chaps my hide, all those "holier than thou" types.

What a creep. I can't believe that TV watching America made this trashy, hypocritical family rich. smh...

They made millions by "acting" (on "reality TV") and pretending to be something that they aren't.

There should be a big warning notice on these Reality TV shows: They're not doing this because they're big-hearted or good people. They do it because they're money-hungry attention mongers who have quite low morals and ethical standards. JMO

 

[ILikeToBendPages]

I am salivating just reading this. I was born in New Orleans, and love cajun food! I haven't made a good gumbo or étouffée yet.... we moved when I was 10, so I wasn't raised there, but love the food!! That cheesecake sounds good too. You don't live in Tennessee do you??? I would pay you to make me gumbo!

A friend gave me Paul Prudhomme Louisiana Kitchen when it came out in the eighties, and he has wonderful recipes for gumbo, jambalaya, bbq shrimp, red beans and rice. That is the only cajun cookbook I use.

I remember making my first roux. It was for gumbo and that's a dark roux, and I was lucky and didn't burn it.

Were you brought up with red beans and rice on Monday's? and it was laundry day and your mother made you hang the clothes on the line?