The Terrible Ticks

I remember seeing articles pop up a few months ago that this was going to be a bad year for ticks.

Warmer winter, the use of fewer pesticides, the increase in white-tailed deer, the migratory pattern of birds, etc, etc.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

They’ve been saying that for the past 5 years.

Fast forward a few months and now I believe it.

This month at work I’ve already seen more ticks on dogs than I did all combined of last year and now I keep telling my husband, “It’s gonna be a bad year for ticks. We have to keep the grass short.”

Just yesterday at work we had a lady bring a small tick in to the clinic in a Ziploc bag. “This was on my dog. Is this a tick?”

It certainly was. It wasn’t a big tick, just a little guy but the fact that it was on this ladies little Shih Tzu that goes to the bathroom in the house on a wee-wee pad and has certainly never seen a heavily wooded area before, is a bit concerning.

Then there was the Lab that we pulled a tick off of and on day that I wasn’t at work I heard they pulled several ticks off of another dog.

And…………… the week before that we pulled this slightly engorged guy off the vet’s dog, which we found by accident when petting him.

Yep. Now I have proof. It’s gonna be a bad year for ticks.

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That Awesome Feeling Of Being Missed By Your Dogs

I was gone for 4 days last week and while I had a complete blast at BlogPaws I missed home.

I’ve always been a homebody.

Home is where my family is.

Home is where my bed is.

Home is where my dogs are.

I love home and home loves me and I love home even more when I know that it and all of its occupants missed me when I was gone.

I know Gracie missed me because she sent me a text every morning and every night telling me so.

I know Bobby missed me when I saw him for the first time after 4 days and he had the biggest smile on his face that I’ve seen in quite awhile and he actually hugged me out in public.

I know my husband missed me, just buy the relieved look on his face and the enormous pile of laundry that was sitting there waiting for me to fold it, and the mail unopened but separated out into piles all over the kitchen table, and he gave me a big kiss.

I know that Sherman missed when he just melted when I waked in the door and rolled over on his belly for a belly rub.

It’s been 4 days since anyone has rubbed my belly and wiped my slobber!

And Leroy.

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Help Animals Impacted By The Oklahoma Tornadoes.

As news unfold about the damage that has been to Moore, Oklahoma and we start to see many images circulate about the devastation that is being revealed our hearts are breaking.

As a mother my heart aches for the parents who lost children.

As a homeowner I get a knot in my throat when I see images of houses just wiped out.

And as a pet owner I am heart broken when I see the images of family pets wandering through the destruction looking for their families.

My first reaction when I see things like this is that I want to jump into action and help. I want to be there. Whatever it is I want to do it.

Then reality sets in and I realize I am not trained for things like that.

Sure I work in an animal hospital and I work on sick and injured animals almost everyday, but I’m not trained in any shape or form to be apart of a disaster response team on the ground.

However, I am apart of the Blogger Disaster Response Network through BlogPaws and Pet 360, where members of this voluntary organization are the first to be notified of global disaster response efforts through World Vets, and given all the information they need to help spread the word about how people can help.

Which brings us to Paws 4 OK.

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BlogPaws Exhausted

I went. I saw. I survived. I came home.

And now I am mentally and physically exhausted.

Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast.

A BLAST.

I connected with so many bloggers that there is just too many to name and I’m afraid if I do try to name them all I might forget someone and then I would feel bad and I don’t like feeling bad.

The bloggers who I got to meet and spend time with know who they are, and the ones who I didn’t get to meet, I am truly bummed and I hope we will have the chance to meet one of these days.

I have so many things to share with you all, but at this moment in time I don’t know where to start. My brain is still in overdrive from all the things I learned.

So I’m going to take a few days off from blogging and catch up on some sleep. Conquer the pile of laundry waiting for me. Hug the kids. Lay on the floor with the dogs. Maybe unpack at some point. Read my notes from the conference, and then get my mind out of overdrive!

Maybe in that order. Maybe not.

The Monday Mischief Pet Bloghop

Welcome to Monday Mischief – The pet blog hop that wraps up the weekend! This Blog Hop is brought to you by Alfie’s Blog, Snoopy’s Dog Blog, and My Brown Newfies

Snoutstik. Nose Balm For Dogs

A dog’s nose is at least a million times more sensitive than our own noses. I mean think about how much your dog’s nose goes through a day. All those wonderful smells it finds, all the mud it finds when digging, all the kisses it seeks out. I mean a dog’s nose gets a work out 24/7 and is one of the most important part of a dog’s body so imagine how painful a dry or irritated dog nose can be.

I love Sherman’s nose. It’s a gorgeous big brown nose and it is one of the most photographed parts of his body but lately it’s being covered in mud and I haven’t been able to see it much until last week when I wiped his nose with a warm washcloth and I noticed the little cracks on his nose.

I was a little bummed to realize that it was actually a dry cracked nose and NOT dried mud, but have no fear because as luck would have it, I had just set up a review through Sweet Relish to do a product review for Snoutstik^® by Opie & Dixie and the nose balm was in route to my house.

Snoutstik^® was created to help alleviate dry dog noses caused by exposure to the elements, allergies or heredity, and has a core combination of healing, natural sunscreens, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Jojoba Seed Oil.

Snoutstiks^®come in 3 different formulas for your dog:

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The Assistants Assistant

Leroy was my assistant at work yesterday.

Best and only assistant I have ever had before.

BlogPaws Bound

On Thursday I’m heading to my first ever BlogPaws conference and I am SUPER excited.

The conference this year is held in Tyson Corner, Virginia and is THE biggest blogging conference for pet bloggers.

For those of you who are not familiar with what BlogPaws is, let me explain that first:

“BlogPaws is a Social Media Company focused on teaching pet enthusiasts how to use social media effectively. They also work year round to connect bloggers and micro-bloggers to the brands they buy every day. Their online community site is for pet bloggers, pet enthusiasts, pet people on Twitter and Facebook and brands eager to tap into a growing, vibrant, vocal community of serious writers, bloggers, tweeters.”

They are the go-to resource for pet people and brands to partner on projects and campaigns, to be educated on social media, and to arrange face-to-face meetings all over the country.

Additionally, BlogPaws is committed to supporting bloggers and pet enthusiasts everywhere, and brands that embrace the Be the Change for Pets channel. BlogPaws supports many efforts across the web that help pets in need, they work to bring attention to issues surrounding animal welfare and to show the world that “pets are people, too!”

Now about the BlogPaws Conference

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Stringy Things Stuck On My Dogs This Spring

Every Spring we get these stringy things in our yard.

I’m pretty sure that they come from our oak tree and I think they are called catkins, but don’t quote me on that.

What I do know is that they are a BIG mess and they get stuck everywhere on Sherman and Leroy and they clog my drain on the patio.

If they are stuck on them then they track them through the house on my carpet, in my vents, in my bed and just about anywhere they go.

They kind of gross me out because they remind me of worms.

I’ve been doing my best to try and get them picked up every time I got outside but we had a pretty windy weekend and they were just literally flying off the tree and the dogs were doing just a fine job sweeping them up with their fur.

It was like their fur was velcro for these stringy things.

My house is messy enough. I don’t really need stringy things stuck on my dogs that look like worms, to make it even worse.

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10 Ways My Dog Tries To Wake Me Up In The Morning

This year Leroy has become very comfortable with jumping in my bed in the mornings.

He use to never jump in bed with me. He use to just sit at my bedside and breathe hot air in my face but I guess that got boring so now he has decided that jumping in bed with me is a way better approach to waking me up.

The thing is, I’m a pretty heavy sleeper and most of the time, unless he misjudges his jump and lands on me, I don’t even know he’s in bed with me.

Just like a few weeks ago. I felt hot breath on the back of my neck when I was sleeping and I assumed it was my husband but when I rolled over I realized it was Leroy.

He was laying just like my husband, head on the pillow, all sprawled out and sound asleep.

Weird but cute.

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The Scoop On Sherman’s Laser Therapy

This is another status update on Sherman’s torn ACL. I have had wonderful feedback from interested readers about sharing Sherman’s journey with his injury, so I will continue to share as long as it is welcomed.

Geesh, it’s already been just about 5 months since Sherman tore his cruciate ligament in his right knee and at the same time we learned that he had a partial tear in his left knee. You can read all about it here, here, here AND here.

Last week Sherman had his 5th laser treatment and the awesome news is that the good vet said that both knees are now stable, range of motion is great and the swelling is gone!

We will still continue the laser treatments but instead of having them done every 7-10 days we will do them every 3-4 weeks and see how things go.

Just to reiterate here is what we are looking for the laser therapy to do with Sherman:

Reduce pain and discomfort in a natural way
Speed healing
Increase mobility and motion in his joints
Reduce swelling

How does it work?

The laser sends a beam of light energy deep into the tissues of the body.
This energy has several effects – it reduces inflammation and stimulates the immune system, and it increases blood flow to the area being treated, all of which speed healing.
The light energy also causes the body to produce endorphins – the body’s natural pain relieving chemicals.
Some laser machines, like the one that is being used for Sherman, also have an attachment which can direct a fine beam of light energy. Vets may use this to stimulate acupuncture points, and use it as an alternative to acupuncture needles.

The laser therapy will NOT repair his torn ACL. It is torn and will remain that way. What is happening is that scar tissue is forming outside of the joint which is helping to stabilize the knee. The laser treatment is suppose to be assisting in that process by making the tissue heal quicker and stronger, with hopes that the arthritis in the knee will be kept to a minimal for quite some time.

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