Oy vey Shar Pei!
Sassy and I spent some quality time at the vet. He thinks she has inhalation allergies, contact allergies and probably flea allergies. For the next month to 6 weeks she needs medicated baths weekly. The shampoo has a prescription. He doesn't think it's her diet, so that's one huge relief. Anyway, she also gets to take Benadryl and have her bald spots treated 2x daily. She's also getting antibiotics.
We went through this with her last summer, and what the vet told me today is that we should just expect to have spontaneous flare-ups with her skin. Poor, poor dog. At least we're used to this. Don't get me wrong. I don't like it, but I'm used to it.
As for the septic, let me mention that our system is approaching 50 years old. Enough said? Yeah, I think you get the picture. I'll just say that plumbing is a recession proof business. Maybe I should take it up.
Actually, I'm getting set up on etsy to sell things, like the project bags that make great wine bags. I'll post a link to it when it's up and running. Right now it's a bare shell of a shop.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Schedule changes
I decided that Sassy couldn't wait until Friday to go to the vet, so I called back and we've got an appointment tomorrow. While I'd rather see the same vet each time, Shar Peis have so many possible issues, and I've spent some time online reading about them all, that now I'm a little freaked out.
Yeah, I guess I'd better start jobhunting. Looks like I'll need the income to funnel to the vet's office.
Yeah, I guess I'd better start jobhunting. Looks like I'll need the income to funnel to the vet's office.
March Phat Fiber Sample Box part 2
I can't believe I forgot the biscotti. I'd show you a picture, but they were delicious. Here are the details.
Matilda Chiapparelli's Italian Cookies. Keith had put them on top of the fridge where they sat until I saw them today. I promptly ate one to counteract going to the gym, then Keith said I could eat his. It took no coaxing. They are really good.
The best part about going to the gym today. Taking a real shower. Since the monsoon, the septic tank has been a little too full, and I took an ultra quick, use as little water as possible shower yesterday. Even though the showers have low-flow heads at the gym, it was still great.
Matilda Chiapparelli's Italian Cookies. Keith had put them on top of the fridge where they sat until I saw them today. I promptly ate one to counteract going to the gym, then Keith said I could eat his. It took no coaxing. They are really good.
The best part about going to the gym today. Taking a real shower. Since the monsoon, the septic tank has been a little too full, and I took an ultra quick, use as little water as possible shower yesterday. Even though the showers have low-flow heads at the gym, it was still great.
Did you ever notice
that sewing really cuts into your knitting time? I was updating my knitmeter, and boy! I've not done much knitting this month.
I just called the vet's office, and Sassy has an appointment for Friday morning. It's the earliest we could get in with the vet we've been seeing recently. I think she'll be okay until then. I'm keeping an eye on everything, and unfortunately, she's not the first dog we've had with strange skin issues. April, the first dog Keith and I had, had all sorts of skin problems. Hers were different from Sassy's, but it got me trained up for Sassy.
We've never actually picked out a dog. Both Sassy and April were dogs we found roaming in our neighborhood. We looked for owners both times, and I think both times the former owners were not looking for them. Poor April had grown into a choke chain when we found her, and she was scared of men although she learned to love Keith. She lived to a ripe old age of around 14, we think, as we never knew her real age. So, I do know how to deal with animals with issues.
Anyway, the vet and I should have some fun on Friday. In the meantime, I think I've been treating Sassy more as a lab when I should be treating her more like a Shar Pei. From what I've read, she's the worst sort of mix as Shar Peis and Labs have polar opposite nutritional needs. I'll discuss it with the vet, but I think instead of ham and potatoes that I may need to try oatmeal and poultry of some sort. Either that, or Keith going to have to get his hunting license and bag the maximum amount of deer this next year to feed her. (Sorry to any vegetarians out there, but let's face it, dogs need meat. Yeah, I know they are omnivores, but I have visions of the camping scene in Blazing Saddles when I think of feeding Sassy beans.)
So, it's Monday. What fun do we have planned for this week? Septic tank gets pumped tomorrow. Keith has let me know that playtime is over, so I either need to start getting stuff posted on etsy, or I need to start jobhunting. It's gonna be a fun week, including all the usual grocery shopping, starting to go to the gym again and more rain heading our way later in the week. yeeha.
I just called the vet's office, and Sassy has an appointment for Friday morning. It's the earliest we could get in with the vet we've been seeing recently. I think she'll be okay until then. I'm keeping an eye on everything, and unfortunately, she's not the first dog we've had with strange skin issues. April, the first dog Keith and I had, had all sorts of skin problems. Hers were different from Sassy's, but it got me trained up for Sassy.
We've never actually picked out a dog. Both Sassy and April were dogs we found roaming in our neighborhood. We looked for owners both times, and I think both times the former owners were not looking for them. Poor April had grown into a choke chain when we found her, and she was scared of men although she learned to love Keith. She lived to a ripe old age of around 14, we think, as we never knew her real age. So, I do know how to deal with animals with issues.
Anyway, the vet and I should have some fun on Friday. In the meantime, I think I've been treating Sassy more as a lab when I should be treating her more like a Shar Pei. From what I've read, she's the worst sort of mix as Shar Peis and Labs have polar opposite nutritional needs. I'll discuss it with the vet, but I think instead of ham and potatoes that I may need to try oatmeal and poultry of some sort. Either that, or Keith going to have to get his hunting license and bag the maximum amount of deer this next year to feed her. (Sorry to any vegetarians out there, but let's face it, dogs need meat. Yeah, I know they are omnivores, but I have visions of the camping scene in Blazing Saddles when I think of feeding Sassy beans.)
So, it's Monday. What fun do we have planned for this week? Septic tank gets pumped tomorrow. Keith has let me know that playtime is over, so I either need to start getting stuff posted on etsy, or I need to start jobhunting. It's gonna be a fun week, including all the usual grocery shopping, starting to go to the gym again and more rain heading our way later in the week. yeeha.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
No knitting content, just a pet rant
Our poor dog Sassy is a mixed breed dog. We found her as a puppy after Mama Dog had escaped from her humans and was roaming around with 2 pups. Sassy got separated, and while we looked for her humans to return her, we didn't find them and ended up keeping her.
And here's the big bugaboo. Sassy is such a sweet, good natured dog who is a mix of Shar Pei and Labrador Retriever. I learned after her first vet visit that vets love Shar Peis as they have a whole myriad of health issues. Apparently, labs have a few too. As Sassy has aged, she's been developing some of those health issues, mainly allergies. She has skin issues (after some research I found Shar Peis need weekly baths). I've started cooking homemade, limited ingredient food for her, and in the last couple of days I've noticed her fur is falling out, and she's shaking her head a lot. I've cleaned out her ears a couple of times this week, and now I'm thinking that I'll have to change her diet again. I'll take her to the vet again this week, but the sticky point there is that the vet who's been seeing her only works a few days each week, so I'll have to see when she's working this week. For the short term, she's getting a bath, another ear cleaining and some ear drops, as well as a little Benadryl. I'll make an appointment for her today to get her in ASAP, and do some research on grain free diets for allergy dogs.
The really sobering point was last night I started looking at some website that had life expectancy for Shar Peis. I know labs can live a pretty long time for large dogs, but Shar Peis only have a 7 - 10 year life expectancy. Sassy just turned 7 this past summer. I think I'm looking for another Shar Pei website to see if this first one is true or not. (Fingers crossed it's not.)
And here's the big bugaboo. Sassy is such a sweet, good natured dog who is a mix of Shar Pei and Labrador Retriever. I learned after her first vet visit that vets love Shar Peis as they have a whole myriad of health issues. Apparently, labs have a few too. As Sassy has aged, she's been developing some of those health issues, mainly allergies. She has skin issues (after some research I found Shar Peis need weekly baths). I've started cooking homemade, limited ingredient food for her, and in the last couple of days I've noticed her fur is falling out, and she's shaking her head a lot. I've cleaned out her ears a couple of times this week, and now I'm thinking that I'll have to change her diet again. I'll take her to the vet again this week, but the sticky point there is that the vet who's been seeing her only works a few days each week, so I'll have to see when she's working this week. For the short term, she's getting a bath, another ear cleaining and some ear drops, as well as a little Benadryl. I'll make an appointment for her today to get her in ASAP, and do some research on grain free diets for allergy dogs.
The really sobering point was last night I started looking at some website that had life expectancy for Shar Peis. I know labs can live a pretty long time for large dogs, but Shar Peis only have a 7 - 10 year life expectancy. Sassy just turned 7 this past summer. I think I'm looking for another Shar Pei website to see if this first one is true or not. (Fingers crossed it's not.)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Rain, rain, please fall on Lake Lanier
Obviously, it's monsooning here. The sump system we had installed this past summer is working quite nicely, pumping out the water and keeping the basement nice and dry.
Last night Keith and I went to the Fox Theater to see Zahi Hawass speak. Ever since Ramses was discovered to be at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Dr. Hawass has become more involved with what goes on here in Atlanta. I remember when the Carlos Museum was raising funds to purchase the collection from the Niagara Museum, and I went to see Ramses just days before Dr. Hawass came to take him back to Egypt.
He spoke to a nearly totally packed house last night. Since I recently finished reading all the Amelia Peabody books, my curiousity had led me to the Theban Mapping Project's website, so when he was talking about the Valley of the Kings, I wasn't totally in the dark. I'll admit to being in the dusk about it all since I know so very little, but that didn't have any impact on my enjoyment of his lecture. At one point Keith said to me, how could he remember all the details of the different tombs, and I told Keith that if you are passionate about a thing, it's easy to remember. The enthusiasm and passion with which Dr. Hawass spoke about these mummies and tombs is infectious. He's having DNA testing done on the mummies in the museums in Egypt in order to identify them and put families back together. I find it fascinating. He had a booksigning afterwards, but neither of us wanted to wait in the very long line.
As for me, I plan to enjoy this very rainy day in front of my sewing table, whether it is cutting out pieces or making more bags and tweaking patterns. I am rather pleased that I found a size for wine bottles as I had tried to make one several years ago, again with no pattern, and it wasn't quite right. And as Marne mentioned in the comments of my last post, I have to develop one that has room for your whisky and your knitting. Gotta keep'em separated!
Last night Keith and I went to the Fox Theater to see Zahi Hawass speak. Ever since Ramses was discovered to be at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Dr. Hawass has become more involved with what goes on here in Atlanta. I remember when the Carlos Museum was raising funds to purchase the collection from the Niagara Museum, and I went to see Ramses just days before Dr. Hawass came to take him back to Egypt.
He spoke to a nearly totally packed house last night. Since I recently finished reading all the Amelia Peabody books, my curiousity had led me to the Theban Mapping Project's website, so when he was talking about the Valley of the Kings, I wasn't totally in the dark. I'll admit to being in the dusk about it all since I know so very little, but that didn't have any impact on my enjoyment of his lecture. At one point Keith said to me, how could he remember all the details of the different tombs, and I told Keith that if you are passionate about a thing, it's easy to remember. The enthusiasm and passion with which Dr. Hawass spoke about these mummies and tombs is infectious. He's having DNA testing done on the mummies in the museums in Egypt in order to identify them and put families back together. I find it fascinating. He had a booksigning afterwards, but neither of us wanted to wait in the very long line.
As for me, I plan to enjoy this very rainy day in front of my sewing table, whether it is cutting out pieces or making more bags and tweaking patterns. I am rather pleased that I found a size for wine bottles as I had tried to make one several years ago, again with no pattern, and it wasn't quite right. And as Marne mentioned in the comments of my last post, I have to develop one that has room for your whisky and your knitting. Gotta keep'em separated!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Slight miscalculation
Yesterday I decided to whip up a small project bag. No pattern, but how hard could it be?
I wanted something small since I knit a lot of socks.
Apparently, I need to work on my pattern a little. It holds a fifth of bourbon or probably a bottle of wine.Gotta admit, sometimes when knitting you really need that bourbon.
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