BUT - even though there is nothing to say right now, I HAD to post this. Because every time I pull up my blog to check out YOUR posts on my Blog Roll, I see the photos of the SNAKES. I'm so tired of looking at those Bull Snakes - they aren't my favorite critters.
I noticed the photo below on-line this morning and thought it was so cool. Talk about taking a photo at the exact right second! So... here it is, and it's going to be nice to look at as I'm scrolling through to read all your posts.
It's from imgur.com and was titled, Perfectly Aligned. Isn't that the coolest photo? I would have been happy to snap it even without the plane above it in the sky. I think it's a Canada Goose, right? What perfect form! Note: Per Judy and Tom in the comment section, it's a Sandhill Crane. Thanks to you both!
Oh, wait, I DO have something to tell you about. Poor Katie. About a week ago Katie stepped on a red ant again. Same foot as the red ant nest two years ago. Just one ant this time, I think, but she went nuts. It must have been inside her pads again, because I couldn't see it. She was crying and lifting her right rear foot, which was shaking like mad. We went inside The Palms and she ran to her car seat and started licking the foot like crazy. She wouldn't let me touch it, or even look at it. Apparently she is very allergic to their bites/stings.
When I tried to pet her she snapped at me. She was determined I wasn't going to get close to her. (I don't' think she would have bitten me, but she did snap, as a warning, and I left her alone.)
I immediately went on-line to see if there was anything I could do for her. Then I called the Vet she's seen in Las Vegas, NM. She just had her annual check-up there. I wasn't happy with what he said, so I called the Vet in Grants, the nearest city to Bluewater Lake. Ditto with him. There didn't' seem to be much I could do.
I went back on-line and all the sites suggested making a paste of baking soda and water and applying it to the bitten area. There were other things as well, but that one was on all the sites. Of course, Katie wouldn't have let me NEAR her paw, and there was no way I was going to spread her toes and apply a paste, so I made a "solution" of baking soda and water in a plastic "squeeze" catsup bottle. Then I went over to her and drizzled the liquid onto her foot, from over her head - out of reach so she couldn't snap at my hand. I drizzled it a few times.
Within a minute, her foot stopped shaking and she finally laid it down on the blanket covering the car seat. Not long after that, she jumped up over the passenger seat back to the dinette bench seat, down on the floor, and walked over to her water bowl. She wasn't putting all her weight on that foot at first, but it didn't take long before she was walking normally.
It was amazing! That solution was a miracle. She's been fine ever since. Just in case you have a similar experience with your dog, BAKING SODA AND WATER!
And an update on the joint issue with that same leg. About a month ago I started her on VetIQ Hip&Joint Glucosamine. I got it at Wal-Mart. There are 45 "chicken Flavored Soft Chews" in the package. A dog Katie's size gets 1/2 treat every other day, so they will last us 180 days. I've noticed that she is walking longer and longer, and just this week she has a bounce in her step again. We took a walk yesterday (with the stroller along, as usual) and Katie walked a mile without stopping to be lifted into the stroller. That was a first!
I've been taking Glucosamine Chondroitin for years, and it's made a real difference in my joints. I used to have knee and hip pain, but haven't had a twinge in YEARS. I think it's really working for Katie, too. They say it takes a month or so to start noticing improvement, and that's what I've found, with both Katie and myself. It would be nice if we could go back to taking walks without the stroller along. :)
Here's Katie in her new halter:
And that's it for now. From me and Katie, take care everyone! :)
