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Kebo

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Posts posted by Kebo

  1. Our house smoothie:  Frozen mango, frozen pineapple, 1 large apple, 2 Clementines (or a couple T. of OJ concentrate), several large handfuls of baby spinach, enough water to blend.  Sometimes we add some lime or lemon juice to taste. 

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  2. Seizures can be a one-off event, especially if triggered by medications (some sedatives can lower the seizure threshhold).  I would recommend a thorough workup for the weight loss, which may need to include brain imaging.  Certain infectious diseases can also cause seizures. 

    My own dog had a brain "mass" that was controllable through medications.  We got lucky.  Seizures and weight loss in an older dog are very concerning.  Best of luck with the workup. 

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  3. If they are considering lymphocytic plasmacytic gastroenteritis, you may also want to talk about whether a food allergy dietary trial is indicated.  Some IBD's are reactions to food allergies. 

    There are definitely potential problems with long-term steroid use (increased thirst and appetite, panting, etc), but it is unlikely in a dog to cause significant personality change, other than to be more food-seeking.   If the dose can be minimized (tapered to the lowest effective dose eventually and used on a non-daily basis), you can also minimize side effects. 

    ETA: I had a personal dog on long-term steroids for a brain mass (granuloma, not a tumor).  She did great on a low and intermittent dose for 7 years.  No personality change, or other side-effects. 

  4. Is he taking any of the following medications?

    • Antibacterial sulfa drugs.
    • Anti-epileptic drugs, including phenytoin (Dilantin®), carbamazepine (Tegretol®), lamotrigine (Lamictal®), and phenobarbital (Luminal®).
    • Allopurinol (Aloprim®, Zyloprim®), a drug used to treat gout and kidney stones.
    • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including piroxicam (Feldene®), nevirapine (Viramune®), and diclofenac (Cambia®, Flector®).
    • Antibiotics.

    These could trigger Stevens-Johnson, which is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed right away.  

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  5. Absolutely male dogs can be sweet!  Ours is. But your best indicator of any particular dog will be the temperament and personality of the parents.  Meet both if you can.  

    Australian Shepherds will vary a lot.  There are some that are mellow, but the breed was developed as a working dog, so most of them will have high energy, and need an outlet (physical and mental).  We wanted a dog for agility and trail running, so we accepted that the early years were going to be some work (true!). He's only a year old, though, so we are expecting him to mellow eventually. 

    My dog has significant FOMO --  He wants to be a part of whatever is happening, and has a bit of anxiety (not too bad) if he can't be.  He likes a schedule so he knows what is coming next, and really pays attention to what is going on around him.  He is friendly to other dogs (loves them, but can be over exuberant) and people (ditto).  He tends to chase my cats for fun, but not in a serious way.  The ones that don't run he shows no aggression with, but does try to play (which they aren't a fan of).  

    If you get a double coated dog there will be average to high shedding, partly seasonal.  Most Australian Shepherds (the typical show dog) have a double coat, though mine has a single coat and sheds less (I'd say a low-average to average amount) and needs less care.  Again, look at the parents to get an idea of what to expect. Show/Bench lines will tend to be double coated, typically very pretty, and possibly mellower.  Herding lines may have a thinner coat, possibly be smaller (mine is 40#), and have high energy/drive.

    I've met lots of Australian Shepherds, but this is my first to have as part of the family.  He's a lot of fun and would play all day.  He keeps us laughing with his quirks.  He's sweet, smart, and tries hard to listen and learn.  I wouldn't call him an easy dog, yet.  But he has been a good addition. 

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  6. 21 minutes ago, DinCO said:

    8F1FF760-FD5A-4FB4-AD64-DC1542192134.thumb.jpeg.512918f58e8fe8e20701c3b335a60300.jpegHere is our border collie/Aussie mix Molly…we took care of her for a friend that went to Hawaii for work and she became ours 🥰. She likes to come from underneath the table and put her head in my lap while I’m working.

    I get that same look, same head in the lap, but mine has a ball in his mouth and he's begging to play. 

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  7. I find that bone china holds up better to chips than stoneware or less premium plates, but they will break when dropped.  Most of them are on the thin side.  They tend to be more expensive, but you might find them at a good discount at Home Goods or somewhere similar.  

    Stainless plates would be very durable!  We used those when I had little kids.  They could be dented but obviously wouldn't break.  They often have a rim that makes them less slim, but you might find some that work for it if you search.  

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  8. Here's some things that are on our regular repeat list:

     

    Shrimp Gyoza

    Japanese fried rice (makes a nice meal with a soft fried egg and some Tamari on top)

    Frozen edamame in the shell

    Pizza Parlano when in stock

    Frozen garlic and ginger cubes, a timesaver

    Frozen white and brown rice packets

    Quinoa Cowboy vegan burgers -- good with pickles, mustard, lettuce and hot peppers

    Hold the Cones, especially the seasonal peppermint ones

    Classic potato chips.  Like Lays but more addictive to me.  I shouldn't buy them, but I do.

    Good selection of nuts!  We buy several kinds

    tri-color small carrots

    99 cent greeting cards

    chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels (better when frozen!)

    almond butter filled pretzels.  Just sweet enough.

    Blood Orange and Grapefruit sparkling drinks

    chicken jerky stick dog treats

    They have some interesting live plants -- we have bought coffee plants, Venus flytraps, orchids, bromeliads, etc

    Pizza sauce. The shelf stable one, not the refrigerated one.  They also have refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough that's good, but I usually make my own dough

    Vegetable broth in the green box, my favorite of the ones I've tried

    Wild caught salmon filets

    Heirloom chickens to roast

    Bavarian bratwurst

    Greek yogurt, unsweetened and full fat.  Great with drizzled honey. 

    Vegan items for the vegan in our house : vegan cream cheese, Sriracha tofu, vegan chorizo

    Columbe coffee drinks

    The Christmas tasting caramels 12 pack : it is a holiday tradition to have a taste-off and see who can guess the most correctly

    Chocolate covered peppermint JoJo's

    Almond biscotti

    Dark choolate covered caramels with sea salt

    Chocolate filled croissants (frozen)

     

    And many more that aren't coming to mind right now

     

    ETA: Oh, and I just read that their lemongrass coconut body oil works to repel mosquitos, but I haven't tried that yet

     

     

     

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  9. Check out gotaukelele.com.   There are tons of reviews, filtered by price and scored.   

    My daughter picked hers out herself.  She picked a Kumu Tenor and has been happy with it, but there were a lot of options that I think would have been equally good choices. 

     

     

    **Edited to add: we got our ukulele from The Ukulele Site (shipped from Hawaii).  Other sites I saw recommended include alohacityukes.com, ukerepublic.com, bonanzaukuleles.com, Mimsukes.com, dukeofuke.com, ukelikethepros.com.  

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  10. Finding a series you like (The Middle, The Office, MasterChef Jr., etc) can be a real bonding experience if you have similar enough tastes.  

    Trips to the Zoo, the Library, Nature Preserves, hiking in general ...

    I bought subscriptions for my youngest (we are currently using EurekaCrate and Raddish) and they have been great at providing something to do and for learning new skills.  

    Picking up a hobby (like photography, pottery, painting miniatures, woodworking) that you can do side by side. 

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