When I was a late teen I had a lymph node in my neck that stayed swollen for over a year. I have no idea why it was swollen, but it eventually went away. I don't think it's uncommon at all. But I'd watch them for a week or two, and if they don't shrink perhaps think about taking her in for a check, just in case.

TOTW is made by Diamond Pet Foods. Therefore it isn't something I'd ever use. They have an incredibly long history of recalls and pet deaths.

All of this. General anesthesia makes me horribly ill afterwards. The propolol or profolol (I don't know the correct name/spelling) was wonderful. I had a very nice nap, woke up easily, and was alert within a couple of minutes or so. The Versed and whatever else combo they used to use wasn't bad, but it took me 30-60 minutes to feel like I was fully "there" afterwards. As others have said, what type of prep you do will depend mostly on your doctor. There are lots of variations, so don't get confused by people posting about different things. It's not fun, but it's worth it. Follow directions and you'll likely be fine. I'd try to arrange it so that you can do absolutely nothing the rest of the day. Definitely plan on not driving, but I'd plan on not doing anything at home, either. There's a good chance you'll feel just fine, but it's nice to know you don't have to function if you don't want to. And it's a nice reward for getting it done.

Muscle fatigue or pain. Or both. But I'd lean more towards pain, especially since your vet said arthritis. There are some very good pain control options for dogs nowadays.

IIRC she's an older dog? If so the most likely cause is age-related muscle loss in her shoulders and hips. It makes it really hard for them to stand up on hard flooring. I assume that's where it's happening, and not on carpet or grass? What you describe doesn't sound at all like a seizure, although it's possible there's something neurological (spinal issue) going on. But simple muscle loss is what it sounds like to me. I've seen it in many older dogs. ETA: Muscle loss can cause them to have trouble on stairs, even when they're carpeted.

A dry microfiber rag works well for wiping up pet fur. (Edited to change "hair" to "fur." I'm so used to my little guy's hair that i forget other breeds have fur.)

Yes, that's absolutely a real thing.

That she reached out for help is a really huge, very good thing. Half the battle really is accepting that there is a problem that needs to be dealt with. She's acknowledged that she has a problem, so I really don't think she needs you or anyone else micro-managing her food intake. No one wants that, and (IME) it's almost never successful. You simply cannot manage that for (or do it to) another adult, and usually not even for a child. And you do not want that responsibility! You really don't. Because it's a no win situation for you, and would undoubtedly harm your relationship. What she needs is your positive support, and your continued help and support in finding the right medical professionals.

Well, at least he does openly admit that he's biased. There's that one point going for him in an otherwise extremely poorly written article. I do agree with him that DCM is very rare. But that's kind of a red herring. AFAIK no rational person/group who's working on this is claiming that it's not rare. The issue is that vets are seeing a significant increase in cases. That doesn't mean it's still not pretty darn rare, but it does mean that it's probably prudent to start investigating why. Also, AFAIK all of the big brands have their own lines of grain free foods. Every single one of them. So if they were in fact pushing some unproven theory that grain free is bad just to retaliate against smaller manufacturers -- they'd be shooting themselves in the bottom line, too.

There are apparently people who have the opposite effect of normal when they consume too much fiber. I remember reading about it. It also could possibly be the type/ratio of fiber you're consuming? Maybe you could play around with that a little bit. I've had life long problems with constipation (despite being a mostly vegetarian for the past thirty years), and magnesium at dinner is one thing that seems to have helped relatively long term. I use the inexpensive magnesium oxide. It's supposedly the most irritating, and that irritation is what helps with constipation.

Neither of our boys ever did an overnight camp. It wasn't a thing that was on our radar at all. I've always kind of assumed (perhaps wrongly, of course) that most camps were more or less a service meant for kids with two working parents who needed to cobble together summer child care. I can only remember the boys doing one camp ever, and that was a baseball thing that DH wanted them to attend.

The article resonates with me somewhat. Years ago I dieted and exercised my way into a diagnosed eating disorder. Snapping at people because I was dizzy with hunger--BTDT. Lying about food intake--BTDT. The thing is our country is totally hung up about weight and what we eat or don't eat. We judge ourselves and too many people judge others. I think the fairly recent trend of labeling entire groups of foods as "good" or "bad" is part of the hang up, too. And the subtle insinuation or sometimes outright claim that "my WOE is better/healthier than your WOE" is part and parcel of the same thing. I lost weight and kept it off (thirty years now). I recovered (I think) from the eating disorder. Which I think gives me a little bit of credibility to speak on this issue, or at least speak of my own experience. It's absolutely true that for many people who aren't naturally thin/normal weight (as if there really is any such thing as "normal" weight) losing or maintaining weight is incredibly hard, especially living in a time and in a country where wonderfully tasty, inexpensive food is available everywhere. It requires enormous self discipline. It also requires enormous mental, emotional and physical energy. And life in general nowadays requires tons of those things from most of us. To not have enough to go around shouldn't be shameful. To choose to prioritize spending those resources in other areas shouldn't be shameful. But at the same time that doesn't excuse consuming completely unhealthy amounts of food (whether it's "good" or "bad" food, if you believe in such silliness). Believing those two things is not contradictory. We need to get back to some semblance of moderation, both in our attitudes about food and about weight. And we all probably meed to rein in our very human tendency to judge others.

But this is also another good place to point out that groups of people are not monoliths. Many people who have autism aren't bothered in the least by being identified first by their disability (and I believe there are some who embrace it). DS20 is one who isn't bothered at all by it. I don't even think it's anywhere on his radar of things to be concerned with. As his mother I agree with his POV on this, and people contorting their words to avoid disability first language make me mentally cringe. But of course I respect others who wish to be addressed differently.

She really needs to keep tiny kitten quarantined away from year old cat for at least a few days. She'll want to have tiny kitty vet checked, plus she'll want to keep them apart for awhile until she's sure tiny kitten isn't getting ready to break out in ringworm lesions or come down with anything else. Then she can work on introducing them. There are various ways to do it. @PeachyDoodle described one way. If she doesn't have a large crate available she can quarantine tiny kitten in a bathroom or laundry room (kitten proofed, of course) and allow them to smell each other under the door for a week or so. Once she feels sure tiny kitten doesn't have anything communicable she can start wiping both of them down with the same towel to help them get used to each other's scent. If year old cat isn't happy about that she can try putting some vanilla flavoring on the towel and wiping them both down with it. I've never had to try that, but IIRC the theory is that sharing the vanilla scent is supposed to make the cats more accepting of each other. It's not unusual for grown cats to react to newcomers with lots of hissing and spitting, so she shouldn't be too worried about it early on.

My first thought was that yes, it was a racist comment. But in reading the entirety of your post I'm not convinced it was. I think stuff like that is all about the intent. Some things really can simply be observational or descriptive, with no other intent or purpose.

I know zero about Harris or his book other than what I've read here, but I certainly wondered if either he or one (or more) of his kids is gay/bisexual, etc. I mean it kinda seems like an obvious thing to consider, doesn't it?

Yes to all of this.

I have one of those pop up fabric shopping "baskets" in the back of my SUV. The re-usable bags live in it.

It may still depend on what state you're in, but in ours it's very easy to freeze your credit. I did all four of ours a couple of years ago (or after the Equifax breach, whenever that was). It took me maybe thirty minutes to do all four. We did unfreeze DS23's when he got his first solo apartment, and that was easy to do, too. The rest of us have had no need to unfreeze. I very recently got proof that the freeze works, and I am going to have to jump through a small hoop to do something I need to do (that doesn't even involve credit) because the freeze is in place. But it's well worth the one time small hoop jumping for the peace of mind, especially since I'm a Capital One customer, and DH's info was involved in the Equifax breach.

I eat the same breakfast every day (a piece of cheese toast, or two if I'm really hungry) and the same lunch (bean and veggie salad in summer or veggie soup in winter). There are about ten or fifteen main dishes I rotate through for dinner, although quite a few of those are soups that I don't generally prepare during the summer months. I try to vary the veggies and fruits (which is normally our dessert) as much as possible. We eat dinner out at least twice a week, so there's opportunity for variety there. Mostly for cooking I like to stick to things I know will get eaten and things I don't have to exert much brain power thinking about.

I picked up a couple of BH&G 100 percent cotton bath mats at Walmart two or three years ago. They were only $10 each and I didn't expect a lot, but I've been very pleasantly surprised. I bought them just to have some extras, but they quickly became (and remain) my favorites. They wash well and have held up very well. Now I don't use the other, more expensive ones unless I absolutely have to.

I'm so sorry, Jenny! The first few days after a serious diagnosis can be stomach churning and dizzying. Hang in there, be extra kind to yourself. I'm glad your doctor thinks the prognosis will be good, and that your employer is being supportive. Hugs.

I agree with @TravelingChris. That your doctor thinks there would be no specific goal of medication indicates a gaping ignorance of inflammatory joint diseases. The best case scenario is that you prevent joint damage (and organ damage). In your shoes I'd want a rheumy consult.

If your DH doesn't like to drive then Charleston is going to be your best bet. The OBX is wonderful, but it's a slog to get there and everything is spread out. It's a long, full day trip to go from Nags Head/Kitty Hawk to Ocracoke and back. Things to do in Charleston are much closer together.

Plus by the time you do that--burning more fossil fuel to drive to all those places--is there really any net benefit to the environment? It reminds me of someone who drives many extra miles to save a penny or two per gallon on gas. Do the math and they haven't saved anything. I try to do the best I can to minimize single use plastics. But within reason.