Aquaphor

Ditto @Okra, except I'd always have at least two litter boxes. Not just until he gets older. The general rule for cats is one box for each cat plus one more. So one cat=two boxes. There are a couple of reasons for that recommendation, but the one that applies here is that some cats like to pee in one box and poop in another. Also, since you know he likes soft stuff you could try putting a disposal puppy pee pad in one box instead of litter.

I wonder if this points more broadly to what to me seems an ever increasing inability to see the middle ground, the gray areas? The polarization that is so common in so many things. Too many people who believe their side of the political spectrum is absolutely right and the other side is absolutely wrong, too many people who think some foods are almost to be worshipped and others are unquestionably evil. The whole absolutely right/absolutely wrong, no middle ground way of thinking seems to be its own sort of terrible epidemic that affects so many things. It's not healthy.

If you enjoy hiking and nature type things then a visit to Skidaway Island State Park might be worthwhile. It's maybe a 20 minute drive from the historic district in Savannah.

High arch Pull down sprayer Single handle My guess is that a high arch faucet is one of those things that once most of us get . . . there's no (happily) going back to a low arch one.

I had two Fitbit Charge HRs. I never had any trouble at all with them not counting steps while I was pushing a shopping cart or while not swinging my hand for any reason. Nor did they count hand movements like folding laundry. On the whole I found both of them to be very accurate at counting steps. Not durable at all, but accurate while they worked! Have you checked your settings to make sure you have your stride length entered correctly? I'm assuming the Blaze works the same and that you do still enter your own info as far as height, weight, stride length, etc. The only thing I ever did to my HRs to (I think) increase accuracy was to adjust the setting as if I was wearing it on my dominant wrist when in fact the device was worn on my non-dominant side.

There's a lot of territory there but in general yes, I think it plays some part--and maybe a big part--for many kids. It doesn't happen often, but occasionally a thread pops up on here where someone asks opinions about allowing their 16/17 yo to do something that I would have let my kids do when they were 12 w/o a second thought. And I really wonder how on earth that kid is going to be capable of going off to college in a year or two if he/she is still being treated like a pre-teen, not being given what to me is even a basic level of opportunity to make his/her own decisions, make a mistake or two in order to learn from it, etc. But then again--every situation is different and every child is different. Some kids take longer to mature than others. And to a large extent I think the tendency toward fear/not fear (all kinds of fear) is hard wired into our brains and there may not be much any of us can do about that. I tend toward the "not fear" end of the spectrum, and it constantly amazes me about the things others find to fear. It seems to me they have to be actively looking for things to be afraid of. No doubt others think I'm not cautious enough. Humans are interesting creatures.

Please don't feel guilty. It sounds to me like you're a wonderful pet owner. The liver has an amazing ability to heal itself, and I sure hope his does it quickly. Then you can get the teeth taken care of. Hugs.

As far as treatment for metastatic cancer "just in case" -- Yes. Based on what I've learned since DH's diagnosis in July 2017 I think that's entirely possible and probably not uncommon at all. Even with all of our modern surgical and imaging techniques it's still sometimes quite difficult to impossible to definitively say "cancer" or "not cancer." Taking the patient history into account, rising tumor markers and an inconclusive biopsy--it doesn't surprise me at all that an oncologist would recommend treatment just in case. The choice to start or not, of course, would have been hers to make. I'm sorry your mom is having all of these communication difficulties. I realized from the time I first met DH's family decades ago that clear communication was not their strong suit, but . . .OMG throw in a serious medical diagnosis and heightened emotions and dealing with their mis-communications (on top of a major lack of clear understanding of medical terms/conditions/diagnoses that I thought were fairly common knowledge), and his mom trying to fill in the missing blanks with wishful thinking--it just about drives me batty.

Orally There is no hard-and-fast rule on what constitutes a high dose. I have two things recorded in my notes: 180 mg. EPA and 120 mg. DHA per every 10 pounds of body weight; and 22-40 mg. per kilogram of body weight of combined EPA and DHA EPA and DHA are the two main types of fatty acids in fish oil. The good brands will list the amount of each on the bottle.

Possibly helpful -- Frequent baths High dose fish body oil An antihistamine (finding the one that works best for any given dog is a trial and error process; there are many that can be used) Probably very helpful -- Apoquel Cytopoint Atopica Allergy testing and desensitization (immunotherapy) shots

We're in NC as well. Basements are very common here. In our immediate neighborhood about 2/3 of the homes have basements. All of our close family members who own homes and live in this area have basements. My three best friends all have basements. Not having a basement was one of our biggest priorities when we were looking for this house, and one reason it took us over two years to find it.

It's been many years since we had new carpet installed in a house, but back then the installers moved all the furniture and put it back.

I think you're misunderstanding. Let me try one more time. The brand name medication Brisdelle is a low dose of the anti-depressant paxotene (Paxil). It is FDA approved for relieving hot flashes. It is not FDA approved to treat depression and is not used to treat depression. Studies have shown that it IS effective at relieving hot flash symptoms in some women. Again, that is what it is FDA approved for. This information and more is in the link I provided. FWIW, I wasn't depressed when I took it either. But it sure did help with the hot flashes.Which is what it is FDA approved for. Not depression.

IME the most important thing is picking someone with good judgment, and who is capable of making hard decisions if it comes to that.

Two of my friends developed severe skin allergies during their peri-menopause years. Both are now using Charlie's Soap laundry detergent with very good results.

Brisdelle is a very low dose anti-depressant, not HRT.

I tried all the natural stuff that seemed plausible. Huge waste of money. Calorie intake, exercise, amount of water/caffeine consumed--none of it made a bit of difference. My doctor recommended Brisdelle and it worked fairly well. It's a very low dose of Paxil (paroxetine) that has been found to be helpful for some women with hot flashes. I took it for a few years and tried going off of it several times. The hot flashes would come back and I'd start back on it and get relief again. I'd try to go off it again in another six months or so, and just kept doing that until I got to the time when the hot flashes didn't return. It wasn't a miracle--it didn't completely stop them. But it definitely helped to reduce both the frequency and severity. And FWIW--at the time I was going through all of that I was also unbeknownst to me becoming hypothyroid. I was never, ever cold. I was HOT.

We haven't yet felt the need to seek a second opinion on DH's cancer, although his is much rarer than breast cancer. But I do have names on hand for when/if we feel the need. Our understanding is that most insurance policies will cover a second opinion for cancer, even out of network. So I'd start with a call to your insurance company. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, Arcadia, and wish you the best.

There is a huge overlap in symptoms among many AI illnesses. Yes, most of the ones you describe (and more) are what I experienced before I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. But I also experienced many of the same symptoms in the months before I was diagnosed with RA. I wasted several months in getting my RA diagnosed because I tried to blame my symptoms on my thyroid. I SO wanted it to be just needing a medication adjustment! And Sjogren's, lupus and other AI disease symptoms overlap with those of RA (and hypothyroidism). Of all your results the ANA is to me by far the most concerning. The thyroid panel doesn't concern me at all, and I doubt very seriously you'd be able to find anyone other than a total quack who would medicate you based on those results. ETA: If you are diagnosed with something--whether it be lupus/Sjogren's/RA or hypothyroidism--you'll want to keep check on the other issue. Polyautoimmunity (having more than one AI disease) is quite common. The typical scenario is being diagnosed with one and then a few years later developing another. It's nothing to really worry about, but just to be aware of.

I have a Maytag top loader that allows soaking for as long as you want. The key is to NOT open the lid once you pause it to start soaking. I've only needed to soak a load once since we've had it, but IIRC the procedure is to simply hit the "pause" button when you're ready for it to begin soaking. Then leave it for as long as you want. When you're ready hit the "pause" button again and it resumes. The lid on mine does lock at some points (especially during the spin cycle). But I've never had any trouble being able to add an item during the wash cycle.

I'm sure no expert, but I'd think a positive ANA combined with your symptoms warrants a referral to a rheumatologist for more testing and evaluation. As far as I know a positive speckled ANA could indicate lupus, Sjogren's, RA or several other AI illnesses that have symptoms similar to what you describe. I'd ask for a referral. Even if your insurance doesn't require a referral many rheumatologists do require one before they'll schedule an appointment.

I'd try tiny baby steps -- first simply close the door while he's in the crate. Just for a second or three, while you stay right there. Feed him a really yummy treat. If he tolerates that then gradually lengthen the time the door is closed, still feeding him treats. When he's comfortable with having the door closed for a few minutes with you sitting right there then start closing it, treating and stepping away (out of his line of sight). Again--just for a second or three to begin with, then longer as he tolerates it. As you lengthen the time add in longer lasting treats (stuffed Kong or stuffed hollow bone, etc.). Eventually work up to picking up your keys/going through the motions of whatever else you normally do before you leave. And then work up to stepping out the door for just a minute or two, gradually lengthening the time. It will probably be a very slow process. He might not be able to handle it at all (IME separation anxiety often gets worse as a dog gets older). He can't help it, no more than a person with anxiety can help it. And there's no reason for you to feel bad about that--you did not do this to him! I applaud the steps you've taken to accommodate him. Have you considered some pharmaceutical help for him? Did your vet cover that? Sometimes the need for that is life long. Sometimes the dog just needs it to take the edge off the anxiety for a few months so he can relax enough to learn. It's very difficult to impossible for a stressed brain to learn new, desirable behaviors. A bit of medication, at least for awhile, may be just the thing for him.

Charleston in April should be gorgeous! I-26 from Columbia into Charleston is a fairly easy drive. Our favorite thing to do is just wander around the historic district, walk the Battery, shop through the City Market. There's SO much to see and do--a lot probably depends on how long you're going to be there.

Mostly every other day. Daily when it was warranted (hot, sticky summer days or if they got particularly dirty/funky for any other reason). But elementary aged during the winter? Every other day was plenty.