WOW!

This weekend, I have managed to get to a LOT of projects around my house I wanted to do. One of my projects was my photos and my on line accounts. One of my places is flickr - and I happened to check on my Jack Russell group there, (I really wish I had checked it sooner! Now it's on my "daily check list") and I could not believe it - so many people responded to my question I put out there about "Itching Jacks" - I was wide eyed and blinking and realize what a super fabulous resource belonging to groups can be! How cool is this? Check it out here....

Also on some of my links I have gathered here on the sidebar, there is some great reference info there as well...I have been reading and finding a lot of great information and ideas about what others are finding successful with their Jacks!

And seeing as how so many people seem to use the benedryl, we are going to try it. I have given it to him a couple of times last year...I guess I just worry about putting chemicals into such a small little body and...what are the effects on them? All I really know is I want my babydog to be with me forrrreeeeevvvvvver and so...Anyway...I just love the power of feedback! Check out the Jack Russell photos too! So much cuteness in one place, it's unbelievable! We hope everyone is having a great holiday!!!
Oh hey! Check this out!!
November's Winning
Jack-of-the-Month!
It's Maximo the Surfing Dynamo!

To see more photos of Maximo click here!
WOW! I have GOT to get Michaelangelo in on some fun like this!!! YEAH!

Observation....

Michaelangelo's blog originaly started because I needed to write down and observe my findings when we were using these products in the first place! I wanted to track the changes, if any....

That's what I'm doing now, too! (helping myself keep track!!)


Tuesday Nov. 20th: 7:30pm Went to (disastrous) vet appt.
Began antibiotic
Began Genesis Spray (2 x per day for 7 days)

Wednesday Nov. 21: Gave antibiotic in the morning (damn, then i looked again and it's meant to be 1 per 24 hours)
Morning Spray before walk
Evening Spray before walk. Upon inspection Michael's tummy is
a much lighter shade of pink!

Thursay Nov. 22: Gave antibotic @ 7am
Spray before morning walk. Rear end area looks better.
Tummy looks better

Friday November 23: Gave antibitotic @ 7:30
Spray before morning walk. Seemed to be scratching a lot this morning after he woke up. Tummy looks good, except where he was scratching most recently.

Saturday November 24: Spray before walk. Tummy looks MUCH better, it's actually looking WHITE!! Stills scratching some though...
Anti-biotic at 7:30am. Back area looking much much better. I still don't think he needed the antibiotics though and I hope it's ok. The boyfriend says finish out the entire prescription.
Evening spray. Also gave him a small spray of Frontline, as I did find two fleas on him yesterday. Unbelievable. God, I hate fleas. Really, really hate them....Gggrrrr.

Update...

I'm pretty unhappy about my visit at the vets this evening...I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what went on in there, and I'm left thinking that I'm going to call tomorrow morning and talk with one of the gals I know there (I was hired to work there a year or so ago, but I turned it down) and let her know about my very disappointing visit.

Not only did I walk out of there paying much more than I should have, I felt hurried and rushed through the visit. I had never met that doctor before, and I'm not sure I want to meet her again - she totally talked down to me, "Did you READ the directions?" You would have to have heard the way she said it...anyway...$111.06 later, some antibiotics and a dermatologists' number. I felt basically thrown out and smacked in the face on the way out. I was just...I can't even explain it! That doctor was so not about to talk at any length with me about it. She sort of made me feel like an idiot for being one of these "loonies" who tries to live as chemical free as possible.

Sigh. In any event:

1. She (the so-called vet) said he has a skin allergy. To what she hasn't a clue. Could be a number of things. That is why I need to see the skin doctor.

2. She charged me $43.10 to shave my babydog's tail-end area, and "clean" the area.
I was staggered when I went from a $40 visit to suddenly $111!! I asked the receptionist, "Uuumm, where did the extra $70 come from ???" She too treated me like an idiot, with a look that said, "Oh, she's one of THOSE customers". I guess I'm crazy, but I thought that was a bit much to shave a 4x4 area on my dog's bum, and not even ask me first if that charge was ok with me. I knew they were going to shave the area, but I had no clue in the slightest I was about to be ripped off over it! My god, I don't even pay that much for my haircuts! Anyway, I just feel like, what just happened here???? Wow.

3. She said to spray the Genesis spray for immediate relief, that if I FOLLOWED the directions it would work. (You DID read the directions, didn't you?!?! Sigh.)

4. He's on antibiotics for a possible skin infection in the above-mentioned back-end area.

I guess I shouldn't feel so bad. I'll call the dermatologist and get some information about their visits, etc. I definitely want to get it figured out so my sweet babydog doesn't have to suffer allergies. Did I tell you that the vet told me, "It's not about YOU!" Yes, she really said that! I feel pretty deflated, and am considering I might need to find a different veterinarian.

Not Sure What To Do!!!

I'm feeling pretty worried about Michaelangelo and his skin issue at the moment, and I can't wait any more for things to change! And, I guess from what I hear, the flea problem here in the NW was way past awful this year. Usually, Michaelangelo receives a monthly flea treatment of Frontline. We also had done the internal one, which also works for heart worms as well. But this summer I saw no real help in those products. I also had been spraying his tummy area with Virbac Genesis Topical Spray. The only little problem here is that I am one of these people who tries to never use chemicals for myself OR my dog if I can at all avoid it.

So, since I wasn't seeing any real, viable results with the flea "usual vet recommended" remedy, and I was super-paranoid about continuing to use a steroidal spray with possible side-effects, I stopped that and went to some "natural" products.

One product I have recently started using is Doc Ackerman's Botanical Citronella Flea Spray. Who wouldn't want to use a product with such natural ingredients as:
Deionized Water,Oil of Citronella, Oil of Pennyroyal, Oil of Pine and Eucalyptus, Fresh Extracts of Wormwood, Rue and Cedarwood Oil,Extract of Black Walnut Leaves, Aloe Vera Extract,Chamomile Extract, Jojoba Oil,Rose Geranium Oil.

Maybe it's working on the fleas, (still I find a few every couple of days) but my baby is scratching himself raw in all kinds of places!!! I just can't stand to think of him in this pain! I know what I feel like when I have a rash and have to itch it till my skin comes off! It's horrible!! To help with his delicate skin, I purchased DermAllay, thinking that this will REALLY help, since it's all fatty acids and oatmeal! WRONG! He is scratching WORSE THAN EVER!!!

I also have recently purchased this product from Pet Alive! Flea Derm. I just can't tell if anything is doing ANYTHING because he bites at his back-side above his tail almost constantly now...and his belly is so pink and looks really painful.

I have made an appointment with our vets to see her tonight. I will bring everything in, including his food, which is Blue, and his only snacks, which are supposed to be healthy and natural too come from Trader Joe's! Peanut Butter & Molasses biscuits are his favorite and I put them in his kong or a natural bone.

SO, I guess it's best to go in and have him looked at and I will bring in all the stuff I have and his biscuits and see what direction we should go in next. I want my baby back to his normal self and his normal self isn't scratching from waking to sleep! It's agony for me to go to work, knowing he's home and probably scratching all day if I don't leave him puppy kong and/or bones to keep his mind off his itching.

Have you ever heard of a vet telling you to give your dog a human medicine? My doctor said to give Michael some allergy meds - a half a tab - when his scratching is really bad! But I never like to take that stuff for myself! Should I give it to my dog!? Does anyone have any ideas?! HELP! Jean? Anyone with any ideas or feedback, I welcome it, and thank you!!! Update coming soon!!

My Little Clothes Horse, I mean God, I mean Dog!!!

This is such beauty I wake up with every morning!!!
How lucky a girl I am!!! This is my bed warmer!!! Keeps his mamma warm on those cold Northwest winter nights!!!



Speaking of keeping warm and dry here in the beautiful Northwest!!! CHECK OUT these REALLY cute new slickers Michaelangelo got in the mail yesterday!!! Oh how I WISH I would have been ready with the video camera - you should have seen him tearing into his box!!! He was really excited to get some mail with his name on it!!! He LOVES his two new jackets, which I order from JP PET WHOLESALE!! They have some great stuff, and good prices! My order was shipped promptly, and I received it 6 days after my order was placed. (actually I ordered late on Friday, and received the shipment on the next Tuesday). The red slicker is really cool because the strips illuminate with light, and the blue slicker has the super warm sherpa inside! MMMMMmmmm Cozy. Michael loves them both!!!

The Sweetest Little Devil!!

Michaelangelo likes to dress up, actually!! This outfit was a little difficult to keep on for a long period of time, as it shifted this way and that, but, hey, HOW CUTE IS MY BABY!!!! Hope you had a fun Halloween, with safe, healthy treats!!!

Sweetner Alert for Dogs!!!

Some very upsetting but very important information about the sweetner called Xylitol! It is deadly for dogs! If you or anyone you know is using this product, PLEASE tell them that this is a very dangerous substance that can kill dogs if they were to eat any foods cooked with it. This story made me cry. I'm so sorry for the family...
http://www.kptv.com/video/14447243/index.html