Pets Are Family Too

Pictured above you see the loving and sweet Bruno (aka Meathead, B, Little Brother). This shot was taken just this past Sunday on an outing to the lake. He thouroughly enjoyed himself as did we all. I apologize for the slight blurriness of the image, but trying to get this dog to hold still for a picture is like trying to get a shot of Loch Ness or Big Foot!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you already know that B was a rescue from a local shelter and was adopted as a Christmas gift for my love, Kevin. Kevin made a trip to the shelter in November to pick out a dog, fully intending upon heading that way to get the German Shepard that he read about on the shelter's website. He has a fondness for that breed and was looking forward to having another one. Upon arriving (with my daughter Amy in tow) he looked at numerous dogs, including the German Shepard and Bruno. The shepard was a good bit younger and would be in need of all the training that is required of a new puppy. When they were shown Bruno, the shelter worker pointed out that Bruno was already housebroken. That sealed the deal, my past expieriences with dogs in the house was unpleasant (to say the least) and I am grateful to my daughter and to Kevin for keeping that in mind while he was picking out his dog.

The shelter is a great one, to tell the truth, they updated all the dog's shots, did heartworm tests, and even microchipped him. Since November, Bruno has been a loving part of our family that we have all enjoyed and cherished. The Monday after our trip to the Lake, Kevin took Bruno to the vet for a checkup. Since we've had him, he has had some days (frequently, like once a week) where he will not eat anything but grass. We assumed that it was his diet, or that he was still anxious from the adoption. We purchased high quality sensitive stomach dog food for him and it still did not get better. We had been wanting to take him to the vet for a while, but funds were always low and we put it off. Monday, Bruno was diagnosed with heartworms.

I can only assume that he is not horribly infested since he tested negative right before we adopted him. However, the treatment is harsh, no matter the level of infestation. The newest treatment available is much less dangerous than the previous option, but there is still the chance of death. In a nutshell, the dog recieves 2 shots spaced out in 24 hours and must remain calm and quiet for the next 3-6 weeks. This means no playing, running, barking, nothing. The best chance of survival is to make sure the dog rests as much as is possible.

Now Kevin loves his dog as he would a little brother and is very attached to him. The dog in turn is very attached to Kevin. The make a great pair and are very good for each other. Kevin is beside himself with worry for Bruno. To see him today, he looks thin and tired compared to the photo above and that is just in 4 days time. I have faith that Bruno will pull through this treatment as he is young and strong and his love for Kevin is great. I think I am actually more concerned for Kevin's wellbeing during this time, as he is prone to worry and doubt. It has been proven (by someone or many someones whose names I cannot recall) that pets are good for the soul. Please, say a quick prayer for both Kevin and Bruno that they will both make it through this difficult time will little to no ill effects.

I've Been Snake Bit!

My poor poor python, Madmartigan. He was shedding this afternoon and apparently had a little bit of difficulty getting the last bit of skin off of his tail. I have assisted my snake Razelle numerous times and even helped Sorscha. Kevin has assisted all three of them before with the only mishap being they excreted on him in the process.

Now Madmartigan likely could have completed his shed on his own in time, however, it is my understanding that the dry dead skin tend to be uncomfortable and itchy to the poor reptiles. I pulled him out of his tank and when I noticed he still had some skin, assisted him in removing the skin. He did pee and poop all over the floor right as I finished helping remove the skin, that was nice and messy.

I placed the freshly shed snake back into his tank and then realized I hadn't fixed the 'log' that they like to hide in so it was all cockeyed. I tried to move him out of the way again, and he flat refused to cooperate, however he did get into a position that I felt I could relocate the log without injuring him. I reached in to grab a small piece of the shed skin that was laying around and poor little Madmartigan firmly let me know that he'd had enough of me poking around in there.

Do you see it? I was shocked and surprised to say the least, and of course jerked my hand back as is the typical reaction of the human species when shocked and surprised. Luckily for me and more importantly the snake, he only struck and did not BITE and wrap as if he were feeding. My jerking could have caused severe damamge to him and likely more damage to myself as well. As you can see, or not, in the above picture, I was not really hurt by this bite. Here is a closer view so you can see what the bite looks like.

Keep in mind, that is my middle finger, so the scratches (because that's all they are) are very small. I've had worse from tripping over my own two feet. Some people who are unfamiliar with snakes will often use the excuse that they might get bitten to have one. I post this because I KNEW I'd get bitten eventually, it's a given when you have 4 snakes in the house as pets. However, what a lot of people don't realize is that most snakes, like any animal, will only bite when they are hungry or when they are aggitated and feel threatened. The python does not have fangs either, not all snakes have fangs. They do all have teeth.

The teeth in his mouth are very sharp and very thin, hence the scratches on my finger when he just barely touched me with them. They are also tilted toward the back of his mouth. This assists him in swallowing his food.

So, I have officially been bitten by a snake, I feel like a real herper now! Did it hurt? No, he was already pulled back from my hand before my slow human response kicked in, if I hadn't seen him strike at me I may not have even realized that he did for a few seconds. As for all snakes, I cannot say that a strike and bite will be this painless and trivial, the larger the snake, the larger the teeth. Snakes are very fast and can strike with little to no warning. This is the first time my snake, any of them, has ever struck me or even at me. It was also due to the fact that I was really stressing him out at the time. Next time he sheds, I'll know to be a little more easy with him!

'Tis the Season

Well, it's getting to be that time. Christmas is right around the corner, and for most people it is stressful, for me it is more so. Not only do I have Thanksgiving followed closely by Christmas, I have my son's birthday November 19th, then my daughter's birthday December 9th. So I get slammed with two birthday's worth of presents as well as Christmas. My budget is tight at best, and this time of year it is downright non-existant. This coming weekend will be our "Backyard Barbeque Birthday Bash" for my son. He is turning a whopping 13 years of age, a true teenager this year. We have managed to get him some nice gifts that we hope he will thouroghly enjoy. Kevin will be baking the birthday cake and he and I will work to come up with some off the wall crazy way to decorate it. Here is a picture of him taken not too long ago. He made this face and while it's not suitable for hanging on the wall it suits him well if you know him.

We also had to take our poor Drizzt to the vet yesterday. He had been acting a little 'off' for a few days and yesterday his entire lower jaw was swollen up. Kevin and I rushed the poor baby to see what was wrong. The vet couldn't tell me for sure what it was (he wanted to do x-rays but I didn't have an extra $70 to shell out for them). It is possible it is just a really bad bruise, he could have fallen, ran into something really hard, or been hit. The likelyhood of him falling or hitting something is very small, which leads me to think he was hit. Now I am trying not to speculate, but I'm half afraid some hooligan has decided to use my loveable cat as a soccer ball. The idea of that has me decidedly worried. Kevin and I are on the hunt for a guard dog now. We would like to start with a young puppy to train him properly, but at this point, anything is better than nothing. See Drizzt below, he may look innocent in the picture, but he's after my food!

I seem to be having some difficulty with my daughter of late, I am not sure what her deal is, but she pouts about everthing, and has started getting an attitude with me of late. I assure you this will not last! I do not put up with moody children and she will be made aware of this fact once again (yes, she has tried the 'attitude' bit with me in the past) and she will behave like a...hmm...well behaved child. Sounded odd saying it that way. Most of the time I can count on Amy to be loveable, crafty and fun. For the most part she is very easy to get along with and always willing to help out with things. It has just been recently that she has tried to start attitude with me, perhaps part of her 'growing up' is to blame for that. I am sure it's just a phase and she will (hopefully) go back to being the sweet helpful child I know. Here she is in a recent picture.

I think I will have to close for now. Be sure to check out the blog of my love Kevin, and also that of the Crazed Mind. I'm sure they have something much more interesting or inspiring to say, me, I just whine a lot.