All the little things

It's been a year of big things but a summer of little things. Little things are, after all, what ultimately makes the world go 'round, whether for good or bad. A magical day is usually comprised of a bunch of good little things. The Roman Empire fell because of a series of bad ones.

Around the homestead we are finally in the swing of growing, picking, and prettying up outside, and touching up, refining, and replacing inside. I'm in the process of painting all the trim upstairs white, which means a little bit of painting, every day. And I've also been refinishing the oak trim downstairs, removing old water damage on the sills, and re-sealing with stain and polyurethane clear coat. Every day there is some little thing inside this house that's improved upon. Or outside. And that feels good. Because even if it takes 1,000 little improvements, once they're all done it will add up to the house looking great -- one big win for us. 

I don't know about you, but I actually enjoy a series of little tasks so much more than one large one. If I can spend my days doing 11 completely different things -- outside for this, inside for that, I'm generally pretty happy. In high school, I was a sprinter, never having been any good at distances. Perhaps it's the same principle. Put forth a little burst of energy for one thing, rest, then move on to the next thing. 

Here's a little of what we've been up to around here:

There's always laundry, but no rain means drying outside.

pumpkin dog biscuits

 

Cukes, zukes and tomatoes coming along nicely. Big Ag did a fantastic job on these raised beds, and the hay bales in the back will be planted soon, too!

Goodbye oak trim. Hello crisp white paint. Wall painting next!

Speaking of painting....exterior house painting coming in September!

A country bouquet to brighten up the house.

Blown ACL

So Sputnik went back in to the veterinarian's this week to check on his lame hind quarter. X-rays were taken and it's been confirmed (a process of elimination, since his x-rays are normal) that he has a ruptured ACL. Treatment for this can vary, but there is a case to be made for letting it heal with time and controlled, gentle exercise.  

But one thing that has been hampering his recovery has been our hardwood floors. Ever since his injury he's become more scared of being on the wood, and has seemed much more likely to slip and have his bad leg splay out from under him, injuring him all over again. It's happened several times, and each time it scares me to death and puts him back in a significant amount of pain.  

Ramping up.

Outdoors, he is fine unless he has to jump up on anything, but our back patio has a one-step rise (which we have decided to get rid of, because we've all tripped or fell off it in the last year).  For now, the best solution for that is a ramp, which Big Ag built for his best buddy this weekend (the dog not me lol).  It took awhile, but Sputnik is now using it and seems comfortable on it. We placed a towel over it to provide even more traction, which helps.

But so in order to find him some relief indoors, I did an internet in search for things that could make his life easier.  So often we use the world inside of our computer to watch funny videos or chuckle over clever sports memes, but the fact is, the internet has changed our lives in terms of the education it can provide when an immediate need presents itself, as it did here.

I finally found some dog booties  called "Grippers," which provide dogs with indoor traction on wood or tile floors, which are made by a company in Canada.  

Sputnik sunbathes in his new fashion footwear.

Yesterday the Grippers arrived, I put them on Sputnik's rear feet, and ... he immediately started running across the floor again, without any difficulty.  I couldn't believe it.  Now he's moving all over the house once again with no limits as to where he can and can't go because of his slipping issues. It's too early to tell, but his new shoes may save him from more re-injury and even future surgeries. We shall see.

I was frankly stunned that he accepted them so quickly, but I think dogs are a lot more intelligent than we give them credit for.  Once he felt the shoes gripping the floor in a way his feet couldn't, he realized they were a good thing.  There's been no chewing on them or taking them off; he just acts as if they are an extension of his own little paws. If he's going to be outdoors for an extended period of time, I take them off, but inside they are a mandatory-wear item.

Needless to say, I will be ordering another pair of these little socks/booties, in case he ever needs a spare set.

I'm all for living the simple life, but if an internet company can come up with a high-tech solution to a problem I'm having for a decent price, I will happily come into the 21st Century and enjoy the benefits.  For Sputnik's health and well-being its definitely worth it  as well as my own peace of mind.

To Vet or not to Vet

Recovering.

Our dog Sputnik recently took a spill off Big Ag's lap onto the hardwood floor and developed a limp earlier this week.  Since I spent some time working in a vet's office as an assistant in the past, I knew how to examine the leg and his joints to make sure nothing was broken or his hip dislocated.  But the question always comes up when you own either livestock or pets:  When do you call in the services of the vet?

One thing I can tell you about vets today that was probably not widely true 100 years ago is that "growing your practice" is a huge goal among many new veterinarians.  There are constant advertisements and junk mail which arrive at your friendly neighborhood vet's office encouraging them in this.  Breakout sessions like "how to increase your profit margins," "how to effectively have your existing clients increase your bottom line," and "how more testing = more profits and better care" is not uncommon to see. It's all quite out in the open.  Some vets buy into it, some do not, and for us pet owners the trick can be telling the difference before our checkbook becomes drained.

But it's a little more complex than that too, because the ones who do buy into it -- who have taken the workshops and seminars -- actually have a good justification for doing so.  After all, spending more on each animal that comes through the door is not only good for business, it's good for the animal.  Tale this example scenario:  

You bring your dog into the vet with what seems to be a bladder infection.  An old school vet will send your dog home with an antibiotic or sulfa drug and tell you if it's not better within a few days to come back in. Hopefully that will fix things -- most of the time it will -- but not all the time.

 A new school vet will insist on running a blood panel to check for infection and kidney function, while also strongly encouraging you to allow them to do a bladder ultrasound,  in order to rule out cysts or tumors.  

The visit to the old school vet will cost you about $60 bucks (office visit plus meds).  The visit to the new school vet will set you back about $400 that or more, if you agree to their diagnostic protocol. But there's no question that all those tests improve the chances of diagnosing your dog's issue correctly.  The question is, do you want to spend that much, or take your chances on the pills and see what happens?

We're now in the position where we can provide first-world health care to our pets, if we so choose.  If your dog has a tumor, you can now see that he gets chemotherapy. But is that kind of care in the pet's best interest?  That's a highly personal question for the owner, and delves into a moral area that's as grey as a foggy day at the beach. I'm not sure I could put my pet through chemotherapy, because I'm not even sure I'd want to do it myself, if I had a serious case of cancer.

Of course if you're raising livestock, you also have to draw the line on what does and does not warrant a large-animal vet call.  We would not call the vet out for a chicken, for example, but would for a sheep or goat.  We would not do expensive MRIs or ultrasounds on any outside animal, and only on our inside pets if it would lead to a simple and damn-near guaranteed successful treatment protocol. 

We euthanize when necessary, whether it is a dog, chicken, or horse that is suffering and not expected to survive. But if the animal could survive, then we will do what we can, within certain financial limits.  We've spent good money treating colicky horses because it's an easily treated condition with complete recovery and many more years of life possible afterward.  But when faced with end-stage incurable Equine Cushings disease (this after many months of providing hugely expensive imported prescription meds to try and treat the lesser symptoms of it) we chose to have the vet come and euthanize our horse, rather than allow her to suffer.

So you do what you can and try and trust your instincts.  Regarding the most recently injured animal here, my own instincts were thankfully correct; after giving Sputnik half a baby aspirin and making him rest for a few days, his strained leg appears to be healing rapidly. But in this day and age, it's very difficult to know how much its appropriate to spend on a sick animal, whether it's the sheep out in your field or the cat on your lap.  

But I think the motto of not wanting our animal charges to suffer unnecessarily is always a good yardstick.

Dog blanket

Sputnik loves his new dog blanket/bed I crocheted for him out of leftover yarn.  It's a circular blanket that is roughly the same size as a dog bed  To make it, I simply did a single chain of crochet, about 30 inches in length, then single stitched back, attaching to the last string I did, over and over.  Basically the same pattern you'd use to make a scarf.  I changed colors when I was bored, and didn't worry about much else, since Sputnik is not very picky about his sleeping gear, as long as its warm.

After it was as wide as I wanted it to be (about 12 inches), I did another one exactly like it and then attached the two pieces by their ends, which made a circular piece of crocheting that could be draped around him, tucked under him, whatever.  Since he tends to drool a little when he sleeps (and really, who doesn't?) I can come in after he's planted himself somewhere and put this wrap around him, tucking his head under part of it so our sofa and bed are protected.  It also can cover him up, as you can see in the pictures.

All in all, a pretty good purpose for any leftover yarn you may have laying around.