Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips

Even though we overindulge for the holiday, we should be careful about what we let our pets eat during the Thanksgiving holiday. The ASPCA has some great Thanksgiving tips:

Talkin’ Turkey

If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don't offer her raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria.

Sage Advice

Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.

No Bread Dough

Don't spoil your pet’s holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.

Don't Let Them Eat Cake

If you’re baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.

Too Much of a Good Thing

A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn’t pose a problem. However, don't allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.

A Feast Fit for a Kong

While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them rawhide strips, Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Indiana modeled his new Christmas sweater last night. I tell you, that dog is a camera hog!! He always hams it up for the camera!!

Thankful Thanksgiving: Day 7

I am thankful to be surrounded by happy, healthy pets that are some of the best company in the world!

Thankful Thanksgiving: Day 6

I am thankful that I am able to get out of bed everyday and do the things that I need and want to do.

Christmas Mantle

I finished up my dog themed Christmas decorations for my mantle this past weekend. I plan to add things every year. What do you think?:

The whole mantle:

View of the center:

Left side:

Right side:

I'm still trying to figure out how to make better pictures!!

Christmas Crafting

I've decided that this year, I'm going to decorate my mantle with all Christmas dog themed stuff. I have quite a few things that I've found over the last few weeks, and I'm making some stuff too. I made some dog themed Christmas trees this morning. Take a look:

Hmmm, I just wonder what I'll get into later...

Thankful Thanksgiving: Day 5

I am thankful for a roof over my head and food on my plate!

Well Rounded

My swim coach is determined to make me a well rounded swimmer. When I went to practice yesterday, I thought that I was only going to work on my flip turns. Turns out, I refined my flip turns, worked on my backstroke and turns, and practiced my breaststroke quite a bit. Slowly but surely, I'm getting the hang of all the fundamentals that will make me a competitive swimmer. Also to my suprise, I was told at the end of practice that I'd be learning the Butterfly stroke next week! Eeeeep!!

Thankful Thanksgiving: Day 4

I am thankful for my wonderful church family!

Thankful Thanksgiving: Day 3

I am thankful for all the wonderful blessings in my life, whether I recognize them at the time or not.

Wordless Wednesday

see more dog and puppy pictures

Thankful Thanksgiving: Day 2

I am SO thankful for my sweet friend Linda and her wonderful family!

Thankful Thanksgiving: Day 1

Each year, as we get closer to Thanksgiving, I try to become mindful of all the blessings that I have. This year I'd like to name one thing, every day, that I'm thankful for. So, here's my entry for today:

I am so very thankful for the health and happiness of my family (furkids included)!

Flipper

I'm very sore and stiff today. I'm getting ready to go to my first Master Swim meet in December. I'm ready, as far as the strokes go, but I still had one thing left to learn. I still need to really get good at flip turns. I learned how to do them at practice yesterday. For two hours, my coach had me flipping over and over. Once I could do the freestyle flip turn, she decided that I was going to learn a backstroke flip turn. Those are kind of scary, because you are coming into the wall blind. I still have this fear of cracking my skull against the wall, but she seemed confident that I won't. It did always work... There are muscles that I didn't even know existed that are sore today. I feel like I've been hit by a truck, but at least I'm feeling better about the meet now. Oh well, off to take some ibuprophen!

Because I'm Comfortable

Trianna decided that I was good for laying on and taking naps. Hmmm...I must have been comfortable.

Wordless Wednesday

For all who have served and are currently serving (including our four legged vets), THANK YOU!!

Fall Walk

It was such a beautiful weekend! Late Sunday afternoon, I took Indiana out for a nice, long walk. We walked until dark. Indiana discovered leaves on his walk, and he was quite fascinated with them! He loped through every pile and every ditch that was full of them. Check it out:

We also walked back through the park and by the horse pasture. I was SO excited, when the horse came back up to visit with us again. She let me pet her for a long while. Next walk, I'm going to take an apple with me. Check out how pretty she is!

It was SUCH a nice weekend! I hope I get to get out this coming weekend too!

Wordless Wednesday

see more dog and puppy pictures

Howl-O-Ween Wrap Up

We had a terrific Howloween yesterday! First thing yesterday, I got up early to participate in the United Way Spooktacular 5k race. When I got to registration, it was pouring the coldest rain. By race time, the weather broke and conditions were great for a race. I've only run 1 other 5k, since I got Bell's Palsy last November, and that was the Fenton Payne and Fred last August. I was WAAAAAY off my previous time then. So, I tried to be calm and run my own race yesterday. I was very pleased at the finish, when I heard that I was back to my pre Bell's race times. I finished in 37:45. I thought I was running a lot slower, so I was pleasantly suprised!!

At the finish line.

Me and my friend, Chuck Snell, who does lots of triathalons.

Victory pose.

After the race, Casey and I headed home and took a big, power nap! Afterwards, the puppies all modeled their Halloween shirts.

Later yesterday afternoon, Casey and I went next door to Mom's to hand out candy to the trick or treaters. We took Jack over with us, because we know that he doesn't door dash.

We also got to see my brother's dogs, who had their Halloween costumes on.

Here's Mom and her dog Moon.

Here's what the porch looked like. I carved the two doggie pumpkins.

All in all, we all had a great Halloween. Now onto November and the upcoming holidays.