WOW...what a story bagpypr...you are making me BLUSH !!!
New Photo Thread is here:
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!
but I am NOT looking up that kilt!!!
Gee, I have been to that Renaissance Faire. Too bad I do not drink beer. Or is it?LOL
And Gretchen said right in the first post on this thread, not to be shy!
Bagpypr, that is a wonderful story about you and your wife and how you met.
Thanks, Jamie. I couldn't agree with you more. I plan to get all future pets only from rescue organizations or animal shelters in the future. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. Dutchess went to the vet this morning, and it turns out she is having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic that she was on for her urinary tract infection and is now on a new and different antibiotic. She should start feeling better right away. Your Apollo is so beautiful and looks so sweet. Her pa ain't bad either;-)
Crestedchik, Cinders and Vixen are so beautiful. It gives me great hope to see that there is a Great Dane that has lived to be 13. My vet just called my Dutchess "ancient," and she is only 9. You must be doing everything right.
Thanks Clare. Well the first vet we took Apollo to for his joint issues called him a "genetic mess" so I can relate! We just do the best we can. I'm glad Dutchess had a simple answer to her problem this time.
Jamie
This is the only decent picture that I could find. This picture was taken at my mother-in-law's house to show off my nails before I had to cut them off! It seems silly, but I was really proud of those nails! They were all mine and not acrylic.
Thanks, Jamie. Me too. I'm sure it won't be so simple next time. She has so many lumps all over her body, but my other 10-year-old Duke does too so I guess that they get lumpy as they get older. I guess we all do. She does have arthritis too. It's a pain getting old. I hope Apollo's "genetic mess" gets straightened out! He sure looks like a sweetheart.
beautiful dgrs and pets!
here's my picture: http://davesgarden.com/photo.php?member=Moonglow
Moonglow, that is a beautiful picture of you.
Jamie, I meant to say earlier that I love the picture of you and your husband at the pumpkin patch. You are both beautiful and look very happy together.
All the pictures here are great.
Gretchen, you are so beautiful, and those blue flowers behind you just make the perfect background.
Thanks Clare- you too! And I'd be proud of those nails too girl! Why did you cut them off?! Apollo's problems aren't going away- he has bad joints but we do the supplements and keep his weight under control.
So Moonglow is that really you or is it really "the picture the frame came with" like it says? :) Great picture either way.
Jamie
Jamie, I had to cut them off for court reporting school. This picture was taken a few years ago. Some court reporters have long nails, but they really do get in the way. Once I started working in the garden, they were history anyway! Now they are very short and will probably have to stay that way.
My Duke has bad joints too. That is probably typical of big dogs. I'm so glad that you are doing the supplements and taking good care of him. I have both Duke and Dutchess on the food at Costco which contains Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate to help with their arthritis.
Clare -- bless your heart! You are so pretty, and soooo young! Its so wonderful to finally meet you!!!
This is turning out to be a fun thread. Thanks everyone!!!
Of course, there are still a few elusive folks that have yet to show themselves....
Yeah, gardening does a number on the nails!
Apollo also has horrible allergies so I have to feed him something special for that. As of now they don't have Large Breed Allergy forumula food so I just buy the allergy stuff and add the supplements. But he's worth it. So is Willis (pit/boxer mix) but he doesn't have "issues" so I don't mention it much. One reason I love mutts- rarely have medical issues like purebreds and even temperments! For the most part anyway.
Thanks, Gretchen. You are so sweet. I actually look a lot younger than I am. I always hesitate to post a picture of myself because I usually take terrible pictures and because people start talking to me like I am 20 when I am actually twice that!
Jamie, can you tell me what some of his allergies are? I need to have a blood panel done on Dutchess, but I am interested to know what else might be making her sick. It didn't even occur to me that she could be having an allergic reaction. I guess I didn't realize dogs have allergies, but now I know and will be on the lookout. I love mutts too. My Duke (Rottweiler/German Shorthair Pointer) had to have two cruciate ligaments replaced. Another pain, poor baby. I would love to see a picture of Willis:-)
Here's my old man:
Just so you guys know...I believe strongly in Rescue leagues,I use to foster some for the Newfoundland Club
I have gotten dogs from rescue clubs
I had gotten a Great Pyrenees a few years ago,drove 4 hours to pick him up ,but ......there was a big reason the dog needed a new home,and the people lied to us
The dog was a chronic barker...I'm not talking he barked here and there
I'm talking 24/7,if he wasn't sleeping he was barking,in the house ,out of the house,tried the bark collars,batteries went dead,didn't faze him,tried the remote collars.....no cure for the dang dog
Found out his mother and 2 siblings were also chronic barkers and were debarked
He was lovable........but I drive tractor trailer and have to get sleep,he wouldn't let me.
I found a new home for him though
Next rescue dog was a 6 month old black Great Dane,Samson and I adored him....he was wonderful
But one day,last fall,He was 11 months, I notice he had symptoms of bloat,rushed him to the vets......The operation they wanted to do was 3,000.00 bucks and there was no guarantee they could save him.My DH wouldn't let me do it.There was a 1,000.00 operation that they said might work.....so I went for it....but they still couldn't save him.
I was devistated.....The vets I talked to and some of the breeders are of the belief that bloat(gastric torsion) is partially hereditary.I even talked to some handlers and they said its more prevalent in certain blood lines.Hence my search for a breeder with no history of bloat.There are some out there.Its no guarantee but its a start .
I loved that dog soooo much
The lady at the pet food store where I buy dogfood said she has one customer who had the panel run on their dog and it was allergic to most meat products except lamb, was allergic to corn, wheat and food dyes. They have one customer whose dog is allergic to rice and all poultry products. She said allergies to grass are pretty common too. I had no idea they could be allergic to so much stuff.
Clare, glad your doggie is on the mend.
That is so sad, CC. I'm so sorry about Samson. It is equally sad that people bred those dogs with problems in the first place. I have to say that I am against breeding of any kind just because there are so many purebreds and mixed breeds without homes and in need of love and care. The numbers of how many are euthanized each day in this country are staggering. It just seems ridiculous to bring more lives into this world when there are so many others waiting for a home. That is just my opinion, so don't mind me. I'll get off my soapbox now.
Great picture! What a sweetie! I'm so sorry you lost him. $3000 is an outrageous amount, and no one can blame you for not being able to afford it.
Clare -- You are certainly blessed with great genes! After I posted that, I thought...dummy me. I knew from our conversations that we are close in age. I have a few on you, I think. I just celebrated my 45th... That sounds so old. I know we all remember when that age seemed ancient to us LOL!
Clare, thank you. Ah, I won't complain if I look younger than my real age =) Jamie, I know I wrote that. Silly me. One of these days, I'll wear a hat and gardening gloves for my DG photo ID.
Gretchen, thank you for starting this thread. So wonderful to meet everyone early on (for me, at least).
Soon, I'll get James (4 yrs) and Montana (6 mos) here, my 2 golden retrievers. They come with stories, too.
=)
Yep. In allergy formulas, prescription or not, you will see that it is normally an uncommon protein and carbohydrate source. And not much else in the food. For instance, Natural Balance has venison and brown rice, duck and potato (what Apollo eats) and even a vegetarian food with soy as the protein source. However, soy is not a totally uncommon allergy source in dogs. The Eukanuba allergy food is fish and potato. The goal is to make it with proteins not found in most dog foods since if the dog hasn't been exposed to it, that can't be what is causing the allergy.
Clare- in dogs food allergies are the most overlooked, but also not as common. Only 10% of all allergies in dogs are food related. Common external sources are grass, pollen and dust. Just like in humans. You can have a blood panel done to tell you exactly what they are allergic to. Then they can get allergy shots but that is really expensive. My vet wanted to start with a "food trial" in which the dog gets nothing but the one kind of food- allergy formula w/ few ingredients. But you will hear that it takes anywhere from 4 to 16 weeks to see for sure if it is related to the food. It's a complicated mess! In the meantime I bathe him with allergy formula shampoo once a week (it was daily for a month... that was a LONG month). When he is really red and itchy he gets 6 Benadryl. I also rinse his eyes with that saline stuff every morning and evening.
Crestedchick- that dog was so pretty! I am so sorry you lost him. If people go through breeders I just wish they would do it how you do. RESEARCH. Find a good, reputable breeder, and be responsible if you choose to breed and/or show your dogs. The way we stop backyard breeders is to stop buying our pets from them. As long as they are making a profit, they will keep breeding these dogs. A good breeder normally charges more, but it’s worth it in the end. The funniest, and truest expression I have ever heard is “the most expensive pet you will ever obtain is a free kitten.” SO TRUE! Even more so if you get a cat or dog from a bad breeder. Sorry, that’s my little soapbox. Everyone makes the mistake at some point so I don’t mean to offend anyone who has done this. We had Chihuahuas that were badly bred. Now I know better. I just try to spread the word so we can all learn from it.
My belief is that the only way to STOP the surplus pups and kittens is to offer free spaying and neutering
and that will never happen
I've always said if I win the lottery I would donate a ton of money to a spay or neuter clinic
It broke me to get 2 stray cats spayed
way expensive.........
have they checked Apollo had his eyes checked for entropian?(Spelling)
Its where part of the eye lid rolls in and the hair or eyelashes are touching the eyeball and irritating it
Gretchen, no "dummy you!" You are just a gem, and I appreciate the compliment! You're my pal.
Moonglow, I really don't mind looking younger than I am, and it is even funny when people think my husband is my dad, but he doesn't like that much. I even got carded the other night, and I about hugged the woman who carded me. I would love to see pictures of James and Montana and hear their stories too.
Jamie, that is really interesting about the allergy food. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I had thought that potatoes were poisonous to dogs so it is interesting that some allergy dog food includes potatoes. Apparently, Dutchess developed an allergy to the sulfate-based antibiotic because she has been taking it for a few months now. When I asked the vet why she hadn't reacted to it earlier, he said that it took time to build up an allergy for it. That is probably why it takes food allergies a while to show up also. You are such a good dog mommy to do that all that for your baby! I agree with you about backyard breeders. It is good to spread the word so more lives are not lost.
CC, I posted around the same time and didn't see your post. You are so right. Occasionally, I've seen free spay and neutering offered here in Southern California, but usually it is only for a weekend. I think it is alot cheaper to have animals spayed and/ot neutered at local humane societies than at pet clinics and hospitals and the vet's office. Usually, only members can have it done at Humane Societies, but membership is only $10 a year, and it is a worthy cause. I too would contribute big bucks to animal causes if I won the lottery.
I have heard that about the cost of s/n being high in certain areas of the country. One lady on my other gardening site has 2 cats who are not spayed. When I asked why she said it cost $200 per cat where she lives in New Hampshire. I hit all my sources for low cost s/n and sure enough there was like one in her state and you had to qualify.
In Dallas the Humane Society has a low cost s/n clinic and now it actually offers other vet services for very cheap. I got Willis neutered for $30 and all his shots for another $30. Male cats are I think $15 and females are $25 (I think). Dogs are based on weight but it is still pretty inexpensive. The sell Heartguard and Frontline for cost. The SPCA is right down the street from me and they also have a clinic with similar prices. No qualifications- just show up. Senior citizens get it done for free. Also, if you are a resident of Dallas and qualify (by income level or if you are on any form of public assitance) then you can have your pets s/n for free. The thing is, none of this is well advertised so you really have to search to find info on it. From the amount of rescue and volunteer shelter work I have done, I think cost in certain areas may indeed be an issue. But the larger issue, IMO, is ignorance.
Clare- I have attached a picture of Willis.
CC- I had not thought of that with his eyes. I will have that checked. Thanks!
Ok, just realized that is a picture of Willis this summer a few days after I rescued him. He was emaciated and covered in mange- sarcoptic AND demodectic... lucky me. So, here is one of him actually healthy! He was sweet from day one and even though he was sick and starving, that tail was always wagging. Still is. :)
Back to a brug question- is this a basal shoot? It is growing off one of my Equador Pink cuttings. The main cutting has no new leaves and is kind of squishy feeling. Should I let that green one keep going and maybe separate it when it's time to pot it up to something bigger? Or do you just plant it all- the original cutting AND the new shoot?
My veris peach is doing the same thing except the original cutting is firm and growing new leaves. When do I separate them, if at all? I don't have tons of room so if I have to choose should I take the basal shoot (if that's what this is) over the main cutting I started off with?
Looks like the first one is for sure. You want to leave them on the main plant until they get an appearance of having bark on them or when they show the little brown speckles that are like lenticile spots. I don't know how else to describe what I'm saying. When the green shoot gets these little specks on them, they will root much easier than if they were just green wood.
Jamie, what a difference YOU make! Your Willis is positively adorable and very healthy-looking now. If I were next to you, I would want to hug you. What a lucky puppy to have landed you as a mommy.
I didn't know that about expensive s/n procedures. That is a crime.
Yes, it looks like you have a basal shoot. It is probably a branch from the cutting below the surface. When it gets nice and big, you can leave it as it is, or you can prune off the original cutting, or you can prune off the new cutting and make a new plant. I would plant it all together as it is and prune later after it has put on some growth. Some brugs look nice with just one branch and trained as a standard, but multiple branches are nice too. Summer is the best time to root cuttings if you do decide to prune.
This tree sent up lots of basal shoots. I pruned out a couple but let the rest grow. I also pruned out some crossing branches.
Edited to fix spelling!
This message was edited Jan 3, 2005 6:50 PM
That was a terrible picture. This one is better:
Ha Ha Clare- I was going down to your next post after thinking "wow what a great picture" and then you say "that was a terrible picture." :) Amazing brug you have there. I don't think any of mine will grow like that in this climate, but we shall see...
Willis was a MESS. He actually was starting to look better in that first picture but obviously wasn't "there" yet. Two guys walked by my house and I was on my porch watering plants. They saw Apollo (my fence is only 4 ft tall and wroght iron) and started asking me questions. Then this puppy comes up on the porch so I just cut them off and asked if he was theirs. They said he had been hanging out on their porch for a while and just followed them around all day. I asked if they fed him and they said no, hoping he would leave. When asked how long it had been they said TWO WEEKS and I just lost it. Actually, only one did any talking. So I said to just leave and I would keep him, trying to stay somewhat calm since they knew where I lived. THEN, as they are walking off the quiet one patted his leg and whistled, as if to call Willis to come on! Oh man, it was over. I told him they just went from cruel and heartless to plain evil. Don't call him away from someone who will take care of him if you don't want to. I still get mad when I think about it. He is so sweet and so funny. Not really living up to the pitbull rep. :) I have included another picture of him. This was last night playing with the ball his grandma got him for Christmas. Big dork!
BTW- meant to tell ya you don't look a day over 25! I hope to look half that good when I hit 40 in 10 years. Actually, I will be 28 next month but I have started saying 30 hoping to get myself used to the idea. Ha!
Thanks Brugie- that does make sense! I think I will just keep potting them both up "as is" until I put them in the ground. If anything needs pruning out this summer, I'll do it then. I know you are supposed to shoot for cuttings that are woody but still a little bit green. At least that's what I seem to remember reading.
Thanks, Jamie. These brugs tend to grow six feet in a year so you may very well have a big plant on your hands come next winter. The multi-trunk look is a nice look as well as the single trunk look. I have about half and half with my brugs.
Man, you are I are so much alike. I would have done the exact same thing with those boys. They are thoughtless punks. A puppy showed up at my court reporting school in Los Angeles county, and the school administrators had him locked up in an enclosed fenced area. People said he had been hanging around the school for several days over the weekend. He was in bad shape and looked a lot like Willis in your first picture. He was bloated from worms and yet very thin. It was obvious that he had been on his own for some time. The school administrators were going to call animal control, but in Los Angeles animals are euthanized the same day that they come in. There is no holding period. I took him home to Ventura County, where there is a no-kill Humane Society. I gave him a bath and fed him, but hubby would not agree to keep him because we already have two dogs, and we rent here, and he did not want to violate our lease agreement which allowed for two dogs. The Ventura Humane Society, actually located in Ojai, would not take any animals unless they had been unclaimed for 30 days. I had to lie and say that he had been living with me for 30 days. They looked at him and his condition and then looked at me like I was a horrible, neglectful person. They could see that he was bloated and underfed, and fortunately, they agree to take him, or else I would have had to take him to our local animal shelter where they do euthanize unwanted animals. They nursed Bear (the name they gave him) back to health for 30 days, and he was soon adopted after that. I had to lie because I knew he didn't have an owner out there looking for him and would have been killed or died on the streets of Los Angeles or at an animal control. The helpless need protecting.
Thanks for the compliment! In all fairness, I think I was 35 when that picture was taken, and the makeup hides a multitude of sins! You look very youthful also, and I bet you will look great when you are 40. When people ask me how old I am, I still reply "30-something.":-)
That last picture of Willis is soooo adorable. He is one happy boy. I've really enjoyed chatting with you today and sharing pet stories and pictures. I feel so much better this evening than I did this morning. Have a wonderful evening.
This is Duke when he was a puppy:
Now he is an old man. Here, he thinks he's a tough guy:
Calalily, Susie, I missed your post earlier and just saw it now. Sorry about that and thank you. I didn't realize that dogs could have allergies like that either. You should post a picture of your little guy here. He is just adorable.
Yep. Someone has to look after them. Lie if you have to. My husband tries to act mad when I bring in strays, but now I know it's because HE can't let them go! I have gotten so used to it over the years that I can give them to a good home as long as I know they are going to be cared for. Abe sees them and then less than an hour later he will say "can we keep him/her?" Ha! He is the reason Willis is still here. Duke looks like a real sweetie. A little long in the tooth now, but still handsome. .
Thanks for the compliment. My friend and I were at the liquor store on New Year's Eve and the clerk asked for my ID and then didn't ask for hers. She is only a year older than I am. She got mad and asked him if he was going to card her too. He told her there was a fine line between being flattering and patronizing! OUCH! I could tell he was embarrassed when he saw we were pretty much the same age. I told her that's what tanning beds and smoking will do to you!
Little Guy??? He thinks he is, lol. They were having fireworks and firecrackers for New Years Eve and he had to sit in his mommy's lap! Did I tell ya the reason we got him is because he failed at birddogging? He's afraid of gunshots(and thunder and fireworks). I'll try to get a good picture of him.
BTW Clare- good chatting with you too. I'm glad your day got better! Calalily- Apollo thinks he's a lap dog too. Well, so does Willis, at 55 pounds! Get some pictures of your "little guy" posted if you can!
Jamie...
Just a note to let you know that brugs DO grow that big and nice here in our part of the country. (DFW)
Here is one I had last summer..and this was after I had been cutting it back for cuttings..(It is Whiskers)
WOW! Well that gives me hope! With these pics in mind, I have a long somewhat narrow garden area (6 feet wide and about 25 feet long) along the fence in my back yard. I was hoping to make an "alley" of brugs at the back and plant shorter stuff under them and up towards the front. My question is, how far apart should I space my cuttings when I put them in the ground this spring?
Thanks!
Earthling -- that's very pretty!
TG -- if you're planting them to be alle' trees, then you can safely plant them every 36". An expert may come along and tell you they need to be farther apart, but that's the spacing I use for mine, and its plenty of room. If you are growing bushes, they'll probably need to be farther apart. Are you going to plant them in pots, or in the ground? If you plan on digging them up in the fall, my personal experience is that pots are much easier to dig out, but the one's in the ground are happier. Like I said, just my experiences that I'm passing on here...