Wanted: Cleaning Crew

Our 3 (or is it 4 already?) year old 120 gallon reef tank is in need of more cleaners. We do clean it once a month (water change & debris & algae removal) but it needs more of the cleaning crew (snails & shrimps)to take care of the day to day cleaning. Our sea cucumber is doing a great job though but he can only do as much, he needs more help.

Sick pup

Hanna's friend (our neighbor's grey) is sick. She lost her appetite and is in pain when she bends down to eat. So her owner/mom & I are at our wits' end trying to figure out what to feed her. We have tried boiled beef with rice, new kibbles, tuna, wet dog food, yogurt, and lots of treats. She's on pain meds and anti-inflammatories. We're awaiting her appointment for cervical MRI....I'll be asking around for Ensure for doggies.

The good doggy & kitty life

Husband & I (well, I don't think husband will be pleased with me if he sees Hanna with nailpolish or bows!) don't buy dog strollers, fancy coats & collars and other pet luxury items for our critters. We do get them top of the line (meaning, healthy) food (Eagle Pack Power Food for the greys and Premium Lite Senior Cat food for the kitties), good beds (foam bed for the greys and our favorite red Stickley chairs for our kitties), good Martingale cotton collars for the greys, good rain & winter coats for again, the greys (they have to go out for potty & exercise and they don't have a lot of body fat hence the protection, our cats are indoor cats so they don't need all these), occasional treats for training & their dental health, toys, and lots of love in a good home. Oh, they also get special cat grass occassionally (yup, dogs eat them too). I don't think they are complaining....

Still raving about Montana

Looking at all our Montana pics make me just want to hop into a plane (with my husband & the menagerie, of course) and return there...sometime soon maybe.

Anyway, our greys have been very good doggies while we were away. The whole house was still in one piece, our furnitures still intact, and our leather shoes in the closet--very much untouched. My old flip-flops were a different story.

Fishing Buddies

I am still suffering from Montana vacation hangover. We didn't go overseas or to some exotic place in the Caribbean but I think our 4 day visit to Montana is just awesome. Nature at its best. Great company too(our nieces and nephews, my SIL & BIL) and 2 great hunting doggies, Bella & Brownie. Bella is the 5 y/o family lab(black lab). Brownie is the neighbor's old brown lab. Brownie would walk to the dock to sit and watch husband fish. She & Bella both enjoyed a game of toss & fetch. We toss a stick into the lake and they jump in & swim to fetch it. Hanna & Louie would have enjoyed playing with both labs.

Bella

Brownie

Montana 08

Husband & I were in Montana last weekend sans the menagerie (2 cats & 2 greys). Our good friends (also grey owners) looked after Hanna & Louie and the boys (Ringo & Sebastian). Our other good friend watered our plants. Our critters were in very good hands so we were able to enjoy Montana. This is what welcomed us upon our arrival.

Shiny Coats

When we first got both greyhounds, they had very dry & flaky skin, dull & coarse coat. We heard from a fellow grey owner that extra virgin olive oil drizzled into their kibbles and an oil supplement helped with their greys' coats. So we bought DermCaps and the EVOO. The results were amazing esp. on Hanna--black silky coat and less flaky. If only that would also work in making my hair shinier ;)

Cleanliness

Keeping our house clean is very important to me. You never know what micro-organisms you bring into your house with your paws/ dirty shoes. So I have a front door doormat specially made for guests who don't have any idea what to do with dirty shoes and a carpeted floor:

And for our greys, we buy baby wipes for after walks wiping and Arthur's Doggie Paw Wipes for last walk/before bedtime wiping.

Arthur's Doggie Paw Wipes has natural ingredients so I feel ok using it on both greys. The scent (mild citrus) is not overpowering so husband is ok with it.

Ready for Summer

It is early June but midday walks (high 70's and 80's, but today will be low 90's) are getting too much for Hanna already (must be her being raised in colder states & her black coat) so she pants incessantly and that drives me nuts. Some dogs are more prone to heat stroke-I just don't want to find out if my greys are one of those so as a precaution, we'll have our long walks earlier during the day. I got both greys cooling bandanas with some sort of special gel inside that absorb water. These banadanas are supposed to their big neck veins cool during the walk.

Paw Care

My friend L, who also has a greyhound (Tabora), recommended Musher's Secret for winter care of Hanna's paws. It protects the paw skin from cracking during winter months and from salt (used to melt ice). During summer, it keeps the paw skin supple and protects it from too much heat. It's like invisible boots. It is like petroleum jelly and is made from natural waxes, unscented too. It sure kept Hanna's & Louie's paws supple this past winter! I am currently trying a different brand (cheaper) but I will probably go back to Musher's when it is the peak of summer and come winter. The new brand I am using has a minty smell which husband is not particularly thrilled of. I don't think it is as good as Musher's.

Roomba

I have heard about the Roomba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roomba). My sister bought one for around $350--I think instead of her doing the vacuuming, the Roomba patrols the house for any dirt and picks it up -too bad, it can't pick up scattered dog toys ;( or I would have gotten one myself ....Anyway, we also got our own version of the Roomba.



She is 68 lbs, with shiny & silky black coat & very food-motivated. She neatly eats her food and cleans up any spills. She even waits for messy Louie to finish so she can clean his spills....and she constantly picks up any dog biscuit crumbs that may have been left/dropped by Louie...amazing cleaning powers, huh!

Disposable boots

These disposable rubber boots were a big help when Hanna had her toenail injury last March. Before husband saw it from one of the posters in a greytalk.com forum, I had to wrap the bandaged injured toe in a Ziplock bag, duct tape it, then put the Ziplocked injured paw into her boots (prevents it from getting dirty). But her winter boots are not really made for walking in the rain so problem solved when husband found these. They are very snug so Hanna wasn't able to shake them off. These boots come in different sizes but for greyhounds, the large size is more appropriate. They kept Hanna's injured paw clean & dry during those rainy days....