Medicating Dogs

One of my old dogs, Bashful, was recently diagnosed with congestive heart problems and is now on pills for his heart and for water retention. Not wanting to get into the rodeo of shoving pills down his throat twice a day for the rest of his little life, I was looking for an easier way to get him to take the pills. You can buy treats that are designed just for hiding pills, but again, they are a little pricey. I tried hiding them in a small piece of cheese, but regular cheese is just too stiff and we don't usually keep faux cheese (i.e. individually wrapped slices or Velveeta). I don't keep Velveeta in the house because I like it too much and it settles straight to the bottom. I tried wrapping it in a little lunch meat, but it fell out about half the time.

I finally hit on something that works, though, and he gobbles it down, even though he is usually my picky eater. I pinch off a piece of bread, about 1" square, and add just a few drops of water. I knead it a little until it is gooey rather than crumbly and if possible, add a drop or two of meat drippings, gravy, leftover frying oil or even just a drop or two of olive or canola oil. I knead it into a ball, then shove the pills into it and make sure they are covered. So far it has worked perfectly--he slurps it down and nothing falls out. Now he thinks he is getting treats twice a day and we don't have to suffer through pill rodeos.

Controlling sponge nasties

I often wonder what kind of nasties I'm spreading around my kitchen when I use a sponge repeatedly. I can't afford to use a new one every time I clean and it would be hugely wasteful even if I could afford it. I also don't want to use the disposable bleach wipes every time I clean, also hugely wasteful. I occasionally clean my counters with a 10% bleach solution, especially if I've been working with something like raw meat, but that still leaves the problem of the sponge and how to sanitize it.

Thankfully, our government has come to the rescue on that one. This is an excellent article from the USDA Agricultural Research Service on the most effective ways to clean sponges--Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges. I don't use the dry cycle on my dishwasher, but I do have a microwave. Be sure the sponge is damp and zap it for one minute. That method was 99.99% effective in the ARS trials.

I found another interesting article on the different kinds of sponges on the Green Living Tips blog. I may try growing luffas just to see how well they hold up as kitchen sponges. I tried growing gourd vines as shade covers for my kennel and it worked really well, giving me a nice supply of gourds for crafting and good shade for my dogs in the hottest part of the year. The dogs were entertained by the lizards and other critters that inhabited the vines. The luffa may work equally well, assuming I can grow it in the mountains of New Mexico. Hmmm...need to do some searching on high altitude gardening.

Living Wisely...in New Mexico

A dream is finally coming true. Jim has been transferred to New Mexico and we will finally be able to live in our home in Ruidoso. We are snowed right now with all the packing and moving prep, but very excited at the prospect of finally being home. Both our moms will be living with us, which will take some adjusting, but I think there will be plenty of room for everyone and we will all get along. Time will tell on that one, I guess.

Back to packing!!