Happy Easter!

Road Trip!!

     The other day my mom and I were walking in the town I live near and we came upon this silver car with these two adorable dogs sitting on the back shelf waiting for the owner. The widows were open, although you can't really tell in the picture, so they had enough fresh air and were enjoying basking in the sun. The degree of tolerance of my pets to joy rides in cars varies between them. The most well behaved and most tolerant would most definitely be Midnight and Pie. They both have no problem with car rides, especially when they are allowed to explore the interior of the vehicle. Carrots, wheat bread crusts, hay and other goodies are also welcome perks when taking a trip. Charlie comes in at the middle of the pack; not unruly but also not an angel. Most of the time he is just too petrified to move or even make a sound, even though he is being cuddled and given praise the whole time for being such a good boy. He isn't a dog who likes to stick his head out the window; the wind rushing past his face and ruffling his hair isn't what he desires at all. Bringing up the rear is Sunny. It's odd that he freaks out so much in the car because he is always excited to get into the car; jumping up onto the seats, running from window to window, wagging his tail, etc. It's about two minutes into the ride where he starts to realize that it's a moving vehicle and that he's terrified! No amount of petting, coaxing, cooing, bribing, or fresh air will calm him down. Only when he is out of the car does he finally relax; rounding out the trip with relieving himself on the nearest open spot.

Spring Break!

     Hey everyone...spring break is here! It's a great time to relax, do some spring cleaning before Easter, hang out with friends, and spend time with our beloved pets! Have a great break everyone!

Great Product!!

    I absolutely love this waterless shampoo spray. Since it's not always good to get rabbits wet because they can catch colds really easily, this spray is the answer! For my rabbit's, I spray this on their fur and rub it in, and then brush them after. Afterwards, their fur is very nice and shiny, and they really enjoy all the attention and massage! This waterless shampoo spray is also great for cleaning dirty bottoms and muddy feet. I definitely reccommed this!

A Day In Winter Wonderland

    Today I had a great idea for a fun activity my rabbits could do to get some exercise and fun....romping around in the snow! Both Pie and Midnight love to dig in the freshly fallen snow....flakes flying everywhere! Where I live it has been snowing quite a lot and has just stopped in the last few days, so there was a good 12 inches of snow for my bunnies to play in! Midnight especially loves to mow down on some fluffy snow in the process of exploring and digging! Pie, the more adventurous one, was trying to escape from the little fort I had designated for them to stay in. She is so curious that the prospect of exploring the "Great Outdoors" was just too good an opportunity to let pass. Luckily, we didn't have an escape and the whole experience was great.

Sunny

 

Sunny really loves to get comfy and just snuggle in soft places! He is always getting excited if someone were to lay down or sit on the couch! He is truly a creature of comfort. Charlie isn't as keen on being comfortable, especially when his fur is very long. Since Charlie's hair is so thick, he over-heats so his favorite spot in the summer is on the nice cool floor. Sunny's hair is quite thin, so he never has that problem.

Odd Realtionship

     At first, Sunny was an only dog and had the run of the house. He received all the attention and love for about eight years. Then, Charlie was looking for a loving home after being rescued from a less than adequate home. Luckily, Charlie and Sunny got along great from the start. Some aspects of Sunny's life changed, some for the better and some for the worse.

     

     Since Charlie is so much younger than Sunny, by about 10 years, he keeps Sunny young. Keeping up with Charlie insures Sunny can't just lay around on the couch, which he mostly does anyway, and has to run after Charlie. Charlie is really good with letting Sunny have his food first and allowing Sunny to get his treats first. I think this is because Sunny is Charlie's elder and kind of like his mentor. When we first got Charlie, he was very scared and would just cling to certain people for protection. Sunny has taught many things to Charlie, such as how to scratch at the door if he has to relieve himself outdoors, how to be a couch potato, and how to bark if a visitor comes to the door. Not so positive behaviors Charlie has been taught include eating rabbit poop and barking at things that don't exist(just noises they "hear").

      One negative aspect of their relationship is that Charlie is always bugging and nagging Sunny. Whether it is chewing on Sunny's fur when they are running or accidentally jumping right on Sunny's head when he is trying to get up on the couch, Charlie is always trying to be near Sunny. I know that Charlie is trying to get Sunny to play most of the time, but I do see how annoying he can be to Sunny. Luckily, Sunny is pretty laid back and doesn't get mad at Charlie.

      Over all, the two of them get along just fine and keep each other company!

Boiler Vet Camp III

 Blood Bank!

     One of the exciting activities I did at vet camp was visiting and learning about a animal blood bank. Before, I never knew that there was such a thing as a blood bank for animals, and that it is very similar to a human blood bank. Blood transfusions need to match the species and blood type of the animal before it cam be used. As with humans, dogs and cats have A, B, and AB blood types. Also, there is a size limit on dogs and cats that can become donors. For example, large dogs are the ideal candidates for donation because they can deal with losing the blood whereas a little Chihuahua would be sucked dry! (Not really, major exaggeration but it still wouldn't be good) Cats should be about 20 pounds or more. For dogs, Greyhounds are ideal because they have a high percentage of blood compared to their size so they can give more. We didn't get to see blood being taken live because the stress that would put on the dogs wouldn't be safe since they are supposed to be calm. Instead, we saw this pretty amazing video and saw how many treats these dogs get when they are patiently waiting for their blood to be collected! Each dog is trained prior to their first time giving blood so everything goes smoothly and the animal doesn't freak out because of all the strange equipment. In addition to learning about a canine/feline blood bank, we also got the chance to dissect pig hearts! It may sound disgusting, but it was really interesting to see all the different chambers, veins, and  muscles in the heart. The technology was amazingly high tech, with flat screens everywhere with a camera on the instructor so we could see what she was doing so we could attempt to do the same on our own swine hearts. In the pictures, we are hanging out with one of the donor dogs who helps save lives! He is actually a foster dog who is looking for a permanent home! Hopefully by now he has found one!

Deer....Deer.....and More Deer

In January, our class in school visited a deer farm.  These are some of the bucks that we saw. We had to stay on our bus because of the risk of spreading illnesses, since deer are so susceptible to getting diseases. After getting a tour of the farm on the bus, my class was able to go into the barns where deer are taken before they are transported to other farms and where they get check ups from the veterinarian. Specialized equipment makes handling the deer, who are naturally skittish and wild, easier and safer. I learned many new things about raising domestic deer and different things that goes along with the business. I learned a lot about deer breeding, like how they figure out which bucks are going to be the biggest and that deer can cost about $15,000 to feed each year!