Springtime in Los Angeles: Foxtails, Dogs and Bees
I am so behind on posts. I can't complain, though: work has been busy, but not so much that I have to sacrifice hobbies and hiking and dog-enrichment.

Here's the fully annotated Flickr set
The dogs got their mid-life checkup. R0ndo had the De-Lux checkup (poor dog). He had to have some foxtails removed from his foot, so while he was under general anesthesia he also got his teeth cleaned, ears checked (found another foxtail in one ear), eyes checked, x-rays and blood drawn. His back is tweaked, so I wanted to make sure it wasn't a blown disc; back is fine-- but they did find that he has some arthritis in his left hip so I'll have to watch that (and give plenty of glucosamine). Otherwise both dogs are fine: blood tests came back looking good.
About those foxtails...hate 'em. People who have never been out west here with dogs can't believe how awful these things are. Foxtails range from a quarter-inch to three inches long, with needle points and barbed surfaces that allow them to penetrate skin and drive ever-inward. When the various wild grains dry out, all hikes end with about 30-60 minutes of combing through their fur removing burrs and foxtails (and the occasional tick). I'm shocked I missed these in R0ndo: I'm usually obsessive about getting them all off-- but this one was between a toe and I missed it. I think the first one opened a hole that the other four later made their way into his foot. My vet found three of them about an inch and a half above the entry point, having travelled almost into his leg. Poor boy now has to wear a boot for a few more days.
Aside from that, things have been decent. With the exception of a few stiflingly hot days, it's been coolish. Typical L.A. spring.
Speaking of dogs, Pet Expo 2013 took place in Orange County last month. I uploaded a set of annotated pictures to Flickr, but probably not post about it on LJ. I had a great time, but nothing exceptional happened: we adopted out four great dogs to good homes and I saw a bunch of neat breeds. I did get my picture taken with Mickadoo -- the dog who plays "Stan", on "Dog With A Blog" on Disney. He is an amazingly patient, good-natured dog (not as neurotic as most star-dogs I've met).
For those who did the TL,DR I give you instead an adorable video of a pack of 11 border collie puppies!

Here's the fully annotated Flickr set
The dogs got their mid-life checkup. R0ndo had the De-Lux checkup (poor dog). He had to have some foxtails removed from his foot, so while he was under general anesthesia he also got his teeth cleaned, ears checked (found another foxtail in one ear), eyes checked, x-rays and blood drawn. His back is tweaked, so I wanted to make sure it wasn't a blown disc; back is fine-- but they did find that he has some arthritis in his left hip so I'll have to watch that (and give plenty of glucosamine). Otherwise both dogs are fine: blood tests came back looking good.
About those foxtails...hate 'em. People who have never been out west here with dogs can't believe how awful these things are. Foxtails range from a quarter-inch to three inches long, with needle points and barbed surfaces that allow them to penetrate skin and drive ever-inward. When the various wild grains dry out, all hikes end with about 30-60 minutes of combing through their fur removing burrs and foxtails (and the occasional tick). I'm shocked I missed these in R0ndo: I'm usually obsessive about getting them all off-- but this one was between a toe and I missed it. I think the first one opened a hole that the other four later made their way into his foot. My vet found three of them about an inch and a half above the entry point, having travelled almost into his leg. Poor boy now has to wear a boot for a few more days.
Aside from that, things have been decent. With the exception of a few stiflingly hot days, it's been coolish. Typical L.A. spring.
Speaking of dogs, Pet Expo 2013 took place in Orange County last month. I uploaded a set of annotated pictures to Flickr, but probably not post about it on LJ. I had a great time, but nothing exceptional happened: we adopted out four great dogs to good homes and I saw a bunch of neat breeds. I did get my picture taken with Mickadoo -- the dog who plays "Stan", on "Dog With A Blog" on Disney. He is an amazingly patient, good-natured dog (not as neurotic as most star-dogs I've met).
For those who did the TL,DR I give you instead an adorable video of a pack of 11 border collie puppies!
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Border... collie... puppies... HHnnNNGHhH!!!!
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That border collie puppy video slays me. They're so tiny and yet trying so hard to herd...agh!
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Tay... I think his fur is made of Show Sheen.
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For Tas's feet, give it a good spritz top and bottom and rub it in, particularly between her toes. If you need more, I can bring some tonight.
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