Rescuing Rusty

bathroom tile

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 14:03:00 +0000

Rusty says "hello!"

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Mon, 09 May 2011 12:26:00 +0000

He's been around but we've been busy.

He's got hotspots from itching his paws so I'll have to update about that (and I'm going to have to wrap them... gah!) and about the few fosters we've had since last August.

SO... this blog is on my to-do list for the week (I'm trying to get some spring cleaning done and get to updating a few things!).

Just you wait! Rusty is back!

Rusty's New Friend Penny

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:36:00 +0000

Oh, Rusty. He's always dealing with some new friend. Ok, so we were sort of on hiatus for awhile trying to get stuff done but what happens to come along but:

A PUPPY!!! Meet Penny from Pet Project Rescue. She's with us for two weeks minimum and she's so stinkin' adorable. She's a puppy of course, so she's learning not to nip and how to run and climb stairs and follow Rusty.

She learns quickly following Rusty everywhere... Yep, and even tries to imitate him! It's pretty cute!

And this is the worst picture I've taken of her... she runs and runs and runs and runs... And then like a puppy, totally crashes into a deep puppy nap. SO STINKIN' CUTE.

How To Clean Dog Vomit

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:32:00 +0000

1. Pick it up with a bar towel or dish towel.

2. Throw it in laundry basin. Worry about that later.

3. Scream an expletive as dog vomits again. ON CARPET. LESS THAN TWO INCHES FROM A CEMENT FLOOR.

4. Throw dog outside.

5. Remember that dog vomited outside which is why you brought it inside so it wouldn't eat puke.

6. Turn on faucet outside.

7. Hose puke into driveway and under fence.

8. Go inside.

9. Open beer.

10. Scrub carpet with brush and Nature's Miracle.

11. Take a deep breath.

12. Finish beer.

13. Return to laundry tub, shake out vomit and throw into washing machine.

14. Get another beer.

15. Get out bar towels/dish towels for next time.

16. Let dog inside if you dare.

P.S. Foster dog is sick. Not Rusty. Well, actually Rusty does have a hot spot, but that doesn't need instructions to take care of. Yet.

Worms. Gross.

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:51:00 +0000

Only two months after we adopted Rusty he somehow obtained hookworm (and he had mange, we referred to him after that as "our mangey mutt").

Gross. AND he was such a good dog, that's the ONLY time he's ever relieved himself inside of our house.

Hookworm is disgusting. It gave him diarrhea for a week. And it was seriously exploding diarrhea. He had to eat cottage cheese and rice for a week and a half. Oh, and we had to give him doggy kaopectate so his stomach would calm down. GROSS. I'm telling you, that was practice for having kids.

However, when we chose a Heartworm product, we decided to go with Interceptor that covered 4 different types of worms. Why? Well, because we didn't want to have to deal with Hookworm again. Interceptor covers the following worms:

Heartworm (100% effective)
Hookworm (97% effective)
Roundworm (97% effective)
Whipworm (97% effective)

It's about $9 per month, but if you buy a year's supply, the pharmaceutical company generally offers some sort of rebate.

But there's different types of solutions for different families. We also looked at Revolution. It can control the following in canines:

Heartworms, fleas, some ticks, ear mites and scabies mites.

But there's also some drawbacks to Revolution as well. There's side effects:

vomiting
diarrhea
lack of appetite
lethargy
drooling
muscle tremors
rapid breathing
itchiness
swelling
incoordination
fever

But Revolution doesn't cover Hookworm or Roundworm. Instead, you'd have to do de-worming treatments (they're not that bad, we've been through de-worming treatments with foster dogs). Revolutions also doesn't protect against all ticks (but what medication really does anyway?).

So we also use Frontline to help prevent fleas/ticks. It's worked. And how do I know? Because I picked off about 50 fleas from Rusty the night that he came home. That very night I put on Frontline and the little buggers started jumping off his nose.

How do you kill a flea? Well, you get a flea comb, pick them out one by one (with the help of a few beers) and then drown them in a bowl of water. And then vacuum. And vacuum and vacuum.

So that's the story of flea and tick and heartworm preventative in our house. Two medicines to help prevent the worst and most annoying bugs and parasites. Yuck.

But ask your vet what's right for you and do your research. Find out the good and the bad about it all.

Oh, and there's also more natural ways of prevention too. Neem oil is one of those if you're interested in googling!

Interesting Dog Food Grading Linky

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:12:00 +0000

Click here to do it for your dog food.

I'm at work though, so I don't have the bag in front of me. I'll have to do it this afternoon.

Also, if you're interested Natura Pet Foods was bought out by P&G. These brands include Innova, California Naturals, EVO, Karma and Mother Nature. Here's some news and updates. Also, since they've been bought out, keep checking your food labels to see if they've made any changes to their formula, they say it's staying the same, though you never know what happens.

The Dog Likes His Socks

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 19:45:00 +0000

So randomly you'll find socks all around the house. Near a door.

Ok, you might find two socks... like they're supposed to be together (but really they're not...)

He'd take them outside with him if he could. He's a strange dog that way. Never actually chews on them, but enjoys socks.

What a goonie...

Frito Feet

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:08:00 +0000

Do you ever smell your dog's feet?

Embarrassingly, I do. And Rusty's smell like Fritos.

I've never really thought much about it - but here's a possible explanation.

Interesting, right?

The Goon in The Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:46:00 +0000

He loves to lay and sleep in the cool dirt.

And listen for chipmunks.

And sunbathe.

And seriously look for squirrels in the neighbor's trees and in the vines.

P.S. Do you see the silver car in the back? It's Bimmer Man's loaner. It's like a 1983 BMW 5 series. It's pretty much as old as me. It's retro and I think it's awesome.

Ahhh... Rusty... He's starting to get some gray hair and I feel sorta bad because he's only about 2 1/2.

When are dogs supposed to go gray? When do they normally start going gray?

Do they make hair club for dogs???

Rusty's Favorite Toys

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:50:00 +0000

Premier Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug, Medium/Large

Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy

KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Large, Black

KONG Wet Wubba Dog Toy, Large, Colors Vary

Nylabone Durable Chicken Souper

Big Butt Rusty

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:20:00 +0000

Ah... my dog's rear end is bigger than mine.

The MONSTER Sleeps

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:54:00 +0000

We have dog beds all over the house and with fosters I generally have to drag two dog beds all over the house with me wherever I end up so that each dog has a dog bed.

Now Rusty can have a dog bed in every room and I don't have to drag them around with me anymore. Ahh... Rusty sleeps when there's no foster to play with... Don't you just want to curl up on the dog bed with him and take a nap? He looks so comfy!

Fun Friday Foto

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Cora and Rusty. Sleeping on the couch. Cora's favorite thing was to sleep on Rusty.
In the car, on the couch downstairs, on a random dog bed, in the backyard. If Rusty was laying down, Cora would lay right on him.

And This Is What Rusty Has Been Up To

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:41:00 +0000

Well, it's supposed to be a video of Rusty with his favorite toy, however, I cannot find the linky thingy to put a video up. So I have to figure this out!

Mario is going to be on TV!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:45:00 +0000

He's almost as famous as the Rusty MONSTER from last year's Grand Old Day (the ONLY day of the year that you can have dogs at Billy's on Grand, so we HAD to bring him with us for a beer!).

So, make sure you watch Twin Cities Live on Channel 5which I'm pretty sure it's at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The video of it will probably be up after, so I'll make a link to that too.

Mario did well, though me, well, I'm not so sure about that one! You'll be able to pick me out pretty easily - the foster mom in a black shirt with blond hair. At least I put some make up on! HAHA!

Mario & Rusty In The Yard

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:24:00 +0000

Floppy Ears

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:24:00 +0000

I'm a sucker for the floppy ears.

Mario has got those sweet eyes and ears down to a science for getting a carrot.

Mario

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:36:00 +0000

Isn't this black lab adorable? He's Rusty's new foster brother from Pet Project Rescue. He's just fantastic (though about to be MUCH better after his neuter tomorrow!). He knows how to sit and is in the process of being crate trained. I can tell that he was an outdoor dog and probably a hunting dog (because he barks when he sees birds and rabbits... plus he sits automatically and waits for the command to go, which I haven't figured out yet). He's wonderful with Rusty and loves to play fetch.

So if you're looking for a retriever that actually retrieves who's probably about 2 1/2 or 3, you can apply for Mario with Pet Project Rescue!

Need Some Kong Stuffing Ideas?

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:48:00 +0000

Then click here!

Rusty LOVES peanut butter but it's high in fat so I don't want to give him too much. The link goes to LOTS and LOTS of ideas besides peanut butter that you can stuff and then freeze to keep your dog entertained for hours.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Just Hangin' Out

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:21:00 +0000

How To Spot An Ear Infection

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:16:00 +0000

Ear infections are awful, painful and annoying for adults. Now imagine having MUCH better hearing and an ear infection. And then other people sniffing your ear.

Double annoying, right? Yeah. So I'm going to show you pictures of Rusty's ears. He doesn't get them much anymore, but the first sign of an ear infection is the shaking of their head, which is what Rusty did this morning. So the pics of the ear infection are actually AFTER I've cleaned the ear and given him anti-biotics. We don't mess around with ear infections in this house (Bimmer just had an ear infection last week, poor guy).

So, above is a clean, healthy ear. It should smell good too (trust me, once you smell a yeasty ear, you'll NEVER forget that smell. This is Rusty's right ear, this morning as of 10 minutes ago. Healthy, white, NORMAL.

Now, here's the INFECTED ear:

Do you see how pink and NOT normal it is? There's some black gunk in it too - that's gross. It's not as white either. The picture on top is a little dark, but you can see where he might've been nipped on the ear at daycare, so I've cleaned the ear with a special solution (it's like $9 at the vet's office) to help expel all the yeasty awfulness, gunk, wax, build-up etc... He also didn't want me to touch the ear, so I couldn't get as clear of shots, sorry.

In any case, I wanted to show everyone what to look for if you notice something NOT normal with the ears.

Ear infections can get AWFUL, and I mean to the point of the ear closing up from being inflammed, pus coming out and just plain old nastiness.

Make sure you clean your dog's ears at least once a week (I know, like people really do that, right?), add in yogurt to their food to help promote GOOD bacteria and feed them grain free food to help prevent ear infections.

ALSO, JUST AN FYI: This is the FIRST ear infection that Rusty has had since being on a grain free food. Amazing, right?

So, just to let everyone know - check your dog's ears and get them cleaned! Your pet will be much happier with clean ears!

Cora Playing!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:43:00 +0000

Thanks, Doug!

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:27:00 +0000

10 Things That Make Me Happy. Doug, you really know how to get my day started right! Thanks, Doug! You are awesome!

So onto those 10 things that make me happy...
1. Watching the squirrels in the neighbor's tree in this position. Really, it works 'cause they don't think you're lookin' at them.
2. Snow on my nose. It's fairly tasty if you don't get the yellow stuff.
3. Bully sticks
4. Fish food. I love fish. Yum!
5. Peanut butter.
6. Thank you Doug for telling my Momma that cucumbers are good. She let me have one, oops, maybe three or four pieces and I love cucumbers!
7. Going running. Dad goes so fast that sometimes I miss the good smells though.
8. Pouncing on my foster siblings. I wait until they're not looking and then BAM! I get 'em!!
9. Bathes. We have this awesome showerhead and it massages my back. I refuse to get out of the tub.
10. Swimming. I swim after ducks.

Now I have to pass this on, but since I'm kinda shy, Momma told me to tell everyone that reads this that they get the award too. I'm tryin' be more outgoing but it's kinda hard. So I've got to practice. And I have to learn to share so apparently I have to practice that too. It's hard being a dog sometimes.

(Dad makes fun of Allen Iverson who said something about practice. What practice? It's just practice... but I'm a dog and I don't practice...)

Adopt Cora!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patty) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:42:00 +0000

Rusty has a new roommate. This is Cora.
Cora is about 7 months old. She knows sit, down, come, leave it, wait and we're working on walking well on a leash. She loves to play fetch and with Rusty. And she's just a sweetheart. Her favorite thing at night is to cuddle up on the couch and watch the Olympics! Or How I Met Your Mother...

Also, she's been spayed and she's UTD on all her shots, which means that she's ready to go!
If you want to adopt Cora, you can visit her Petfinder page here, or Pet Project Rescue's adoptable dog pages.

Cora needs a forever home, wanna a sweetie to cuddle up with every night?