Giardia

Sorry we haven't posted in while. Meena has been a little under the weather. We've been nursing her back to health, power cleaning our home and outside courtyard area with bleach, doing tons of laundry, etc.

She went to the Doctor this past weekend. He gave her a shot and prescribed metronidazole and bella phen. The Doctor told us to fast her for a day and a half.

Today she is doing great and back to her old self. She's eating a bland diet with yogurt. She's not thrilled about that part, but that is what the Vet told us to do.

Heidi is totally fine, knock on wood. She could be a carrier and not show symptoms. She has a Vet visit coming up, so hopefully the Vet can give us more info.

Of course I'm a nervous dog mom, and am trying to learn as much as I can about Giardia . Did she get it boarding when we were on vacation? Did I bring it home from work?

Here are some links, we found to be helpful...
* click on the links below to connect to the sites

Tiny Giardia can make Fido mighty sick

Giardia (Giardia canis)

Giardia in Dogs & Cats: More common than you think


Here are some other tips we've received that we're checking out...
- adding a drop of bleach to drinking water

- adding garlic to their homemade dog food (we usually do this, but didn't with the last batch)

- this immune strengthener at Only Natural Pet

- Love My Pet Diarrhea relief at ONP

- Kocci Free all natural herbal treatment remedy

- supplementing with Probiotics, Blackleaf and MSM

- Panacur dewormer, more info here

If you have any helpful advice, please do share. ..

green cleaning

This wonderful piece is by a talented collage artist. Check out her shop "In a Bit". Lots of cool designs for dog lovers.

As many of you know, we have been on the hunt for the best & safest cleaning products. We even tried the DIY approach.
Thank you to everyone who sent us links and recommendations. We will share them here...

- great green cleaning article found on treehugger

- Nature's Sunshine cleaning products: Safe for people, animals, plants and our environment. Biodegradable, non-polluting, chemical-free. Non-flammable.

- animal shelters going green article found on Best Friends Animal Society website

- Mrs Meyers cleaning products for pets

- How to Green Your Cleaning article on treehugger has tons of helpful information

going green...baby steps...

we finally got around to making some of the eco friendly cleaning supplies from the Eco Dog book. we sort of followed the directions, but tweaked a few things, and would like to try some essential oils in the future. here is what we ended up doing...

* the book has better descriptions and lots more recipes.



ingredients:
- white vinegar
- lemon juice
- baking soda
- salt
- water



glass & window cleaner:
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice


scouring powder:
- equal parts of vinegar, salt, baking soda and water * it should be pastey


toilet-bowl cleaner:
- 1 cup white vinegar and 6 tablespoons baking soda. let stand for 30 minutes and scrub clean.


additional cleaning supplies:
- Murphy's Oil for our wood floors. it is a vegetable oil base.
- earth friendly laundry and dishwashing detergent.




It was nice to clean without inhaling stong chemicals!
I don't even want to think about the stuff used at dog kennels and salons, and how long term use & exposure could affect the health of the staff and dog. yikees!

update: oops, i forgot to mention Borax as a cleaning supply. use it instead of bleach. great for laundry, pest control, and more. CLICK HERE for some recipes.