It's been a while since I posted due to school, working full time, planning a wedding and getting registered with the state to start an in home daycare. Now that I'm working part time and school is finally done so I have some spare time. Rocco and Nellie are doing well and Rocco is now 35 pounds to Nellie's 55 pounds. He is a sassy little guy and has been running away as fast as he can if we let him off the leash. Easter Sunday I chased him through my parents neighborhood in flip flops. At one point I lost the flip flops and ran barefoot through who knows what and ended up with a cut up foot. Thankfully, Rocco had his leash on and it got wrapped around a tree making it possible for me to catch up to him. The picture above right is after all of the Easter excitement. This week Nellie got into something that didn't sit well with her and she was sick all over her kennel. She was shaking and drooling too. I was worried because it looked like she may have eaten some berries so I called the vet and took her in. He looked at the sample I brought and said it was rabbit feces...ew. He gave her an injection to stop the vomiting and she stopped shaking within 10 minutes. Ahh the joys of pet ownership! Poor Nel. |
| Rocco snuggling with a sick Nellie |
I made her rest for the remainder of the evening and while she slept off her sickness I found a natural recipe for dog shampoo. I mixed Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (about 1/4 C) with 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar and a little bit of warm water. I applied this to Rocco's wet coat and worked it into a lather. I probably could have used more since I was only able to cover his back and belly, plus he squirms a lot making it difficult to give him a thorough scrub down. It has an interesting smell, but I was told it wouldn't cause a wet dog smell and I found this to be true. Nellie seemed to like the smell too since she kept licking him. I like that it is natural for this reason too. Both Nellie and Rocco lick themselves and each other after a bath and I would rather they lick natural ingredients than chemicals that may harm them. Once Rocco's fur dried it seemed cleaner and thicker compared to using store bought pet shampoo. Supposedly the vinegar helps prevent fleas too, but I would like to research that further.
