Friday, August 30, 2013

Fleas, Fleas, Fleas


I've had it with the fleas on my Dottie. The hot weather has literally made them multiply till she was scratching herself to death. Enter the veterinarian--yes I tried the "cheaper" over the counter flea collars and squeeze on drops. They did nothing.

Luckily the Vectra 3D the vet provided really works. It breaks the pocket book at $20 per month (three vials in the box). Since I've applied it, Dotty is in heaven. No scratching, no itching, and even when she goes outside, she doesn't pick up more fleas. They don't like the stuff.

A lesson in chemistry has kept me going.  The three active ingredients:

Permethrin

Pyriproxifen


Dinotefuran

 . . . take care of juveniles, repell adults, and block a flea's normal neurotransmiters. In other words, it kills them dead. Pay attention to warnings. Cats have died when given dog meds.

Our horse feed shop Kahoots, where I get my hay, sells Frontline and Advantage II. Both items are equally expensive and have active ingredients similar to Vectra 3D.

This link offers you a chemistry lesson. I looked up each ingredient independently online.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=521

Since the primary method of attacks on fleas is cleanliness, it behooves anyone with a flea problem to vacuum, wash bedding (especially the dog's) and follow up with a topical spray that kills eggs and larvae which have dropped off of the dog to the rug where they grow. The important ingredient here is methaprene which kills the eggs and larvae. BioSpot has it.

Hopefully the weather will change. Hundred degree temperatures increase infestations and Moorpark hit that record today. Fleas don't like cold. Below seventy degrees,, they hop away leaving behind their eggs for the next heat spell.

Good luck  with your research.

I still wonder if horse pucky would chase fleas away. My dog loves to roll in those little green apples, and I haven't seen any fleas on my horse . . .yet

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

A writer who doesn’t post is no writer at all. Vacations are no excuse to put down the pen, I mean ipad. Vacations stops offer access to the internet, be it Starbucks, a chosen hotel/motel, or the library. Here are vacation photos. Locations include Washington State, Oregon, and Northern California.
The vacation began the 5th of July


Traveling with Baby Austin


Camping All the Way

Naval Museum, Washington


Birthdays in Silverdale

And Sacramento

With lots of fun in between


Look Familiar?




Covered Bridge and Swinging Bridges of Oregon





And Sundial Bridge, Redding

What a Vacation. Let's do it again.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Today is the feast of St. John Vianney.
Also known as the Cure of Ars, this simple parish priest was so successful in converting hardened sinners that people from all over the known  world would come to the little town of Ars, France just to go to confession. As a result, St. John spent upwards of 16 hours a day in the confessional. He has been designated as patron of all priests. Here are a few words taken from his catechetical instructions:

St. John Vianney

"It is the glorious duty of man to pray and to love. If you pray and love, that is where happiness lies. Prayer is nothing else but union with God. When one has a heart that is pure and united with God, he is given a kind of serenity and sweetness that fills him with light. In this intimate union, God and the soul are fused together like two bits of wax that no one can ever pull apart.  This union of God with a tiny creature is a lovely thing. It is a happiness beyond understanding."