Woof Woof Wednesday

We've mentioned here before that Astrid's grandma (this here human's mom) always provides Astrid with adorable bows for her collar. As we've also mentioned before, these bows sort of started out as a joke. People often confuse Astrid for a male dog, and so years ago the pup's grandma sort of jokingly made a bow for her collar to perhaps help people realize that she's actually a girl. One thing led to another, and now Astrid's grandma makes her a bow for her collar for every season. The pup recently got her new Valentine's bow. I asked Astrid to show it off, which she did while pouting in the window.

Would you like a slightly closer view from a really awkward angle? Yeah? Okay. Here you go.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

Earlier this week we shared a 2019 flashback Valentine's doodle starring Astrid and my parents' cat Trapper, who has a bit of a crush on Astrid. Another kitty who is quite fond of Astrid is my parents' cat Talon, who just so happens to be Trapper's brother (both of these boys are also actually the litter mates of my girl Thimble and our housemate Toby). I didn't scribble up very many Valentine's doodles last year, so I had to go back two years to find a Valentine's doodle starring Astrid and Talon. So, here's a 2018 flashback doodle with a tad bit of love in the air.

Even though I'm not much of a Valentine's sort of person, I will be doing a small series of new Valentine's doodles this year. You better believe these doodles will star lots of kitties, a pup or two, and lots of sweet treats.

***

Tip of the Day

Our last tip related to Spay/Neuter Awareness Month is to make sure that you know and follow the proper pre-op preparation and post-op treatment for your furbaby's operation. Just as with any anesthetic event, there are some rules that will need to be heeded for your furbaby's health and safety. To begin, a cat or dog's food should be withheld well in advance to going under anesthesia. Ask your veterinarian how early to pull your kitty or pup's food, as their age can affect this. For example, adults may need their access to food cut off at 10 pm or thereabouts the night before surgery, whereas young kittens or puppies may need to be allowed access to food until the early hours of the morning of their surgery. Of course, also ask your veterinarian if there are other requirements prior to surgery.

The at-home care will continue after the surgery as well, of course, so also be sure that you follow these instructions from your veterinarian. For example, make sure you know how much and how often to give any medications that are sent home with your furbaby after surgery, which may include pain medication or antibiotics. It is also of course important to keep spayed or neutered furbabies calm and as least active as possible, so that they can recover safely and quickly. This is especially important for females, so that their abdominal sutures remain intact and their incision heals properly. If necessary, a kitten or pup can be secluded to a safe area of the house, where they can recover and heal as needed. Spaying and neutering is incredibly important, but so is the care required before and after the surgery itself.