Friendly Fill-Ins

Who's ready for a fun Friday? To make it extra fun, how about a good ol' Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? If you'd like to participate but missed the fill-in statements yesterday, we'll share them again below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I just finished _________.

2. I am hoping to start _________.

3. _________ is my idea of success.

4. When I can't sleep, I _________.

My answers are below in bold, accompanied by my usual long-winded explanations. My apologies. As always, feel free to skim read to avoid falling asleep.

1. I just finished a 3-week period of giving Evan an increased dose of anti-anxiety medication.
(As I've mentioned before, my orange tabby boy Evan has always been a tad bit anxious, and over time he developed neurosis largely in the form of licking a section of his left side bald. He has been on amitriptyline for a number of months to combat this, but recently his licking and other nervous tics grew worse. To combat this, his vet told me to double his dose of anti-anxiety medications for a total of 3 weeks. I did that, and just this week started giving him his original, reduced dose again. I hope his licking and other tics remain minimal rather than increasing again on this lower dosage. If he does go back to acting excessively anxious, since double dosing him on amitriptyline is not ideal long-term, his vet has already informed me that we can try him on gabapentin as another option. We'll see what happens and then go from there.)

2. I am hoping to start reading a new series of books soon.
(I love reading books in a series. It's nice knowing that when you finish one book, you have another one in that world to look forward to. I actually like reading series that are already completed, because then impatient me doesn't have to wait for a new one to come out. A lot of the books I've read recently have been standalone novels, and while I certainly enjoy those as well, I'm looking forward to some series. My to-read list has plenty of series on it, so I'm not at a loss for options.)

3. Happiness is my idea of success.
(On one hand, I personally believe that happiness can often be a choice, at least given certain circumstances. On the other hand, I think happiness can be a gauge for determining whether you've reached your version of success. If you love what you're doing and are happy with the way your life is going, then that might very well be your version of success. If I'm being honest, I'd love to make a living in the form of more creative endeavors, rather than my current full-time job in the science field. That's not to say I'm not happy and grateful in many regards, but I'll admit that I don't feel fully happy in my current professional life. I don't believe I've yet reached my preferred version of success. That being said, turning my creative endeavors into something more professional, into more of a livelihood, is something I'm willing to work towards.)

4. When I can't sleep, I cuddle a kitty or two.
(What better lullaby than a purring cat?)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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For your Eddy fix today, we have yet more photos of her and her gnome pal named Chompsky.

As might be evident here, sometimes Eddy and Chompsky don't get along perfectly. The gnome can be a bit bossy, and he likes to steal the remote control. Eddy prefers to pick what's on the TV, but to avoid a fight with Chompsky she often just huffs and walks away.

You better believe Eddy has some bloopers to share here. Does she ever not have bloopers to share? No. The answer to that is no.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Flashback Doodles of the Day

Today is the final day we're sharing flashbacks from last year's April A to Z Challenge. For the first flashback doodle today, we have angel Rosie enjoying tea time.

After tea time, though, dishes have to be washed. Bummer, huh?

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Tip of the Day:

After the recent discussion on tapeworms, we thought we'd briefly discuss a couple of other similar intestinal parasites, these being roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. We won't go into all of the science for each of these worms, but we will touch on the basics of such infestations. So, if you're interested in these wormy parasites, read on.

Depending on the worm, cats and dogs can potentially become infected with the aforementioned worms as kittens or puppies, such as in utero or from their mother's milk. Worms can also find their way to a cat or dog's intestines by the ingestion of a rodent or other carrier of the parasite, or by ingesting the parasite in certain stages of its life cycle elsewhere in the environment. Symptoms of such an infestation can include diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, a potbellied appearance, and sometimes even sight of the worms in your furbaby's feces.

If you think your kitty or pup might have intestinal worms, such as if they are a young puppy or kitty with a potbelly, if you see worms in their feces, or if you see any other potential signs, of course take your furbaby and a stool sample to be examined by a veterinarian. Parasiticides can be used to eradicate these intestinal parasites. Just as with tapeworms, though, it is important to use preventative measures to keep your kitty or pup clear of them from then on. Keep their environment clean in order to prevent growth of the worms in the environment. In addition, if your furbaby goes outdoors, monitor them and try to ensure that they are not ingesting prey that are potential carriers of intestinal parasites, such as rodents. If needed, such as if your cat or dog is largely outdoors, discuss with your veterinarian the potential for keeping your furbaby on regular preventatives that cover intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.