Happy St. Patrick's Day!

As the doodle says,
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Our post today, as well as the past couple days, have been back to erratic and not always our usual stuff. One reason for this is that I've been distracted with Evan, as he's back to having some medical issues. It seems like nothing serious, thank goodness, but it's a persistent, stubborn issue.

We mentioned a couple weeks ago how Evan's intestines were acting unhappy, leading to some loose stool and rather malodorous gas from my boy. A fecal test revealed excess bacteria, which led our vet to diagnose him with colitis. He was therefore put on the antibiotic metronidazole. While on this medication, as well as for over a week after finishing it, Evan's stool went completely back to normal, and he was no longer a gassy boy. Then, this week, he started showing those same symptoms again. In truth, his stool is more often than not normal still, though with the occasional loose bowel movement. The main thing I've noticed is that he's back to being pretty darn gassy, though even that goes in spells. So, to make sure this issue isn't something more serious, Evan is going to the vet tomorrow for a full GI blood panel. Evan has to fast for 12 hours prior to having his blood drawn, so wish me luck he doesn't eat me alive. He has most definitely not lost his healthy appetite in all of this, so he's going to be very, very unhappy with me.

As I'm sure is the case with most of you, I tend to stress and worry myself sick when one of my furbabies is even a tiny bit sick. So, I've admittedly been off lately. Once we have more answers, or at least once I know Evan isn't sick with something detrimental, I'll be more capable of getting our blog and all that jazz back on track again.

Again, though, for today...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Wishing you all the luck of the Irish!

***

We didn't forget that we need to share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I rarely _________, I _________ instead.

2. My spring to-do list includes _________ and _________.

3. If I were invisible for a day, I would _________.

4. When I was young, I _________ because _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Tip of the Day

We haven't reached the end of National Pet Poison Awareness Month yet, so we'll keep these tips coming. Today's tip on potentially poisonous household items relates to batteries. If a dog or even a cat bites a battery or ingests it, the acidic or alkaline components could leak out and enter their gastrointestinal system. This material is corrosive in nature, and can therefore cause serious side effects, including oral ulcers, vomiting, other various signs of gastrointestinal distress, and even fever. Due to the corrosive nature of battery components, vomiting should not be induced in the case of ingestion, as this will cause further damage. Immediate care can include rinsing out your pup or kitty's mouth with lukewarm water to remove as much of the battery material as possible. Of course, quickly follow that up with immediate veterinary care. To prevent such emergencies, keep all batteries tucked safely away where curious furbabies cannot get to them. As always, it's better to be safe than sorry!