Tonks Tuesday with a Side of Evan and Italian Food

Today, Tonks decided to share some sunny, summer flashbacks co-starring her brother Evan.

Tonks is very happy to help announce that her favorite brother's vet visit went very well yesterday.

Evan's recheck urinalysis yesterday revealed that his UTI is all cleared up. That means that, after 3 weeks of having antibiotics shoved down his throat twice a day, Evan no longer has to take those.

That all said, poor Evan will likely be staying on gabapentin and prazosin long-term. Ever since his urethral obstruction back in December, he and his urinary habits seem to do best when he takes both of those meds every morning. So, that's what we'll stick with for now.

Tonks is very happy that her brother is feeling so much better. She loves her Evan. In truth, Evan is the cat in the house that all the other kitties get along with best. They're all very happy that he's home, well, and ready to wrestle like most of them so strangely seem to enjoy.

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And now it's time for today's edition of the April A to Z Challenge.

My A to Z theme this year is "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things", and today we've reached the letter I. My I stands for Italian food, which is my favorite nationality of food. And by that I mean I've really only had Americanized Italian food, so my apologies to all true Italians out there.

As I sort of mentioned on the day when F stood for fruit, I'm not the biggest fan of drawing food. While I've been working on the last half of my alphabetical doodles, I honestly just never went back and scribbled up anything new for my love of Italian food. That's okay, though, because back when the 2020 April A to Z Challenge rolled around, I drew lots of food. All of that food was served at Rosie's Restaurant, and the dishes included two of my favorite Americanized versions of Italian food, that being spaghetti and pizza. So, today I'm going to just let myself share those flashback doodles.

Eat up, friends!

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Tip of the Day

A couple days ago, we talked about ear mites. These mites are not the only kind that can infest our pups and kitties, though. As many of you likely already know, there are other mites that can affect the skin of our furbabies.

There are a number of different mites that can affect our pups or kitties. In dogs, mites that cause sarcoptic mange are perhaps most common, and are also highly contagious between dogs and also to humans. Mites that cause demodectic mange are perhaps a bit less common, as a healthy immune system can often suppress them, and they are also far less contagious. Cats have certain mites that more commonly affect them, such as cheyletiella mites and mites that cause notoedric mange. Both of these are contagious, similarly to the mites that cause sarcoptic mange.

No matter the species of your furbaby, they can potentially be affected by mites. Depending on the type of mite, as well as the pup or kitty's overall health and the severity of the infestation, you might see a variety of symptoms. When it comes to mites and mange, keep an eye out for itching and scratching, hair loss, scabs or scaly skin, and discoloration of the skin, just to name a few.

If you think you see any signs related to mites, or signs of any dermatological issue, have your furbaby seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Not only is itching and scratching uncomfortable, but lesions and secondary infections can result. Left untreated, mites and their side effects can become a risk not only to your furbaby's comfort and happiness, but also to their health.

All of that being said, keep in mind that treatment for mites will likely not only include medications prescribed by your veterinarian. Mites will also need to be eradicated from the environment. You may need to pitch bedding and rugs, or at the very least efficiently wash them in hot water. Do whatever it takes to ensure that your furbaby and their environment is as sanitary and safe as possible, so that they can live a happy, healthy life.