Adventures with Astrid

I'm still doing a pretty poor job as a blogger these days. I just now thought to make sure I published today's post, and you know what? I didn't. So, here's a late post with the pup.

These photos were from last summer, when this gorgeous tree bloomed in the park near our house. I haven't seen this tree bloom yet this year, and I hope it still does at some point before summer ends. It was beautiful, and I've been checking on its status regularly, which is why I decided to share it again.

If that tree does end up blooming again, Astrid will do another show-and-tell with it.

I also think I failed to tell you all that Astrid got a good report from the vet at her annual last week. The vet said she looks really good, and no new lumps or bumps were found. Overall her labs also looked great. She does have a history of slightly elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and the vet is almost certain Astrid's is high because of slight joint and bone abnormalities. After all, her back right leg has some atrophy and other minor lingering issues as a result of her torn CCL last year. To combat that, we'll be starting her on a join supplement. Overall, though, 10-year-old Astrid got an A+. Well, except for the fact that she's just a tad bit on the chunky side.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Flashback Christmas in July Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting tip relates to the dreaded vacuum cleaner, but at the same time, it doesn't. Especially if you have a furbaby who is fearful of the vacuum, you can do them a favor by using other methods to clean carpets and rugs, when possible. For example, did you know that a squeegee can be used to remove pet hair from carpets and rugs? That's right, it can! That being said, there are also actual rug brushes on the market, which can similarly be used to remove hair from carpets and rugs. So, especially if you have a furbaby who is fearful when you vacuum, you can use these alternative, far quieter methods when possible. Though the vacuum cleaner may not always be avoidable, when it is, such methods as the aforementioned ones can help remove hair from carpets and rugs while causing far less fearful reactions from your kitties or pups.