Thankful Thimble Thursday: Happy Birthday to a Certain Human

It's Thursday, and you better believe Thimble is here to share her gratitude for angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is thankful for her auntie, who is celebrating a birthday today. In honor of that, Thimble wanted to share some flashback photos that none other than her auntie snapped of her.

Thimble's auntie snapped these photos when there was a spider on the ceiling. Though the humans around here have a tiny fear of spiders, the eight-legged nightmare sure got Thimble's attention.

Thimble is so grateful she has an auntie who knows to take photos of her when she's looking especially adorable. And of course Thimble is wishing her auntie a happy birthday!

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Now, let's share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. On Super Bowl Sunday, I will _________.

2. The toy I couldn't live without as a child was _________.

3. My _________ skills are much better than my _________ skills.

4. I _________ when choosing _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I haven't yet scanned the birthday card image I scribbled up for my sister's birthday this year. I actually have a ton of drawings to scan, but I'm still trying to get my ancient, very confused scanner to link up with my new computer. I'm working on finding a driver for it and all that technological jazz in which I have very limited skills. But I digress. For today, here's the doodle I scribbled up for my sister in a past year. She and I grew up reading Harry Potter, and we're still fans of the books as well as the movies, so a lot of her birthday cards are reminiscent of that in some way, like this one.

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday we discussed symptoms you might notice if your furbaby is suffering from any number of dental issues or diseases. Our tip for today is a bit of a long one, and it will wrap up our dental tips. We'll start with the recommendation of, of course, taking your furbaby to be seen by a veterinarian if you notice any dental concerns. Your veterinarian can take a look in your cat or dog's mouth to get a basic idea of what might be going on. They might be able to see a broken tooth, an abscess or infected tooth, gingivitis or other gum disease, or masses growing within the mouth. Of course, a simple exam may not reveal everything, and when dental disease is noted or suspected, it might very well be recommended that the animal go under anesthesia for a more thorough dental exam, dental x-rays, dental cleaning, or extractions.

If a dental procedure is recommended, of course discuss the necessary details, options, and plans with the veterinarian. Make sure that both you and your veterinarian are on the same page. If your furbaby has other existing diseases, such as those of the kidney or heart and lungs, of course discuss with your veterinarian if or how it is best to safely proceed with a procedure.

If a dental procedure is scheduled, make sure that you understand all preparations for it. Give your kitty or pup any prescribed pre-op medications, such as antibiotics, if applicable. Also be sure to pull your furbaby's food at 10 pm or so the night before the surgery, or whenever you are instructed to do so, in order to reduce the risk of aspiration while under anesthesia.

Also make sure you understand all post-op care. For example, give antibiotics, pain killers, or other medications as instructed. Some dental work, such as tooth extractions, requires that your furbaby go off of dry food and exclusively eat moist food for at least a couple or a few days after the procedure. Be sure that you understand if this is required, so that your furbaby can recover and heal as quickly and efficiently as possible. After dental work is performed, also make sure that you understand if your veterinarian recommends at-home care from then on out, such as brushing your cat or dog's teeth or applying certain oral medications on a regular basis to help prevent future concerns.