She also writes about it on her Go Pet Friendly site. So click over and pick up some hard earned knowledge before you set off on that road trip to Grandma's house for the holidays.
Columbus Day weekend is the perfect time to make travel reservations, if you have companion animals.
Whether your furry pals are traveling with you or staying with friends for the holidays, make whatever reservations you will need as soon as possible.
Pet sitter and boarding kennel schedules can fill up fast for the holiday season. Airlines limit the number of pets in the cabin and pet-friendly lodgings might have no vacancies, if you wait too long.
Poppy usually travels with us and is packed and ready to go at a moments notice when we find a vacancy at one of our favorite vacation spots that welcome our whole family of three.
Friends & Family Deserve Notice Too
Even informal agreements with family, friends, and other pet lovers for care while you travel should be arranged well in advance to ensure a visitor will fit with their holiday plans. If you’re counting on Mom or Dad to take Fluffy while you are away, check now to see if that feline visitor is welcome this year.
We often meet dogs in the parks who are “grandpups” visiting their “grandparents.” If you have a family member or friend who shares your pet care values and is willing to take your place while you travel, you’re fortunate.
We've covered this topic many times before, both here and in other publications. Here are a couple of BostonZest posts with tips and more advice on boarding or traveling with your dog.
Columbus Day weekend is the perfect time to make travel reservations, if you have companion animals.
Whether your furry pals are traveling with you or staying with friends for the holidays, make whatever reservations you will need as soon as possible.
Pet sitter and boarding kennel schedules can fill up fast for the holiday season. Airlines limit the number of pets in the cabin and pet-friendly lodgings might have no vacancies, if you wait too long.
Poppy usually travels with us and is packed and ready to go at a moments notice when we find a vacancy at one of our favorite vacation spots that welcome our whole family of three.
Friends & Family Deserve Notice Too
Even informal agreements with family, friends, and other pet lovers for care while you travel should be arranged well in advance to ensure a visitor will fit with their holiday plans. If you’re counting on Mom or Dad to take Fluffy while you are away, check now to see if that feline visitor is welcome this year.
We often meet dogs in the parks who are “grandpups” visiting their “grandparents.” If you have a family member or friend who shares your pet care values and is willing to take your place while you travel, you’re fortunate.
We've covered this topic many times before, both here and in other publications. Here are a couple of BostonZest posts with tips and more advice on boarding or traveling with your dog.
When we think of autumn colors in New England, we conjure up images of reds, yellows, and brilliant oranges. But, with this year's drought, we may be seeing russets and browns. Here's a link to the drought map to give you some idea of the places where colors will be weak.
On my morning walks this week, I've only seen a few hints of bright color on trees, even in well watered gardens.
In most cases, the trees are turning a russet brown.
Obviously trees are suffering in places where no one cares for them. This week's rain will help, but making a habit of watering the trees in your area into November would help even more!
When we think of autumn colors in New England, we conjure up images of reds, yellows, and brilliant oranges. But, with this year's drought, we may be seeing russets and browns. Here's a link to the drought map to give you some idea of the places where colors will be weak.
On my morning walks this week, I've only seen a few hints of bright color on trees, even in well watered gardens.
In most cases, the trees are turning a russet brown.
Obviously trees are suffering in places where no one cares for them. This week's rain will help, but making a habit of watering the trees in your area into November would help even more!
Bet you have a large collection of photos of your dogs and cats on your phone. We certainly do.
However, I recently reviewed a study on dogs who are doing a lot of licking and it sparked a far more important use of my phone as a way to provide my veterinary team with vital information to help them with a diagnosis.
Take a Video of the Problem
The next time your dog or cat is limping, licking, gagging, or showing any other visible symptom that makes you think about a trip to the vet or a behaviorist, take a video of the symptom or behavior. If you upload the video to an Internet-based site, you can send a link to your vet or play it during your visit.
We all laugh about the number of times a symptom magically disappears when the cat or dog is on the examination table. If that occurs, you can present the video as a part of your report to the doctor.
Take Progressive Photos
In some cases, a close up photo might work better to help you determine if an issue is getting worse or getting better. Taking a photo a day of an injury or problem can be a sure way for you and your vet to assess progress.
We did this recently when Poppy was under treatment for an irritated paw. Each day, after I cleaned and treated her paw, Ed would hold it as open as he could and I’d photograph the area. Looking at the photos together assured us the treatment was working and her paw was healing. You could do the same thing with videos if that works better.
Tips For Photo & Video Communication
Practice your photo video taking skills before you need them.
Set up an online account with services like Google Photos, iCloud, or Youtube and learn how to use them to upload your photos and videos, send links to them by email, and show them on your phone.
If movement is part of the symptom, try to take videos with the animal walking towards you, away from you, and across the screen to give the doctor more points of view.
Create an album for specific ongoing issues. For example, if your dog is showing signs of seasonal allergies with goopy eyes, take photos of them for a few days and after treatment is underway.
Do your best in stressful situations. We don’t know if we would have been great videographers when our first Westie Sassy was having seizures. However, it would have been wonderful to have been able to show the veterinary team exactly what her seizures looked like.
Ask your veterinarian if they would like to be sent a video of a symptom prior to a visit and what they would charge for that type of consultation.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Bet you have a large collection of photos of your dogs and cats on your phone. We certainly do.
However, I recently reviewed a study on dogs who are doing a lot of licking and it sparked a far more important use of my phone as a way to provide my veterinary team with vital information to help them with a diagnosis.
Take a Video of the Problem
The next time your dog or cat is limping, licking, gagging, or showing any other visible symptom that makes you think about a trip to the vet or a behaviorist, take a video of the symptom or behavior. If you upload the video to an Internet-based site, you can send a link to your vet or play it during your visit.
We all laugh about the number of times a symptom magically disappears when the cat or dog is on the examination table. If that occurs, you can present the video as a part of your report to the doctor.
Take Progressive Photos
In some cases, a close up photo might work better to help you determine if an issue is getting worse or getting better. Taking a photo a day of an injury or problem can be a sure way for you and your vet to assess progress.
We did this recently when Poppy was under treatment for an irritated paw. Each day, after I cleaned and treated her paw, Ed would hold it as open as he could and I’d photograph the area. Looking at the photos together assured us the treatment was working and her paw was healing. You could do the same thing with videos if that works better.
Tips For Photo & Video Communication
Practice your photo video taking skills before you need them.
Set up an online account with services like Google Photos, iCloud, or Youtube and learn how to use them to upload your photos and videos, send links to them by email, and show them on your phone.
If movement is part of the symptom, try to take videos with the animal walking towards you, away from you, and across the screen to give the doctor more points of view.
Create an album for specific ongoing issues. For example, if your dog is showing signs of seasonal allergies with goopy eyes, take photos of them for a few days and after treatment is underway.
Do your best in stressful situations. We don’t know if we would have been great videographers when our first Westie Sassy was having seizures. However, it would have been wonderful to have been able to show the veterinary team exactly what her seizures looked like.
Ask your veterinarian if they would like to be sent a video of a symptom prior to a visit and what they would charge for that type of consultation.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Keeping loaves of artisan bread fresh for more than one day can take some thinking.
We cut our bread from the middle of the loaf to keep the sliced surfaces from drying out. It works!
Before returning the loaf to its bag, we use an elastic to hold the two cut surfaces together. Here's a link to great oversize elastic bands that we use in so many ways.
We also wrap the bread in a clean flour sack dish towel. (These are also Ed's favorite towels for drying wine glasses.)
This system keeps the bread fresh as we make our way to the small crusts on the end. These often wind up toasted as croutons in salads.
You may have seen this tip before. This is an update of a post we did in 2008. We were chatting with another bread-a-holic recently and she loved this idea when we shared it. That inspired us to refresh and republish the information.
Keeping loaves of artisan bread fresh for more than one day can take some thinking.
We cut our bread from the middle of the loaf to keep the sliced surfaces from drying out. It works!
Before returning the loaf to its bag, we use an elastic to hold the two cut surfaces together. Here's a link to great oversize elastic bands that we use in so many ways.
We also wrap the bread in a clean flour sack dish towel. (These are also Ed's favorite towels for drying wine glasses.)
This system keeps the bread fresh as we make our way to the small crusts on the end. These often wind up toasted as croutons in salads.
You may have seen this tip before. This is an update of a post we did in 2008. We were chatting with another bread-a-holic recently and she loved this idea when we shared it. That inspired us to refresh and republish the information.
Restaurants become favorites because they make us feel comfortable. We know we'll find foods we love on the menu and perhaps we go there with a particular dish in mind.
While one dish (plus great service, a fabulous wine selection, and relaxed atmosphere) drew us to the door, we always look at the specials board and review the menu for new items.
This summer these "Sautéed Petite Clams with Spanish Chorizo, parsley, lemon, and toasted garlic" popped up on the menu. We are both so glad we ordered it and have since recommended it to friends.
That same day this "Corn and Lobster Chowder with Chorizo Oil" was on the specials board and we both considered it one of the best chowders we had ever spooned up.
Missing Old Favorites
Don't get us wrong. We are still going to order those favorite menu items. We'll never regret all the times we shared a dish of Hamersley's Roasted Chicken. (Here's the recipe if you are missing it too.)
But we also rejoice in memories of the first dish of skate we ever tasted at Hamersley's or the many other masterpieces that arrived in front of us from that kitchen.
So when you find yourself sitting in a familiar place with a well-known menu, don't set it aside and go with your usual. Ask your server what's on the specials list and if any new items have been added to the menu. You could end up with a spectacular seasonal dish like the Rainbow trout with fiddleheads and bacon (photo above) that we enjoyed at Select Oyster this past spring.
Things Also Change Without Warning!
Sometimes an old item has been given a new twist and you may want to know that before you order it. We recently ordered a favorite sandwich for take-out from a local spot we frequent regularly. It came slathered with mayo instead of with chipotle ketchup as it had been in the past. Now we order it, "the old way" and specify, "no mayo."
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