News From the Nest, August 5

I apologize for my absence last week; as my dad would say, last week’s newsletter was ‘OBE’ (Overtaken by Events). In a nutshell, we packed up and moved our daughter’s belongings as she ‘nomads’ while doing clinical rotations for the next several months. And, because that wasn’t enough fun, Elsa had three seizures at the same time!

If you’d rather get right to the new blog post and the other articles, click here. But if you’re curious about the events that overtook the newsletter, read on!

Tuesday: Two Tuesdays ago, Elsa ate something she shouldn’t have, most likely goose poop, which resulted in diarrhea and vomiting. Made a vet appt for Wednesday.

Wednesday: On Wednesday, we went to the vet, who prescribed an antibiotic. While I was there, we realized it was time for her heartworm/flea/tick treatment, so I bought the package, for which she was now the appropriate weight. We went home that evening and gave her the antibiotic and heartworm/flea/tick pill.

Thursday: Elsa had a seizure that evening. If you’ve ever been around someone who has seizures or you have seizures, they are just awful. This was a first for Terry and me, and it was distressing, to say the least. We hustled her into the car and headed to the Emergency Vet. In retrospect, I’m a little disappointed in that vet. She asked what meds Elsa was on, and I told her what she had been given on Wednesday. She told us it was hopefully a one-time event but did advise us to contact her breeder to see if there was Epilepsy in her line.

We got home around 10 p.m. that Thursday evening, afraid to fall asleep in case it should happen again. But we had to get up bright and early Friday morning to head to our daughter’s, two hours away, to help her pack up her apartment and move it to a storage unit back where we live, as she will be a nomad for the better part of the year. We had planned to take Elsa with us from the get-go.

Friday: That morning, in the car, I texted the breeder to tell her about Elsa and to ask about Epilepsy. Her text back to me read, ‘No epilepsy in the line. Had she recently been given flea and tick prevention?‘ When I responded, ‘yes,‘ she immediately called me. In the breeder community, they’ve been noticing seizures after some dogs have been given certain flea and tick meds. I asked her what she does for prevention, and she said, ‘Nothing.’ She has opted to treat as needed but mentioned that even in rural South Carolina, she hasn’t had to treat for either in years.

That was an ‘aha’ moment for me. I understand that both fleas and ticks carry disease, but if it isn’t an issue in the area where I live, why am I preventatively treating for it and putting my pup at risk?

With all this swirling in our heads, we continued to our daughter’s and started packing up her apartment while she took her Step 2 US Medical Licensing Exam several hours away.

That evening, Elsa had another seizure. Poor thing. During this one, she defecated all over herself. When it was done, we put her in the tub to clean her off and she fell asleep in the tub, she was just wiped out.

Saturday: First thing in the morning, at the suggestion of our Emergency Vet back home, I called the Pet Poison Hotline and spoke to a young man who was very helpful. We went through Elsa’s case and the timeline, and he suggested we get our Emergency Vet back home on the line to discuss how to proceed.

They refused to do that. They would only consult if Elsa was in their office, and since we were two hours away, that wasn’t an option. So, I found another Emergency Vet clinic where we were and took her there, hoping that they would do the consult with the Pet Poison Hotline.

While we were waiting for the Vet to come into the exam room, Elsa had another seizure. How fortuitous that we were there! They whisked her up and gave her something to stop the seizures. The vet came back and suggested we leave her there. They wanted to start her on seizure meds but wanted to watch her and ensure that the meds would control the seizures. While he couldn’t say with certainty, he also strongly believed that the flea/tick prevention was the cause of the seizures.

So I left Elsa there and returned to Kate’s apartment to continue the packing.

Sunday and Monday: Kate had to leave Sunday morning to drive eight hours to start her new rotation Monday morning. So, Terry, our son, Rob, and I stayed to finish packing, load the moving van, drive back to Wilmington, and unload the moving van into the storage area. I stayed there to clean her apartment and meet with apartment personnel on Monday for the walkthrough. I also retrieved Elsa from the hospital, where she had been seizure-free since the medicine was administered.

So, I was cleaning her apartment with a 6-month-old pup who had been in the hospital for 24 hours and had a good deal of pent-up energy (luckily, there were zero after-effects from seizures), our daughter’s 3-year-old Golden Retriever, who will be staying with us while Kate ‘nomads,’ and her rescue bunny. Needless to say, everything just took longer!

Suffice it to say that Monday came and went without a moment to sit down and write the newsletter! I got home Monday evening and am still looking for places to put some of Kate’s belongings. She’ll need some of the seasonal stuff within the year, so we didn’t want to put them in storage. But, coincidentally, I ran into a neighbor when I checked the mailbox on Monday and told her what happened to Elsa, and the same thing happened to her pup when he was the same age, immediately after taking a flea and tick preventative!

At this writing, a week later, Elsa has not had another seizure. She has to take meds twice a day to keep them at bay. We have visited our local, regular vet, who suggested she should be on the meds for at least six months before we try to wean her off of them. There’s no guarantee that a seizure won’t break through, even on the meds, so we are apprehensive to leave her alone. At some point, I know we will, but we want to get some more time under our belt with the meds before we can get comfortable leaving her alone.

We will not be administering any internal flea/tick prevention ever again. She will be on heartworm prevention, but we are going to play the flea/tick part by ear. She’s an indoor dog, and she doesn’t hang out in the yard too much. We hope to avoid it altogether, but everyone recommends only a topical if we decide we need some form of prevention in the future.

At the end of the day, I know that flea/tick prevention-induced seizures are rare, but they do happen. Our daughter’s dog is on the same exact medicine with zero side effects. I guess the takeaway is that we can become lazy and inclined to believe we need to prevent something without questioning it. I’m going to be better at questioning going forward.

New on the Blog

• I love this crochet market bag! If you are looking for ideas for a useful handmade gift, it doesn’t get any more useful than this market tote. In two hours, you could crochet a small market tote, and in three hours, you could make a large one! What are you waiting for? Grab your hook and yarn!

From the Knit + Crochet Studio

Remember that you can download all my patterns and printables at no cost in the Subscriber Library. If you forget the super-secret password, check on the bottom of the email I send out every Monday. The Library has more than 40 knit and crochet printables and more than 30 organization printables. Chances are you can find something over there you need to make or that will make your life a little more organized.

From the Kitchen

• Looking for an easy dill pickle recipe? Whether you want to make one jar of refrigerator pickles or five, this is the perfect refrigerator pickle recipe.

• This Jalapeno Pepper Jelly recipe is ideal for appetizers, cheese tray, bacon candy or sandwiches. This is a hot pepper jelly recipe perfect for those new to canning. Includes a video tutorial.

• This recipe for Marinated Castelvetrano Olives is an easy and quick appetizer. Flavored with Pink Peppercorns, Olives, and Shallots, it is a recipe you will find returning to time after time.

• This Shrimp and Grits recipe was shared by a local chef and was one of his trademark dishes. If you love Shrimp and Grits and need a recipe or have never had it before, let this be the recipe you make!

• With yogurt, butter, and fresh plums, this Yogurt Plum cake has no choice but to be delicious. Yogurt imparts a gentle ‘tang’ and helps create a lofty, tender, and moist cake, while butter adds trademark creaminess. Toss in a bite or two of sweet plums, and you have a treat that is a sure winner.

• Fresh strawberries swimming in their own juices and topped with a crisp, buttery, crunchy crumble make this Strawberry Crumble Recipe an easy and irresistibly delicious dessert.

• Combining sweet and juicy blueberries with tender apples and a very crispy crumble topping makes an irresistible dessert. This Blueberry and Apple Crumble Recipe is a quick and easy dessert that appeals to everyone. Two easy tips result in the best, most crisp, and crumbly topping ever!

• These Lemon Rosemary Scones are the perfect breakfast/tea treat—or dessert, for that matter. The scones are just barely sweet, perfectly tangy with lemon, and then there’s that hint of piney freshness offered by the rosemary.

From the Arts + Crafts Studio

• This easy goat milk soap recipe uses a melt-and-pour goat milk soap base, shea butter, and essential oils. This is an excellent recipe for first-time soap making.

• When added to a hot bath, Herbal Bath Salts offer many beneficial properties for the mind and body. They can be easily made in bulk for your own use or to give as gifts.

• Check out this compilation if you need ideas for handmade gifts for any occasion. It includes more than thirty gifts that you can make and give.

From the Garden

• If you plan to plant broccoli this fall, you should start your seeds indoors. Consider what to plant alongside your broccoli to improve its health and harvest. This list of Broccoli Companion plants will help you decide what to plant and what not to plant.

• These DIY Garden Markers are not only easy to make but are useful and make great gifts for your favorite gardener.

In the House + Home

• We painted our exterior brick a year and a half ago and couldn’t be more pleased. I’m sharing some tips for painting exterior brick in this post.

• If you can sew a straight line and read a ruler, you’ll have no problem making this Box Pleat Bed Skirt. It is not only an easy project but also very practical and functional.

Some Fun Finds and a Few Favorites

Some of these links may be Amazon affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from the sale of these products to help defray the costs of operating this site, but the price you are charged is not affected. You can see my full disclosure policy here.

• I never thought I would use a FoodSaver, but I was gifted one and have really been using it heavily lately. I’ve decided to make Elsa’s food, and using the FoodSaver to package and freeze what she will eat in a day has been so convenient. If you are interested in a FoodSaver, using this link will save you 15%.
• I LOVE this rug, especially for the price! It definitely has a Rifle Paper feel to it. That said, I’d stay away from the dark colors as the color isn’t all the way through. It isn’t expensive for a reason.
• Charcuterie Boards are having a moment, and this one from Farberware has been made to travel! Perfect if you want to bring a Charcuterie board to a dinner party, and it would also make a fantastic gift!

Books Read Thus Far in 2024

I’ve updated my list of books read thus far in 2024. I also added a ‘books listened to’ section as I continue working through all the Charles Dickens books on Audible. 

Remember, the book list is always on Nourish and Nestle’s home page. It’s in the second big bluish-greenish box down from the top.

Thanks for sticking with me today! We had a lot to catch up on.

Wishing you a wonderful week, with everything you need and few things you want thrown in for fun!

Hugs,

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!