The Dog Lady Blog

For weeks now the weather has been, at best, oppressive; at worst, suffocating. 90* (or higher) degrees fahrenheit with 70% humidity. As a result, the dogs and I are spending most of our time indoors.

Unfortunately Daisy Irene's recent internment at New Albany animal control infected her with Bordetella, aka "kennel cough" (see previous post, "...daisy irene nabbed by new albany dog police while visiting neighbor..."). While highly contagious, it's typically a fairly benign malady (much like the human common cold) and while Daisy Irene seemed to recover quickly, Daisy Mae and Siddy really got hit hard by it. So much so that both are on antibiotics and loads of decongestant. They sound "croup-ish" coughing so hard and have icky runny noses. Blech. But I am hovering peripherally, tissues in hand and offering chicken stock popsicles as treats. Both Daisy Mae and Siddy are sticking close to me, like little kids do when they're feeling puny.

My "Pupsicle" Recipe:

*small "freeze-able" plastic container (from ice trays to drink cups, depends size of critter);

*1 part low sodium chicken stock (or low sugar juice or gatorade) to 1 part water;

*add cut carrots, green beans or apple pieces, cherry tomatoes to liquid mixture;

*stir, pour into containers, freeze;

*serve removed from container on hot days to any creature;good for cats and dogs but also for rabbits, ferrets, et al, and you can substitute diluted apple juice or orange gatorade for the chicken stock.

CHECK WITH YOUR VETERINARIAN BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGE TO YOUR ANIMAL'S DIET! SOME FOODS ARE DEADLY, LIKE GRAPES AND AVOCADO SKIN.