The Big Sucking Truck

 Well, it's Thursday.  I have my physical this morning, and I get my 2nd booster.  Oh, and there is some other stuff planned.

We had a freeze warning. We came close.  It's 37 (F) outside, though dawn's warming temperatures are creeping around us as I type.

The ghost has been at it again in my house.  I woke up this AM to find all of the lights hooked up to Alexa were on.  They were off when I went to bed.   There is the possibility I got up sometime during the night, went downstairs and gave Alexa the command, "let there be light."  Who knows?

Yesterday was odd.  Biggie had a Vet appointment.  They took blood to see how his system was handling the Carprofen.  $164.  Holy Crap!

Oh, and my neighbors had their house sucked, or I guess if you don't like that word, they had it vacuumed, or at least they had their duct work cleaned.  Believe me, it was very loud.

A big sucking truck

I guess the Republican members of the House had a private meeting yesterday at the end of which Kevin McCarthy got a standing ovation of support.  At least that's what was released to the media.  Is the report accurate?  Possibly.  However, none of us will ever know what was communicated beforehand.  One thing you need to be certain of, they are going to do their damndest to show a united front.  Do not doubt there is growing concern among Republicans that the big sucking truck called the January 6 Committee is going to clean their ducts.  Oh, and they know the sucking will be well underway by the time the mid-terms roll around.

 

StayCation day 3 (or Biggie goes to the Vet)

Yep, it's day 3 already... my, how time flies when you're having fun.
Yesterday was fairly busy:  had the car serviced, shined the candelabra:

I took the dogs for a walk in the park, they loved it, though Seig was exhausted when we got home.  He's good for short bursts of speed and walks around the block.  I also rode 12.19 miles of a 16.18 mile ride in Canyonville, Oregon.  Rouvy has a little clip if you want to see what I see.  The clip shows several cyclists and usually it's only me.  Occasionally there are other riders, but we never really get close.

Gallup has an interesting article on how the number of people who respect organized religion is continuing to drop.  They cite several reason:  the priest scandals of the Catholic Church and Evangelicals forcing their way in to politics.  Their comment about the latter was something like: Republicans may like it but Democrats and Independents don't.  Remember, the election will be here before you know it.
And finally, Seig goes to the Vet today.  He needs his distemper and rabies shots.  As always, I like to remind people with pets that they need to manage their Veterinarian.  He may talk puppy or kitty talk to you pet in a very trustworthy voice but the bottom line is he is running a business.  He is a lot like the big, home improvement retailer I work for in that he wants to fill your shopping cart.  Here's one example:  Seig was wormed when he was a puppy, yet they wanted me to bring a stool sample so they could run a fecal test for parasites.  A small modicum of research on the Internet will educate you on what symptoms your pet will exhibit if he have worms.  The last time Seig weighed in at 118 lbs, it's why we call him Biggie.  He does not have worms, but that's not going to stop them from charging me $40 to run a fecal exam... just to be on the safe side.  Once you begin to manage your Vet he will learn to reach into someone else's pocket to pay for his Mercedes.

Saying "no" to your Vet

I took Lilly to the Vet today for her inoculations, rabies and distemper.  In the process I also managed to aggravate my Vet, which is okay, you see I don't really like the one I had to deal with today.  A while back I had written about managing your Vet, well she's one who needs to be managed.  She will fill your cart with far too many expensive charges if you give her the chance.

Take the fecal parasite exam, that's a $30 charge just to see if your dog has worms.  My dogs have both been wormed.  Yet my Vet wants to do this exam every year.  They also feel it's necessary to test for Lyme Disease every year.  I don't let them.  This morning my Vet arrived prepared to vaccinate Lilly for Lyme disease.  Today, when I said "no," my Vet became a little nonplussed.  When I pointed out that Lyme Disease in dogs can be cured with simple antibiotics, she fumbled.  "Not always," she said, "if you wait too long and it's well advanced antibiotics may not work."  Then I added "and 90% of all dogs infected with Lyme Disease never develop symptoms."  And her retort was "but people are finding ticks everyday.  And deer ticks are very tiny."  You will notice she did not correct me, nor even deny what I said because most people just nod and say "yes."

LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR VET!

Educate yourself.  Don't ever take what they say for granted.  Never forget that they are running a business.  Laura, the Vet I dealt with today, drives a Mercedes.  There's a reason she can afford to drive one.  I am not part of that reason.  Today's visit cost me $107.  Had I not educated myself well enough to know I could say "no" it would have cost me $215.  What's sad is that as I was leaving a gentleman was arriving with a cat in a carrier and I felt bad for him.  You see, even though I had the temerity to say "no," he will most likely say "yes."  While not all Vets will take advantage of the feelings you have for your pet, there are many who will.  And they will do so by hiding behind the mask of a caring individual.  Once you learn how to say "no," you will find they drop the baby talk real fast and get down to doing their job.  Oh, and they'll be very efficient at it too since they don't want to lose you as a customer.  They also know that as you walk out the door some other sucker will be walking in.

Day Off with mouse lust

So what do I do when I have a day off?  Well, today I took the dogs to the park.  There's no telling how much nice weather we're going to have so I get them there as often as I can.  Then I spent some time cleaning up the yard... dogs, you know?  That and the leaves which need to be racked.

This is actually the first of 2 days off in a row, so mostly I relax, nothing too strenuous.  Tomorrow I'll get on the bike (which is on the CycleOps trainer) and try and put in about 25 miles.  Cardio, you know?  Until we start getting snow.

I made an appointment for Lilly to get her second year rabies shot, after that she'll be good for 2 more years.  My Vet sends me postcards listing all the things they want to charge me for which aren't necessary, like a 'fecal parasite test.'  They will run that test every year unless politely put a stop to it - she has been wormed after all.

My new gaming mouse arrived today - actually the postman dropped it off while I was out cleaning up the yard.

I play games on both a large laptop and an aging Xbox 360.  I've owned 3 laptops and have always bought a regular mouse.  I hate those little pads you're supposed to finger.  Give me something I can grip in my hand!  And if it has 14 programmable buttons?  It's almost mouse lust.

 

Managing your Veterinarian

It's that time of year when I start to get postcards from my Veterinarian, I have dogs, you know?  The postcard I received yesterday reminded me that "Lilly is due for the following in November:  Rabies 3 year vaccine-imrab 3" and a Fecal exam -intestinal parasite.  I will make an appointment and she will get her shot.  We'll pass on the fecal exam.  She has already had two fecal exams, one by her breeder's vet and one from my vet after I got her home.  Besides, I've learned through past experience, my Vet will want to do a fecal exam every year. This is what she did with Gert.  What they're really doing is charging me $25 to check her poop for worms.  That's it.  Do any of my dogs need to have a fecal exam every year?  Nope.  Does my Vet send me a postcard every year saying it's time to do a fecal exam?  Yep.  Why?  Easy money.  While I'm sure most Vets do, indeed, love animals, the bottom line for the vast majority is money.  They're not in the business to starve.

Vets aren't bad, they just need to be managed.  When I talk to people who take their dogs or cats to the Vet for regular checkups I find their bill averages around $200.  Mine averages around $75.  Many Vets have no problem guilting you into services you really don't need.  Take Lyme disease.  Surprisingly 90% of all dogs infected with Lyme disease never show any symptoms... hhmmm, and Vet's make it sound so bad.  The symptoms those remaining 10% do develop are: lethargy, aching joints and lack of appetite, and those symptoms are treated with simple antibiotics.  Don't believe me?  The PA University's School of Veterinary Medicine has a very good web site.  I've learned a lot there.  Of course Vets are still going to want to charge you for a Lyme disease test, as well as a Lyme disease vaccine.  That's $50 bucks from your pocket to theirs.

What I'm saying is that Vet's, in general, are not bad, they just need to be managed, like small children.  If you're not careful, they will cost you an arm and a leg all the while talking in "baby talk" to your pet.

Veterinarians - Pet Vampires

If you've ever owned a puppy you will understand when I say they are a number of things.  They bounce around like little springs, have sharp little teeth that hurt when they bite, and, of course, snugly little things that love attention.  They also need to go to the Vet, usually several times, for shots.  Two weeks ago I brought home an 11 week old Boxer pup, something my four year old Boxer is still getting used to having around.  Of course I did the right thing and called up my Vet and made an appointment.  With this puppy I'm not so naive as I was the first time around.  Naive?  Damn right.  Four years ago, being new to puppy ownership, I said yes to my Vet's every suggestion.  Not once did I suspect she might be taking advantage of me.  As a result, my first time around with a puppy was very expensive, more so then it needed to be.  Take Kennel Cough as an example, a nice name for Canine Bronchitis.  Some kennels require it if you're planning on boarding your dog, but not all.  This is because, should your dog get it, you'll find out that it is not the "serious" illness you might believe.  Most dogs get over it in 5 - 10 days.  My Vet wanted me to vaccinate my dog every year which is odd because there are so many things out there which can cause Kennel Cough, against most of which the vaccination is ineffective.  After two years, and a little research, I realized she was just putting money in her pocket.  You know what I mean, guilt you into paying for something you don't really need. 

She also wanted me to buy Frontline Plus from her practice as well as have my dogs vaccinated against Lyme Disease.  Read the Frontline box and you'll see it prevents the ticks which carry Lyme Disease.  But the guilt thing, mostly because when we think of Lyme Disease we think of the devastating effects it has on humans.  My Vet did not explain to me that while dogs only have 2 stages, humans have a third and debilitating stage.  Nor did she say that 90% to 95% of infected dogs never show any symptoms. This means the vast majority of dogs which do become infected never develop symptoms which can be treated with antibiotics.  Humans can't get it from dogs.  If I hadn't done the research I'd have been paying for a Lyme disease test every year as well as the inoculation.  You see we love our pets, our puppies and dogs and so do not want them to suffer.  Unfortunately there are Vets out there who unscrupulously take advantage of that softest of emotions.  It makes me wonder of the V in their caduceus might actually stand for vampire, except these don't suck your blood, they suck the money out of your wallet.