Ready for Vacation!

Yesterday was Tachi's last day at our house. Overall, it's been a great experience. The girls get alone really well and had spent most of the time together during the two weeks. (For more photos of Tachi and Maya, please see Maya's Facebook album.)

The house feels a lot emptier with one less dog, and we all miss her dearly. But don't worry, because we are meeting her again tomorrow! This time, Maya will be staying at Tachi's for another TWO WEEKS while we travel to Asia. 

This is our first time leaving her at a friend's place instead of a doggie daycare, as well as leaving her for such a long time. Since Tachi behaved so well at our house, it actually made us more nervous whether Maya will be a good girl or not. 

I gave her a bath today, in hope that all the loose hair had came out and that she'll have less fur to spread around. I also pre-mixed her supplements in her dehydrated pet food to make it a bit easier to prepare her meals. So far, she's the only one done packing and ready to go!

Maya's personal grooming station

Ready to go!

Tachi's in the House

Maya's Shiba Inu friend, Tachi, is staying with us again. This time for two whole weeks while her owners travel to Japan. So far (18 hours in), they have been doing great together! 

They were both super excited to see each other when Maya and I went downstairs to meet Tachi and her mommy. After taking them on a short walk around the neighborhood, we headed inside together and they've been wrestling through the entire evening.

This would be a great test for us to see whether we are prepared for having two (well-behaved) dogs. One thing I know I really need to work on, is having better control of two leashes. I found myself tangled up quite often, especially when picking up poop, as they both have the habit of running away from their own mess. I almost spilled poop on myself this morning...

Taking a break after 500 rounds of wrestling

Exhausted after another 500 rounds

Life is Good Without a Cone

It's been a while since my last update on Maya's allergies. Overall, she's been doing better and her wounds have been healing. However, the itchiness never really went away, and a few areas on her muzzle still remain bald due to her occasional scratching. She also still chews on her feet, which I really don't know whether is because of itchiness or just boredom. Here are some photos to show the improvements over the weeks:

For her diet, she's mainly on the Honest Kitchen Zeal for breakfast and some turkey or duck bone-in raw meat for dinner. I really want to switch her back to full raw, but every time I give her raw beef, she seems to get itchier in the following days. It would really suck if she's allergic to beef, since I have a whole freezer full of beef organs, tripe and meat. It'll also be hard to find the variety, if we want to stay away from both beef and chicken.

Enjoying a cone-free nap

Maya also seems to do better when we avoid our local park, which sucks as well. No walks in the park means she'll have to go potty in other people's yards or in front of office buildings. I had some bad experience being scolded by neighbors when Maya was a puppy, so it aways makes me a bit uncomfortable when Maya goes potty. (It was my fault for lingering at the same house for too long, but Maya didn't know how to walk on a leash back then.) I try not to stay on the same property for more than a few seconds and keep Maya on the grass areas between the street and the sidewalk, instead of the actual lawn. I would also walk away as soon as I see anyone. Sigh, walks shouldn't be this sneaky and stressful.

I'm also considering a new allergy treatment called "NAET", which I've been reading up on for a while. It sounds like voodoo at first, but the philosophy behind it kind of makes sense. I found a holistic vet in the area that does this type of treatment and had been exchanging emails with her. Since she only does house visits and we are slightly out of her service zone, I may have to met her at a friend's house. It will be expensive, so I really wish this will work...  

Monthly Expenses: October 2012

October 2012

• Food: $5
• Treats & Chews: $8
• Vet & Medical: $16
• Grooming: $45

TOTAL: $74
YTD TOTAL: $6,119


Food

Since we have a lot stocked up, we didn't spend much on food this month. Maya got some duck wings, a can of sardine, and some plain yogurt.

Treats & Chews

I got Maya two bags of "Veggie Rawhide" made with sweet potato because almost all her chews were made of beef, which we were limiting her access to. I was hoping it's as long lasting as a real rawhide or at least last a few minutes like a bully stick, but sadly it wouldn't even last a minute. Nevertheless, it's still very tasty and Maya loves it.

Vet & Medical

Even though we stopped giving Maya Claritin, we still want to keep a bottle in hand in cases like the failed hiking trip. I found a bottle in the drug store with a $4 coupon attached to it, and was lucky to be able to use it right away.

Grooming

We told ourselves its the last time to go to the self service pet wash when we used up our last package, since it's kind of expensive. Well, Maya started to shed like crazy and we couldn't agree on who's turn to give her at bath, so we ended up getting another "buy 3 get 1 free" deal. Sometimes spending an extra few dollars can save us from a clogged drain and lots of arguments...

Gangnam style?

Accessories

I came close to get Maya a Giants bandanna, but the only one left in the store was too small. Good thing that the Giants are in orange and black, so Maya wore her Halloween t-shirt to celebrate both the holiday and Giants' victory! $10 saved.

Cheering when Posey made the grand slam

Happy Halloween and Go Giants!