It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Ever since we got this house it has been Andy’s dream to get a giant tree to put in front of the window in the great room. Last year we got a “normal” sized tree for the dining room but I told him we needed to hold off on the giant tree, $500+ just wasn’t in the budget for another tree. While out shopping last weekend we decided to check Craigslist and we found a 13′ tree that was a much better fit for our budget!
We decided to put it up the other night and I must admit, it does look pretty nice!
Even the boys were pretty tired by the time we got it up and running.
Who Has Spoiled Dogs??
I do! I do!
Although, I don’t know if I’m more spoiled, or the dogs with Handy Andy’s new contraption. He decided that since neither one of us enjoys going out in the snow to let the boys in and out, he would put a little door in their fence so we could put them out through the window in the basement.
Most people would stop there. Not Handy Andy. Nope. He thought we needed a ramp so the boys could walk up and out themselves so we don’t have to pick up their chubby butts and toss them out. So, now we’ve got this in the basement:
It works pretty well!
Silly Dogs
Did you know dogs like marshmallows? (At least mine do.) Did you know that there are GIANT marshmallows sold at Hy-Vee? When Andy saw the bag of humongous marshmallows of course he HAD to have them. We thought it would be funny to watch the dogs eat them. It was. Have look-see – they’re as big as Tiger’s head!
Can you say HIL-ARIOUS?!?! I was slightly worried they might choke so I stood real close just in case. Instead, I laughed hysterically as Max played with it like a ball at first and watched as Putter stole Max’s marshmallow. I had to grab my camera and snap some shots! Tiger kept getting marshmallow caught between his little toes! Too funny!
Treat Your Pets Well & Save Money
As I was dealing with Putter’s poor ears I realized it was time for me to get more meds for the dogs to keep them safe from fleas and heartworm. Sound expensive? You bet. Now take that times three dogs!
Being the cheapskate frugal person that I am, I’m always looking for a way to save a few bucks where I can. So I’m happy I was able to treat Putter’s ears with inexpensive household products. But, that’s not so much the case with flea and heartworm medications.
To save on those things I started using 1800petmeds.com. You do have to have a prescription from your vet to get the medications but 1800petmeds will contact your vet and get the info for you. I’ve found that my vets aren’t big fans of you buying those products from someone other than them. They tell me the products do not have the same guaranty which may be true, but I’ve not had any issues.
I’ve learned of another way to help save A LOT on the flea meds. Typically, you buy boxes that have 3, 6, or 12 of the above little applicators based on the weight of your dog. Each container has a pre-measured amount of medicine. Usually you break the top of the container off and apply the full amount to your dog. If you do the math you will see you are paying A LOT more per ml for a smaller dog. You can save by buying the larger containers (intended for bigger dogs) and carefully dividing it into smaller doses.
Since you can buy Frontline and similar products without a prescription, something else I have done is buy a flea medicine “kit” from ebay. The kits come with the medicine, a glass vial, and a plastic syringe as shown above.
The idea is that you buy the medicine in a higher dosage, empty the solution into a glass vial, and divide it up amongst your pets using a plastic syringe. This is WAY less expensive than buying multiple applications separately. But, also very likely be frowned upon by some (including vets) because you’re increasing the risk of giving them too much medicine. But, if you’re careful you will do just fine.
Here’s the dosage from the 1800petmeds website:
|
Pet |
Weight |
Dosage |
|
Dogs/Puppies: |
Up to 22 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (0.67 ml) |
|
|
23-44 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (1.34 ml) |
|
|
45-88 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (2.68 ml) |
|
|
89-132 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (4.02 ml) |
|
Cats/Kittens: |
All weights |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month |
And the math behind it based on my three dogs:
TYPICAL PURCHASE
- Putter – dosage for 1-22 lbs = 0.67ml = $45.99 for 3 months ($15.66 per 0.67ml dose/month)
- Tiger - dosage for 1-22 lbs = 0.67ml = $45.99 for 3 months ($15.66 per 0.67ml dose/month)
- Max - dosage for 23-44 lbs = 1.34ml = $46.99 for 3 months ($7.83 per 0.67 ml dose, but Max needs TWO 0.67 ml doses)
Total = $138.97 for 3 months for all three dogs, or $46.32 per month.
SAVE A LITTLE
Buy the 23-44 lbs package, which is 1.34ml, divide it by two = 0.67ml and you have two doses for 1-22 lb pets. $46.99 for 3 months which will treat my two smaller dogs for 3 months. So, one pack for them and one for Max is $93.98, saving me $44.99. This option would cost $31.32 per month.
SAVE A LOT
Buy the largest dosage for 89-132lbs (which equates to $4.31 per 0.67 ml dose) and divide that up amongst all three dogs for a total of $17.24 per month.
SAVE THE MOST
If you’re not afraid of buying on ebay you can save even more on your meds, just make sure it’s a reputable seller. I bought 6 month supply for 45-88 lbs for $51.99, add $2 for shipping/insurance for total of $53.99. This is 24 applications of 0.67ml, which is $9.00 per month for all three dogs – saving me $37.32 per month from the typical purchase!
I love my boys and while I will cut corners and attempt to save money where possible I refuse to switch to lower quality food or skip medicines to save a few bucks. I want them to be as healthy as possible and besides, a sick dog can cost way more than just paying to take good care of them in the first place.
What do you do to cut costs on pet care?
Icky Pug Ears
I don’t know about other pugs, but my boys tend to get very dirty ears and are very susceptible to ear infections and yeast in their ears. Chicken or the egg situation I don’t know, but gross nonetheless. To avoid this I try to should be better about maintaining a routine ear cleaning (along with trimming nails) maybe once a week. I often find that I get off schedule, forget, and then find I’ve got a bigger issue to deal with once I remember to check again.
The other night poor Putter’s ears were really red, kinda crusty, and even cracked and slightly bleeding! I was freaked out but he didn’t seem to be bothered or in pain over it. I carefully cleaned his ears and thought I’d better visit the vet to get some medicine to clear it up.Normally I’m all for taking your pet to the vet if there’s an issue. However, since I’m very familiar with the pugs’ ear problems I already know what the “issue” is, so I consulted Google to see if there was a less expensive, more natural way to treat Putter’s ears. Of course there is!
Apparently you can mix equal parts of white vinegar and water to make a cleansing solution. Then you saturate a cotton ball and carefully swab the insides of their ears. I was very cautious about doing so, thinking maybe it would be a bit painful, vinegar being acid and all. But, Putter was really good about it and not bothered in the least. I’ve been doing it for a couple days and I’m happy to report his ears have really improved a great deal. I’ll probably cut back on this to once a week or something but it’s good to know I have a quick, easy, and natural way to treat the ear issues (not to mention WAY less expensive!)
Let me point out though if you are not entirely sure of what’s going on in your pet’s ear, DO consult your vet before trying to treat it yourself!
The Dogs Play Hungry Hungry Hippos
Listen closely for the hilarious snorts!
Product Review: PediPaws vs. Peticure
One of the joys of being a responsible pet owner is making sure your pets are properly groomed, either professionally or at home. Luckily all three of our dogs are short haired and do not require periodic haircuts…unless we feel like it. It’s not so terrible in the warmer months when we can give the dogs a bath outside but Andy has forbidden me to wash the dogs in the bathtub or shower for fear their ridiculous amount shedding fur will clog the drains. Fair enough. We agreed that it’s worth adding to our budget for the $16-$18 PetSmart charges to groom them (includes a bath, blow dry, brush, clean ears and trimmed nails).
That being said, the dogs’ nails grow at an alarming rate which means we have to do some upkeep in the interim. And they hate getting their nails trimmed with a capital H-A-T-E. I have tried many things in the past – treats, trying to get one or two while they’re sleeping, being nice, being mean, and I always pay to have the vet trim them while we’re at a visit. I once was charged $18 and all they did was get a tiny bit from a couple nails on Putter b/c he struggled and screamed so much. Oh yeah, Putter screams. Like a little kid being tortured. I should record it sometime; it’s hilarious…only because he’s not really in physical pain, just freaking out. When we have the dogs’ teeth cleaned I always make sure they trim them really short. (P.S. – That’s not cheap either.)
So, we finally decided to check out some of the latest gadgets to try to properly care for their nails. Here are our findings/review on these tools:
First, we tried the Pedi Paws. I had a 20% off coupon for Bed Bath & Beyond (and a gift card from the wedding come to think of it…) so it was around $18.
Pros: lightweight, inexpensive, not too noisy, has a guard to put the dog’s nail in and maintain a level of safety.
Cons: Not a lot of power; not sure how long the sanding wheels last (it comes with two).
Verdict: Had moderate success on my 8 lb Chihuahua but the pugs’ nails caused the sanding thing to stop. If it had more power it would be better, but it’s probably suitable for really small dogs. I gave it to a co-worker to try with her Jack Russell Terrier.
Next, we decided to up the ante and go for the Peticure Safeguard that attaches to standard dremel tools. This. Thing. Is. Awesome!!
Pros: plenty of power, has multiple openings on the guard to adjust to the size of the dog, fast,
Cons: a little more expensive (we got it on eBay for around $38), 4-6 to ship if ordered directly from the company, a little noisy (but surprisingly not as bad as I expected), can get carried away if you’re not careful, and you must be careful and try to actually shape the nail or it will just sand down at whatever angle.
Verdict: I repeat – this thing is AWESOME! We had all three dogs done in probably 10-15 minutes. Of course they didn’t enjoy it, but they all behaved surprisingly well. Even Putter, who unfortunately did get nicked enough to bleed. L In the future we will just do a little at a time to maintain their nails and be extra careful not to do too much. I felt absolutely awful when I noticed the blood, but I chased him around the yard trying to get a better look and he just wanted to play so it didn’t appear that he was it very much pain.
New Doggie Condo
If you recall, we recently put a shed in the backyard (that Andy moved all by himself). It was just in time for the pooches to get some shelter from the cold midwest weather. The new doghouse, I feel, is more like a condo because it’s not as extravagant as the old versions at the last house.
Here’s awesome Andy out cleaning the boys’ room before they got home from the groomers last night:
It doesn’t look like much, but the left side of the shed is boxed off with two heat lamps hanging into the bedroom and dining quarters. 
Have a closer look:
Okay, this photo is with the ceiling removed looking down into the dogs’ area. Imagine the doggie door all the way to the left. When they enter the boys walk right into their comfy bed of blankets, warmed by an overhead heat lamp. There is a small divider to keep the blankets out of the dining area, which has the black water dish (also with overhead heating to avoid frozen water) and a silver tote turned automatic dog feeder.
The doggie condo has much less space than the last doggie palace, no radio, ramps, throw rugs, or A/C (yet) but I do believe less is more in this case; they so far (knock on wood) have not gone potty inside this house to our knowledge. They seem to enjoy their new house and we like it too. Plus, we can use the entire rest of the shed!
Getting Settled
Whew! We’ve come a long way but we’ve got a way to go. We’re still waiting on furniture to arrive but here are a few photos of the new place:
My super fun workshop:
Notice the new vinyl cutter? Awesome! You’ll see some of my vinyl work below.
And here’s our fabulous “Martini Dining Set”
This is the girls’ room (where my nieces Aaliyah & Alyssa will stay when they spend the night):
Aaliyah stayed Saturday night and was so excited to have her “own” room.
Did you notice the cute vinyl decal on the wall??? Yep – it’s vinyl not paint!
Here…take a closer look:
Isn’t that so cute?? Here’s a simple decal for the front door:
Once we get our furniture and get things in place maybe I’ll post more of the other rooms.
Right now they’re either a bit sparse or messy.
And…since I’m on a photo kick, here’s a photo of our unity candle set that I whipped together today:
And while I was at the craft store getting supplies for the unity candle,
Andy bought some props to torture and embarrass my boys:
If you couldn’t tell Putter’s the best sport about it; he either enjoys it or has just given in. I think Tiger was a little ashamed…he tried to bury his head in the couch:
Shave and a Haircut…Two Pugs!!
The boys got a shave. Well, at least a start. This is Putter after about 2 hours of work and Max after maybe an hour. They’ve still got a lot more to go but it helps. Putter is so flippin’ cute! He almost looks like a baby pug again – big head, tiny little body with fluffy fur. So cute!! And if you look closely his fur is just butchered. Haha! I’m sure we’ll get better at it with time.
