Patio garden says “Scat Mosquitoes” & Butterfly Bushes scream “Come Hither Mosquitoes”

Published on by Lucas PamLeave a comment

We are outdoor people and can be found on our patio enjoying life, weather permitting on a year round basis. Each spring we enjoy preparing our flowerbeds, selecting the flowers, planting & preening, then stepping back and enjoying the bounty. This year our planting criteria has changed, all due to the growing concerns about the mosquitoes, specifically the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the Zika virus.

After reading up on the 2016 dreaded mosquitoes, it became clear that if we were to enjoy our patio we needed to make every attempt to illuminate these potentially harmful insects. There was plenty of available research and existing common knowledge to help make this happen. There are ways to deter these horrible creatures and it’s simple.

First, eliminate any standing water. Even a teacup containing still water can attract female mosquitoes. The Aedes aegypti, especially likes man-made containers of any kind to lay its eggs. We don’t have a birdbath but if we did, we’d need a bubbler of some sort, a schedule for scrubbing the bowl every two days, then changing the water to attract the birds.

Next plant flowers/herbs around the patio that are actually known to repel mosquitoes. Insects in general rail at the smell of marigolds, ageratum, geraniums, scented geraniums, eucalyptus, pennyroyal and citronella grass, as well as lavender, lemon balm, rosemary, peppermint and basil.

We selected the following plantings that say “Get Out” to mosquitoes:

Geraniums

Scented Geraniums

Eucalyptus

Lavender

Rosemary

Peppermint

Basil

Marigolds

Additionally, lantana is so effective in warding off mosquitoes it’s recommended that you plant them near doors that are opened frequently. The last things you need are mosquitoes inside your home. So this year lantana will be in a large decorative pot by the door.

Of course, there are other flowers/herbs that I would prefer to plant in the patio area; especially ones that are vibrant with color and loaded with nectar that would naturally attract butterflies…but this year we’re planting defensively, at least around the patio area.

Speaking of butterflies, in my research I found an interesting article about the beloved butterfly bushes and how science has discovered that these lovelies, while they attract butterflies with their yummy nectar, they also attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are drawn to these bushes just like the butterflies. The source of the article is quite credible and can give pause to those of us who have these bushes planted in our yards. The article states that research is underway and….go to:http://www.glacvcd.org/2016/01/study-highlight-butterfly-bushes-attract-mosquitoes-laying-eggs/ for more details.

Our “scat mosquito” landscaping will be planted soon. Look for updates.

Is there a “bitch” in heat around here?

Published on by Lucas Pam2 Comments

IMG_7445My life as a content, young, golden retriever, changed drastically almost overnight. How does that happen? What happened? How did my routine, my playfulness, my “got it together I know my stuff” simply leave me. Yes, leave, goodbye, gone. What was happening to me? Let me explain.

I started, they said, tweeting or chirping quietly. This within days progressed to whining.
I whined and stood at the window. I whined as I followed Sheshe around. I whined.
On my walks I started intensively focusing on spots in the grass, repeatedly licking the areas. Licking, licking, seeking new licking locations. I started frequently marking everything in site. My urine began to emit an odor. I heard repeatedly that my penis, a.k.a, my ding dong, my sperminator, my thing smelled like skunk stuff, whatever that is. We needed answers and we needed to figure this out. So off we went to the vet, again.
The vet, I love her, gave me the full body examination, after I calmed down. Ears fine, eyes clear, mouth fine, heart fine, lungs fine, anus fine, paws fine, legs fine….all fine. I provided a urine sample. Then came the question that I had heard twice before within a two week period…..”Could there be a bitch in heat in your neighborhood?”
Sheshe said, “Brodie’s trainer and dog behaviorist asked the same question. I suppose it’s possible. There are so many dogs in our community.” Diagnosis then delivered.

My vet, that I love, said “Brodie is probably hormonal.” We’ll test his urine and let you know tomorrow the results. It’s probably negative. Your boy is just simply a “young mess” right now. They then discussed in front of me setting up an appointment the following week for my neuter, my snip-snip, if my urine was fine.

I am scheduled for my neuter next week and I must say I want it, I need it. I am one miserable golden. I want my routine back. I want my mind back. I need to calm down and chill out. I am so lucky to have such great people in my life making good decisions for me.

We dogs depend on our humans. We put our lives in their hands and we trust. We are forever grateful.

Go to: http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/how-a-bitch-in-heat-affects-the-behaviour-of-male-dogs.html to read more about how far the smell of a female dog in heat can travel and the possible progression of diminished behavior on the part of intact male dogs that experience this phenomenon.

Holy Grail please come quickly

Published on by Lucas Pam5 Comments

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Brodie here.  My snip, snip is coming this summer

We visited our family vet yesterday.  My ears have been really itchy and the itch seems to be very comfortable staying where it hides.  Sheshe had used eardrops  that had to live in the fridge and for months things seemed to improve.  But then the weather turned warm and the itching came back.  I am finding the need to flop myself on the now coming up fresh green grass and dive bomb my head into it, pushing myself along with my front paws, sliding on my side.  Sheshe thinks it’s funny.  She also thinks I might be doing this to rub my ears.  So back to the vet we went and got some new ears drops.

These drops are called ZYMOX and according to our vet, they cover a broad spectrum of possible problems such as bacteria, fungi, yeast and such. That sounds really creepy.  This “Z stuff” I believe does not contain steriods, but contains three natural bio-active enzymes which are really huge at fighting most ear infections.  The part I REALLY like is that I only get these drops once a day and I cannot get water in my ears.  Yes, that is right, I cannot go swimming.  Yes, I am a golden retriever, however, I do not like to swim.  I instinctively know how to swim,  but I presently am choosing to limit my  water experiences to the bathtub.  But what does that have to do with “snip snip?”

While Sheshe was talking with the vet, who I adore by the way, she said that “we” needed to talk about neutering.  We?  WE? Really?  Yeah, they had the nerve to talk about this in front of me, while I just laid there with my golden smile face.   I listened carefully with my back legs crossed and came away with the following.

There is no ideal time recommend for male cats or dogs being neutered.  School is still out on that.  There are many theories, wait, don’t wait, don’t do it, the minds of those with the information have yet to answer this most important question.  So I did my own research and want to share.

http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2013/06/27/the-holy-grail-of-spayneuter/

Go to the above if you’d like to  know about the possible future of the possible injection (non-surgical, injectable sterilant for male dogs verses the “operation”.  This option is already working in other countries and sooner or later, maybe,  just maybe the FDA will give its approval.  But when?

I am thinking “NOT” for me.  No silver bullet, no Holy Grail.  Actually, I will be biting the bullet and having “It” done.  Sheshe told the vet that this late summer would be the best time, working around vacations and such.  There’s that “and such” thing again.

Come on Holy Grail….I am running out of time here.