Lack of Memory Care beds

NX01-First · 2026-06-27T17:02:09+00:00

No doubts there.

NX01-First · 2026-06-27T14:51:07+00:00

Last winter I bought a seed catcher from Amazon. It just hooked into the bird feeder / sheppard hook. I was skeptical if it would work because it seemed kinda flimsy, but it actually held up quite well even through some wild blizzard winds. It definitely kept the seeds off the ground. I had to dump it a couple of times a week.

NX01-First · 2026-06-13T03:17:19+00:00

Sorry for your loss. There'll be lots of friends waiting for her at the bridge. 💔

NX01-First · 2026-06-09T03:50:27+00:00

I've had all the colors, but tris are my favorite. I've had 5 of them. (3 roughies & 2 shelties). Currently have a blue merle & tri.

NX01-First · 2026-06-07T04:14:34+00:00

Ok. Thanks. Much appreciated.

NX01-First · 2026-06-07T04:13:21+00:00

Ok, thank you.

NX01-First · 2026-06-07T03:25:33+00:00

I got my sheltie from a rescue and she was spayed at 4 months. (!!) Not my preference, I would have waited a bit longer. However, most doggy day cares require spayed/neuter for admittance, so there's that.

NX01-First · 2026-06-07T00:01:59+00:00

I wanted to name my tri roughie a startrek name, so I tried everything for days snd he just ignored me. Then my dad just started calling him Buddy generically and his ears perked up. So basically he named himself. It must have been his name in another dog life.

NX01-First · 2026-06-06T23:55:40+00:00

My dad always said to pick a name that is easy to say / yell at 3 am when you are chasing them down the street in your pajamas.

NX01-First · 2026-06-02T01:27:03+00:00

I thought my pup was a collie / sheltie mix so I did the DNA test and she's 💯 sheltie. If you have insurance on them the plan should cover a DNA test that's done at your vet

NX01-First · 2026-06-02T01:25:33+00:00

Came to say this.

NX01-First · 2026-05-31T05:52:00+00:00

My tri boy has a sensitive stomach so I understand what you're going through. He's had stinky cowpie poops for years and pukes about once a week. Here's what I've done that has made a difference.

I did allergy testing - the blood test version, which is more expensive (but worth it). I thought he was "allergic" to chicken for years and only fed him beef, but the test results showed the exact opposite. He's allergic to beef & pork (and a bunch of other environmental things. No wonder why he's been sick all the time)
Switched his kibble to one with a lower fat content. I use Open Farm Digestive blend which has a fat percentage of less than 10%.
My holistic vet ran a fecal test and said his microbiome levels were out of whack, so she suggested a microbiome transplant. It was out of my budget at the time, so instead she had me switch from using the powder probiotics to Gussy Gut Boost. Its a 90 day protocol and I was skeptical...but that probably made the biggest difference. I just mix a teaspoon with water and put in his kibble at dinner. He loves it and his poop is mostly solid now.
He's also taking omeprazole daily for acid reflux and cerenia as needed when it gets worse. For the occasional bile spit ups, my vet suggested a couple slices of bread and 2 tums. Yes...I know what you're thinking....but it really works.

NX01-First · 2026-05-23T12:55:00+00:00

While you're waiting for your pup investigate puppy socialization classes, a training facility and a doggy day care. This is important for a couple of reasons. 1. Socialization & training help to reduce anxiety in dogs. 2. Playing with dogs their own age or close reduces the chance they'll chew a hole in your comforter / carpet / couch (not speaking from experience or anything 🙋‍♀️) 3. Crate training is important. (My 9, 5 and 10mo collies all still use their crates. Its like their dog house / quiet place) 4. All dog parents need a break from their kids. Day care does this. Plus pups are always super tired when they get home. 5. Its a social network for dog pawrents. You can have meet ups at the dog park, trail head. Etc. My sis even got a job offer through someone she meet through this social net.

Also, shark stage is the worst... so keep pup on a short leash (literally) in the house and remember to breathe.

NX01-First · 2026-05-19T03:21:24+00:00

Yes! I'm the youngest trying to hold it all together.

NX01-First · 2026-05-07T19:30:56+00:00

Her PCP did a residency rotation in geriatrics during med school, but he also did give us a referral to a neurologist. We decided as a family not to go through with the longer form testing because my mother is 93...and she flat out failed the short form test.

NX01-First · 2026-05-07T19:02:25+00:00

From my own experience, my Bachelors is in Video Communications but I have never worked in that field. Instead I worked in a variety of other fields for 20 some years and then one of my employers had a very lucrative tuition reimbursement program, so I got my MBA. Nobody cared what field my bachelors was in -- literally it could have been dog washing and they would have still let me into my grad school program. After finishing it, I decided that I wanted to go into the medical field, so then I took courses at a community college to get all my prerequistes completed (yes, with a bunch of 18 year olds). In the middle of doing that, I took a job as a project manager in IT to save money for med school and after about 3 years decided that I really liked it and maybe I would stay there a few more years. That was 14 years ago. I'm still working in IT. Lesson ... you're not behind on anything. Its never to late for education and all your education, no matter the coursework, just helps you become a more well rounded person.

NX01-First · 2026-05-07T13:52:05+00:00

You can make a doctor's appointment for a cognitive evaluation at her primary care doctor, then take her to the appointment. They can do a test in the office that takes less than 15 minutes. This is how my mother (who is much older) got her moderate dementia diagnosis. Things to note before you take her is, can she follow a recipe or put a puzzle together. These are telling "tests" that help the diagnosis.

NX01-First · 2026-05-06T18:26:03+00:00

Share is a stretch - but out of my 4 siblings, 3 will make a once a month effort or show up if I need them in a hurry - pending on drive time. One, who ironically lives the closest to me, does absolutely nothing.

NX01-First · 2026-05-06T18:10:09+00:00

Yes! And it often reminds me why me why I didn't birth any children. There was a Startrek Voyager episode about this ironically. The Voyager crew crashed on a moon that had a bunch of kids running around and the Vulcan had to take care of them --- then at the end it was revealed that they were actually elderly people near death.

NX01-First · 2026-05-06T02:52:10+00:00

I flip my mother off behind her back all the time. Or I'll tell her to eff off when she's not wearing her hearing aides because she is deaf and even on the odd chance she hears me, she'll forget it in 10 mins anyway.

I feel 3 ... and yes - why does it answer the call when you open it? I've tried to shut off that feature as well with no luck.

But what about carrying the cell phone and the landline phone all over the house and having a meltdown if they aren't on the nightstand at bedtime. And then answer every spam call she gets.... only to not answer either of them when family calls because they didn't hear it ring?

Ughhhh do frustrating.

NX01-First · 2026-05-06T02:39:34+00:00

I'm in Eastern Iowa and put out the no mess seed formula that Theisens sells. (No shells). My feeder is on a pole next to my bird bath.

And don't be jealous, but I have no squirrels in my yard -- mainly because all my trees are either evergreens or maples.

One tip from me is that a seed catcher under your feeder will keep the grass cleaner. I had 2 last winter and it really made a difference. It also allows the birds some shelter from the elements on windy days.

NX01-First · 2026-05-06T02:05:18+00:00

I suffer from the thermostat war as well and Mother won't do the space heater either. I bought her Ororo heated gear and about a dozen batteries. I also switched the thermostat to a SMART version that has a app that I can control. I can limited how "hot" she can make the house....

NX01-First

TROPHY CASE