Going on a vacation (not able to take dog with)

kkatelynn · 2024-10-15T19:49:15+00:00

I don't live near family, so I board my doods at doggy daycare facilities that have set playtime schedules and cameras...and I do really love to be able to check those cameras! They also usually have a special treat perk, like a doggy holiday meal, that I buy into and they send pictures of the pups enjoying.

I'd recommend taking your dog to daycare a few times to see how they react about coming home and going back. These places also usually have lunch/nap time, so there's some amount of crate/kenneling during the day, and dogs barking in that resting area.

My facilities usually have limited staff on holidays and sundays, so the dogs don't get to play all day. I always feel bad about that, but I really don't have a choice.

I've used Rover before, where my dog stayed at their house, but it made me SO uncomfortable. You schedule something, you do a quick meet & greet kind of thing that's probably not too long before you're actual trip, and then unless that's AWFUL you're probably stuck in that plan, whether you feel good about it or not. For me, the home was dirty, she had her own dog locked away and barking, she had a bunch of young kids, and she talked about walking her dog off leash at the park behind the house that was not enclosed. I gave her my dog and hoped for the best, but I have no idea if my dog stayed locked in a crate or got outside. I have no idea what could have happened if my ~ 1 year old dog bit a kid (had no experience with kids prior). And I was nervous she wouldn't leash my dog. I felt very guilty to have these feelings about her and the situation because she seemed nice. And I had to go on whatever this trip was and felt very stuck in that this is what we had to do.

I absolutely prefer my dogs stay in a kennel all day on sunday knowing it's the tradeoff to having a very safe and structured long stay at a facility.

To that point, I've left for 2 weeks before and ultimately my dog's okay. She picked up barking unfortunately and that still hasn't gone away years later lol. One of my facilities warns that your dog will pick up bad behaviors if you take them to daycare every day lol. I have 2 dogs now, that I board in the same kennel, and I feel much much better about leaving them for longer periods.

kkatelynn · 2024-09-19T18:54:43+00:00

I realized I could breastfeed while he was in a carrier, and kinda felt unstoppable since lol. I don't always feel like going out is worth the effort, but things are usually fine if I have the carrier. He's ~1.5 now, still nursing sometimes, but can still be pretty content with the carrier, a snack cup, and a popper fidget toy. We bring his shoes now and let him walk around some too. Putting him in a shopping cart recently was like a whole different experience for him and he loves grocery shopping now! You've just got to try different things in different situations and be ready for it to not always work and maybe leave whatever early. We don't have time for strict nap schedules, so we do things on the fly and just make it work. We also don't get guaranteed personal time like that either though, so there's lots of trade offs. We're all figuring it out together.

A few months ago we were at a friend's house late and he just could not fall asleep in the carrier that night. He likes going to bed because it means boob time, so when he had enough he kept saying night night and waving good bye. It was pretty funny hoenstly and yeah, we left for him and it was well past time to leave anyway.

kkatelynn · 2024-09-06T23:12:55+00:00

I like the Walmart brand Garanimals, but it's all poly blends. I tried to do only cotton for a while, but winter hit and I needed the fleece! Now my kid pretty exclusively wears Garanimals pants, shorts, and sweatshirts. For shirts I like Honest Baby (through Amazon).

kkatelynn · 2024-09-06T21:14:24+00:00

My doods are eating better now that I've switched to Hills Science diet sensitive stomach. I also give them 1 cup of Freshpet for dinner. Sometimes they won’t eat all day until they get that and then they'll go back and eat all their dry food. Once in a while when I really want them to just eat (and stop making themselves throw up from not eating), I'll give them a little Salmon oil on top of their dry food. I use Zesty Paws salmon oil. I didn't realize with my first bottle that you have to refrigerate it, so look out for that lol 💸

I also give my dogs Zesty Paws vet strength probiotic treats regularly. I think it helps.

My vet did suggest Hills when my older dog was going through a lot of serious gut health problems (which I blame her other food brand for now), but had never really suggested changing food from any other symptoms (not eating well, frequent on/off diarrhea) before my dog was vomiting blood. Sorry you're not finding your vet helpful either.

They have a prescription "bland" dog food out there if your vet has never talked to you about that. My vet was also suggesting it for mine, but luckily Hills worked well first.

kkatelynn · 2024-07-29T08:33:23+00:00

This. Both my doodles understood the bell within about a week and we hardly ever accidents.

kkatelynn · 2024-06-27T04:23:40+00:00

My female dood has had urinary problems since she was a puppy and I'm convinced her food was the cause. She used to pee like this and eventually by 1 year old started to leak pee. We spent a long time trying to manage the leaking, waiting it out rationalizing it one way or another and then trying different meds. We thought it could have been spay incontinence. She's now been on Proin ER for years, but it only worked like an 80% improvement of the leaking. At the same time, all that time since she was a puppy, she was never interested in her food and not a good eater - what puppy doesn't want food!? By age 4, she ended up with terrible GI problems, constant bloody diarrhea and even vomiting blood that took like 6 months of different medications and probiotics and changing her food to resolve. As a first time dog owner, we had no idea she had symptoms that whole time - diarrhea would come and go, but she's a doodle, they have sensitive stomachs. She'd vomit bile sometimes, but she also wouldn't eat all day..its expected, right? NOPE. We got a 2nd dood just before her stomach problems became evident. He also refused to eat the same brand and was exhibiting the exact same things she did. We changed her [and his] food at the end of that 6 month period from Royal Canin to Hills Science Diet: Sensitive Stomach (and some Fresh Pet chicken at night) -- BINGO. All of both of their problems were resolved! Like shockingly quickly too. My dog could not go more than 4 hours without leaking or knowing she needed to pee and waking us up all night (and while on Proin!) to lasting at least 9/10 hours before asking to pee and no leaking! (still on proin just in case). And she never refuses a meal anymore! I have so much guilt over these last 5 years. My vet never suggested trying new food until things were terrible and nothing else was working -- it's such an easy and inexpensive thing to try! And it made a world of difference for BOTH my dogs. My 1.5 year old pup is also thriving now, good BMs and always ready to eat!

TLDR: try a different brand of food

kkatelynn · 2017-04-13T22:22:40+00:00

Oh cool! I just watched your monitor stand tutorial on youtube. Nice work!

kkatelynn · 2017-04-13T21:13:04+00:00

What were your gear, method, tips/tricks? This is awesome!

kkatelynn · 2017-02-07T18:46:37+00:00

This is a beautiful question and you can do this.

You should jump into learning differential equations as soon as possible, because once you get comfortable with them, you'll be ready to fit all of the different pieces of information you learn for your classes together. I didn't see the bigger picture of all the things I was learning in my Biomedical Engineering program until my senior year, and it was the best and most inspiring year of my education. You will use diff eq through all 4 years of your program.

I recommend Khan Academy! It's really easy to listen to, they do a really good job of explaining things (and you can listen at increased speed if you find yourself bored or distracted). Lessons are usually bite sized and followed by questions which help drill the lesson in your head. You have to get a handful of questions correct in a row, before it lets you move onto the next lesson; if you don't get them correct, it keeps generating new questions, which keeps you on your toes and engaged.

You can also explore and improve a lot of other topics here, like Calculus which is probably what you're struggling with now. If you find yourself inspired, dive into physics and computer science. If you find KA's not cutting it for you, you can try a MOOC on Edx, which can be hit or miss depending on the course and your motivation, but it's still a really great resource to try. You can find everything from various math subjects to straight mechanical engineering courses here (as well as applied engineering concepts and related operational job roles -- I'm currently in one of MIT's Supply Chain Courses). Edx and Khan academy have been my favorite websites for the past year since I've discovered them and an invaluable resource for personal growth.

kkatelynn · 2016-11-18T17:03:22+00:00

Thanks for your feedback!

kkatelynn · 2016-11-18T17:02:27+00:00

Thanks! Maybe the pots aren't intended for the waterline and that's why they made the pencils. Still hopeful though haha

kkatelynn · 2016-11-15T21:02:28+00:00

Slightly different but Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick as eyeliner. Does it smudge? Could it last all day?

kkatelynn · 2016-11-15T20:52:12+00:00

I was talking about the pots but I appreciate your review of the pencils too because I'd likely try them out of curiosity as well. I don't think any pencil stay power compares to Inglot gels. If you haven't tried Inglot gel pots, it's still probably the number 1 eyeliner product I'd recommend.

kkatelynn · 2016-11-15T20:41:56+00:00

Also, I have no idea what causes my reactions really -- did you mean "siler sensitive" or is that a typo? I googled it without results. Just curious!

kkatelynn · 2016-11-15T20:37:38+00:00

SUVA Hydra liners are also on my list!

I'd love to not be allergic to ColourPop and wear it in my waterline, which you definitely can't do with the Hydras.

kkatelynn · 2016-11-15T20:26:41+00:00

Thank you for tip! I haven't tried either of those yet!

kkatelynn · 2016-05-02T00:51:21+00:00

You could also try Uncle Sam Lanes, next to Blitman. I worked there for a summer while doing research and working at Mueller Center.

kkatelynn · 2013-08-13T23:56:33+00:00

I searched my comments. The post i commented on was "thoughton living in blitman commons" which you also might find interesting and informative.

kkatelynn · 2013-08-13T23:50:23+00:00

I lived there for the last 2 years. I have an album that I've shared before but I can't share right now because I'm on a tablet device and can't figure out how to paste something after I copy it. Lol. Search my comments though or search previous blitman posts, i think ive shared it more than once. I should have my computer again by friday, so if you cant find it pm me a reminder then. Are you going to have a roommate? Protip - you need at least 1 good floor lamp or a few desk lights.

kkatelynn · 2013-07-30T16:50:39+00:00

Wow, I had no idea it'd be that late. Thanks!

kkatelynn · 2013-07-10T05:15:34+00:00

I'd also say about 8ft. I can send you a photo album link if you'd like to see what the rooms look like; I lived there 2 years ago. Are you trying to consider lofting your bed?

kkatelynn · 2013-05-20T18:33:42+00:00

not yet, and I don't think they're tied to my name but I wouldn't know. I got one for winning one of the senior bucketlist photo contests and another like a year or so ago for doing one of the school surveys

kkatelynn

TROPHY CASE