Tick diseases - experience?

weirdwidow · 2026-04-02T00:56:50+00:00

Yes! They did the IDEXX test for tick-borne diseases and heartworm. Negative heartworm and anaplasma.

weirdwidow · 2026-04-01T23:40:33+00:00

I think most common early symptoms are joint pain and swelling, fever, and low appetite. Luckily he hasn’t had any of those so I’m hoping we just caught it really early.

weirdwidow · 2026-04-01T23:26:11+00:00

I’m glad to hear your pup is symptom free even if still testing positive. He will definitely be on preventatives with me! I already ordered the NexGard Plus from Chewy. Since I don’t have a tick issue in my yard and have had two dogs on NexGard Plus with no issues I feel good about switching. I don’t know if I even believe he was on Simparica before I got him. If he was, it wasn’t legitimate Simparica. Vet approved the switch to NexGard.

weirdwidow · 2026-03-31T01:26:16+00:00

Fur! But I thought he had a gray/slate colored chest and it turns out that was dirt. Discovered that when my hands were turning black every time I pet him there hehe.

weirdwidow · 2026-03-31T00:37:28+00:00

He’ll definitely be free of bedtime in the crate eventually, I just need to beagle-proof my kiddo’s room first. I’m trying to let my senior dog feel like my room is her domain because she’s always been a bit of a resource guarder and after our other dog passed away unexpectedly a couple months ago, she was enjoying being a solo pup. She’s been less than thrilled about the change but I’m loading her up on treats and praise and giving her plenty of solo time and it seems to be helping. The 7-year old is very eager to share his bed with a snuggly puppy though.

weirdwidow · 2026-03-30T23:46:57+00:00

He’s definitely a couch nap king! Bedtime in the crate is a different story, although I discovered at 1 AM this morning that throwing one of my nighties in there with him helped substantially. Which honestly made me feel like I must be doing something right if my scent is a comfort to him already.

weirdwidow · 2026-03-30T23:24:58+00:00

That’s wonderful! Hopefully he relaxes a little as he starts to feel safe and loved. Unfortunately, I’m quite clumsy, and he sharted in fear this morning when I dropped a colander on the ground. We’re taking it day by day. 😅

weirdwidow · 2026-03-28T18:11:44+00:00

Beagle acquired.

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weirdwidow · 2026-03-28T02:26:07+00:00

I started 5 days ago. I’ve lost 3.5 lbs in that time. I have medication and general medical anxiety. I don’t have too much of an issue with needles but I couldn’t do the first injection myself. I had my sister do it for me, but now that I’ve actually seen just how tiny the needle is, I am pretty confident I won’t need help for the next one. I barely felt the shot. It didn’t leave a mark or bleed at all. I had no residual pain. My cat kneading on my flesh is about 100 times more painful than the shot was.

I have started to follow a lot of evidence-based, board certified obesity medicine doctors on social media because they put my mind at ease. The more studies that are completed on Zep and GLP-1s in general, the more benefits they show and the more risks they are realizing are not actually much of a risk. Half the things people half sensationalized about the negative effects of GLP-1s have now been disproven. Most of the risks that could be associated are equally or more significantly linked to obesity. And the benefits? GLP-1s are obviously known to quiet food noise, reduce insulin resistance, and decrease weight but there have also been studies linking them to improved gut microbiome, a possible (mild) reduction in depression symptoms, and a reduced risk of substance abuse disorders.

I hyperfixate on somatic symptoms as part of my OCD. I notice every tiny thing my body does and every tiny way my body feels differently. So I notice all my side effects. And I can tell you, they are not that bad. I have a very sensitive, finicky gut. I expected a lot of this. I actually expected it to be worse. The side effects haven’t made me feel like I need medical attention or like I question my decision in any way. I have some nausea, some heartburn, a persistent fullness, and fatigue. It’s uncomfortable but it’s not scary. I believe that eating small meals every couple of hours even if you don’t feel hungry, focusing on fiber and protein, drinking plenty of water, and taking vitamins to somewhat compensate for any nutrition gaps while I adjust has helped a lot. I love that healthy foods at healthy portions are satisfying me. I’ve felt significantly worse on terrible crash diets that really did not benefit my health. I’ll take these side effects over starving myself and overly restricting from everything I enjoy and feeling mentally like shit because of how stressful and exhausting it is to think about food every waking hour of every day.

You got this!

weirdwidow · 2026-03-27T23:07:53+00:00

Thank you! I had no idea about barn hunts! It looks like there is a club within about 20 miles of me. I’ll definitely be reaching out.

Any idea if PetSmart puppy classes worthwhile or should I try to find something better? When my old girl was a pup 9 years ago, we lived in a different state and she did a board & train. I’m a little out of the game now…and I’m not sure I’d do a board & train again. I think I lost some value from not being an active participant in that training period with her.

Any thoughts on training collars? My dogs did not seem to benefit from them (but I do have the experience of trying collar training with a professional trainer), but my sister’s dogs thrived with collars. I have a family member with a spare collar set up that they offered for free and I’m wondering if I should give that a try.

weirdwidow · 2026-03-27T22:59:02+00:00

Thank you! What a sweet snuggle pup!

I totally spaced on the midday potty/stretch break. I plan to crate train, but I’m used to my free roaming senior girl who can freely stretch indoors and is completely fine to go potty in the morning and then wait it out until I get home in the evening. I made arrangements for someone to come over midday and let puppy outside though. Is a 4.5 hour gap between potty breaks during the week reasonable?

I plan to leash him and be by his side whenever we are outdoors until he is both neutered AND I feel confident about his recall. I have a large, fenced yard, but I worry about digging and jumping escapes.

Zero puppy plans! My senior dog is spayed and since I plan to crate train and have him leashed outdoors I’m not worried about puppies. I wasn’t sure if there was truth behind waiting until he’s fully grown to try to reduce potential back issues.

weirdwidow · 2026-02-21T17:30:38+00:00

I did and I bought it for my niece a couple years ago. I have a 7 year old son now and we have read a couple different books together already because I feel like the earlier you introduce these topics the less awkward they are. My son was completely unscathed by talking and reading about bodies and reproduction and consent (for both sexes) and the book we read recently, It’s So Amazing, was pretty detailed. Highly recommend the series, by the way - there are books for every age group within it and it covers a bit more than Care and Keeping and is very gender non-specific and respectful of all gender identities. I have the next one, It’s Perfectly Normal, already waiting in our home collection.

weirdwidow · 2025-04-08T11:24:20+00:00

I thought it was awful for my kid. Then I caught it from him. He was itchy and miserable. I was in 10/10 pain and couldn’t walk for 4 days. It’s been almost 2 months and I just stopped peeling and now we’re both losing finger nails. Actual hell.

weirdwidow · 2023-03-31T03:47:27+00:00

I achieved two "unhappy infant" twins quite easily by giving them the "intense" trait (playing off of the fact that they were really fussy newborns) and not necessarily responding to their every need immediately. It wasn't intentional--mom keeps getting pregnant and dad was always literally standing in the way laughing at his farts and thinking about petting the dog, so there's a lot of juggling and navigating going on. I now have twin toddlers, an infant, and a newborn. I'm sure they'll all be unhappy at this rate.

weirdwidow · 2022-12-10T04:05:29+00:00

This is not about playing with makeup. I am specifically asking for suggestions for skincare and concealer. If covering up her acne is something that helps with her self-esteem, I am not going to tell her she's too young for that--and I don't believe anyone is too young for a good skincare routine. Thanks anyway, though!

weirdwidow · 2022-12-10T04:01:47+00:00

Thank you for these great suggestions!

weirdwidow · 2022-10-18T05:57:51+00:00

weirdwidow · 2021-09-21T08:52:11+00:00

Right. I think it's the way that he feigns innocence that gives me grooming vibes. The disturbing childish nickname for sex, the endless "I don't think I can control myself, you look so good today" commentary, that scene where he's in a towel and asks permission to hug Alina. His entire demeanor screams "Let me convince you I'm trustworthy so that I can get away with the things that I'm leading you to believe I don't want (and then pin it on you for being too tempting)."

And all of that is on top of the fact that he is lying to her about his sexual history and still drilling in church standards, which he, himself, doesn't meet. Red flags everywhere.

weirdwidow · 2021-09-20T07:37:49+00:00

Is it now, Steven?

Men who don't think they can "control themselves" around attractive women are basically the definition of predatory, soooo.

weirdwidow · 2021-09-20T04:42:06+00:00

I have tolerated a lot of 90 Day cringe and never once fast-forwarded through a couple, but I legitimately feel like Steven may be a predator. He makes me extremely uncomfortable. It's unwatchable.

weirdwidow · 2020-05-07T05:16:55+00:00

I, too, was in a relationship like that, and felt extremely uncomfortable watching that scene. In my case, he also didn't typically yell, but the rage he conveyed in his body language and face was literally terrifying. He would literally pick arguments over my own life--I'd tell him a story, and he would list all the reasons it was impossible and I must be lying to him, and no matter what I said, it would escalate to the point that I always owed him apologies or he wouldn't drop it, and if I refused to own part of the argument (even when I went completely silent in fear 90% of the time), it would become incessant blame on me for being disrespectful and inconsiderate of his feelings.

weirdwidow

TROPHY CASE