Multi Tasking With Ivy & Charlie’s New Supplements
More and more I find myself multi tasking with Ivy.
This morning Ivy had her swirly toy in her mouth before I had my yoga mat laid flat on the floor. She was waiting to play fetch. This happens every morning and evening.
As a young mother I learned quickly to multi task. And so while I do stretching to ease my stiff back and neck, in between movements I play fetch with Ivy.
How It Works:
Bring one leg up, cross it over the other. Throw Ivy’s swirly toy toward the living room.
And so it goes. I change positions; throw swirly toy. Ivy brings it back to me. I stretch my arms out over my head; throw swirly toy.
Then I get up and begin my morning chores. Feed the pet babies. Dispense medication to Charlie.
And after Ivy eats, she naps. Usually on the top level of her cat tower.
Every time I get up from my chair and walk into a room, there Ivy is with a task for me.
She will lay in front of the refrigerator and indicate that a swirly toy has gone underneath.
She wants me to get the yard stick that leans against the wall and try to get the swirly toy back out for her.
I come into the living room and there Ivy is lying in front of the rolling fireplace. She is indicating that a toy is underneath it. Or under the bookshelves.
Ivy always has plenty for me to do. She likes to keep me busy.
If I walk into the bathroom, there she is sitting on the side of the bath tub begging me to turn the water on. She likes to drink water from the tub instead of a bowl.
Kind of makes me wonder what I did with myself before Ivy. I must have had a lot more free time.
Charlie’s New Medication/Supplement:
As for Charlie, when I picked him up from acupuncture the vet there had already talked to Dr. Poteet. Or seen his records. One or the other. Because when they brought Charlie out to me, they had a small bottle of drops in hand.
I am to give him 10 drops twice per day. Pulling his jaws open is quite a job. I’ve put it on his food and he won’t eat it. So we do the jaw opening thing and I try to get some of it down him.
It is called “Six Gentle Pets.” I know. Weird name. It is a dietary supplement. The acupuncture vet thinks this might help him.
Here’s what it says online by the company that makes it:
Functions:
This formula treats Spleen Qi deficiency with Phlegm accumulation.
Indications (Symptoms):
-Nausea, vomiting, heavy sputum, digestive and gastric disharmony
-Occasional weakness or weak limbs
-Pallor, reduced appetite, occasional loose stools, loss of balance
-Feeble cough, weakness or loss of voice
-Pale tongue
-Frail pulse
She said it would be awhile before I saw results. So we shall see.
The Tree Branches Outside The French Doors:
Sitting in my chair I could see something purple in the tree branches. I got up for closer inspection.
The wild purple morning glory is growing throughout the branches.
Looks like a Christmas tree with ornaments on it.
Brenda,
I’ve got a cat, “Sweetie” who needs thyroid medicine twice a day. She gets 2 pills in the a.m. and 1 before dinner. I wrap her up in a small fleece blanket and hold her like a baby. I praise and talk to her. Then I work her mouth open and pop in the two pills. I reward her with a treat. It’s challenging, but necessary.
I had such a good laugh reading your account of your morning workout with Ivy Lou! So vivid…
t
With the long time Charlie has been ill I wonder WHY this medicine was not offered before now??? Of course, I often have the same questions of human doctors too…
Those drops sound like the would treat what I have. Your pictures of flowers are beautiful.
You made me laugh with that exercise routine.
Hope those drops help Charlie.
Have a nice weekend!
Brenda, Chinese herbs are excellent and work in ways that western herbs do not. That one can help thin the mucous so that it doesn’t cause him to choke so much. He won’t eat it because it tastes bitter and smells of strange things, like the alcohol used to make it into a tincture. I hope it helps him, poor baby.
I wonder if it’s a female cat thing because even at Clementine’s age (around 12), she is so much more active than Monkey (her son, age 10)! She is always wanting me to play “fetch” with her with her ball, or wanting me to play chase the feather toy with her. Monkey – he couldn’t care less. He just likes to eat and sleep most of the time. 😉
I hope the drops will help Charlie. Clementine has some holistic drops for her skin condition and unfortunately, they haven’t helped her. But it’s worth trying anything for our fur babies.
What a gorgeous morning glory color – like a deep violet with a LOT of blue in it. Beautiful! At this point, anything recommended by the vet or Charlie’s acupuncturist is worth trying. I wonder why Charlie won’t eat the food when you add the drops to it. Does it have a distinctive scent? Of course, even if it doesn’t appear to have a scent to us, dogs have such keen noses. Maybe you can think of some treat that would be safe for him to eat that he would take even with the drops on it. But at this point in Charlie’s life, even if maybe the treat isn’t the “healthiest” thing for him to have but he would take it even with the drops on it and they do improve his symptoms so he is more comfortable, especially at night (what is it about the night do you suppose? You don’t comment that Charlie is bothered by these same symptoms during the day) well, if the drops help give Charlie a better qualify of life, at this point why not give him the drops with the treat that maybe isn’t the healthiest? You need to take care of yourself too. You do neither Charlie nor Ivy any favors if you come down sick or you injure yourself (or aggravate an older injury) because you are exhausted and lose your balance and fall, or Heaven forbid, fall asleep behind the wheel, or just collapse from sheer exhaustion. Don’t mean to nag, but mommies have to take care of themselves too, in order to keep taking care of their babies.
Ivy is your personal trainer, she’s earning her room & board!
Suggestion. There are long door draft protection, cannot remember exact name. It’s a long fat cylinder or tube of fabric, stuffed with material that helps stop drafts at the bottom of the door. If you put one in front of the refrigerator, it will prevent Ivy’s toys from going under it. Also easy enough to make with fabric, glue and polyester fill. You can get all at Joannes Fabric. It might save your back……unless that might spoil Ivy’s fun!!!!!!
Oh I do hope those drops help. I feel so bad for Charlie when we talk and I can hear him cough. I love that you were finding new flowers in your garden. XO Laura
Isn’t it magical when flowers suddenly appear in our gardens!
Ha Ha I had to laugh at Ivy and needing fresh water out of the tap. We had a basset hound and the only way she would drink water was in our powder room. She would get up on the toilet seat and paws on the counter of the sink and we would run the water out of the tap and she would lap it up. She would not drink from a dog bowl. Wanted it fresh and out of the tap only. We did this for 15 years of her life. My Molly and your Ivy found the right fur mom’s for sure with how we indulge our sweet pets. Have a good weekend.