dawgdoc

For those of y'all with dogs with seasonal allergies, there is a new drug called Apoquel that is very effective at treating the symptoms.  It has the benefits of steroids without the side effects.  The only problem is that it is so popular and innovative that the manufacturer could charge almost anything for it.  They have not maxed out the price so far, but it is more expensive than traditional steroids.  The other problem is availability; the manufacturer severely underestimated how popular it would be, so it had a spotty supply for the last two years.    I encourage anyone with a dog with allergies to do a food allergy trial.  Food allergies are the least common allergy, but are the easiest to prevent once diagnosed.  A true food allergy trial involves feeding a food made with hydrolyzed proteins (broken down on a molecular level) for two months.  Nothing else (other food, human food, treats) can be fed during that time.  After two months, you add one ingredient at a time and watch for allergic reactions.  Food allergy trials are ponderous, the food is more expensive than regular food, and cannot identify 100% of food allergic dogs, but if you find the one or two ingredients to which your dog is allergic, it will save you much time, money, and suffering in the long term.  Once the ingredients are identified, then you can choose any food that doesn't contain those products, generally speaking.  Sometimes you do have a dog that only does well when kept on the hydrolyzed protein diet.   There are many foods labeled "hypoallergenic" by the manufacturers, but those foods are more correctly called "novel diets."  Novel diets contain ingredients that are not found in conventional foods, such as kangaroo and oats.  The problem with novel diets is that there can be cross reaction between similar ingredients (such as a beef allergy dog reacting to lamb), and there can be contamination of the food with other proteins.  Sometimes you can identify or prevent food allergies using a novel ingredient diet, but failure of such a diet does not mean the animal does not have a food allergy.   The hydrolyzed diets that I recommend are Hill's z/d, Purina HA, or Royal Canin Anallergenic (terrible name choice on that last one).  They are all more expensive than regular versions made by the same companies, but may be less expensive than some of the niche novel ingredient foods.  Also, when comparing foods, you really should compare cost per meal rather than cost per bag because the amounts fed vary greatly between brands.

Licking the paws is often associated with atopic dermatitis. There are various aspects of treatment. One thing you can start now is omega fatty acid supplements, which take 4-6 weeks to build up to have an appreciable effect.

  The division of the Badlands into baronies occurred several generations after an unspecified war, I believe.  The banishment of guns appears to have happened long before any of the current events.  It appears that they have some electricity and internal combustion but not microchips, hence what appears to be 1930-40s type technology.  They made refence to using oil to fuel opium factories in the previous episode.  Tonight they used an X-ray machine.  So they have available technology but it is not widespread, presumably due to the lack of parts and such.

A lot of the diagnosis will depend on the appearance and location of the lesions.  Also, commonality will affect the likely diagnosis.     Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy; it usually begins on the lumbar area and spreads forward and down the thighs.   Atopic dermatitis (seasonal allergies) is the next most common allergy.  Generally you see some type of seasonal nature to it, but since you have only owned the dog for a short time, that might not be evident.  With atopy, they can itch all over, but often concentrate on licking the feet and scratching at the sides and under the arms.   Food allergies are the least common.  They can itch all over, but the characteristic locations are itching at the ears and anus.   Not all animals have the typical lesions, and secondary bacterial and yeast infections can perpetuate and magnify the itching even if the original cause is controlled.     There are two types of mange--scabies, or sarcoptic mange, which is intensely itchy and contagious between animals.  The other type of mange is demodectic mange which is non-contagious and affects puppies and immunocompromised adults.   Ringworm is a fungal infection that can affect the skin.   All of these diseases will have varying degrees of itching, redness, hair loss, crusting, and scaling.  Some can be diagnosed easily, and some require special testing.

I can't tell from the pictures, but I can say that the skin responds a limited number of ways to a variety of insults. Allergies with secondary bacterial or yeast infections would be most common, though.

I think it would have just as effective to have previousy shown Glenn to survive but be trapped under the dumpster; it would still have been a cliffhanger without the shenanigans.

A gun also gives you a better chance of survival in a mass hostage scenario like Mali.

Also, the arabic version of "if God wills it" overshadows everything they do, so maybe he just accepted that particlar person was supposed to live.

The sad thing is, even though it has been proven to happen in a place like Chattanooga, there has been very little change in security at many places around here.  I wrote my school board after the Chattanooga murders, and the chairman was still dismissive.   Part of the problem is that a rational person would realize that there are two ways to increase the safety at soft targets like malls and concerts--implement rigorous, Israeli-type screening using metal detectors, pat downs, profiling, cameras, and heavily-armed guards, or allow each citizen to provide for their own protection by allowing the carrying of weapons.  The former is too expensive, and the latter is too distasteful to many people.  Instead they adopt an attitude of, "it hasn't happened yet, so it probably won't happen at all."   I've gone through hypothetical scenarios in my mind that a terrorist might use, and the possibilities are wide.  Many people focus on the large cities, which is logical, but Chattanooga, Garland, Ft. Hood, Newtown, and others show that sometimes the targets are just conveniently located to the killers.  Why travel to New York when they could kill just as many kids at any local school?

Imagine the chaos if they bombed just four major bridges around the country. America would come to a halt for at least a few days while every bridge is inspected, with some false alarms. Then, when the all clear is given, some people would still use alternate routes to go to work, creating crazy traffic patterns. No one would feel safe. The loss life from the initial bombings might be low, but the psychological impact would be great.

One of the things I worry about is a suicide attacker just using a vest or a car bomb.  They might actually believe they could encounter armed resistance and just spend all their planning on bombs rather than AKs; hard to defend against that.     Also, the premier of Star Wars is expected to be huge; I wonder if the theaters will use actual security screening, like metal detectors.  Wouldn't help if a guy detonated a suicide vest in the lobby, though.

Thanks. Good to know.

Anyone want to refresh my memory on what is legal to carry in TN in a car, rifle wise? Loaded, unloaded? Mag in, chambered round, etc?

One of the things I like about having a car instead of an SUV now is the actual trunk. I imagine the lock can be esily defeated, but it feels better having some things completely out of view. Reeeeal important things.

I know it has been mentioned before, but everyone should read "Day of Wrath" for a chillingly realistic scenario that would paralyze our country AND potentially provide the catalyst for more stringent gun control, at least in the more liberal areas.

And even if Islamic State has not infiltrated the refugees, the resulting backlash will only serve their purposes also.  They would love to have western countries crack down on Muslims and ultimately result in more recruits.     Their end goal is to goad "the West" into an Armageddon battle in Syria, and not only do they not care if they all die, they actually plan on losing a large portion of their fighters in such a battle, because it is in their prophesies.

I was stopped in Georgia and answered yes when the deputy asked if there were any weapons. He just had me keep my hands in front, but nothing else. At the end of the stop, he suggested informing his fellow LEO because some of them "might fly off the handle" (his words) when they find out you have a gun. That actually sounds like an excellent reason not to inform. The last thing I want to do is tell some anti-gun cop, "I have a gun."

Has anyone seen pictures like this:   http://i.imgur.com/OqrGzN9.jpg?1   When I re-watched this scene (for the third time), you can clearly see his face move "upscreen," as in in the direction of the dumpster and then disappears, as if he goes under the dumpster.  I could not see anything else (his body, Nicholas' body) in this scene, but his face moves.     As pointed out above, the dumpster appears to have move away from the fence in this scene, which could conveniently put it closer to him.  The screen capture drawings were pointing out that their bodies should be oriented in the opposite direction, yet we clearly see his head near the dumpster in the gut-eating scene.   Still not believable that he would be unbitten, and a cheapshot to fans for him to survive.

  Do you think it could have been a black kingsnake?  They are immune to pit viper venom, and they use constriction to kill.  Black racers on the other hand, despite being named Coluber constrictor, actually just grab and eat their prey, and they aren't immune to venom.   The snakes that many people call "Black Snakes" could be Black Kingsnakes, Black Racers, Black Ratsnakes, Coachwhips or even Eastern Kingsnakes (which have much more white on them than the others).

Since they filmed this one after the next 2 or 3, it felt like it may have been shoehorned in just give Glenn's fate even more tension.  They talked about the need to slow things down after the first three episodes, but they really could have fit this almost anywhere, I think.

I was waiting for someone to notice. Also, wasn't the newspaper that mentioned the Monarchs in the The Stand's universe? I thought it was relevant since Roland's group got there after most everyone was dead.

The dates on cans are "best by dates" rather than expiration dates. I believe some Mormon researches tested canned corn from a wrecked boat that had been underwater since the late 1800's. They said the taste was not as fresh, but it was still nutritious.

  It's an alternate Earth where no one knew about zombies from fiction or folklore, so maybe they have better fuel stabilizers there.  Maybe they also have the Kansas City Monarchs instead of the Royals in their MLB.  Bad fuel will only come into play when the writers need someone to be stranded.   As for the timeline, Lori was pregnant soon after Rick showed up, and Judith is still a baby, so I imagine it is supposed to be only 2 years or so.  Carl's natural aging just has to be ignored in that scenario.  I think on the show, Alexandria is a relatively short time after the prison, with an unknown amount of travel time from Georgia to Virginia.   Our actual knowledge of the real time, Carl's age, and the seasons in which they film all clash and can really confuse the fictional timeline.

  My dad's dogs chased an armadillo through the space between the house and the heat pump and disconnected one of the wires.  We didn't know it at the time (wire was still going into the heat pump, but loose inside).   AC guy thought it was the funniest service call once we figured out what happened.  Dad didn't think it was so funny.  He lives in Macon, Georgia.

What is the topography like in Middle Tennessee?  In Georgia, we have had a ton below the fall line, but I just don't recall seeing many if any in northwest Georgia on my travels.  If they are here, they are much more rare than in south Georgia.  In south Georgia, they can easily burrow in the sandy soil; I could see that being a limit on their habitat up here.   I once scared a live one in south Georgia; it took off much faster than I knew they could go.