Propel Water (by Gatorade) has decided to replace the relatively safe sucrose sweetener with high fructose corn syrup. HFCS is one of the main reasons I need to get off Coke. That siren calling bitch is the WORST of the poisons out there and it's in goddamn EVERYTHING. Including bread for instance.
So it's damn near impossible to not eat something arsenic ladden (even tap water with its fluoride and medical drugs diluting anything watery about it) and Gatorade (a company that positions its image as healthy drinking) has decided to toss in with the devil too. Yet another poison to avoid. They were going to be my by-pass on my little road from addition, but their sales won't be spiking any time soon.
Feel free to imagine a happy place for me now, while I go off to swear about soulless profit-seeking death mongering America for a minute.
Yeah, I'm back.
Whatever. America is what it is and the state of someone else's soul is not my concern. I will go off and attempt to find something safe to eat and drink.
I won't say that I'll never have any again. I can't think of any way to more surely sabotage my efforts than that. Just that Coke's stock might plummet a little over the intervening days and weeks.
My health has been a little weird lately and I had one of those middle of the night revelations as to the culprit. Coke is, after all, a poison. I gave it a pass since it was my only vice (don't smoke, don't do drugs and drink alcohol so rarely I'm probably safe in saying I don't drink). I don't even drink any other sodas and I don't see the point in exchanging one poison for another. I guess my body has processed as much poison it cares to and it needs better if it's going to function better.
So I sit here, drinking water, and offering a symbolic toast goodbye to my demon-disguised-friend.
Sigh...
I guess it's true that people either loved it or hated it. So I offer what those before me seem to lack - an impartial analysis as best as I can give it. This reviews Breaking Dawn but also the whole saga as the "problems" with Breaking Dawn are evident in many of her books.
First off I will address the writing itself. Meyers writing style in all the Saga is wordy and 'loose'. Not in a moralistic way but just that she takes 30 pages (for instance) to write something that could be said in 5. It's why her books have relatively straight forward stories but are still 500-800 pages long. On the other hand, what's so special about concise writing - you could argue that her style sets atmosphere, tone, and character development. Even her critics - or people expecting to hate the series - seem to get sucked into turning each page. One 1-star reviewer said she read the whole series in a weekend. Over 2000 pages!! I'm sorry, but if it was a truly terrible series I could not continue to devote a weekend to it. So something kept the 1 star reviewer going. That said, were I her editor, I would hand back some of the more egregious sections and tell her to tighten them up. In Breaking Dawn that would be Book 2 - Jacob. It just went on and on, long after we got the point.
On the heels of that I would add that my biggest and first complaint as a reader was the beginning. There I feel she didn't take ENOUGH time. I would happily slice off 100 pages from book 2 and donate them to book 1. The wedding was rushed, the honeymoon was unsatisfying. In my opinion. Which is a critical statement.
The problem with the popularity of this book is that everyone imagined their own happy ending and then got mad at Meyers for daring to have a conflicting one. It is clear, perfectly clear, that this is the end Meyers had in mind all along. The arcs, the foreshadows, the back history are all present. I dare say most of the ire over this ending is not based on the ending at all but on the fact that the book didn't go where that one fan wanted it to go. A large cross section of "you can't please all the people". In fairness to those fans though, the tone and theme did markedly and abruptly change. It was an adult book following three very teen novels. Bella grew up and a semblance of reality was introduced. Suddenly it wasn't teen fantasy. It wasn't hormones, ogling, prom and millionaires. The fantasy of vampires and immortality hangs in the wish that we would never have to grow up. That one goes from being a pimply awkward teen to a beautiful fantastic millionaire in the space of a 'kiss'. I have yet to see the vampire story where the vamp is a newborn and penniless living in a ghetto. They are always several hundred to thousands of years old and consequently wealthy or they are sired by a wealthy vamp and thus skip any reality-inducing transition.
Most criticism is based around the adult direction this novel then took. They wanted to see more romping by Edward and Bella. Maybe with specific scenes in mind (college? hanging at the Cullens? backpacking through Europe). Something romantic and just outside our existence enough we could vicariously live it and just inside our existence enough that we feel we could have it to, if only. If only we met our true love, if only we found the family we would want to hang with, if only we could take an extended vacation and buy that European ticket. But for one small, but POSSIBLE request, we could be there too.
Instead Meyers takes Bella into a world of adult choices and consequences. No romping, no drawn out fairy tale wedding. No fairy tale honeymoon. Again, as the editor, I would have scrapped the honeymoon and had it re-written. They argued. There was negative tension. For a book built on romance they cannot argue on the honeymoon. Not only that but Edward didn't believe Bella's explanations and then withdrew emotionally. He made a decision and then carried it out unilaterally without her feelings. This is not a good romance, and arguably is not a good marriage. Many plot points come from the honeymoon, but if I lampooned her for anything it would be this section. She needed to find a different way to get there.
As for remarks from reviewers that it was "too easy" and there was no suffering, those comments are laughable. Again the same flaw as before. Meyers characters did not suffer the way some of her audience wanted or expected. And suffered terribly in other ways. But those other ways 'don't count' and suddenly it was too easy and there was no sacrifice. Not true.
As with any book some lines I would cut, some characters could use a little more attention, some characters a little less. Examples would be to be a little less obsessed with Jacob (trim book two) and flesh out Rosalie more. She became more of a major character but stayed two dimensional. Not good. Alice disappeared and it wasn't until deeply in that a cursory reason was offered. Edward reverted to being a little too two dimensional himself, practically repeating the same lines over and over. While the story supported it to an extent I would have asked her to dig deeper. His actions made sense enough for the story she wanted to tell, but with a little soul-searching and digging around she might have transformed past the story she did tell and find one that would resonate more deeply with more fans. Edward needed to be more present as a true character.
Her story is a 2 person romance at its core - but in book 4 she shed the romance early on and then relegated Edward to an auto-pilot version of himself. No wonder a huge chunk is told from Jacobs point of view!
There were plot points that I didn't like either (yes, the imprinting issue was a major one) but it was her story to tell, not mine. So while I would not have gone in that direction I am also not a best selling author. But that particular plot line seems to have universal UNappeal. Truthfully the whole imprinting concept is a bad one. For a country that loves freedom as much as ours, the concept that you see someone and become their slave regardless of any choice or free will is rather repugnant to me. True love celebrates freedom. Meyers loved introducing Jacob as a REINFORCEMENT to Bella's love for Edward. Bella wasn't settling, she had fine options, she CHOOSE Edward and all that entails. So sad werewolves never get such joy for themselves. They don't find true love, but a happy sort of enslavement with creepy undertones at that. (Imprinting with children? Surely imprinting should ONLY work between adults.) This is not a tangant so much as an unfortunate offshoot of Meyers - in telling her fantasy and perhaps flexing her own fantasies - she unwittingly made werewolves the worst kind of culture. In addition to the aforementioned imprinting woes there was also the abuse theme that unfortunately ran too rampant for my tastes. I felt that Eclipse was entirely too close to a sexual attack between Jacob and Bella. Quite simply he used his superior size and strength to force Bella into sexual acts (just kissing but still) that she was not consenting too. But throughout the book he forces Bella into many things she does not consent to - through force or emotional blackmail. She tries to dress it up as his being young or hormonal. So rather than it being a character flaw of Jacob, he can remain flawless by pretending it is a character flaw of all men? That is, quite frankly, a terrible statement. I prefer to believe it is just a character flaw of Jacobs and one that continues to an extent in book 4. Jacob demands his way. I do not find that a friendship, a love interest, or in any way romantic or desirable. It is a temper tantrum and no more. Which paints werewolves as juvenile or valueless. Which is a shame. Meyers, so caught up in the way she regarded it, failed to see this for how it really read or could reasonably be read. A reviewer or editor should have pointed it out.
People found the end battle to be anti-climatic. This is a matter of opinion to a large degree, but it's fair to say that there was a showdown, there just wasn't a huge explosion, metaphorically speaking. The ending was far more intellectual than it was a mindless action movie. More readers wanted the mindless thrill of hunt, destruction and victory. But if they were to re-read the end without preconceived notions then they would find that a lot is going on. Having said that I must address that the ending, climax aside, had some plot holes. Since I'm I'm trying to avoid spoilers, suffice to say that you can't look too closely at the ending or it begins to unravel some. Again a failure of the editor or reviewer to catch this prior to release.
To sum up this review: Meyers tells her story. If it was the first book, like Twilight, when no one knows what to expect, then it would have received a far different review. More popular? Who can say. But certainly different. As the Fourth book of a beloved series people had secret desires and expectations for these characters. The main ire comes from the fact that Meyers told her story instead of the one they secretly demanded. Enter this book with an open mind, let Meyers tell you her story and you have a better chance of enjoying this installment.
There are some minor plot holes and times you might want to slap a character. This is as true for this book as any other probably. It runs fast in some areas, and long in others. As do all her novels.
Lastly, this book is more adult. Less fantasy and more How Their Lives End. Like it or not, the story is supported; it makes sense. It is the way she planned to end the tale. If it's not to your liking, there's always fanfic or your own imagination.
Then Farrah Fawcett (Um, 62, but sick)
Then Michael Jackson. (50)
Dropping like flies.
http://bored.com/games/play/273/Causali
The guy in the office, on the tiolet and the last 3 guys on level three are the hardest....
And this... http://bored.com/games/play/270/Contrap
I only wish Mark was around to see me play it. Some of the WORST engineering ever and some BRILLIANTLY inelegant contraptions THAT WORKED (although they shouldn't have...) :)
http://www.419eater.com/
"So what is scambaiting? ... It doesn't matter if you are new to this sport [Hee hee hee I would so love to see this as a real sport!!] or a hardened veteran; if you are wasting the time of a scammer, or frustrating them in any way well that's good enough for us, and we would welcome you to join with our now very large community.
Although this site concentrates mainly on the Nigerian 419 scam, we are happy to deal with other types of scams if and when the opportunity arises. We also have a large team of experts dedicated to the removal and closure of fake scammer banks and sites.
Even if you are a newcomer, much fun can be had and at the same time you will be doing a public service. If you are new to this game and need to know what scambaiting is all about, please click on the 419 FAQ link at the top of the page. See also Baiting Tips for information on getting started on this great cyber-sport
We encourage everyone to contribute to this site and the good cause of scambaiting by joining in the fun on the FORUM where you can meet new friends and seek expert help, tips and advice on anti-scamming. User participation is absolutely encouraged. Please help us to raise awareness the world over!"
OR
http://www.thescambaiter.com/
"Thanks for taking the time to visit theScamBaiter.com. Our mission is simple: To aggravate and humiliate scammers worldwide. While TSB mainly focuses on 419 Advanced Fee Fraud, we also are involved with tormenting other scammers as well- and as many as possible. By wasting these scammers time, it is less time they have to focus on potential victims.
The eBay Scam Killers (eBSK) are also a part of TSB. eBSK fights auction house scammers and engages in the take down of fake escrow sites. In most cases, we are more effective at thwarting this type of cyber crime than eBay themselves."
Of course, if these sites and forums are scams I may need to climb a clock tower.
LFC 25 - Tyler Bryan vs Shaun Parker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaDWpvzM
Better camera angle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhiHatGn
The footage runs for 2 min but there's nothing new.
Melbourne Boxing
http://www.break.com/index/boxing-doubl
Compilation - some are dumb, staged? and hard to see
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5l8ns
You will likely either love this or hate it. Most people seem to hate it and I can understand why. If you loved it, good for you, but spare me the "well you just didn't get it" speech. I got it just fine - and thought it was a waste of precious moments of my life.
We watched this for Anthony Stewart Head and he absolutely didn't disappoint. You may or may not like the movie, but Tony did a fantastic job on his character. Sarah Brightman was an unexpected talent as well.
As for the rest, it's a standard case of the writers being a little too in love with themselves and their work. Strutting about their originality, Repo! is a knock-off of all that came before it. Reminiscent of Rocky Horror, Bladerunner, Tommy etc the only originality is when they decide to toss in some totally random element that leaves you going, 'Huh? What was that?!?!' and not usually in a good way.
The plot is thin and full of holes, the ending weak and along the way plot points are either rushed or drrraaaggggged out.
Some songs are good, but most aren't. Most singers were pretty bad as well, but ultimately that's subjective. If you define a 'cult' movie as a movie that only a very small segment of the population would like, then these are cult songs.
Even then I couldn't call it a cult movie because it's trying too hard. Trying to be original while stealing so much from others and trying to be 'innovative' and 'daring' while only succeeding in being 'random' and 'confusing'. It isn't defined as a cult classic because it's adored by fans, but because the authors demand that it be classified as such.
While I have to give credit to the costuming and sets overall, the movie still plays like it was written by two teenage boys ventilating their hormonal obsession with metal, blood and sex and then arrogantly calling it the new standard.
go to
netflix.com/tellafriend
Entering one of these codes:
M680361590275
M670331590255
M690331590605
Awesome football tricks! I especially liked the last one with the car!
Here's some pics:
http://www.forbestraveler.com/adven
America's Scariest Drives
By Joe Yogerst
Highway One/Big Sur
California
Alfred Hitchcock could not have conjured a scarier highway—122 miles of vertigo between Monterey and Morro Bay. Two lanes for nearly its entire length, the road meanders along cliff tops poised high above the Pacific, including 33 bridges and countless drop offs into liquid oblivion. Anyone faintly squeamish should not attempt to drive this route.
The Saddle Road, Big Island
Hawaii
The Big Island's incredible Saddle Road shoots between two hulking volcanoes across a sweltering lava-rock desert. “Famously bad and dangerous” is how one guide describes Hawaii Route 200 between Hilo and Waimea. Although improved in recent years, much of the route is narrow and one-way; intermittent fog makes it even more hazardous. Side roads lead to the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
Aspen to Leadville via Independence Pass
Colorado
The 187-mile drive from Aspen to Leadville traverses some of the highest, harshest and most desolate geography in North America. The drive kicks off with a summit of 12,095-foot Independence Pass, a stretch of state highway 82 that is narrow, twisting and often without guardrails. The latter portion near Cañon City includes a short detour across Royal Gorge Bridge, which hovers 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River — built 1929 and still the highest suspension bridge in the world.
Dalton Highway
Alaska
The longest stretch of road in U.S. with no services, the 414-mile Dalton throws down several gauntlets including gravel roadway, steep grades, dangerous animals, and dire weather conditions. It’s an awful long wait for a tow if you break down out here.
U.S. Highway 50
Utah/Nevada
They call it the “loneliest road” in America, the 473 miles of U.S. 50 between Hinckley, Utah and Carson City, Nev. But it’s also one of the creepiest, especially in mid-winter when snow can cover the entire route or the middle of summer when daytime temperatures are almost always in the triple digits. The Nevada Commission on Tourism issues a free “Highway 50 Survival Guide.”
Tail of the Dragon
North Carolina/Tennessee
Tucked just below Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the sinuous “Tail of the Dragon” is an 11-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 129 between Tabcat Bridge, Tenn., and Deals Gap, N.C. Get ready for 318 curves, many of them monster switchbacks and hairpins, as well as a series of steep “S” curves called The Slide.
State Highway 170
Texas
This rollercoaster desert road along the Rio Grande is straight out of No Country for Old Men (which was filmed nearby). A dipsy-do roadway, stray animals and floods are just a few of the hazards along the 99 miles of the river road between Lajitas and Candelaria. Much of the highway runs through picturesque Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Here's How It Is...
Simply put: There are Browncoats at NASA. And so, in early June, an astronaut aboard the next-scheduled shuttle mission will carry DVDs of Firefly and Serenity to the crew of the International Space Station. Or, at least, that's the short version. In order to get everyone up to speed as we launch the Breaking Atmo website in advance of the launch of STS-117 itself, what follows is a tour through how all of this came to happen in the first place. And then, from here on out, check back here for updates -- or subscribe to them via feed, so you never miss any news. Because next week, Serenity takes off into the black.
There's a narrative to made of all of this, someday. But for now here are the relevant online postings from Maiii, presented in chronological order. It begins somewhat before the DVDs entered the picture, with altogether something else finding its way to the International Space Station.
Some of us Browncoats are working the current Shuttle and Station Mission and we got the Captain's quote about love uplinked to the ISS crew in tomorrow morning's daily summary.
"You know what the first rule of flyin' is? É Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turn of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughtta fall downÉ tells ya she's hurtin' before she keelsÉ makes her a home."
-- Captain Malcolm Reynolds in "Serenity"
One of the options is "SERENITY"
Let's get our girl into atmo for real.
Go to: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_
You can vote once a day until March 20th!
Help put SERENITY back in flight because they can't take the sky from us!
I also am considering throwing part of a story up here. I had a dream a few days ago and wrote the coherent bits down. But the story (which I thought was shaping up nicely) ends where my dream did. I dream like one watches a movie or tv show they vaguely recall, which is to say that I never know where the story is going either. It unfolds for me like it does a viewer, and yet I do know when something is foreshadowing. So it seems my unconscious has the plot. And some dreams have been really really interesting! To others as well as me. But I don't know the end! I described one to a friend who found it very interesting and he said 'well just make up the end' but it was a very complex dream involving 3 different time lines, eras, and possibly two dimensions. And the dream was clearly leading somewhere - I couldn't just 'make up' an ending without it being a hack job of the plan. In an odd sense it would be like my conscious was writing a fanfic to finish off unconscious me's plot. A nice try, but usually far inferior.
I wish my sleeping brain would finish a story.
Anyway I was thinking of posting a recent unfinished dream story to solicit more plot. If anyone would read it...but ...eh. You know?
Anyway, the snippet that inspired me to post...I think I am the only person, ever, to accidentally get toothpaste in their eye!
Nothing as explanatory as it was on my finger and I rubbed my eye either. When I squeezed from the tube onto the brush some liquid squirted out at, apparently, an eye-trajectory.
Toothpaste juice (who knew there even was such a thing?) burns btw.
My life can be really odd.
Oh and my cat hates me because I keep making it snow. I try explaining that I want warmth too, but I still get the glares. It reminds me of when I tried explaining to him that King is the largest size possible for a bed. Although, to his credit on that, I suppose I could have something special made. No such luck on the weather. I promised to move us somewhere warmer this Spring/Summer and that I would, one day, get him that dream yard. One day soon, not one day fanciful thinking.
Has anyone else slept somewhere else because their cat took up their bed and was just too cute to move?
Um, probably not.
Yes, I realize I need help. But he's really cute!
See in Wisconsin you start your car first. First before you brush off snow, sure; but also before you have breakfast, before you take a shower, before you leave the house with remote starters (which are very popular here). Undoubtedly before you get up as soon as a manufacturer invents a way to start a car on a timer.
So, when I'm running late, when I go outside, the first thing I do is start the car. Then I brush it off the bare minimum possible and hightail it to work.
So I journey through our Hallmark flakes, open the car, start the engine, grab the snow brush and shut the door...
...and the snow drops off the door on impact. The covering of snow just falls off without me having to make any effort at all.
I mean, there's friendly and then there's just giving it up.
However, like any male, I'm not complaining, I love it, but come on, that's Slut Snow.
Safe computing!
Malwarebytes' Anti-malware is a little known program in which I've found a great deal of success. It reliably takes out malware, usually fairly straight-forwardly. If it finds and removes things on the first pass, run it again after to see if there's anything else to clear out.
http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-An
F-Secure online scanner once you've run the Malwarebytes program to detect and remove anything else. This is a good follow-up scan, and will see what's left over.
http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ol
Kaspersky online scanner is also fairly in-depth, though it just tells you what's infected, it doesn't remove it. But, you can use it to find the files, then go to them individually and delete them. Shouldn't need it after the above two, but just in case.
http://usa.kaspersky.com/downloads/f
Hopefully that clears your PC up. If you have problems downloading the Malwarebytes program, you may want to download it on another PC and place it on a USB flash drive, then copy it onto your PC and run it.
I've had to remove a few nasty ones, and this is the procedure that's been working for me lately. Let me know how it goes. Once your PC is clean, I definitely recommend changing anti-virus providers.
If you want free, AVG Free (http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Vi
For non-free varieties, I'm a fan of F-Secure (www.f-secure.com), though I've heard good things about Eset (www.eset.com) as well. Anything legitimate is better than nothing though.
For removing spyware / adware, I recommend running both Spybot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mir
Avira AntiVir is no slouch - welcome to give it a try, even moreso since you had AVG, your PC got infected, and it sounds like AVG couldn't remove it by itself.
Outside of anti-virus and anti-spyware/adware products, one other item that could assist is firewall software - helps to keep most undesirable programs from even contacting your computer in the first place. If you're running through a router that has a firewall, then you've already got one. If not, you may want to consider a free one, such as Comodo Firewall Pro (http://www.download.com/Comodo-Firewal
or Zonealarm Free (http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-u
Other than that, only other major topic would be to ensure that your Windows Automatic Updates are enabled in the Control Panel - Security Center. If you don't want the updates installing automatically when Microsoft releases them, you can tell it to notify without installing, so you choose when you install it.
Overall, if you've got anti-virus and anti-spyware/adware, you're good to go. Firewall, either inside a router or in software, will add to your security. And once your PC's clean, if you've got good preventative tools, your PC will tend to stay clean in the future.
Dog Care: Winter Pet Care
by the American Animal Hospital Association
It's that time of year--the leaves are almost done falling, the time has fallen back an hour, and some parts of the country are looking forward to ice, snow, and freezing cold temperatures. Now's the time to snuggle up in front of a fireplace with a warm kitty on your lap or a puppy at your feet. But before you settle down to your long winter's nap, take some time to learn how to keep those animals as warm and comfortable as you are.
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their pets are just as accustomed to the warm shelter of the indoors as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for extended periods of time, thinking that all animals are adapted to live outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
* Take your animals for a winter check-up before winter kicks in. Your veterinarian can check to make sure they don't have any medical problems that will make them more vulnerable to the cold.
* Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the mercury drops. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you're cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you absolutely must leave them outside for a significant length of time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding, and plenty of non-frozen water. Try leaving out a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel so it won't burn your pet's skin.
* Some animals can remain outside safely longer in the winter than others. In some cases, it's just common sense: long-haired breeds like Huskies will do better in cold weather than short-haired breeds like Dachshunds. Cats and small dogs that have to wade shoulder-deep in the snow will feel the cold sooner than larger animals. Your pet's health will also affect how long she can stay out. Conditions like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and hormonal imbalances can compromise a pet's ability to regulate her own body heat. Animals that are not generally in good health shouldn't be exposed to winter weather for a long period of time. Very young and very old animals are vulnerable to the cold as well. Regardless of their health, though, no pets should stay outside for unlimited amounts of time in freezing cold weather. If you have any questions about how long your pet should be out this winter, ask your veterinarian.
* Cats will curl up against almost anything to stay warm--including car engines. Cats caught in moving engine parts can be seriously hurt or killed. Before you turn your engine on, check beneath the car or make a lot of noise by honking the horn or rapping on the hood.
* If you live near a pond or lake, be very cautious about letting your rambunctious dog off the leash. Animals can easily fall through the ice, and it is very difficult for them to escape on their own. If you must let your dogs loose near open water, stay with them at all times.
* If you light a fire or plug in a space heater to keep your home toasty warm, remember that the heat will be as attractive to your pets as to you. As your dog or cat snuggles up to the warmth, keep an eye out to make sure that no tails or paws come in contact with flames, heating coils, or hot surfaces. Pets can either burn themselves or knock a heat source over and put the entire household in danger.
* It's a good idea to have your furnace checked for carbon monoxide leakage before you turn it on, both for your pets' health and your own. Carbon monoxide is odorless and invisible, but it can cause problems ranging from headaches and fatigue to trouble breathing. Pets generally spend more time in the home than owners, particularly in the winter, so they are more vulnerable to monoxide poisoning than the rest of the family.
* Pets that go outside can pick up rock salt, ice, and chemical ice melts in their foot pads. To keep your pet's pads from getting chapped and raw, wipe her feet with a washcloth when she comes inside. This will also keep her from licking the salt off her feet, which could cause an inflammation of her digestive tract.
* If left alone outside, dogs and cats can be very resourceful in their search for warm shelter. They can dig into snow banks or hide under porches or in dumpsters, window wells, or cellars, and they can occasionally get trapped. Watch them closely when they are loose outdoors, and provide them with quality, easily accessible shelter.
* Keep an eye on your pet's water. Sometimes owners don't realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can't get anything to drink. Animals that don't have access to clean, unfrozen water are more likely to drink out of puddles or gutters, which can be polluted with oil, antifreeze, household cleaners, and other chemicals.
* Be particularly gentle with elderly and arthritic pets during the winter. The cold can leave their joints extremely stiff and tender, and they may become more awkward than usual. Stay directly below these pets when they are climbing stairs or jumping onto furniture; consider modifying their environment to make it easier for them to get around. Make sure they have a thick, soft bed in a warm room for the chilly nights. Also, watch stiff and arthritic pets if you walk them outside; a bad slip on the ice could be very painful and cause a significant injury.
* Go ahead and put that sweater on Princess, if she'll put up with it. It will help a little, but you can't depend on it entirely to keep her warm. Pets lose most of their body heat from the pads of their feet, their ears, and their respiratory tract. The best way to guard your animals against the cold is keeping a close eye on them to make sure they're comfortable.
When you're outside with your pets during the winter, you can watch them for signs of discomfort with the cold. If they whine, shiver, seem anxious, slow down or stop moving, or start to look for warm places to burrow, they're saying they want to get back someplace warm.
You can also keep an eye out for two serious conditions caused by cold weather. The first and less common of the two is frostbite. Frostbite happens when an animal's (or a person's) body gets cold and pulls all the blood from the extremities to the center of the body to stay warm. The animal's ears, paws, or tail can get cold enough that ice crystals can form in the tissue and damage it. The tricky thing about frostbite is that it's not immediately obvious. The tissue doesn't show signs of the damage to it for several days.
If you suspect your pet may have frostbite, bring her into a warm environment right away. You can soak her extremities in warm water for about 20 minutes to melt the ice crystals and restore circulation. It's important that you don't rub the frostbitten tissue, however--the ice crystals can do a lot of damage to the tissue. Once your pet is warm, wrap her up in some blankets and take her to the veterinarian. Your veterinarian can assess the damage and treat your pet for pain or infection if necessary.
Hypothermia, or a body temperature that is below normal, is a condition that occurs when an animal is not able to keep her body temperature from falling below normal. It happens when animals spend too much time in cold temperatures, or when animals with poor health or circulation are exposed to cold. In mild cases, animals will shiver and show signs of depression, lethargy, and weakness. As the condition progresses, an animal's muscles will stiffen, her heart and breathing rates will slow down, and she will stop responding to stimuli.
If you notice these symptoms, you need to get your pet warm and take her to your veterinarian. You can wrap her in blankets, possibly with a hot water bottle or an electric blanket--as always, wrapped in fabric to prevent against burning the skin. In severe cases, your veterinarian can monitor her heart rate and blood pressure and give warm fluids through an IV.
Winter can be a beautiful time of year. It can be a dangerous time as well, but it certainly doesn't have to be. If you take some precautions, you and your pet can have a fabulous time taking in the icicles, the snow banks, and the warm, glowing fire at the end of the day.
More Dog Care Tips
Content provided by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Visit the AAHA pet owner Web site at www.healthypet.com for more pet care advice and to find an AAHA-accredited veterinary hospital near you.
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