Medications for Dogs to Fly

I copied this info from this website http://www.vetpets.net/animaltimes/humandrugs.html I cannot say this is good or sound medical advice, just a resource that I may use.

Here is a list of a few of the over-the-counter medications that you can give your pet in an emergency. Please remember to contact your veterinarian before medicating your pet, and do not give these medications long-term unless your veterinarian recommends it. Also remember that just because some is good, more is not necessarily better, and that two similar medications used to treat the same problem in humans can have very different effects in an animal.

1.Diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) – Dogs and cats can be given 1-2 mg/lb every eight hours. This can be used to treat allergic reactions, and it also has some anti-anxiety and anti-vertigo effects. As a general rule, it is pretty safe stuff. The primary side effect is drowsiness, so please do not allow your pet to drink alcohol or operate heavy machinery while taking it.
2.Buffered Aspirin (Bufferin®, Ascriptin ®) – Dogs can take 5-12.5 mg/lb every 12 hours for pain, inflammation and fever. I usually recommend one regular-strength tablet (325 mg) for a 50-60 lb. dog. It can be given to cats, but at a much lower and less frequent dosage interval, so it is best just to steer clear of aspirin in a cat unless prescribed by your vet. Side effects include stomach upset (note that ‘Buffered’ is underlined) and decreased blood clotting.
3.Kaolin/Pectin (Kaopectate®) – This product can be used to treat diarrhea. It used to be very safe in both dogs and cats, but the brand-name stuff has recently been reformulated to contain salicylates, which are potentially dangerous to cats. The dose for both is 0.5-1 mg/lb every 4-6 hours, but make sure that you use the original formula for cats. The main side effect is constipation.
4.Bismuth Subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol®) - This product can be used to treat nausea and diarrhea, but it shouldn’t be used in cats, because it contains salicylates. It is the anti-diarrheal of choice in ferrets. The dosage is 1 ml/8-10 lbs every 6-8 hours for dogs, and 0.5-1 ml/lb every 8 hours for ferrets. Side effects include discoloration of stools.
5.Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton®, Aller-Chlor®) – This is a good antihistamine to assist with managing sneezing and sinus allergies in dogs and cats. It comes in 4 mg tablets, and is dosed at ½-1 tablet per cat every 12 hours, and 1-2 tablets per dog (up to a maximum dose of 0.25 mg/lb) every 8-12 hours. It can also cause drowsiness.
6.Dextromethorphan/Guaifenesin (Robitussin DM ®) – This product can be used to treat coughing in dogs, cats and ferrets, at a dosage of 0.5 ml/lb every 8 hours. Make sure that it is the ‘DM’ product only, and remember that coughing can be a symptom of some very serious diseases. It can also cause some mild sedation.

Wrong Bus

I just read Nan's Rookie Mistake which reminded me of my scariest transport mistake. Once I was shopping in Utrecht (when we lived in Doorn) and I messed around very late and it was dark by the time I went to the bus. As soon as we had been moving a few minutes I knew I got on the wrong one but I was sure Doorn was listed on the sign so I thought well eventually I get there. I sort of had that feeling as when you ride the same bus all the time you see there are a certain sort of people on it, and these people were different. At first I thought it was because it was so late. I have been on the wrong bus or train many times and it seemed that it always worked out. However this time I was getting a little scared as it was dark and very cold and I did not have a mobile back then.
After a very very long ride the bus stopped, everyone who was left got off but me and the driver turned off the lights. He is one of 2 people I have encountered that did not speak English but he did make it clear that I needed to disembark. I knew the name of the town I was in and I knew I was not too far from Doorn and according to the sign there at the stop another bus (the last one of the night) would be along. I did cross the street and look at that stop and saw a bus would be along in 15 minutes that would take me back to Utrecht. I honestly thought about taking it and staying in a hotel as I was nearly ready to cry. Then some teenagers came along and told me that indeed there was a bus coming and it would have me to Doorn in just a few minutes.
So I waited while they made out and sure enough the bus came, I got on and in maybe 5 minutes I got off right near my apartment. It all worked out but at the time it was terrifying. I have never ridden public transportation in the US other than a school bus and to get on a bus in a foreign country at night when I did not know a single word of Dutch now seems a little crazy!

The other times I have made mistakes turned out fine as well but to be honest I have never tried to go very far by myself, from Schiphol to Utrecht or to Driebergen and the bus from Utrecht to Doorn. Since we have been living in Nieuwegein I have not been on a bus as I can walk everywhere or we go in the car.

My Absence

I guess it was kind of weird for me to just stop posting so I reckon I could leave some details since you have all been so nice to me. I had to come back to Texas, there were some issues that needed my attention. This is going to be the first time I have said this or typed or whatever as it really has not sunk in yet but my daughter is going to have a baby. Gah. There it is, I am going to have a grandchild. Yikes, I am still a child myself, how did this happen?
I needed to come back here and see what had to be done, but she seems to have all well in hand, she is plenty old enough to have a child, stable and has a great career in place, she is happy about it and is busily planning her life. I am not sure yet what this means for me, and the Dutchman is being extremely understanding, except that he keeps calling me grandma and finds it to be quite hilarious. Me...not so much.
Anyway, that is my drama du jour, I know there is a lot that needs to be sorted but it will all work out the way it is supposed to. I am terribly homesick, I had to make some fast decisions about where to live as I had given up my flat and my belongings were all stored. I am sharing my mother's house, not sure that is a good idea but it won't be forever and it is a good solution for everyone now as she needs help with some things. Yesterday I went to IKEA as that is about as close as I can get to Holland from West Texas and I think it made it worse.

A Peek Inside My Head

There are so many small details and big issues to take care of before one packs up and moves to another continent. I look at things like I never have before, do I REALLY need this pair of pants or this book or this creme? What about photos, should I take photos? What about this library table, will the century old wood warp in storage? Should I just sell it, but I love it so much! Do my kids want it? Nooo of course they don't, would I pay to ship it to Holland? No, B would hate it-omg, I still have to see the doctor for my prescriptions-My laptop needs ram, it is so much cheaper to buy it here, do I have time to run to Best Buy today, Emma needs a Bordatella booster, gah that one always makes her sick-I hope she isn't miserable from it as she is already freaking out. I have to get her groomed one last time, if they cut her too short she will be hideous and it helps if your dog is precious on a plane, trust me on that one. What about the bills, last time my son's cellphone was turned off because I forgot and it took two days to figure out how to pay it (no my account is business so I cannot pay online for some ignorant reason) he cannot be without a phone, I mean yes technically he is a grown man but he is still my baby boy, my daughter is going to hate living alone, yes she is a grown woman too and thinks she wants it but she doesn't, really she doesn't and she still thinks rooms are haunted (seriously) what if she gets scared in the middle of the night and my mother is old, like you know, old even though she still works 50 hours a week and goes out practically every night to some event or other but what if something happens, the first time I came over my stepdad died and it was horrible for everyone because believe it or not this mess is actually the glue that holds my family together...I need a drink, is it too early for gin?

Does This Make Me Look Fat?

This is one view from atop my son's downtown Dallas loft. So fabulous, color me jealous.

Shower Puffs, Kool-Aid and Sun Tea Oh MY!

I used to just throw some crap in a bag, run out the door, hop on my jet, watch a few movies that I wanted to see anyway, eat some fab BA food and boo-ya, 12 or so hours later I was ringing the bell on B's flat. If I forgot anything I would just pick it up at HEMA or Kruidvat. Not this time, with the dollar as weak as it is I will be stocking up on that crap here. Paying the equivalent of $15 for shampoo, conditioner and what would have been a 50 cent shower puff nearly killed me in April.

I am sure I will not be as fabulously organized as I want to be but there are a few things I really want to remember. I drink a lot and I try not to drink sodas or anything carbonated too often and water gets sooo old. I can make iced tea but mine is never as good as Sonic's so I drink a lot of KoolAid or other powdered drink mixes that are sweetened with Splenda or something. You know, I never even noticed if we have Splenda in the Nl, I am sure there is something like that. I would love to take a Sun Tea jar but that seems a little crazy even though I found one for $7. Maybe I will, I really love tea and B drinks waaay too much Pepsi.

The other thing I don't like to buy in the Nl is shoes. I have a hard time finding shoes that are comfortable and cute so I will be taking several pairs. I usually take three but this time I am taking a lot more. B jokes that he will need to buy the flat next door to hold my clothes. That would be true if I brought them all. I am so used to having tons of clothes, shoes and bags, it is going to be really hard to change.

Starbucks Shutdown

I know this is old news now but I just saw this clip and had to share it. Funny stuff. I am actually addicted to McDonalds Vanilla Iced coffee and have one or two pretty much every day.

VW W3

I have new car! I am so excited, it is a perfect fit for me. I have been researching on the web for a couple of months trying to decide what to buy. I wanted something classic enough that I could keep it for several years if I wanted, I am gone so much so I do not drive great distances, my 2003 I traded in had 34,000 miles on it.
I had originally planned on a Mini Cooper, that seemed to be the cutest car on the planet. I did not see that many over in Cowtown but once I moved over here to Dallas they are everywhere. One day at Target there were 6 of them in the same parking row. I was on my way to the Scion dealership to drive the Xb. I was a little concerned about this choice because it is only offered in pretty boring colors but I thought I would drive that and then go drive the Mini. I could not find the Scion dealership and was looking for a place to pull over and check my iPhone for the location when I noticed my temperature gauge was quickly creeping toward the H. I turned around and headed for the VW lot which was actually third on my list but closest to where my Hyundai was apparantly having a meltdown.
I had planned on a red convertible with a black top, but one look at this one and I knew it was for me. It is called the W3 which means it is a triple white. I love the white leather interior, it looks great with all the black and chrome trim. I have a silk daisy in the bud vase!

Seagulls

I just read about petite's encounter with a seagull in Essaouira and felt the need to write about my own seagull story. Back in the 80's I was dodging classes and spending the afternoon on the Clearwater Beach with a friend (okay some guy I was nailing) and we were pretty wasted on small rolled cigarrettes and Jack Daniel's and I needed a burger. I made my way to the snackbar and waited in line with all the other fried losers who had nothing better to do on a Wednesday afternoon but lay around in the sand. I squinted up at this hand painted sign hanging over the order window that said "Not responsible for food eaten by seagulls!" I remember thinking what sort of a moron would expect the snackbar to be responsible if you gave your food to a seagull? Aside from that, only snowbirds freshly landed on the sandy shores are stupid enough to feed seagulls and they only do it once.
I got my burger (this whole process had taken nearly an hour, from walking to the snackbar, waiting my turn and waiting for the burger to be grilled), unwrapped it and walked out from under the tiki hut covering the tables where most people were eating. I was just about to take a bite and this winged rat flew off the roof where he had obviously been waiting for me, swooped down and snatched the meat right out of my bun and flapped away. I looked up and maybe it was the weed or maybe it was the Jack but I swear the 50 other seagulls up there were laughing at me. I took my bread and mayonnaise and went on back to my chair. My friends says Dude, where is the meat? He was pretty sorry he asked.