I found some nasty-ness on my bulb today after the scape looks to be drying up and the leaves look redish and ugly at the bottom...little black bugs were running up and down in there. OH NO! My guess is that they are mites of some sort? I've tried to read and figure out what I should do, but I can't decide between spraying something down into the bulb that could harm it, or doing a hot water treatment. I am not entirely sure how to do said water treatment either... Does anyone have a tried and true method of ridding bulbs of mites? Pat, what became of your bulbs and situation? This poor fella was labeled 'Minerva', but was blooming when I bought it. It clearly wasn't 'Minerva', but I found the bloom to be quite pleasant and with another scape to come I thought it was a good buy...Here are the photos: When purchased: EEEEEK...Now: From Amaryllis that needs HELP! From Amaryllis that needs HELP! Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! -Frank

I use Mane & Tail shampoo & conditioner on my dogs. It's got a pleasent smell, but not too perfume-y. It also leaves them feeling sooooo soft! I'm another who only bathes my dogs maybe 4 or 5 times a year. I have a long haired St. Bernard & a beagle/cocker spanial mix. Neither of them get stinky unless they roll in something, which doesn't happen often since they have a fenced-in backyard to play in while outside. I used to bathe my SB frequently b/c of his long hair, but found that it irritated his skin. Now, I brush when needed & of course towel dry when he's been in the rain. I clean my dog's ears frequently b/c they can get stinky if left alone, but bathing is limited to summer time (May or June to Sept. or Oct.) and only a few times at that. I also shave my SB during the summer b/c of his intolerance to heat, so this helps renew his coat & keeps him smelling good! :)

Hi Everyone~!! After reading all of the comment's on this thread I thought I would add our experience in hope's it will help someone. This happened several years ago with our 4 month old G.R. Murphy, we started noticing red rashes on his abdomen, after bathing him and trying simple things we took him in to our vet. We were told it was just a basic skin allergy that he had more than likely picked up from the Lake water and with medication and bathing it would clear up. It did not......after 2 year's of doing everything humanly possible to clear his skin including sending skin scraping's to U.C. Davis in Calif. , 3 different vet's, and a constant stream of extremely expensive medications, potion's and lotion's I intensified my research. I found an article that described everything Murphy was experiencing perfectly, I found a few more and all of them led to dog's being put down with no cure. Well I never give up so the one thing I found similar in every article was that it may be an internal parasite, so comparing all of the different medications came up with a list and started researching internal parasites and the medications that would kill them. After the process of elimination I found one Medication that neither I or any of the others had tried..........Interceptor. Unfortunately all of my research was lost with the computer I had done it on but the research paid off. I got the medication gave Murphy the chewy tablet and within 6 days his skin was beginning to clear, it is a once monthly treatment and by the 2nd. month all open sores had cleared, we were able to wein him off of all of the medications he was energetic and happy again. They have improved the medication and it is now called Interceptor Plus. Unfortunately all of the medications had taken a toll on Murphy's Liver and we lost him a year later. 6 years ago we brought a New Member of the Family home another G.R. , I had ordered the new Interceptor but it had not arrived yet and we saw the same rash..................................at that time they had stopped producing it while building a new plant so I was so desperate I had to order it from Australia told them the situation and they had it to my home within a week, gave Hunter his chewy and All is well. In closing I hope this info will help someone and remember Never Give Up~!!!!! Here is a link. Love to All. Jan. http://www.interceptorplus.com/

good for your teddy!! horses do SO much better when they are allowed to live more naturally. those that are stalled 24/7, while they may be healthy, aren't nearly as happy as those allowed to roam and live in a herd! when i lost my quarter horse mare a few years ago, she was 37. she was getting so arthritic and suffered from ovarian cysts. i couldn't see putting her through another bitter cold winter. tuffy was 28 when i laid him to rest a few months ago. his health was failing, cancer i am pretty sure, but he lived a long and happy life with me! hope you have many more happy years with teddy. :)