Thanks to all who responded. I can't really say my energy level has increased (yet) because of the vitamin. However, I did mention I have been ill lately and can't seem to shake the lingering fatigue. However, the suggestion about taking the vitamin at night sounds good. I'm going to try it and let you know what happens. I really don't want to give up on the vitamins again because I remember how energetic I felt when I was pregnant (1,000 years ago) and took the prescription vitamin. By the way, the name of the vitamin, I recently purchased from Vitamin World is called "Mega Vita Min for Women".

If you have more energy, does that mean that you are moving around a lot more? If you are getting more exercise than normal, that will increase your appetite, and, initially, you'll gain a little weight. You need that energy to fuel your body! If you keep up your level of activity your weight will come down (or you will have a higher ratio of muscle to fat, which is more important anyhow.)

GSD's are known for a few things. A sensitive stomach, having a hard head and allergies, all sorts of them, (food, air born, you name it). They are without a doubt my favorite dog, very guarding, loyal, and basically a "one person dog". It is nothing unusual for puppies to experience what you describe. Their little systems are developing, just like that of a two legged infant. That said, pups need to be monitored carefully for at least the first 5-6 months. What might seem "normal" for a puppy, can rapidly turn into a real mess, literally and figuratively. Make sure you keep your vet informed about what is going on. Research everything that happens to your pup and what vets prescribes and says. Consider making a daily chart of the dogs habits so you can have something to refer to if you run into issues you need to deal with (you will, trust me). There are lots of people who have different opinions about what to feed their dogs. What you experienced may have been part of the problem, maybe not. Who really knows. Given that you are starting to have issues with the ears and stomach, I would just not take a chance and switch to a hypo allergic food (I think venison and potato is best). This is a top quality food you can get only by prescription. Ive used it for 17 years with great success. My old girl who was Lab/Shepard had a corn allergy, it took care of that and Im convinced helped her to live to be 14, even though she had at least three other very serious health issues. I now have two dogs on it, one because of a wheat allergy, the other a Shepard/Hound has the same thing plus a history of UTI that has been under control since September 07 (thank you Sirius God Dog). You mention poop eating and supervision. Your pup should have every second supervision, with a leash when not crated, until she has: Teething and chewing under control, and is house trained, with no accidents for 9 months (aside from illness). Without having these very basic behavior issues under control, she is just not ready for unsupervised freedom. Good luck! SG

Japanese maples are by nature woodland understory trees so all would prefer at least some shade...typically during the hottest part of the day. Yes, some can and will tolerate full sun but it is not their preference and their performance and appearance is often affected by that. And I would say that excess sun when leafing out is likely the cause of your maple's current appearance. As to a cultivar ID, good luck!! There are just too many and with a similar appearance to be even remotely accurate. Even the JM authorities are reluctant to pin down an ID unless the tree is exhibiting characteristics that may be unique to that cultivar. And this one does not, sorry.