pkramer, Is her lupus the systemic kind or discoid (affecting the face)? I wandered over to the cooking forum today (I'm here once in a while, but not a regular) because I'm going to try a grain-free diet for my dog with discoid lupus. We went to the vet today and we're doubling her prednisone, again. We got some ointment for her eyes so maybe her eyelids won't bleed anymore. I started mixing in the grain-free food tonight. Snacks could be a problem though. My vet treats another dog who now gets a RAW diet. That dog doesn't have to take meds anymore. I'm trying to avoid the RAW diet, so I'm trying grain-free first. I have mixed feelings about the different foods. I feed my dogs expensive foods, but I have a friend who's shephard mix lived to be 17 and ate Pedigree her whole life. She was healthy for the first 15-16 years. My cats ate Friskies (canned) with varying dry food (I upgraded that several years ago) for the first 12 years (until they decided they didn't like ANY of the flavors anymore, right at the time of the food recall). They got higher end canned food for a couple years, until they decided they didn't like it anymore. We're back to Friskies & Fancy Feast. They are turning 13 and 15 this year. I have baked treats for the dogs for several years now. Actually, since I got two puppies (yeah, sisters, at the same time... 4 month old lab mix girls with no manners whatsoever...) and we were going through a box of Milk-Bones a week, and we were in big trouble if we ran out (we gave treats when they went into their kennels...). I made up a recipe that I can use it as a mix if I want, or can make a single batch. It takes about 15 or 20 minutes to mix, roll, & cut (not fancy shapes though) and an hour to bake and lasts us about 2 or 3 weeks (now). I'm trying to find out if I can modify my recipe (or find an easy) grain-free one. pkramer, if you have any advice on the lupus, please feel free to PM me. Email on my page should work. Thanks!

Cindy putting the tile on the wall makes sense...my dog is always pushing doors open with her face...wonder how tile on the door would look :-) I don't plan on having doggie doors...can't because I live in Florida and my breed of choice is the english bulldog. My dogs have all been sun bunnies and then can hardly breathe...I have to keep them inside almost all summer. I know we will always have dogs and always have our breed, it just makes sense to design with them in mind. For instance, we have decided on a one story, because the dogs are not great with steps, especially when they get older. The bedrooms will be carpeted so they have an easier time jumping onto the bed. I think we will go with some sort of textured tile throughout the rest of the house. We will never have a nice picture perfect house with nice white floors and pretty furniture thats always spotless. Our dogs drool and slobber...its inevitable that there will be spots on the floor and hair on the carpet and couches. But I would not have it any other way.

Stanton, Mashland, Karastan (higher end) are wonderful products, and I would go wool. However, Smart Strand is a good medium priced option. Agree with Elizabeth B…the padding makes a huge difference. I always recommend SmartStep. It has a waterproof barrier which keeps spills (and other liquids…(woof, woof) from seeping into the pad. Ever tried to remove a stain from a rug, think you have accomplished it and two days later it is back? It is because the culprit is in the pad and not the rug. If. the pad needs to be seemed, have the seem duct taped or as I have always called the product DuckTape.

Bearded dragons require a lot of care, live a long time and can grow to two feet. I had one for nearly 15 years. Tanks need careful monitoring for temperature and you could be dealing with live insect care (such as crickets, ) which is a separate ongoing task. Insects fed to dragons must be healthy and fed, and young dragons need more insects than adults. Also, beyond juvenile age is going to need a rather large habitat. I have had two, in 75 and 125 gallon as adults. They also appreciate time outside the habitat. FIsh keeping can be simple or quite extensive. My husband kept a very time consuming aquarium for over a decade. "Easy to take care of " is relative to your lifestyle and what you are looking for. If you LOVE reptiles, then maybe it's easier than say a dog, who craves much attention, training, daily walks, inevitable accident clean up, ongoing vet care, etc. I do not enjoy reptiles or smaller critters any longer, so cleaning after them, live insects etc is a sheer chore for me. Same goes for hamsters and the like, which we've also had when the kids were younger. Having said that, I would not take in a living animal and not see it through it's life to the best of my ability barring some sort of life threatening allergy. I LOVE our dog, so any work related to her is "easy" to me, because she brings a lot of joy in our home and it's just part of my day with the family. I couldn't live without a dog. There really is no living pet that will allow you to travel without having a care taker to check in, so keep that in mind if you travel often. Maybe consider fish? There are lots of small aquarium set ups that are pretty to look at, house a fish or two, and you'd have an auto feeder as an option. A leopard gecko can be housed in a 10-20 gallon tank. They still have specific requirements daily but take up only a small space. When we had them, I was able to move the habitat to a friend's house for watching when out of town. There's a ton of research to be found online, so start there and consider visiting your local shelter. We have one here with many reptiles and turtles, because often people don't realize how much upkeep there is, and how long they can live. It's always a good idea to do your research, and consider the ongoing expense, care, and lifespan of said pet so you know what to expect. Of course since you live in an apartment you'll want to be sure to check before hand. I once new someone who asked if she could have a miniature pig, and somehow the landlord miss heard and thought she was asking if she could have a guinea pig. That was a sad ordeal. Good luck!