Ha! This should make folks even happier. There is a source of ivermectin @ 0.08% - about one third the strength of the swine ivermectin. It is Ivomec Sheep Drench (0.08% ivermectin). REMINDER: 1 cc = 1 ml The units are exactly the same. Ivomec is a brand name of ivermectin - it is the Ivomec PLUS that has the other stuff in it and should always be avoided. Any product that contains any active ingredient other than ivermectin should never be used on a dog. But here is the problem - it is only available as far as I can tell in large quantities and it is stupid expensive - $75 for a liter (about a quart). This is why I didn't mention it in my original posting. Today I did, however, find it on Amazon in a generic for about $30 for an 8 oz bottle - which is still probably way more than you can use before it expires. If you hunt around, you may be able to find it more affordably - but even at $30 for an 8 oz bottle, it is way cheaper than the Heartguard tablets. Store it in the fridge. Remember that the normal dosage for a dog is 1.5mcg to 3 mcg per pound of body weight. The author of this page states that due to some recent research he is recommending 7 mcg per pound in body weight. I'm not aware of that research, but it's basically about 2 to 4 times the suggested dose, which is, if the dosages given were correctly figured, still within the safe range. I have no idea where the idea that 7 mcg per pound of body weight should be used comes from, he just says "research at Auburn". I don't know what sort of research. I don't know when that research was done or if it has been repeated or debunked. However his table does not actually follow this 7 mcg/lb of body weight recommendation. He suggests 0.1 ml for dogs up to 12 lbs (80 mcg total delivered) 13.3 mcg/lb 0.2 ml for dogs from 12-26 pounds (160 mcg total) 8.4 mcg/lb 0.3 ml for dogs from 27-50 pounds (240 mcg total) 6.3 mcg/lb 0.4 ml for dogs from 51-70 pounds (320 mcg total) 5.3 mcg/lb 0.5 ml for dogs from 71-90 pounds (400 mcg total) 5 mcg/lb 0.6 ml for dogs from 92-112 pounds (480 mcg total) 4.7 mcg/lb *NOTE* mcg/lb are figured at the middle of each range. They will be higher below the midpoint, and lower above the midpoint. As you can see, this is not a constant dosage by weight. It is most variable at the lowest 2 ranges. A dog that weighs 4 lbs which is given 0.1cc of this ivermectin sheep drench will receive a dosage at the rate of 20 mcg/pound, while a 12 lb dog would receive a dosage at the rate of 6.7 mcg/pound. For the smaller dog, that is 7 to 14 times the recommended dosage; while for the larger dog, it is only about 2 to 4 times the recommended dosage. The math for his table seems to be off, but except for the smallest dogs, within the safe range. If the 7 mcg per pound of body weight recommendation has some utility, then the dosages for larger dogs would be insufficient - but within range for the usual recommended dosages. Use your judgment as to whether or not these dosages are within the safe and effective range for your dog. One thing he mentions that I never thought of is to drip the medication onto a doggy biscuit and give that to your dog. That's not a bad idea. I never thought of that. My dogs never gave me a problem squirting this into their mouth, but dripping it onto a small piece of dog biscuit and giving them that is probably easier. To determine dosage for your dog, use the following values: There are 800 mcg of ivermectin per 1 cc of the ivermectin sheep drip 0.08% 1.5 to 3 mcg per pound of body weight is the usual recommended dosage Multiply the dosage per pound of body weight by the weight of your dog. That is how many micrograms are required to dose your dog. Divide that by 800 to get the dosage in cc's. Round up to the nearest tenth of a cc. That is the dosage. My suggestion is to just use 3 mcg/lb and always round up (so 0.12 would be rounded up to 0.2) and you'll be good to go.

We got our rugs on Overstock, so I'm not sure if they are representative of the fibers mentioned, but... We got braided jute rugs for the entry/dining/traffic areas of the great room. One 8X10 and 2 6X9s. They are holding up well against my 2 Newfoundlands and 8 year old human. One of the dogs went on an adventure, found a stream, and DD let her in the house, covered in black sticky mud (yes, 125 lbs of black dog covered in black, sticky mud). I confined her to the jute rug nearest the entry way until she dried out and then swept the mud right out the door. Neither the Dyson nor Miele vacuum has damaged them, although they are getting a couple of pulls here and there. I think they may need the occasional haircut. They're soft underfoot, I'd like them in my bedroom. We also got a bound seagrass rug and it is hard as a rock. DD refuses to stand on it in bare feet and I kind of agree with her. I've put it in the seldom-used guest room, just to provide a bit of warmth against the wood floor over crawlspace, but I'd have returned it if return shipping were not so expensive. Good luck! Mary

Thank you for the additional photos, everything is really lovely and you are lucky to have inherited such a well tended garden from the previous owner. Love the plan for going from beige to greige in the lounge. Question--- is your desire for a portico to bring more importance to the front door, or to provide more shelter for those entering the house, or to set your house apart from the neighbors by adding architectural interest? If you dont need better shelter, have you considered painting the front door another color? It looks as if your garage door is racing green, and i wondered if that or a lighter sage-y green might be a way to distinguish your front door. Having said that, i think your house exterior is perfection itself and doesnt "need" further adornment! Here we are so used to houses that are jumbled hybrids of styles that it is almost a relief to see an understated cottage with such nice proportions.

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who directed me to soumak/polypropylene rugs. I don't know why I didn't even look at recycled polyester and the like. Years ago, these rugs use to look and feel very cheap and so I only purchased silk, wool, or cotton rugs to date. However, I just purchased 4 rugs off the esale rug site, of which I'll keep 1 or 2 (thanks to their seemingly generous return policy - has anyone returned a rug? Is it as easy as they say?) after trying them out with the furniture and seeing which rug colors work the best. And Carol, sorry, I forgot to write that out. GSD is a german shepherd dog. Mine's a 1 year old and absolutely hilarious. Her name is Shadow but she's also an escape artist so we sometimes call her El Chapo (after the escaped drug lord). Here she is: