July prepping

No garden here yet. Still packing :/ I move in two weeks. I'll start something when I settle into my new, overpriced place :s

I didn't do anything for June & it looks like July isn't getting off to a great start either.  Anyone ever have a dog with major digestive problems... I'm talking IBD type stuff?  I've got a 2 1/2 yr old Shih Tzu with problems from day one but 2015 has been especially bad.  She's on her 5th dog food for 2015.  Costing me an arm & a leg when we have to go to the vet.  She can't seem to go more than 6 weeks w/o vomiting.  But she's no stranger to the other problem either.  Have tried premium dog foods and one vet food.  Trying to avoid putting her on the most expensive vet RX food.  Vomiting returned this week.  Might be picking up dog kibble #6 today.  I'm at my wits end with this dog, I'm telling you.

Penham- I go plums for the first time this year and the day before I was going to pick them the raccoons got them! Didn't leave me one!

FluMom-Don't forget to get a bag of lime! It helps keep the smell down!

Sorry to hear that, Jen.
Penham - we had urinary tract crystal issues with one of our cats. Fortunately, no surgery needed other than catheter placement on two occasions. We got by after with a name brand food that was specifically formulated for that problem.
We just had to force feed a cat that decided to stop eating. They're notoriously picky eaters, and when they become anorexic they lose their appetite altogether. After that, they progress to something called "fatty liver" and the odds of recovery go down dramatically. I looked into what it would cost at the vets, and it could easily have run into the thousands if they'd kept him for the duration and put in a feeding tube. We did it ourselves by wrapping him in a towel and forcing high calorie food using syringes two or three times a day for a couple of weeks. I gave him subcutaneous fluids as well because he wasn't drinking. Thankfully, it turned out well and he started eating again and gained all the weight back - and then some.

Jen147 wrote: I didn't do anything for June & it looks like July isn't getting off to a great start either.  Anyone ever have a dog with major digestive problems... I'm talking IBD type stuff?  I've got a 2 1/2 yr old Shih Tzu with problems from day one but 2015 has been especially bad.  She's on her 5th dog food for 2015.  Costing me an arm & a leg when we have to go to the vet.  She can't seem to go more than 6 weeks w/o vomiting.  But she's no stranger to the other problem either.  Have tried premium dog foods and one vet food.  Trying to avoid putting her on the most expensive vet RX food.  Vomiting returned this week.  Might be picking up dog kibble #6 today.  I'm at my wits end with this dog, I'm telling you.

Try a Costco chicken. Maybe add a tiny bit of leftovers, peas, rice etc, not too much, and use the skin and juices and a tiny bit of water. If your dog can digest rice OK then a rice/chicken blend makes this way cheaper than any canned dog food and your dog will always love it. I make four freezer bags per chicken and freeze them. Best thing is its dog food that we can eat too! ; )

onefluover wrote: Try a Costco chicken. Maybe add a tiny bit of leftovers, peas, rice etc, not too much, and use the skin and juices and a tiny bit of water. If your dog can digest rice OK then a rice/chicken blend makes this way cheaper than any canned dog food and your dog will always love it. I make four freezer bags per chicken and freeze them. Best thing is its dog food that we can eat too! ; )

Nice going, Penham

I checked it out Techno & we cannot get Chappie.  Sounds interesting though.  I read on one message board that it is comparable to Hills Science Diet Sensitive Skin & Stomach but I'm not sure if that's true & Hill's did not work for my dog.  Thanks though :)

Had a friend with a dog that had a bad stomach. They fed him cooked rice and with cooked hamburger meat in it. Dog could digest that and keep it down. Not sure if this will help or not. I know when you have a dog it is like a child and you will do anything to help them eat!

I pray you find an answer.

Hachi, have you started moving yet?

When the Trucks Stop Delivering, ‘The System’ Will Collapse

http://readynutrition.com/resources/when-the-trucks-stop-delivering-the-system-will-collapse_11072015/

Greece’s banks are likely to remain closed for another month

ht tp://www.businessinsider.com/greeces-banks-and-atm-update-closures-until-august-2015-7

be sure and keep some cash in the Bank of Serta

Hachi, glad to hear you got moved! Now to get settled.

Penham wrote: Hachi, glad to hear you got moved! Now to get settled.

I'm officially moved in :)  It'll take forever to unpack though haha. Orange County is very humid compared to the Inland Empire.

The best thing I remember about that area is one time I went to the west coast surfing championships at Huntington Beach, I was soooo excited cause I had never got to go the west coast ones before. I lived in the Virginia Beach area and always went to the east coast surfing championships. No I don't surf, lol, just like to watch.

I was listening to a piece on the radio the other day that was discussing the impending shortage of food in Greece, and it got me thinking about my preps again. What I think I would need versus what I would actually need has been constantly changing since I started prepping, and I think it's time to go through what I have and see if it fits with my current assessment. And as always, water is the problem (wish they made freeze dried water - it would make it so much easier to store...), and I hope to address that one soon.
My bug out vehicle was my old motohome, but unfortunately she's at the point where a full rebuild is necessary (and I'm not allowed to get rid of her according to my son, who named her Bessie), so she's going to be repurposed into a truck because the original manufacturer used a Ford F350 dually chassis. A flat bed would suit my needs much better now, and I'm trying to think of a way that I can add some living space to the bed - even pitching a tent back there would make her useful in an emergency. The planned 7'x11' stake bed would allow us to move an ungodly amount of supplies if we had to, and she'll be more than up to the task of towing another vehicle. That would likely be my latest toy - a 1968 Baja Bug. That's going to be turned into the ultimate zombie apocalypse vehicle (although I plan to give it to my son when he graduates). Should make for an interesting convoy if we ever have to leave town.

I picked about 20 peaches off my tree today! Not exactly prepping, but they sure are good!

Jen147 wrote: I HATE moving!  Hope you take some time to unwind & explore before all the madness starts, lol.

Exactly! It's more  trouble than it's worth lol. I never realized how much random unnecessary things I had until I started to pack. Giving myself a week's rest before I fully get into unpacking mode. School starts back up in almost a month too.

Yes, Hachi, West Coast Open I think it was called, it has been years ago. I used to go to the East Coast ones in Virginia Beach cause I used to live there, so when I just happened to be in California, in that area, one year when they were going on I had to go, just because. I miss the beach....