...And Like A Good Neighbor...

[digitS']

I hope she has them tethered!

The closest I have seen a moose to my garden is 2 miles away. I have seen one on the opposite side from there but it was dead in the freeway median.

I have never seen a deer nor sign of one in my current gardens. It could just be because I am not there during the winter months. When I showed up this spring, there were tracks across some soft ground which could easily have been from a deer. They were several weeks old and might just as easily have been from my friend Wile E. Coyote traveling thru at a good clip.

Steve

 

[journey11]

I cannot imagine what would be left of a car after hitting a moose! Deer are bad enough.

 

[thistlebloom]

Cat, they come several times a year. Mostly November to spring. They browse on my rugosa hips, and trim back the tips of all my trees. Sometimes they get into the hay, but I mostly feed orchard grass and timothy and they really prefer alfalfa.

The cows seem to be the ones that show up in the summer with their calves, and a mix of cows and bulls in the winter.

 

[goatgurl]

wow, on one level it would be neat to have moose in the yard but my guess is they eat anything they want and that would be a pain

 

[AMKuska]

Is that skin condition of your dog's a year round thing or mainly in the fall, @Jared77? My lab has skin problems (allergies?) every fall and the Vet said it was common in retrievers. I am beside myself trying to help her. Claritin, Benedryl, oatmeal baths, better quality food, nothing seems to work for long. Anyone out there have suggestions on what I could do? I hate seeing her so uncomfortable.

My sympathy to you. Skin conditions can be really hard to treat. I had the liberty of going to a conference with a vet talking about skin conditions, and he said that many times even vets have difficulty diagnosing because there are so many different things it could be.

Things you can try:

1. Check your dog's food and make sure there are no grains in them. (Animal grade feed can have all sorts of toxins in them that can cause skin problems, even if the dog isn't allergic to the grain.) Also look for "meat and bone meal" or "Animal fat", which may have pentobarbital in them. I highly doubt that's the problem since you said its seasonal and you've tried high quality foods.

2. Try rinsing your dog with apple cider vinegar. Its cheap and can sometimes help if the problem is bacterial/fungal. You might also try using a coal tar shampoo instead of oatmeal. It's so soothing and feels awesome on sore skin. I wish they made coal tar shampoo for people, as my hands always feel wonderful after washing a dog in it.

3. When your dog comes in from outside, try wiping her down with a hypo allergenic baby wipe, especially in her problem areas.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Just hang in there and keep trying different things. You never know what will end up working.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I make a Neem oil dog shampoo bar. My customers say it feels nice to their dogs and is naturally anti fungal. I also bought a bottle of Tea Tree essential oil and make Tea Tree shampoo for people. That really helps cus is anti fungal and anti bacterial. If you buy some Tea Tree EO, DO NOT use directly. You MUST dilute it with some other oil, like olive or canola. EO's will burn if used straight.

 

[thistlebloom]

@AMKuska, they do make coal tar shampoos for people.
My mom used them. Neutogena T-Gel is one of many over the counter brands.

 

[Jared77]

His is a year round thing. We've narrowed it down to a possible preservative in his food. He is on a somewhat special diet it's not a common brand of food but it is a commercial brand and it's not cheap but he's worth it.

He does get a medicated bath every so often that does help too. I'd have to go find the bottle but our vet carries it.

Short of steroids I don't know what might work if it's a seasonal thing.

How long does it last? Is it the change that triggers it or does it last all winter?

Yes retrievers are more prone to skin issues because their coats have oils in them. Newfoundlands and other water retrievers are known to have issues. And with the popularity of retrievers (both Labs & Goldens) it's just the odds I having an issue. Even if it's .1% of the breed has issues with as many labs as there are registered it's still a lot of dogs with problems.

Far as moose go I think it woul be pretty amazing but I'm sure the novelty would wear off pretty quickly though with their gardening habits.

 

[thistlebloom]

Actually they don't do as much damage as you would think. Because we are in a wooded area they find most of their browse out there. The tree trimming I've experienced is acceptable to me. They just go for the last 2 inches of the twiggy ends. I actually get a lot more damage from the deer, and we see them less. They're sneakier I suppose.

It's the deer that eat my hostas, but that's pretty infrequent, and the deer that bust my young trees by rubbing the velvet off their antlers.
A buck killed three of my aspens in March by scent rubbing, which I had thought only took place in the fall.


In the summer the moose are attracted to the water in the bird baths, and the sound of the rainbird draws them in on hot days.

A couple summers ago, or was that last summer? I can't remember, but a moose cow brought her twins to drink out of the birdbath and then they went on to snack the tops off on all of my pepper plants. But they didn't yank them out, just cruised the row, pruning the tops, which didn't hurt the plants and actually let more sun in on the fruits.

Yeah, I was mad at the time and was ready to run out there and kick some moose butt, but my husband, with a wiser, cooler, head, restrained me. You don't mess with moose. They don't scare, and you don't want to aggravate them.

No, the thrill is still there after all these years. I like moose.

 

[AMKuska]

I make a Neem oil dog shampoo bar. My customers say it feels nice to their dogs and is naturally anti fungal. I also bought a bottle of Tea Tree essential oil and make Tea Tree shampoo for people. That really helps cus is anti fungal and anti bacterial. If you buy some Tea Tree EO, DO NOT use directly. You MUST dilute it with some other oil, like olive or canola. EO's will burn if used straight.

How do you make your soap bars? This sounds awesome!

@AMKuska, they do make coal tar shampoos for people.
My mom used them. Neutogena T-Gel is one of many over the counter brands.

Ooooh I'll have to look for that! You guys are all so awesome