[nagdu] Let it snow!!!

[Daryl Marie]

Hi, everyone!
After the longest, itchiest, barkiest eight months of Jenny's life... WE HAVE SNOW!!!!
Whatever Jenny is allergic to is now covered by snow. The almost instantaneous drop in both the frequency and duration of scratching and biting and warm ears tells me a lot. For the past eight months, I've second-guessed and cried and worried... I worried that the school might be right, that she IS suspicious, that the barking and ear pain is all in my head... wondered what her allergy is... that Jenny's allergies might be dust, but this office is dusty and dry and she's scratching (mildly) accordingly.
WE HAVE SNOW!!!!!!

Lessons learned this spring/summer/fall:
1) Grain = bad for my dog. Rice, oats, barley, corn... cut it out and dog is happy.
2) Mold is bad. The snow mold started this whole mess, and we never had anything to wash it away, so all the dust and particles kept on blowing around. Then the leaves fell, and rotted, and no rain, so more mold...
3) Pressure shifts are something I need to be aware of. Barometers are my friends. Think of the worst airplane flight you have ever been on, where your ears pop and hurt... and imagine living that way for days. That's what we've had here, and with the exception of ear infections due to consuming grain (see above), those were the ONLY times we had any barking. Sore ears = barking dog, full stop.

IT IS SNOWING!!!

I know it won't last long (yet), but this is the most hopeful I have felt since the melt in early March.

Happily dancing,

Daryl