According to the Tribune weather page, today should have been rainy and cloudy with temps in the mid-70s. Currently, there is not a cloud in the sky and the temp is closer to 80F. Out on the deck, me, taking advantage of one of the last days of summer. Could be dealing with highs in the 50s by midweek, so I will savor the warmth while it lasts.
Dinner came out well. Food Network recipe again, this time Giada’s grilled salmon with citrus salsa verde, couscous with basil, and a greens and grapefruit salad with honey-lemon vinaigrette. No onions. No fennel or cucumber. Chives instead of scallions. Still very good, thanks to the dressing. I dug out an electric countertop grill and set it up on the deck so I could grill outdoors–otherwise, the house would have smelled of fish for a week. Glad I did. The salmon was still a bit frozen when I started cooking it, and I was able to leave it on the grill for a good long while.
King had his six-month check-up today. According to the age chart, he’s about 80 yo in human years, but he’s in very good shape (::knock wood::). Teeth are good. His weight is OK at 115lb. Eyes are a little cloudy, and the body isn’t as firm as once it was, but that’s just age. He does have some stiffness in his hips, so Dr Vet suggested Adequan, which helps stop cartilage wear and promotes rebuilding of same. She uses it on both her Bernese and her horse, and found it efficacious, so we decided to try it with King. He had his first shot today–it will be two shots a week for a month, and then once a month or so thereafter. I think it’s a good move. King has a hard time getting up when he rests on the hardwood floor, and I can tell he’s stiff in the morning (though he doesn’t seem to be in any pain). If this can give him another couple of years of full mobility, it will be worth it.
Another bunch of tomatoes are ready to be picked, so it looks like tomorrow will be a marinara day. And while the basil plants are stubby, there are a lot of them, so it may be a pesto day as well.
I spotted turning leaves this week on some of the smaller sugar maples. They’re always the first to go.
I’m not ready for the cold.
Adequan is the shit. I had an Irish Wolfhound who was arthritic her entire life thanks to original owner (why would you buy such an expensive puppy and not do *any* research on how to properly raise it?). Royal Canin Mobility Support diet and occasional Adequan injections kept her pain-free for about 6 years or so. She’d galumph about and wrestle with her canine friends just like a puppy. We did have to add some anti-inflammatories when she was about 7 or so, but that’s *old* for a giant breed dog, so not unexpected.
You know, I am really glad to hear that. My vet showed her faith in the stuff by using it on her own animals, and online searching didn’t turn up anything scary. But it’s good to know that someone else had success with it, too.
Yeah, we often use it in conjuction with glucosamine/chondroitin supplementation. They work on the same problem from different angles and the injections usually start working within an injection or two (full effect within the month) while the oral supplements take at least 6 weeks to get incorporated into the cartilage matrix.
King has been on Glyco-Flex 3 for about three years, and on Glyco-Flex 2 for about 4 years before that. I started him early because of his size and the GSD/arthritis thing. So he’s getting the one-two punch. I really hope it helps him.
Yeah, my dogs now are on foods with added glucosamine/chondroitin for the preventive reason too. Zach is lab/husky and Zoe is GSD/pitbull so both of them have breeds in their ancestry prone to hip dysplasia. Better safe than sorry even though both of them are young and have boundless energy and leap like gazelles.