Homer and Laryngeal Paralysis

Hello Everyone.

Last fall I indicated that Homer had some breathing issues.  Even while resting he was not only excessively panting but seemed out of breath.  Walks were gradually reduced to light strolls around the yard and swimming became just too taxing.

After a couple of vet visits and doing my own research, Homer was diagnosed with Laryngeal Paralysis.  In a nut shell, his larynx would not open to let air through causing his body to forcefully move air in and out in order to breathe.  So, our vacation to San Francisco turned into surgery to fix the problem.  Homer’s vet team and the surgeon did a fantastic job.  When Homer came home that evening, his breathing was 1000% better already.

Changes

·         His breathing is normal.

·         To slow his eating and prevent hacking, we now add a bit of water to the bowl.  All treats must be placed on the floor to force him to chew instead of swallowing them whole.

·         Our walks are back to the normal distance although the pace is often slower than we remember.  Prior to the surgery he did not stop and sniff very much because he would lose his breath.  Now he stops and smells every last yellow patch of snow!

·         He still barks but there is no sound.  All you hear is air escaping when he barks.  It’s kind of sad until you realize that he still ‘barks’ as much as he used to and it’s a lot quieter.

·         No more swimming.  Yes you read it correctly.  I got several professional opinions and they were all the same – no more swimming.  With his larynx permanently opened, he cannot close off the opening to prevent water from going into his lungs.  This is going to be a tough-sell considering that the only thing he likes more than swimming is eating.  But by my definition, wading in shallow water is not swimming.  The boat rides could be tough though.

Today he is as normal and bad as a 12-year old lab can be.  The trip to San Fran was a good trade.

Dock Diving at Avalon Ranch

So we went to the Avalon Ranch again this past weekend to introduce Cosmo to dock diving during their 'fun day'.  Lots of dogs, big and small, young and old showed up.  The day was truly designed for teaching as the Ranch owners permitted ample time for the dogs to get use to the dock and ramp.

Unfortunately, Homer was not allowed to participate -- doctor's orders.  Due to some breathing issues our vet has said NO to swimming.  I did lobby my wife on his behalf but that didn't get anywhere.

Nonetheless, Cosmo took to diving rather naturally as you will see from this little video.  His best jump was about 10 feet which is a far cry from the distance obtained from the younger experienced dogs jumping up to 3 times that distance.  But like the majority of the dogs, all they're focussed on is getting the toy!  It's the humans who become fixated on the distance.

Avalon Ranch

We went to the Avalon Ranch just outside of Renfrew on Saturday morning to check out the Dock Dogs competition they were hosting.  I was just curious if this would be something I could get Homer and Cosmo into.  I have to come clean and admit we left Homer and Cosmo home because of the +30°C temperatures (Homer doesn't do well in the heat), not to mention their mother is a bit embarrassed at their public conduct around other dogs.  But I digress.

The ranch was very clean, spacious and dog friendly.  The event was professionally run and very organized.  We got there just as they were getting ready for the start of the competition. Although there were many dogs around I noticed it was rather quiet.......until the first dog jumped and made a splash.  Then many dogs waiting for their turn got excited and started barking knowing they would soon be in the water (my boys do the same thing).

Here is a video compilation of some of the dogs.  The last dog is Taz, the current world record holder for the longest jump (+30 feet).  The final shots are of him wearing a really neat Canada-flag jersey.  The ranch's web site also has some great videos. 

Would this be a fun thing for Homer and Cosmo?  Absolutely.  Dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages and breeds took part.  From a very small mixed breeds to dogs of all ages, this sport can be competitive or just a way to let your dog have a great (and safe) time.  I almost forgot about Mollie.  Molly just loves to jump in after her toy and does so without hesitation.....but getting her out of the pool took some coaxing.....you see, if you stay in the pool you can swim around with your toy and no one can take it away.  Very funny.

Daisy Came Over

Home and Cosmo's cousin, Daisy, came for a visit for a few days again.  While she was getting some shade in the shadow of the pea plants, Homer was hogging the soccer ball.  Usually it's Cosmo who hogs the toys so he wasn't quite sure what to do.

Victory is sweet!

Grapevine Update

Hello Everyone.

Here is a link to a video I made showing the concord vine next to the garage....Homer makes an appearance (of course) at the end.  Here are is a photo of the grapes.

My little vineyard is fairing nicely even in this very hot, dry weather.  I did mulch around each vine with wood chips which I think are saving the day.  Nonetheless, I have watered them a couple of times.  I also put in some extra stakes so I could put a little fence around each to ward off a couple of hunger little deer that have been hanging around.  The vines that they did snack on are coming back just fine.

The vineyard showing signs of the very dry conditions.

Newly sprouted leaves after the deer snacked on the original leaves.

A New Watering Hole

After a suggestion from my wife's hairdresser, we decided to take the Homer and Cosmo to a sand quarry relatively close to home (less than a 5 minute drive).  The quarry is filled with clean, aqua-coloured, spring-fed water.  As you can see the boys think it is just awesome.  I even took a dip last weekend.

Here is a link to a video as well.

Homer has a much easier time swimming from shore than off the boat.  Climbing the doggie ladder on the boat is kinda tough when you're 12.  He is also calmer when swimming from shore...when jumping off the boat he becomes hyper-excited with a 'high-on-crack' look in his eyes.

A Better Day Boating

We had a better day boating yesterday.  The wind was no where near as strong which made for a smoother ride.  We went swimming at Constance Bay.  This video http://youtu.be/Su9bhrKjiMk shows the boys in the boat.  Homer (in front) and Cosmo sitting back.  Although the water did get a little rough, it was far better than last Sunday with 3 ft swells.  The boys are a bit scruffy looking because we were swimming about 1/2 hour earlier.  We didn't get shots of them diving off the boat this time but will try next time..

Boating for the First Time (this season)

I've been kinda busy lately and haven't made the the time to post as frequently as I was.  Since it was a beautiful day this past Sunday, we decided to take the boys boating and swimming.  Besides, dogs need weekends too.

Although it was a nice day, it was terribly windy which made for a very uncomfortable and unpleasant ride.  Although I jumped in the water for a few minutes it was just too rough for the dogs.  Some of the swells were as much as 3 ft high and some even swamped the boat.  It was so windy that a catamaran overturned and the owner had a hell of a time righting it.  This was the day that a bi-plane overturned at the Rockcliffe airport.

As you can see from the photos below, the dogs really get into their boating (when it is relatively calm).  Next time we'll go swimming and I'll take some photos or even a video to show off their doggie ladder climbing skills.

Ah Crap!

Trailer full of fresh horse manure.

Last weekend we went out for dinner to my wife's brother's hobby farm south of Ottawa.  I took out a few pieces of junk for him and came back with some gold.....black gold.....but not the Texas-T variety.



He has three horses and lots of fresh horse manure.  Thinking ahead to next year, I brought back a trailer load of horse manure right out of the paddock.  I'll let it compost throughout the summer.



Layering old plants and straw and the manure.



I shovelled it into my compost bins and layering it with the brown plant material I had already accumulated.

   



Manure and plant material.



I can report that just five days later the compost piles are cooking away nicely and have reduced in height by at least 1 foot.  I'll try to get a photo of the pile steaming in the morning.

Due to poison ivy poking up here and there around the compost bin, Homer and Cosmo were relegated to staying on the lawn.....at least for a while.  I'll hit these plants, and a ton of others, with Round Up on the weekend.

Poison ivy popping up next the compost bin.....Round Up time!

Homer and Cosmo laying on the grass in the shade of a tree like good boys.....at least for a little while.

Knowing he shouldn't be there, Cosmo quietly lays down in the shade while I work.  There is no poison ivy where he is laying.



Compost

Composting is easy, costs almost nothing and produces a product that can be used even if you don’t have a garden.  I have two composting bins, and with the City of Ottawa’s green bin, my wife and I compost almost everything that is compostable.

Items that we compost ourselves include: a) uncooked kitchen vegetable scraps; b) minor amounts of paper towel and newspaper; c) egg shells; d) dead plants; e) coffe grounds; and f) minor amounts of grass clippings (most grass is mulched by the mower).  All other cooked foods, meat scraps and most of the paper towel go in the green bin.

Our standard black bin composter is located beside the garden nestled among the branches of a pine tree.  All kitchen-related materials go in here.  I will also add some garden waste (Halloween pumpkins, non-diseased vegetable plants) to this bin.



One of four buckets of beauty compost.



Our typical black compost bin and Homer.



Quite frankly the compost that comes from the black bin ranks 10 out of 10 on the awesomeness scale.  Every spring the bin yields about 4 large plastic buckets.  To make emptying the compost easier I put the bin on a concrete patio stone.  Instead of spreading this compost thinly over the garden beds I take a more direct approach to applying it.  When I dig a hole for a seedling I make it extra large in order to add one heaping scoop of the compost to each hole (an extra scoop or two for pumpkins and zucchini).  This way the roots grow in direct contact with the compost.  When you see the large yields I get you’ll be a convert.



Seedling hole with a scoop of black compost.

Back along the edge of the forest I have a larger composter with two bins.  I got the idea for this bin from The Victory Garden book.  I made the frame from scrap, untreated 2x3's and 2x4’s.  The walls are common chicken wire providing ample aeration.  The purpose of having multiple bins is to toss the material from one into the other which mixes and aerates the pile allowing composting to start or reactivate and makes room for fresh material.   Into this bin I put most of the plants from the garden, some grass clippings, straw, and any other large-volume, slower-to-decompose organics.



Our two-bin composter.  The right side is 1/2 full and it's only the spring.



The two-bin compost piles will get fairly big over the summer.  When this starts to compost it gets really hot – I have seen water vapor coming off the pile on a cool morning.  Once I stuck my hand in the middle of the pile while wearing very damp work gloves, it felt as though my hand was burning.  In the fall after the material has composted sufficiently, I spread it evenly over my garden bed or over weak areas of the lawn.

Some simple rules of thumb I follow when composting are:

• More the merrier.  The more material you put into the bins quicker the bacteria will become active.  Think of it as requiring a critical mass to start up.
• Mixing the pile frequently. Mixing helps aerate the material and exposes fresh fuel for the bacteria.
• Watering the pile.  I tend to water my composters if we go two weeks without rain and if the weather turns really hot.  A dry composter = no or slow decomposition.
• No meat.  The meat will attract animals and take forever to break down.
• No dog waste.  No sir!  I will put horse/sheep/cow/chicken poo in my garden but not dog poo.

The benefits I experience with my composting are: a) incorporating fresh organic material back into my garden beds on an annual basis; b) hardly ever using fertilizer; and c) large healthy plants with great yields.

A pretty interesting series of Youtube videos regarding composting can be found here and here.  The first guy tends to be a bit long winded but both videos are informative. 



A History of Garden Theft



My subdivision is no different that most parts of the Ottawa Valley in that wild life is very abundant and includes deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, coyotes, etc.  Although garden predators make frequent appearances in the back yard, Homer and Cosmo successfully keep them just far enough away so they don’t do any damage to our garden; but our neighbours do get hit from time to time.



Turkeys.



Turkeys























A young deer looking for some pine needles.



"Just open the door already!"



That being said, historically our garden has still been subject to garden raiders.  Pillagers who take every opportunity to snatch tomatoes and peppers, ravage the peas, munch on beans, chomp on the tender tops of lettuce and asparagus.  This breach of trust is not perpetrated by disgruntled neighbours but by two, very guilty gate keepers…

Now wait!  Before you get swayed by innocent-looking photographs and jump to their defense, please read their list of offences:

• I used to grow strawberries…but didn`t see the point of growing a nice crop of berries and maybe eating a couple;
• Homer only eats ripe tomatoes…Cosmo will also eat green ones;
• Last year Homer did not get the first ripe tomato of the season….yay for us;
• Tomato plants leave very distinct green smudges on blond fur, especially on the face;
• If the pea pods don’t come off easy, just rip out the entire plant;
• Although Cosmo loves beans, Homer doesn`t…funny that!
• Cosmo eats all varieties of peppers, even hot cherry-bombs;
• One day while harvesting some veggies I put the basket down and turned by back for a nano-second.  When I looked back, Homer was lying down with a large carrot between his paws looking at me with absolutely no remorse.  With good manners he calmly took a bite, chewed and swallowed before taking the next bite.  The first carrots of the season are just awesome.
• Homer will eat asparagus...trust me, he is NOT eye-balling my gloves... bugger got one just after the picture was taken.

A couple of years ago the true cost of their garden raiding ran up to about $1000.  You see, grapes were growing low on the grape vine but both boys basically ignored them so I never thought anything about it.  But that changed when, in the fall, I removed all of the tomato plants from the garden.  I suppose it was only natural for Homer to find something else to eat as he polished off all the grapes that were low enough to reach, causing his stomach to bleed (grapes are toxic to doggies).  A night in hospital, a huge bill and a lot of stress later, he was ok.  The grapevine has been pruned to 4’ above the ground ever since.

Although I haven’t needed to erect a tall fence to protect against deer like many gardeners in the area, I do put up a light-gauge plastic fence around each bed which keeps the thievery down to a minimum.  We do have a wireless invisible fence to ensure the boys stay on the property but the best-fit setting permits about 50% access to the garden.  So, the small fences will just have to do.

But after all my complaining the fact is the boys do a great job preventing the deer and other animals from destroying our garden so I guess we can afford a few veggies as a reward from time to time....I just wish they wouldn't think of it as a buffet.

Watering #1 – The Garage Bed and Water Barrel

Throughout the years, I’ve spent a fair amount of time experimenting and developing my garden watering systems.  My main goal has been to water the garden efficiently in order to waste as little time and water as possible.  Secondary goals are to use systems that are simple, tidy and healthy for the plants.  Because this is a fairly involved topic I will break it down into a few posts.  This post discusses only the garden bed beside the garage.

A large eave overhangs the garage bed which actually intercepts a lot of the direct rain.  This, along with the facts that it is south facing and bordered by a stone wall, means it dries out quickly so it needs to be watered more frequently than the main garden beds.  It’s important to note that sun and heat also make this bed my most prolific producers of tomatoes and peppers.

Cosmo garding his peppers.

Since there is a downspout at the end of this bed, i installed a convenient water dirverter which feeds the rain barrel.

 

I drain the barrel using a thin, 1/2” PVC trunk line (from Lee Valley) with holes punched into it every dozen inches or so.  The photos below show little streams of watter squirting out from the hose -- the rain barrel will take about 30 minutes to drain.

Because it can be many days between rain falls, I also lay out 1/2" soaker hose with a quick-connect.  This balanced approach to keeping this bed properly watered works really well.

I place the hoses immediately after planting in order to avoid damaging the plants when they are bigger.

Grapevine #3 -- Early Growth

The grapevine along the garage is well underway.  All of the buds remaining after pruning have nice new growth on them and a ton of centimetre-sized grape clusters have already formed.  A closer look at my pruning job actually shows that I may have left too many buds on the vine which will result in more new growth and more grapes.  This isn't necessarily bad or good.  If the root system is long and robust then it will probably be able to handle it.  But it is possible that there could be too many clusters to produce quality grapes.  But considering my recent history I'm not too concerned.

 

Swimmin' in the Swamp

So we took Home and Cosmo for a walk on Friday night and one of our neighbours invited us in for a drink and a look at their new house (still under a bit of construction).  We let the boys off their leashes so they could play with Sophie.  While yapping in the garage I realized that Cosmo was missing in action -- usually not a good thing.  I looked around the side of the garage and there he was lying down in a fairly deep puddle – the building lot is low and it rained a quite a bit the past week.  Then Homer saw him and took right off and dove into a deeper puddle of swampy, muddy water.  It felt great (apparently) as he was diving his head underwater like a torpedo and rolling around.  The evening ended in a shower with the garden hose.

Taking the hint, the next day I got out their pool which they appreciated a lot -- but this time with clean water!  I decided to include a couple of short videos starring Cosmo, Bacon (a co-worker`s puppy) and the pool (Homer's there too).  The second video shows what I mean about Cosmo lying down.

Asparagus

About five years ago I picked up The Victory Garden from a used book store.  It is full of great and simple gardening ideas, many of which I have adopted or inspired me to add/change things in my garden.  Growing asparagus was one of those ideas.

I chose to plant the asparagus in front of the screened porch because it is actually out of the way and permitted me to dig the bed fairly deep.  I excavated a trench about 8’ x 16” x 12” (deep).  I lined the sides of the trench using scrap, untreated spruce 2 x 4’s in order to keep the asparagus contained in the bed.  I then mixed the ‘natural’ soil with garden soil, compost and a bit of fertilizer.  I purchased 8 asparagus roots from Lindenberg Seeds in Manitoba who sent them by regular mail with no issues.  Each root set was planted in the bed about 6” deep and 10” apart.  Planting root sets instead of seeds saves about 2 years of plant development.

Each year in late April the asparagus begin to pop up.  As you can see from the photos, the thickness and size of my sprouts differs greatly.

Harvesting is simple.  With a sharp knife I simply cut them at or just below ground level.  I will make sure that I leave 1 or 2 sprouts from each root set and allow them to mature into the large ferns so that the plant can continue to grow.  The ferns can grow 5’ tall….check back in late summer for photos of the ferns.  You have to be careful when harvesting because the sprouts are rather fragile.  In the photo on the right you will notice two thick but very short sprouts….I accidentally broke these off while cutting the others.  We get about ½ dozen bunches like this each season.

We simply rinse them, brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper (sometimes oregano), and throw them on the barbeque for about 10 minutes.  If you think that the thick shoots would be tough and woody … you would be wrong.  Cooking them like this even makes the thick ones tender.  As far as taste goes, I have not eaten store-bought asparagus with as much taste as these….yum.