I’m just wondering what challenges you face in terms of installing air conditioning in your “old house”?

I have a small dog (miniature schnauzer) and she can't handle the heat so well. We don't usually use the air conditioning in the day time unless it is very hot so I give her an ice pack wrapped in a towel to lie on. She usually puts her neck on it to cool her blood down.


Sure hope your dog recovers.

Money isnt a problem with me, nor is layout.

problem is my dad is so against installing AC units its not funny. (dunno why).

he also didnt want me to take the dog to the vet because he didn't want "another $3000 bill"
(in 2002 my Doberman had cancer and we ran up a $3000 vet bill for the surgeries.)

add in a stroke to the equation and he's become more of a grump when it's something that doesn't directly benefit him.

She's home now, but im trying to keep her out of areas of the house that haven't been thoroughly treated. She couldn't wait to come home, we visited with her first and talked to the vet and while i was signing papers and stuff regarding payments she was constantly scratching at the door and whining in the window. She didn't hesitate to jump in the car and was watching out the window as we drove home. She has to go back Wednesday to get another RBC/Blood test to check to make sure her numbers are still going up.

also found some spots in the yard were they are crazy infested (short grass down by the road and short thin grass by the side of the garage where the sand pile was (from when we had built the pool), so there were a few areas that they had hot dirt and thin grass to breed in, just walking in them areas I had dozens on my legs. (yes I brushed off before i came in) I intend to keep treating the house daily with the spray, and the yard as well.

I used the ortho home defense along the base boards and outside, and Im already having to sweep up a dozen or more large water bugs (look like giant roaches). and some other random bugs that i didnt even know had access to the house.

I had a min pin that was 18 years old, and he loved laying on frozen towels (wet towel in a large zip lock bag that was put in the freezer.)

he passed on a lil under a year and a half ago.

Diatomaceous earth is probably the most cost-effective flea/tick/creepy crawlie treatment there is. No, make that the most effective, period. It'll kill in the house or outside, you can dust it right on your pet and work it into the fur to kill external parasites, and you can even feed some to them to take care of parasites in the gut.

I'm very fortunate in that none of my cats have EVER had a single flea on them. I don't know how this happens because they all go outside, but ticks are all they get. Of course, when one has 50-60 ticks on him after a 4-day walkabout that's enough to cause potential problems. I used to keep enough Capstar on hand to give 2 doses to all the cats if they ever did get fleas, but ended up giving them to friends who weren't as fortunate. Looks like time to stock up again.

I'm glad your pooch is doing better! Keeping cool is hard for dogs; they're not desert animals like cats and even with their mouths, pads of the feet, and relatively hairless lower abdomen/genital areas to act as radiators they can still overheat. Kiddie pools, shade, and digging are their best ways to keep cool (fresh dirt is damp & cool.) You could probably wrap an ice pack in a towel and stick it between the hind legs to lower temps.

You can add powdered Garlic to your dog's food as a natural supplement mixed in with a little water, the fleas don't like it and it won't harm your pet.

And it helps with doggy breath, too LOL

Just be careful with garlic. Garlic and Onion are Vasoconstrictors for cats and dogs. The last thing you want is your dog/cat to die from Anemia.

I would not suggest giving Garlic to a dog already suffering from Anemia but that is just me.

yeah, werent not gonna do garlic, we added red cedar chips to her bedding after treatment.

Im gonna look into getting a kiddy pool from walmart or something, VirginiaBeach puts enough chlorine/fluoride in the water here, a few hours in the kiddie pool every day when i get home from work should help.

My main concern is keeping her cooler/hydrated and to keep the fleas at bay, once the winter hits she'll be her normal run around the house roll in the snow (what lil we get here if any) self.

I will prolly start freezing beach towels and laying them out on her bed. (until i can convince the old man to get some AC units).


Yes i live with my old man, i was told I had to move home last spring to help take care of him.

You could always go buy a window unit yourself and put the dog in a closed room with just that one unit. You dont have to cool the whole house as long as you pick the right room.