Tea at Primrose Donkey Santuary

Today the Primrose Donkey Sanctuary held a tea for a fundraiser. What a great time we had! Rory ( my granddaughter ) came along and got to pet donkeys for the first time. When we first arrived we went over to the fence to meet Phillip. He's only a youngin', I think we were told he's about 8 months old. He just loved Rory.



A lovely black kitty came along and wanted her belly rubbed :)



Then we enjoyed our tea and sandwiches and dessert. Yummy!



Look there was even a chandelier, so elegant!



We asked to go on a tour so we could meet more of the donkeys at the sanctuary. On our way into the barn, we had to stop and pet Princess, isn't she beautiful with her lovely ribbon?



Rory asked if she could brush some of the donkeys. Cory was enjoying it!



Then little Goliath got a turn.



Rory even met Primrose :)



Bandit wanted to play with the straw, what fun!



And finally a tea leaf reading by Corinne!



A fabulous afternoon, if you didn't make it this year, be sure to come out next year!

Past, Present & Future

Past:
If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you probabely already know that Oak got hip xrays done at the end of April of last year. They weren't great. The socket didn't go completely around the ball, or fit tightly enough. So after discussing things with my vet, I decided on a few things I wanted to do to help improve his hip joints.
First, I put him on Sasha's Blend, salmon oil and vitamin C. Second, he started going to the chiropractor and third, swimming.

Present:
Oak will be 2 years old on July 4, 2010. He has an appointment for July 5 to get his hips xrayed for the final time. He looks good, he moves well, his chiropractor is very please with his progress, so we'll see what the actual xrays tell us.

Future:
Definitely keep up with everything we've been doing and depending on the xray maybe make some changes and improvements. In the end, all that is important is a healthy, happy, painfree Oak.

Reiki is a Wonderful Thing!

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted :( I will have to do better to keep in touch.
This past weekend I was again at Cedar Cove Wellness taking a Reiki course from my Reiki Master Susan Rouse. The course I took over the weekend was my Reiki Level II. It was fabulous! Saturday morning we studied the symbols, learned how to give distance Reiki and were attuned to Level II Reiki. Then we practiced our distance healing. Susan asked us to bring a picture of a person, or animal in need of healing and we used these pictures to focus our Reiki energy for healing. I choose my daughter's dog Zanara



Zanara had a sore and swollen right front foot about 4 months ago. The vet thought it may have been a small fracture and she had to stay off it for about 2 weeks. No walk, no nothing! Poor girl :( But after the rest, the swelling did go down and she felt much better. Well, she started limping again last tuesday. No more walks again :( She loves her walks and she gets very pouty when she can't go.



We also feel its very important for her to keep moving, in order to keep healthy (Zanara just turned 11 yrs. old in March and she was diagnosed with 3rd degree hip displasia at the age of two). So anyway, like I was saying, on saturday I took the picture of Zanara that I had with me, and gave her distance Reiki.

The change in her is nothing short of amazing! (in my opinion, at least). Mandy said she looked so much better on saturday, that she decided to go to the off leash dog park on sunday. She wasn't limping or showing discomfort anymore. Look Zanara is running!



and smiling:)



I can't believe how much happier and more active she is. I am soooo glad I decided to start on this Reiki healing path.

Victorian Tea for the Humane Society of Durham Region

On sunday afternoon we attended the Victorian Tea for the Humane Society of Durham Region at Vandermeer Nursery in Ajax. What a great time! There was fresh brewed tea, absolutely incredible scones, yummy baked goods, a raffle and so much more. The tea, scones and petite fours were courtesy of Cup of Tea Bakery and Cafe in Whitby. I really have to get over there and buy some more scones. Fantastic!

We were asked to donate for the raffle, but came up with too many things to donate so we ended up donating 2 baskets!

A Cat Lover's Basket ...



And a Dog Lover's Basket.



Becca and Jacob were there enjoying the tea a atmosphere ...



Julie gave Mary a big hug and kiss :)



Kathryn and Carol enjoying a good cup of tea in a fine china cup.



Even a little puppy in training came by to enjoy all the hugs and cuddles from everyone.



Our friend Corinne made her own Victorian hat and won gift certificates to Swiss Chalet!

This is Corinne with Ruby:



The ladies from the Humane Society were dressed in Victorian gowns and looked amazing! What a wonderful event! We applaud everyone involved in the planning. Great job! Great tea! Great time!

Oak Finally Gets His Say

Oak has been asked to be a guest writer for another doggie's blog! He is so excited! Finally he gets to tell everyone what HE thinks and they have to listen! Or at least read about it :) Thank you soooo much Bert for this fabulous opportunity! Everyone make sure to read it, www.fourleggedviews.blogspot.com .
He's got his thinking cap on and plotting his story. Let's see what he comes up with...



After a nap, of course.

UPDATE: Oak did such I great job, he now has his own blog. Check it out: http://www.itsmeoak.blogspot.com

A Lovely Winter Walk

What a beautiful day for a walk! We decided follow a new trail through the woods that we have never been on before. Doesn't it look great?



The snow wasn't too deep and there were some snowmobile tracks to follow so it made the walking fairly easy. We decided it might be a bit too easy for Oak, so my hubby went to the top of the hill and I went to the bottom and we made him run up and down a couple of times :)



We saw alot of different animal tracks and traces during our adventures. Here are some bunny tracks...



a mouse home surrounded by tracks ....



turkey tracks.....



and my hubby said this was dug by a coyote trying to find a mouse to eat!



I think we've walked enough, time for a little break :)



One last run before we head back to the van.



Hopefully, it will be another nice day tomorrow, so we can do it again!

Your Guinea Pig Doesn’t Have to be a Sailor to get Scurvy

Normally my posts are about dogs, usually Oak, but today I'm writing about something a wee bit different.
I learned something new the other day: guinea pigs can get scurvy! They can become very sick if they don’t get the correct amount of vitamin C in their diet.
Like humans, guinea pigs lack the enzyme necessary to create their own vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary for the formation of collagen, bone matrix and tooth dentin. Signs of a vitamin C deficiency may include: loss of appetite, depression, ruffled fur, weight loss, swollen painful joints, poor bone and teeth development, bleeding gums, and nasal discharge. Guinea pigs that are experiencing these symptoms should be seen by a veterinarian. Scurvy can be reversed through diet changes or vitamin C injections.
Although guinea pig pellets have added vitamin C, storage or exposure to sunlight can rapidly destroy it. The vitamin C added to the pellets remains stable for up to 3 months from the milling date. When storing your guinea pigs food keep it in a cool, dark place.
It may be necessary to supplement your guinea pigs food with fresh fruits and vegetables and/or a vitamin C supplement. Some excellent sources of vitamin C include: kale, parsley, sweet red and yellow peppers, broccoli, cabbage and guava. If using a vitamin C supplement it is best to use a chewable tablet as opposed to drops added to your guinea pig’s water. Hard water, metal containers and chlorine can cause the vitamin C to deteriorate and the change in taste may also put your guinea pig off drinking. Do not use a multivitamin because there is a potential for toxic overdose of other vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C is a water soluble so it is excreted in the urine and will not build up to toxic levels in the body.
So remember, every morning when you take your vitamin C tablet, don’t forget you guinea pig needs some too.