The New Hobbit Hole

[g'nad]

He wasn’t so much worried about the magical aspect of Harry Potter as he was the ethical message, i.e. it is ok to lie in certain situations, it is ok to cheat in certain situations, etc.

That's the issue we have...my wife and I read the first one, and while we found it entertaining, we won't let our kids read them until they are teenagers ...there are plenty of good books out there that don't have those conflicts...our kids love books, and we have no problem finding good books for them...my six year old has tried to tackle The Hobbit twice... while she's a great reader, it's still tough for her...she's read every Laura Ingalls Wilde book...there's so much good stuff out there...

[HairOfTheDog]

Dogs don't get allergies in their ears, dogs get allergies in the place that contacts the allergin (is allergin a word?)

No, some of that doesn't make sense.

If he were itchy all over, I would suspect it is an allergy.

What are the medicines he got?.... If it was a yeast infection, which I would expect it is, he should have gotten

1 - a cleaner
2 - an anti-fungal that goes in his ears (Ottomax?)
3 - possibly an oral anitbiotic like amoxycillan if he has a secondary bacterial infection in his ears in addition to the yeast.

[HairOfTheDog]

LOL! - Troublemaker!

[g'nad]

I dunno...I housed it from someone else...I was saving it for a special occaision...this seemed like the time...

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Oh, yah, hey, I used to have dat dere "Northern" accent ting, but after a few years a livin in Texas it went away, dontcha know.

[HairOfTheDog]

But, on the chronic ear problem issue, maybe, maybe not. How old is the dog, and is this his first?

My labrador has had off-and-on yeast infections his whole life, dogs like labradors are chronically prone to yeast infections because of the design of their ears. Flop-eared dogs with a lot of hair in the ears who like water are chronically prone.

On the other hand, my cocker mix has the same susceptability, and she has rarely had yeast infections, though she has had a couple bad "swimmer's ear" type ear infections.

[ksen]

Whew! Thanks for watching my back. I was starting to feel all alone. ;^)

[g'nad]

Thanks for watching my back.

No problem..."Have axe, will travel"...

[Corin Stormhands]

g'nad, your kids are too young for Potter anyway (6&4 right?). ksen I forget the ages of your kids.

I wouldn't recommend it for any kid before at least nine, and maybe later, depending on the kid. If you wait until they're teenagers, they may not be interested...and that's okay too.

[Sam Cree]

"concerned that people seemed to fall into either side of an extreme argument: concerned that people seemed to fall into either side of an extreme argument: 1) If you let your kids read Harry Potter they will turn into a Satanist and go to Hell, or 2) There is absolutely nothing wrong with Harry Potter. "

I agree that 1) is extreme, but 2) is not, it's just reasonable :-)

[Corin Stormhands]

I haven't picked him up yet, just talked to the vet. I'll let you know what he gives him. He talked about a medication for the ears (perhaps Ottomax) and an antihistimine.

As for being itchy all over, I don't think so. I mean, he scratches, but he's a dog. I've never seen him like frantically scratching or rolling on the floor scratching his back, etc.

Are you getting the impression that I shouldn't be in charge of living creatures? Thankfully the Mrs. is around to care for the kids...

[Corin Stormhands]

I haven't picked him up yet, just talked to the vet. I'll let you know what he gives him. He talked about a medication for the ears (perhaps Ottomax) and an antihistimine.

As for being itchy all over, I don't think so. I mean, he scratches, but he's a dog. I've never seen him like frantically scratching or rolling on the floor scratching his back, etc.

Are you getting the impression that I shouldn't be in charge of living creatures? Thankfully the Mrs. is around to care for the kids...

[ksen]

ksen I forget the ages of your kids.

12, 8, and 5.

[Sam Cree]

"Are you trying to replace 2JM? :)"

What'd I miss?

[Corin Stormhands]

He's about four years old. And the vet reminded me that we treated him for a similar thing last summer.

He's a lab, but he's only in the water when he gets a bath.

[g'nad]

And what do I do if the dog is allergic to the kids?

[Corin Stormhands]

So, if after you read Harry Potter, you think it's okay, I say let your 12-year-old read it and maybe your 8-year-old.

You can, and should, be the judge. But, since you've got questions you should read it first. Then you can decide.

And I won't cast a spell on you if you decide you'd rather they didn't read them...

[Sam Cree]

My daughter was 17 when she read them, and a pretty mature 17, IMO. Though I think she'd have been fine at a much younger age.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, even if he doesn't swim a lot, his anatomy leads somewhat to yeast infections.

Let me know where the allergy thing goes... I am curious to see where your vet is going with that.

As for the ear treatment, clean them out with the wash real good once a day and then put in plenty of the Ottomax, or whatever he gives him. Buy the biggest bottle of the wash stuff they sell, it'll keep, and is cheaper that way if this reoccurs. (I also buy big bottles of the Ottomax)

Once his ears clear up again, I would leave them alone until you have trouble, but treat them once at the first sign of the brown gunk or red-appearing ears.

I am not one to fix it if it ain't broke though, and I don't mess with Logan's ears if he goes a long spell without trouble. So in that way, I disagree with adding moisture by cleaning them just for the sake of maintenance.

my .02 cents.

[HairOfTheDog]