I’m Debbie! I love everything having to do with animals, nature, and farm life. Join me as I chronicle the adventures and follies of living on a five-acre homestead, raising animals, and celebrating family.
Pets are part of the family and it’s fun to include them in holiday festivities. Here are some things you can do to make sure your pet stays safe this Halloween.
The Big Night
Bring your pets inside the house before it gets
dark.
Keep pets in a closed, quiet room so they don’t dash
out when you open the door for trick-or-treaters.
Talk to your veterinarian about using a calming aid to
help keep your pet calm. Dogs instinctively protect their homes and family from
strangers. It can be stressful for them to have a lot of strangers knocking on
the door or ringing the doorbell throughout the evening.
Put an ID tag on her reflective collar (and make
sure her microchip registration is current) just in case she does get out when
you open the door.
Candy and Treats
Keep candy and chocolate out of reach. Candy and chocolate
are extremely toxic to pets.
Keep anything containing xylitol out of reach. The
sweetener xylitol is toxic and can quickly become deadly to pets.
Decorating
Use flameless candles in your pumpkins so whiskers
and paws don’t get burned.
Keep Halloween decorations out of reach. Chewing on
electrical cords and wires, knocking over candles, or eating fake spider webs
can seriously hurt a pet.
If you dress your pet up, make sure his costume is
safe. It should fit well and it shouldn’t have anything that is tied around his
neck. Make sure his costume isn’t too constraining, too long causing him to
trip, or blocks his vision. Also, make sure the costume doesn’t prevent him
from eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom. Be sure to take the costume
off as soon as he shows any signs of discomfort or struggles in it.
Trick or Treating
Don’t take your dog trick-or-treating with you. Even
the most laid back pet can become stressed or overly excited by so much
unfamiliar activity and bite someone or run away.
In a nutshell, keep your pet closed in a bedroom for the evening and don’t let him eat candy!
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Halloween is just around the corner! Here’s a list of fun Halloween activities you can enjoy with your family.
Inside Activities
Carve pumpkins Using an ice-cream scoop makes it easier to remove the gooey insides from a pumpkin. Flameless tea lights are safe alternatives to using real candles.
Let your kids decorate their bedrooms with all things Halloween Kids love decorating their own space. Let them decide which decorations they want and, if they’re old enough, let them do all of the decorating themselves.
Make spooky sugar cookies Sugar cookies aren’t just for Christmas! Discount stores and some grocery stores have lots of fun Halloween-shaped cookie cutters.
Make a gingerbread haunted house Use lots of purple, orange, and black decorations to bring your haunted house to life!
Watch a scary movie together Here’s a fun list of movies that are great for all age groups.
Play pin-the-nose on a jack-o-lantern Either make or print, a large picture of a jack-o-lantern (make extra copies of his nose) and hang him on the wall or on a door. Grab a blindfold and take turns trying to tape a nose on him!
Make spooky slime Here are twenty different slime recipes that were collected from all over the internet by I Heart Arts n Crafts.
Play ping-pong-pumpkin Grab a plastic trick-or-treating pumpkin bucket and some ping pong balls. See who can bounce the balls into the pumpkins.
Make cinnamon salt dough ornaments Here’s a recipe for cinnamon salt dough ornaments. To make these for Halloween, you can use any shape of cookie cutters. Pumpkins, ghosts, and cats would be perfect!
Make a dancing ghost This tutorial from Science Bob shows you how to make a ghost dance in front of your eyes!
Make a pumpkin volcano Combining science and Halloween is always a treat! Here are instructions on how to make “lava” ooze out of a pumpkin.
Make Play-Doh monsters Not all monsters are scary! Grab some wiggly eyes, pipe cleaners, and some Play-Doh to create fun monsters. This would be a great activity to do after watching Monsters, Inc.
Build a spooky town or haunted house out of blocks Pull out the bins of Legos and start creating!
Play hide and seek pumpkins Instead of looking for Easter eggs, find pumpkins! Get some mini pumpkins from the grocery store and take turns hiding them around the house or yard. Who can find the most?
Read a Halloween story together Check out Halloween books from your local library to read together. The library near me offers family story-time where families can go to the library (usually in the evening) in pajamas, listen to a story, and share snacks afterward.
Outside Activities
Visit a pumpkin patch If your family has never walked around a field, looking for the perfect pumpkin, you have to experience it! Check online to see if any pumpkin patches are nearby.
Decorate your porch with spooky decorations Skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and gravestones will give your porch just the right touch of Halloween for trick-or-treaters.
Have a costume parade around the neighborhood You can make it even more fun by inviting families from around the neighborhood to join in.
Visit a corn maze Can you find your way out of a maze? Some farms offer different options like easy mazes for families with young children and more difficult ones for people looking for a challenge. Some even have haunted corn mazes!
Visit a haunted house Every year a group of homeschooling families in my area get together to make a haunted house for the community. Instead of charging an admission fee, they accept donations of either money or canned food for the local food pantry. All money donated goes towards making the next year’s haunted house even better! Check online to see if there are any haunted houses in your area.
Go on a hayride Hayrides and autumn go hand-in-hand. Look online to see if any nearby farms offer hayrides. Some farms even offer haunted hayrides!
Attend a “pumpkin chunkin” event Have you ever seen pumpkins flying through the air? Each year our town hosts an event to see whose pumpkins can be launched the farthest. Catapults and slingshots are just some of the homemade devices used to launch the pumpkins. Check online to see if there are any pumpkin chunkin events happening near you!
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Tabitha and Robert Englund a.k.a. Freddy Krueger
I am so excited! As you know, my family loves watching movies. October is officially the start of the holiday season and the start of the movie-watching season! We watch all kinds of genres and when we can’t decide what to watch, we spin the wheel! It’s no surprise that the best movie genres for October are horror and thriller!
Genre Wheel
What’s the difference between horror and thriller genres? There’s a fine line between what constitutes each genre. A great article that explains the differences between the two can be found here on the Industrial Scripts website.
In a nutshell, the differences between the horror
and thriller genres are…
Horror
Horror movies are meant to horrify you and usually include a supernatural element. These movies are usually predictable. Think of Halloween where Michael Myers never seems to die and Nightmare on Elm Street where Freddy Krueger attacks his victims in their nightmares. You can pretty much bet these villains will kill anyone they run after (umm…walk after).
Thriller
Thriller movies set out to thrill you with suspense and unpredictability. They keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what the protagonist is up to. These movies most often make you think “I didn’t see that coming”. There are a lot of mind games involved – both for the characters and the audience. I don’t want to take a chance of spoiling the movies for you, so I won’t go into details but think of Shutter Island, Misery, One Hour Photo, and The Silence of the Lambs.
A Movie For Everyone
Below is a list of movies for all ages and audiences that are perfect for October!
Movies can add an extra element of magic to the holidays for children. You know your children best. As you’re looking through the list for a movie to watch with them, please consider what you feel is appropriate for them, not just what the ratings indicate!
Whether you prefer horror or thriller, there’s something out there that’ll make you avoid looking into mirrors, stay awake all night, and think twice about having feelings of déjà vu. There are even some Christmas movies on the list that fit into the horror/thriller genres!
Lights, Camera, Action!
Make some popcorn, turn off the lights, and grab a blanket to cover your eyes.
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When fall comes around, all I can think about are apples and pumpkins! Nothing says fall like applesauce, pumpkin pie, and caramel apples. The smell of homemade cinnamon applesauce cooking in the crockpot makes me think about the times we went apple picking at The Happy Apple Farm when Tabitha was younger. Isn’t it interesting how a scent can bring back such vivid memories?
I love filling the house with the scents of fall. The combination of cinnamon and cloves is so comforting and warm. Here are some of the ways I like to put a little fall in the air…
Open the windows
An easy way to bring fall air into the house is by opening all of the windows! There’s nothing like bringing in fresh, crisp fall air after a hot stuffy summer…even if the air has a hint of horses or cows in it from neighboring homesteads!
Make simmering potpourri
Another thing you can do to make your house feel like fall is to gently simmer a pot of water with spices in it. You can use any combination of spices, but my favorites are cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg (and orange peels when I have some). To making simmering potpourri, all you have to do is let a pot of water and spices gently simmer on the stovetop for about twenty minutes and then turn the heat off. You can even put the water and spices in an uncovered crockpot turned on low for several hours. When I’m done with the water/spice mixture, I usually just pour it out into the garden.
I’ve been making this simmering potpourri for years. It’s so much safer for humans and pets to breath than commercial air “fresheners” and it smells better too! If you try this, remember to keep a close eye on the pot to make sure the water doesn’t completely evaporate and to protect curious cats…who aren’t allowed near the stove, but who are always near the stove…from getting hurt by the hot water.
Bake something
If you really want to fill your home with the smell and feel of fall, start baking! Here are some recipes that’ll remind you of raking leaves, picking apples, and carving pumpkins! Oh, how I love fall!
Are rabbits cute and fluffy? Oh yes! Are rabbits snuggly? Sometimes. Are rabbits docile, gentle, and peaceful? Not always. Will male rabbits neuter each other in a fight. Yes.
Living Together
Last February we had a surprise litter of ten bunnies born after one of the adult bucks hopped over a high drift of snow into a female enclosure. Once the babies were three months old, we separated the five girls and five boys into separate enclosures. Bunnies are cute, but we aren’t in the business of breeding them so we didn’t want the boys and girls living together any longer than necessary. We were told by several people (who are in the business of breeding rabbits) that since the bunnies will be large-breed rabbits, the boys could be housed together peacefully until they are eight months old, at which time we would have to separate them because they would start fighting with each other.
The bunnies were big enough to be moved outside when
they were five months old.
Since moving them outside, the girls have been
living with mom peacefully. Early on, they had to establish their “pecking
order”, but once mom reminded them she’s at the top, there’s been no fighting.
We even introduced another female into the group without any fighting. They
still mount each other in a show of dominance, but there’s been no aggression.
A little while after putting the boys together outside,
they started to chase and mount each other (a show of dominance). There really
wasn’t any aggression so we thought we’d make it to their eight-month birthday
with no problem. After a month of them living together, we noticed that Clyde
was definitely at the bottom of the hierarchy. He was the one the other boys
would chase and pull fur out of. Once we started to see Clyde being picked on,
we decided the boys’ hormones were getting a bit out of control and it was time
to schedule appointments to have them neutered.
We use the services of Hamlett Spay and Neuter Clinic for the rabbits. Because of the extremely high risks involved with rabbits under anesthesia, they won’t spay does, but they will neuter bucks. Thanks to donations and grants, the non-profit clinic offers huge discounts on spaying and neutering cats, dogs, and rabbits. Since the cost of neutering through Hamlet is a lot less than at a regular veterinarian’s office, their schedule is pretty packed. The earliest appointment we could get for our boys’ neutering was three months out.
Although Clyde was occasionally being picked on by
his brothers, the fighting didn’t seem to be severe. We figured the boys would
be okay living together for another couple of months until their neutering
appointment. We couldn’t be more wrong.
The Emergency
One evening when Tabitha was at work, Doug and I
went outside and did the last health checks for the day on everyone. I noticed
something hanging off of the underside of one of the male rabbit. Klaus was
acting like nothing was wrong, but Doug and I knew we needed to catch him because
it looked like he had poop stuck to him and we needed to clean him. As we were
in the process of catching him, I noticed blood rapidly dripping out of him and
I knew whatever was happening was more serious than just a messy bottom. When
Doug got a hold of Klaus, he gave him to me to hold so he could get a look at
what was wrong. As soon as I got Klaus into my arms, I felt warm blood dripping
down my arms and the front of my t-shirt and jeans. I supported his bottom and
whatever it was that was hanging out of him, with my hand. He started to panic
and kicked hard. All of a sudden the thing that was hanging off of him fell
onto the ground. Doug and I got a look at his underside and saw that either his
intestines or testicles were hanging out and whatever he kicked off was part of
it. The situation had become dire and we were afraid that Klaus was going to
bleed out in my arms.
We brought Klaus into the house, put him in a kennel, called the emergency veterinary office to let them know we were coming, and headed out the door. On our way to the Jeep, Doug ran out and put the “thing” that fell off of Klaus into a baggie so we could take it to the doctor. Within five minutes of seeing how hurt Klaus was, we were on our way to the animal emergency clinic. Doug texted Tabitha at work and told her what was going on and where we were headed.
When we got to the clinic, we were told over and
over again that they don’t treat rabbits, but they would do what they could to
help Klaus. I told them our biggest concern was stopping the loss of blood. They
rushed Klaus back to an exam area while I cleaned his blood off my neck, hands,
and arms.
The emergency doctor stopped the bleeding and
cleaned Klaus up to get a better look at what we were dealing with. She said it
looked like the “thing” that fell off was part of a testicle that was ripped
out of him. As weird as it sounds, Doug and I were relieved. That was the best
news we could have gotten because had it been intestines or part of his stomach
hanging out, there’s very little that could have been done to help him.
The doctor said we could leave Klaus for observation
overnight, but nobody at the office could treat his injury because they weren’t
experienced with rabbits. She said they would be happy to give him fluids
through the night and transport him to his regular veterinarian in the morning.
Another option was to take him to an emergency veterinary office in Denver,
which was at least two hours away. The third option the doctor gave us was to euthanize
him on the spot.
I told the doctor we have a lot of experience taking
care of rabbits and hurt animals and since the bleeding stopped, I felt more
comfortable taking him back home so we could keep an eye on him ourselves. It
was almost 9:00 p.m. when we left the emergency office with Klaus. Once we got
home, we got Klaus settled into a kennel for the night. We really weren’t sure if
he was going to survive.
Early the next morning, I went downstairs to check
on Klaus. There was no telling what I going to walk in on when I opened the
door. A dead rabbit? A bloody kennel? I really had no idea what to expect.
I slowly opened the door to the basement, and I saw
a bunny sitting in the kennel with his ears perked up and turned towards me. No
blood. No sign of anything happening the night before. He was alive…and he
surprisingly looked pretty good.
Finding Help
Since Klaus survived the night, I needed to call the
doctor’s office to get him in right away. We use two different veterinary
clinics for our rabbits. I called both of the clinics, but all of the rabbit doctors
were out of the office until the next week. The receptionists gave me referrals
to a couple of doctors in town who might be able to help. I called them, but those
rabbit doctors were also out of the office until the next week so they gave me
referrals to other offices that might be able to help. This went on and on. After
calling eleven different veterinary offices, and being told by all of them that
they either don’t treat rabbits or that their rabbit doctors were out of the
office, I was in tears. Klaus needed help and I couldn’t find anyone who could
see him.
I made one last attempt to find a doctor who could see Klaus sooner than later. I called Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital in Colorado Springs. Have you ever had an experience where so many things were going wrong at once and all of a sudden in the midst of everything you find a break in the chaos that gives you hope that everything might just be okay? Dr. Bundy at Yorkshire was able to see Klaus! I called his office at 8:00 in the morning and we had an appointment a few hours later.
Dr. Bundy was amazing. He was compassionate and caring and made us feel like everything was going to be okay. He explained to us that it’s very common for male rabbits to attack each other and remove the testicles of the other males in the group to reduce mating competition. Rabbits can pull their testicles up inside near their stomach to protect them in a fight, but sometimes they aren’t able to protect them this way and severe injuries happen. Tabitha and I felt sick. We knew rabbits did this, but we were told it wouldn’t be a problem for our boys until they were a little older. Klaus’ injuries could have been prevented if we separated the boys when they were younger, instead of waiting until they got closer to eight months old. It’s a mistake we’ll never make again.
Dr. Bundy was able to get Klaus into surgery later
the same day. He removed the injured testicle, flushed the wounds, sewed up the
gashes, and finished the neutering job Klaus’ brother had started. He looked at
Klaus’ intestines and stomach and said they were uninjured and looked good.
We planned on going outside to separate the other
four boys as soon as we got Klaus settled back home after surgery. They were six
months old, but we learned our lesson and we weren’t going to wait another two
months before separating them. Even though we were having a horrible thunderstorm
at the time, we were determined to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.
Lightning struck nearby and all of a sudden, the power went out. It’s hard to get
a good look at wiggling rabbits in the dark so we put everyone in a separate
kennel in the basement for the night. The next morning, the power was back on
and we were able to get a look at each of the boys.
Klaus was recovering from surgery well; Clyde was
injured with a testicle sticking out, although not as badly as Klaus, and not
bleeding; Bart had a couple of bite marks and a chunk of loose skin just above his
testicles, but otherwise looked good; Copper had bite marks on his testicles;
and Dust Bunny had no injuries whatsoever.
Another Injury
I called Dr. Bundy and told him another rabbit,
Clyde, had been injured and we scheduled an appointment for him to be seen. At
the appointment, we all decided that Clyde needed to have surgery to remove the
injured testicle and to finish the neuter his brother started. After the
surgery, Dr. Bundy said even though Clyde’s injuries didn’t look as bad as the
ones Klaus had, Clyde had more internal damage.
Dr. Bundy also said he couldn’t find Clyde’s second testicle
during surgery. It’s extremely rare for a rabbit to be born with only one
testicle, so he consulted with veterinarians from the Colorado State University
and the zoo. All of the doctors he talked to were surprised by the missing
testicle and said the second one may have been completely removed by Clyde’s
brother or it could be hiding up near Clyde’s stomach. The question then became
whether or not Dr. Bundy should do exploratory surgery to see if he could find the
missing testicle up by Clyde’s stomach. Opening Clyde up twice – once for the
initial surgery and again for the exploratory surgery – would be extremely
dangerous. Nobody knew if Clyde could handle the stress of another, more
involved procedure. Doug, Tabitha, and I decided the risks involved weren’t
worth taking. In the future, we may decide to do imaging tests to see if Clyde has
a second testicle, but for now, our focus is on helping him recover from his injuries
and surgery.
We redesigned the new rabbit area that we’re
building and we’re going to give Clyde a house and yard of his own off of the
new rabbit yard. He’ll still be close to the other rabbits, but he won’t be in
with them because if he does, in fact, have a second testicle that’s hiding, we
don’t want any of the girls to get pregnant.
Once Clyde’s surgery was done and we got him back
home, we checked everyone again.
How They’re Doing
We noticed that Klaus chewed through some of his
stitches and opened up a small portion of his wound. Tabitha took pictures of
the wound and I sent the pictures to Dr. Bundy so he could see the opening. He
said it was hard to see the extent of the opening in the pictures. A follow-up
appointment would be needed if the wound was uncomfortable, red, bleeding, or
oozing. So far, the wound is healing really well and Klaus is almost back to
normal!
We also noticed that Bart had chewed off the chunk of
skin above his testicles and he had a large open wound. We sent pictures of
Bart’s new injury to Dr. Bundy and he told us it would be a good idea to bring
Bart in. Bart’s appointment went well and his injury is healing now.
Looking Ahead
Because of all of the hormone-related problems we’ve
had with the boys, we went ahead and scheduled a time for Dr. Bundy to neuter
Bart, Copper, and Dust Bunny so that everyone will be done sooner than later. A
lot can happen in a few short months and, even though all of the boys are
separated from each other, we don’t want to wait until late November to have
them neutered at Hamlett Spay and Neuter Clinic.
In Good Hands
We work with an amazing team of veterinarians from different hospitals to keep our animals healthy. One good thing that came from Klaus’ emergency, is we were able to meet new doctors that we haven’t worked with before. The emergency doctor did everything she was comfortable doing for Klaus and Dr. Bundy went above and beyond anything we could have asked for. There’s a lot of comfort in knowing that our furry/feathered/scaly babies are in good hands!
