Merced Animal Medical Center

We feel fortunate to have found a home to rent that welcomed our dogs and has a large, shady, fenced-in backyard.  The huskies love to roam around and sniff and wrestle.  Last weekend, however, we were introduced to the perils of letting them have free reign of the yard.  Having no sense of what is and isn't actually food, Ili decided to eat this:

We are not positive what it is, but it appears to be some sort of fruit pit.  A really expensive fruit pit.  It is small enough to have gotten down her throat, but too big to have passed through her system.  It got lodged in her stomach opening, causing her much pain and preventing her from eating.  The folks at the Merced Animal Medical Center were very kind and helpful and Ili's surgery to remove the thing was completed at 1:30 am, with a call from the veterinarian to assure us that she would be fine.  They are open 24 hours, are affiliated with the University Pet Resort, where we take the huskies to be kenneled, and both offer a 10% Catspots discount for members of UC Merced Staff Assembly.  We are grateful they are so professional and competent.  Now Ili, shaved belly, stitches and all, is healing comfortably at home.

Merced Animal Medical Center
3765 East Yosemite Avenue
Merced, CA 95340
209-383-0434

Summer Weather in the Valley

As expected, morning and evening are the best times to spend outside here in Merced (unless, I have heard, you have a pool).  We are fortunate to have a very shady backyard at our rental home due to a large number of mature trees, which is somewhat of a rarity here  We've been assured that this summer has been uncharacteristically cool and we shouldn't get used to it.  The only triple digit run we had was 4th of July weekend, which was a bit hot for my taste.  Of course the old saying about it being a dry heat is very true.  A little shade and a breeze and 95 degrees doesn't actually feel that hot.

We do try and keep the huskies indoors during the heat of the day as much as possible, but I sit outside with them in the mornings on the weekends and in the evenings most nights of the week.  Ili likes to lay in the grass or the cedar chips:

While Kodi, ever the protector, can't help but constantly sweep the fence perimeter: