Spring is here and so are allergies; check pets too

By Jana Logan

Spring is here and so are the allergies.  I hope everyone is not suffering as much as I am.  If it were not for the allergies, this would be my favorite time of the year.  I love the flowers, blooming trees and baby animals.  Unfortunately those blooming trees have pollen on everything.  My vehicles are yellow.  My poor nose is so sore a tissue feels like sand paper and my eyes look like I am crying all the time.  We take for granted the ability to breathe.  When your nose is stopped up it is even hard to eat. Every time I take a bite, I feel as if I will suffocate before I can get it chewed up enough to take a breath. The worst part of all is the one thing I am most allergic to is horses.  My greatest passion is what makes me sneeze the most.  This part of the year, when they are shedding their winter coats, is the worst.  I don’t care, I just brush and sneeze.

We have run several articles recently on rabies.  I hope everyone has their pets up to date on their shots.  I took Jack, my horse, to the vet last week and had his yearly blood test and all of his vaccinations. This is the first year I have had him vaccinated for rabies.  I always did the cats and dogs but never the horses.  A friend of mine in New Boston had a horse die from rabies and had to take the shots about three years ago.  After talking to her and hearing her horror story, I had him vaccinated.

The next thing on my list for Jack is to get him micro-chipped.  If he is stolen, I have a much better chance at getting him back if he has a chip.

Several years ago my brother, Roland, had his horses stolen.  We called in everyone we knew for the hunt.  We contacted the Texas Cattle Raisers Association and they notified all of the borders.  My father went to the killer plants, Roland went to the sale barns and I manned the phone.  At a sale barn in Mesquite, two guys unloaded his horse.  Unfortunately one was missing.  A man walked up and stated he had purchased the other horse at the Palestine cow sale and had followed the thieves because he suspected the horses were stolen.  I hooked up to the horse trailer and met Roland to pick up the horses. I still tease him about his reunion.  In Palestine, we walked into a long barn that looked as if it were an old chicken house.  When the lights came on, the horse, Tiger, was on the far end of the barn.  When Roland called his name, they both ran towards each other and met in the middle.  It reminded me of the beach scene on the movie “10” with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore. The thieves did not know who they were messing with when they tangled with us.  Stealing one of our animals is like kidnapping one of our children.

I hope everyone gets outside enjoys these beautiful spring days. I plan to, if I can stop sneezing long enough.