60 Minutes claims former President Richard Nixon “sought to destroy” his presidential tapes. Verdict: Misleading There is no evidence that Nixon “sought to destroy” his presidential tapes. One historian said that there is no evidence currently, but cautioned that there might be evidence in other records. Fact Check: CBS News’ 60 Minutes ran a segment on presidential […]

Weather has long been one of the most potent and enduring metaphors in music, stretching back over 100 years from the blues to modern rock and pop. Storms, thunder, rain, and floods have been symbolic expressions of emotional turbulence, pain, and personal struggles, while sunshine and clear skies often represent renewal, hope, and peace. This list of 10 Best Rock Songs About the Weather brings together a diverse collection of tracks where artists have skillfully used weather, both literally and metaphorically, to reflect the ups and downs of human emotion. From Tom Waits’ gritty and surreal “Emotional Weather Report” to The post 10 Great Rock Songs That Use Weather As A Metaphor appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Twitter is presently aflutter with farmer pick up lines, something near and dear to our homesteading hearts. So for the romantic in all of us, here are the very best in farmer inspired courtship come ons…because we may be settlers, but when it comes to love it doesn't mean we have to settle… #FarmingPickupLines Nice calves.#FarmingPickupLines pic.twitter.com/72U0G5IxKg — Saul T Nutz (@HilariousTrends) November 17, 2016 | Of all the beautiful faces I just can't look pastures. #FarmingPickupLines — Chris DeCouto (@DeCoutoChris) November 17, 2016   Agriculture.com My name must be John Deere cause I'm totally a Tractored to you. #FarmingPickupLines — Josh Keaton (@joshkeaton) November 17, 2016 | If you were a chicken, you'd be impeccable #FarmingPickupLines — Magnus Lewis (@magnuslewis263) November 17, 2016 | Darlin' I love your dairy air. #FarmingPickupLines — Flippervault (@Flippervault) November 17, 2016   Is that a fresh cob of corn in your overalls pocket, or are you just happy to see me? #FarmingPickupLines — Shea Browning (@sheabrowning) November 17, 2016   Your barn or mine?#FarmingPickupLines pic.twitter.com/VltLXAdkIc — Zen Rand (@ZenRand) November 17, 2016   @KeshaTedder pic.twitter.com/clTkZCwe06 — Mitchell Bader (@MitchellBader) November 17, 2016   Your father must've been a pumpkin because you look gourdgeous #FarmingPickupLines — Mike Storino (@BlackCircle45) November 17, 2016   Aw, shucks, I don't mean to be corny… #FarmingPickupLines — Sebastian Stoker (@SebastianStoker) November 17, 2016 Which one will you try? What's your favorite? Did we miss out on any good ones? Let us know in the comments below.   Follow Homesteading on instagram, twitter, pinterest, and facebook!

Wikipedia Employs Left-Wing Groups to Edit Controversial Topics

Donald Trump Is Looking For That Union Label in November

Marco M. Vigato: Most people will be familiar with Plato’s story of Atlantis. Written in the 4th Century BCE, it is the wonderful account of a mighty and splendid empire whose island homeland sunk beneath the waves of the Atlantic Ocean 11,600 years ago. It is truly one of the foundational myths of western civilisation and one that does not cease to fascinate and prompt questions about the reality and location of the fabled lost continent. Plato’s story, however, is also a cautionary tale about how even the most splendid civilisation that the world had ever known could fall prey to vice and corruption, eventually leading to its downfall. At its core, it is the story of the fall of a primeval, golden and divine humanity into the depths of materialism. The metaphysical idea of the “Fall” of man from an original divine state is projected against the idea of cyclical time and the myth of a lost Golden Age. The sequence of the four Yugas or World Ages according to metaphysical cosmologies. Credit: newdawnmagazine.com Esoteric Atlantology & the Ages of Man Three hundred years before Plato, the Greek poet Hesiod spoke of the five Ages of Man, tracing the descent of Mankind through five different Ages or “Races.” A primeval Golden Age gave way to the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Age of Heroes and, finally, the dreaded Iron Age in which we now live, representing the lowest point of the cycle. A similar worldview probably inspired the system of the Hindu Yugas and the Mesoamerican Legend of the Suns, according to which the world has already undergone four previous cycles of creation or Suns. This is a view radically different from that of contemporary evolutionary theory, which is based on the idea of a constant progression of humanity in the arts of civilisation since the appearance of the first anatomically modern humans in East Africa about two hundred thousand years ago. Ancient worldviews maintain the idea of a descent of Man, a process of spiritual and material degradation from an original divine state. It is to these ancient worldviews that Plato conforms himself when he describes the fall of Atlantis as the result of the “divine portion” of its inhabitants fading away and becoming “diluted too often and too much with the mortal admixture.” According to Esoteric Tradition, this is the fate of every civilisation. However, there is hope because the end of a cycle invariably marks the beginning of a new cycle. This whole system can also be described by the idea of cosmic seasons in which the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age follow each other in cyclical repetition. One only needs to know the starting point of the present cycle to draw a complete chronology and predict the beginning of a new Golden Age. Ancient sources assign a fixed duration to the entire cycle and each of the cosmic seasons that together make up the Great Year. The critical number is 25,920 years, a duration all but identical to the fabled period of the revolution of the zodiac (see graphic on right), known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. How exactly a tiny wobble in the Earth’s axis, causing its tilt to change slightly over thousands of years, could have such deep effects on the cycles of life and civilisation on our planet is a question that few in the modern scientific community will consider. Yet it was paramount to ancient cosmologies and worldviews, as shown by the great interest that nearly every ancient civilisation on the planet placed on the movements of the sky – an interest certainly going beyond the basic needs of planting and agriculture. It was only with the advent of Christianity that ancient worldviews based on the concept of cyclical time and multiple cycles of creation were replaced by linear time, the belief in a single revelation and a single divine incarnation leading uniformly toward salvation. In the much shorter Christian and biblical chronology, the totality of human experience was effectively limited to the span of the present Iron Age or Kali Yuga. According to Puranic sources, this began in the year 3102 BCE, leaving no space for previous cycles of creation, least for the idea of a lost world ruled by the gods. It was based on the authority of the Bible that the Archbishop of Ireland, James Ussher, famously stated in 1650 that “the world was created at nightfall, preceding Sunday, October 3, 4004 BCE.” Thousands of years before Ussher, the Brahmins of India had realised time computations covering the enormous period of 4.32 billion years, while the Chaldean priests could boast of keeping accurate astronomical observations dating back 720,000 years. Ancient Egyptian records similarly spoke of primeval dynasties of gods and demigods ruling for tens of thousands of years before the beginning of recorded history. The Calendars of Atlantis When comparing these ancient chronologies and king lists, a most interesting pattern emerges. Despite all their internal inconsistencies, gaps in information and incredibly long durations of time, these documents – some of which date back almost to the beginning of modern recorded history in ancient Mesopotamia and Sumer – appear to be in substantial agreement when it comes to portraying a sequence of world ages related to astronomical cycles and the consecutive rule of divine, semi-divine, and finally purely human dynasties. This makes it possible to reconstruct a tentative picture of the origins of the present cycle and the succession of different world ages through the last 432,000 years. A fascinating feature of these ancient chronologies is the reference to not just one but multiple cataclysms periodically befalling human civilisation, forcing the survivors, just like Plato’s Atlanteans, to “begin over again as children, knowing nothing of what had happened in ancient times.” In order of time, the last of these cataclysms would have occurred about thirteen thousand years ago, in 10,961 BCE, following an even earlier cataclysm in 35,335 BCE – the two being separated by almost precisely an entire precessional cycle. While the date of 10,961 BCE may be fixed astronomically, over half a dozen ancient chronologies point to at least one major cataclysm between 11,500 and 9,200 BCE. It is undoubtedly a remarkable coincidence that this set of dates, derived from ancient chronologies, also remarkably agree not only with the date assigned by Plato to the final sinking and destruction of Atlantis but also with the timescale of a mysterious cold spell accompanied by megafaunal extinctions known as the Younger Dryas. It is now widely believed that a massive cometary impact triggered the Younger Dryas about thirteen thousand years ago. A second impact was possibly responsible for its abrupt ending almost 1,500 years later. The memory of the cataclysm was preserved in hundreds of myths worldwide that describe a fiery conflagration followed by a Great Flood and a sudden cooling of the Earth’s climate. Bathymetric chart of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Image courtesy of NOAA – PMEL Acoustic Program A Lost Mid-Atlantic Continent Unlike previous mass extinction events, the Younger Dryas cataclysm was not without witnesses, for modern humans had already been walking the planet for thousands of years by then. This cataclysm may have been responsible for destroying an advanced Ice Age society whose survivors would later spread their civilisation and culture throughout the world. Geological and oceanographic evidence from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean confirms the possibility that a sizeable landmass may have existed above water in the region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and near the present-day Azores until comparatively recent times, in the same approximate location suggested by Plato and the Esoteric Tradition for Atlantis. Excluding the recent hypotheses of a polar location of Atlantis either in Greenland or Antarctica, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has been the most frequently proposed location for the Lost Continent. Drained of the ocean’s waters, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge would appear as a continuous mountain range stretching nearly from Pole to Pole, extending for a length comparable to that of the combined Andes and Rocky Mountains and with heights similar to the Himalayas. The present-day Azores and Madeiras represent but the highest peaks above water of this submerged mountain range. Evidence collected from the Atlantic seafloor reveals the presence of extinct riverbeds continuing underwater for over 300 kilometres off the coast of Sao Miguel Island in the Azores, at a time when this portion of the Atlantic seafloor was still dry land. This evidence alone suggests the cataclysmic sinking of a large landmass measuring at least 450 miles across from East to West and 300 miles from North to South, by at least 3,300 meters in the recent geological past. A Soviet scientist examines geology, climate, oceanography and attempts reconstruction of Atlantis. Credit: newdawnmagazine.com In his monumental tome Atlantis, Atlantology: Basic Problems, Russian scientist Nikolai Zhirov collected hundreds of pages of geological, climatological and botanical evidence pointing to the former existence above water of a sizeable Mid-Atlantic landmass, certainly as late as the end of the last Ice Age, and possibly also much later during the European Bronze Age, in the third and second millennium BCE. The rising and subsidence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge over tens of thousands of years may also explain the cycles of glaciation and deglaciation in the northern hemisphere, as well as the abrupt ending of the Younger Dryas in about 9,600 BCE. According to Zhirov and other scientists, the sinking of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an event possibly triggered by a cometary impact, effectively ended the last Ice Age by allowing the warm Gulf Current to reach the coasts of western and northern Europe. The Neo-Atlantean Empires If Zhirov is correct, Atlantis did not sink in a single day and night. Rather, the subsidence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge spanned hundreds of thousands of years, alternating long periods of gradual subsidence with truly cataclysmic episodes of sinking by hundreds or even thousands of metres. The events of the Younger Dryas and the end of the last Ice Age may have been catastrophic, but Atlantean civilisation did not vanish overnight. Evidence shows that Atlantean civilisation did, in fact, survive the cometary impacts at the beginning of the Younger Dryas. During what I call the Neo-Atlantean period between 10,961 and 9,600 BCE, Atlantean missionaries visited virtually every corner of the world in an attempt to re-establish pre-cataclysmic civilisation. Two main centres of Neo-Atlantean civilisation emerged around this time, in Egypt and South America. From these two primary centres and their various colonial outposts, a colossal building program was undertaken, aimed at no less than reconstructing the lost world of the gods. This is the essence of many mythical accounts describing the arrival in various parts of the planet of seemingly divine beings, possessing a civilisation and culture far in advance of the local indigenous populations. The extent of Atlantean colonisation and main centres of culture of the Neo-Atlantean period. Credit: newdawnmagazine.com The Edfu Building texts, a set of cosmological records covering the walls of the Temple of Edfu in Upper Egypt, describe how after a great and terrible cataclysm that plunged the world into darkness and destroyed the primeval island-homeland of the gods, a new generation of gods sailed from the primeval island, eventually settling in Egypt, where they became known as the Shemsu-Hor, the “Companions of Horus.” These semi-divine beings were responsible for the rise of the first Egyptian civilisation of the prehistoric period and may have been the original builders of the Great Pyramid and many other colossal megalithic structures of unknown date whose ruins are found throughout Egypt and the Middle East. Very similar accounts can be gathered throughout Mexico, Central and South America to explain the origin of sacred sites and other mysterious structures. The immense surge of construction and accelerated technological evolution that characterised the Neo-Atlantean period was short-lived. Within a few centuries, the grand edifice of Neo-Atlantean civilisation lay in ruins, plunging the world again into the depths of a new Dark Age. The causes of the collapse are unclear. Whether a result of climatic and environmental factors, the pressures of an expanding population against a small, albeit technologically advanced elite, or a second cometary impact at the end of the Younger-Dryas, the main centres of Neo-Atlantean civilisation were abandoned. In many cases, it is as if the builders simply dropped their tools and left, leaving behind only the shells of their unfinished structures, like a great Tower of Babel. Over the following centuries, global sea levels rose by an estimated 120 metres, submerging an area of land roughly equivalent to the combined extent of Europe and the continental United States. The consequence of this rise in global sea levels would have been particularly severe for any coastal maritime civilisation, submerging its major cities and trade centres under rising waters within the span of just a few generations. The Atlantean Diaspora The events of the end of the last Ice Age would have caused a massive diaspora and exodus of people from the now doomed islands of Atlantis and the coastal centres of Neo-Atlantean civilisation towards higher ground and the interior of continents. But it was the disintegration and fragmentation of Neo-Atlantean civilisation that triggered one of the most remarkable stages of accelerated cultural and technological evolution in the whole of human history. As Atlantean survivors scattered through vast areas of the Middle East, western Europe, central and South America, they brought an extensive knowledge of agriculture, architecture, and astronomy, which effectively gave rise to the Neolithic Revolution. At this time, we witness the sudden emergence of agriculture and sophisticated lithic technology in places like Göbekli Tepe, Jericho and Çatal Höyük, as well as in the highlands of Mexico, Bolivia and Peru. Classical Greek writers referred to their ancestors as the Pelasgians. Researcher Marco M. Vigato suggests they formed the Atlantean diaspora. Credit: newdawnmagazine.com At the same time, the sinking of the last islands of Atlantis, a process that extended well into the European Bronze Age, sent wave after wave of “Sea Peoples” to the coasts of Europe and Africa. These peoples were the originators of what has since become known as the Atlantic megalithic culture, through at least three different waves of migration in approximately 5,000 BCE, 3,500 BCE and 1,200 BCE. These post-Atlantean “Sea Peoples,” or Pelasgians, as they would be known to the classical authors, penetrated as far as the western and eastern Mediterranean, where they remained a powerful force until at least the second millennium BCE, leaving evidence of their distinctive megalithic architecture over a very large area extending from the Orkney Islands in the north to western France, southern Spain, Italy and Greece in the south and east. The last of the “Sea Peoples” invasions in the 12th century BCE became memorialised in contemporaneous Egyptian records from the Temple of Medinet Habu. The Legacy Despite their decadence and the loss of much of their civilisation and culture, Atlantean survivors were nevertheless able to preserve the principles of a specific type of sacred knowledge that still forms the basis of many esoteric and religious traditions throughout the world. Monuments as far away as the great Egyptian temples of the Pharaonic period, the mountain temples of Angkor in Cambodia and the Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe all testify to the survival of a Sacred Science of Atlantean origin through countless millennia. It is difficult to speak of fortuitous coincidences when, throughout the millennia and on entirely separate continents, one finds the same images and symbols used repeatedly to convey the same esoteric truths and designate the same abstractions. The technological know-how to build the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World may have derived from Atlantis, transmitted by the survivors of the lost continent before it met its end. Credit: newdawnmagazine.com Moreover, this vast body of knowledge appears complete and fully-formed since the earliest dynasties, knowing no period of development or evolution. It must have thus existed at some point as a preconceived plan, directed by powerful masterminds whose only purpose seems to have been the unadulterated transmission of knowledge through the ages that separate us from the fall of the last Atlantean Empire. Ultimately, this very long chain of transmission appears to be the continuation of the Neo-Atlantean project, which was left interrupted by the events of the end of the last Ice Age and the Atlantean diaspora. This project calls for no less than the resurrection of the lost world of the gods, which alone will bring forth a new Golden Age for Mankind. The author Marco M. Vigato has written a book that establishes the historical and geological reality of Atlantis and reveals its continuing influence worldwide. Readers can obtain The Empires of Atlantis: The Origins of Ancient Civilizations and Mystery Traditions throughout the Ages from all good bookstores. © Copyright New Dawn Magazine, www.newdawnmagazine.com. Permission granted to freely distribute this article for non-commercial purposes if unedited and copied in full, including this notice. If you appreciated this article, please consider a digital subscription to New Dawn. The post Atlantis Reconstructed: A Journey Through Its Legendary Empires appeared first on Anomalien.com.

As our Tim Graham observed back in 2020: "Washington Post scribe Robin Givhan is supposed to do fashion writing, but it's always smarter to see her as a political columnist who uses fashion as an inspiration." In her current column, the closest senior critic at-large Givhan comes to fashion is to condescendingly describe Mark Robinson's "well-fed physique draped in a so-so suit." But the thrust of her screed is purely political: mocking what she—five times—describes as the Christian "God people" who continue to support Robinson and Trump, despite the candidates' shortcomings.  The headline is "Mark Robinson’s campaign and faith without deeds, just vitriol." The subheadline adds: "Is this really what Jesus would do?" Givhan loves Kamala Harris, but she's a Washington Post Democrat, so she doesn't ask how backing Harris lines up with Christianity. In a bit of mind-blowing obliviousness and hypocrisy, Givhan—after sitting in merciless judgment of those "God people"—writes this [emphasis added]: "Faith is hard work. It’s not an easy path, and sometimes it can be risky, even deadly, because it requires letting down one’s guard. It demands vulnerability. It’s not a matter of attempting to horde blessings for one’s kith and kin, but trying to figure out how to share those blessings more broadly — with strangers, with antagonists, with those one might deem wholly undeserving. It’s not a matter of sitting in judgment of others’ weaknesses and flaws, but finding the capacity to extend grace when it’s the very last thing one is inclined to do." May your ears hear the words of your mouth, Robin. There's no grace for Trump fans: "A particular sect of the God people seem to believe that faith without deeds done in His name is just fine. They come for Trump’s roiling rhetoric and stick around for brutality….They revel in Trump’s malevolence and narcissism." Would Givhan dare write a similarly stinging column about the "Allah people?"  Rhetorical question.

Click to Skip Ahead What Is a Corneal Ulcer? Signs Causes Diagnosis Care Guide Frequently Asked Questions  Your cat just came on from outside, and he’s squinting his right eye. On closer inspection, the eye also looks a bit red and cloudy. A quick search online tells you it might be a corneal ulcer. Let’s look at this painful condition and what your vet will do. What Is a Corneal Ulcer? A corneal ulcer is also referred to as an erosion in the cornea. The cornea is a membrane that covers the surface of the eye. The cornea has three main layers: the epithelium, the stroma, and Descemet’s membrane. There are three main classifications of corneal ulcers: Superficial Deep Descemetocele Image Credit: mojahata, Shutterstock What Are the Signs of a Corneal Ulcer in Cats? Corneal ulcers tend to be quite painful. Think of a time when you got an eyelash on your eye. It’s painful, so you might see signs associated with pain: Blepharospasm or squinting Pawing at the face or rubbing the face on the ground or furniture They might also blink quickly or keep their eye closed The cornea may look cloudy because fluid accumulates in the stroma. You might also see an apparent defect in the cornea. The conjunctiva could become inflamed and red, so an increased tear drainage from the affected eye could appear. What Are the Causes of a Corneal Ulcer in Cats? Your cat can develop a corneal ulcer from a variety of causes. Trauma is the most likely cause. Cats might have traumatic injuries to the eye from: Scratches from a catfight Leaves or thorns when wandering outside Rubbing their face against the side of your chair or couch Caustic injuries can also lead to corneal ulcers. Chemicals like shampoos that get into cats’ eyes can irritate the cornea. Certain viral infections, such as feline herpesvirus, can contribute to the formation of corneal ulcers, and even bacterial infections are possible causes. Dry eye, or keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is associated with decreased tear production in your cat’s eyes. Without the protective tear film, your cat could develop keratitis or corneal ulcers, so teasing the dry eye is essential. Image Credit: Pogodina Natalia, Shutterstock Diagnosing a Corneal Ulcer in Your Cat Your veterinarian might be able to see a corneal ulcer with the naked eye if it is large or deep, but typically, your vet will need to perform a test called a fluorescein eye stain. A drop of a stain is placed on the eye. This stain adheres to the edge of an ulcer and glows bright yellowish green under a black light. This test helps visualize the size of the defect on the corneal surface. It allows your veterinarian to track how the ulcer is healing. A downside to this test is that if your veterinarian needs to measure your dog’s tear production or get a culture sample, those tests are typically done first. In fact, eye stain will invalidate a Schirmer tear test to measure tear production because you’re adding a liquid to the eye’s surface. How Do I Care for a Cat With a Corneal Ulcer? There are several ways that corneal ulcers are treated in pets, depending on how extensive the ulcer is. Antibiotics Your veterinarian will likely prescribe antibiotic drops or an ointment to be applied regularly to the eye to treat an infection if it is present or prevent an infection while the ulcer heals. Antibiotic drops such as tobramycin must be used every few hours because they don’t last long on the eye’s surface. (Blinking and normal tears will clear them.) Ointments will last longer but must be applied about every six hours. Do not use antibiotics with a steroid added to the mix (unless your veterinarian has a specific reason for using these). The steroid drops can make your cat’s corneal ulcer worse. Image Credit: Oleg Kovalevichh, Shutterstock Pain Relief Pain relief is essential when dealing with an ulcer. Ophthalmic atropine is useful and long-acting. In some circumstances, such as significant ocular inflammation or other trauma, your veterinarian may prescribe an oral anti-inflammatory medication. Examples include Onsior (robenacoxib) and Metacam (meloxicam). Other Treatment Your veterinarian might collect a small blood sample to create a serum for your cat’s eye. You’ll need to follow directions on how often to apply it and when in the regimen you’ll need to use it (before or after antibiotics, how frequently). Surgery Some corneal ulcers are so extensive that surgery is needed to repair the injury. Your veterinarian or ophthalmologist will likely need to perform a surgical repair with a descemetocele. As part of the procedure, the veterinarian will usually make a flap and suture some of the third eyelid over the defect. A keratectomy is another procedure that might be needed, especially if your cat’s corneal ulcer isn’t healing normally. During this procedure, dead corneal tissue is gently debrided from the eye. Other Notes on Treatment Your cat should wear an e-collar while being treated for a corneal ulcer. This device will help prevent your cat from rubbing its eye. Your veterinarian will likely suggest regular recheck appointments until your cat’s corneal ulcer is resolved. These appointments are essential because a non-healing ulcer needs more intensive management and may require surgery. Image Credit: elwynn, Shutterstock   Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) How long does it take for a corneal ulcer to heal in cats? Simple or superficial corneal ulcers usually only take several days to heal, roughly three to five. More complex ulcers may need surgical correction and could take several weeks to heal. What antibiotics are used to treat corneal ulcers in cats? Commonly used ophthalmic antibiotics in cats include: Bacitracin-Neomycin-Polymyxin Terramycin Tobramycin Some cats are sensitive to certain antibiotics, so you’ll want to monitor them closely. Contact your veterinarian if your cat’s eye is worsening or not improving. Conclusion Corneal ulcers generally need a helping hand to heal. These ocular injuries can infect quickly, so ophthalmic antibiotics are often needed. Surgery may also be required, so take your cat to the vet at the first sign of squinting. Also see: Why Is My Cat’s Third Eyelid Showing? Vet-Verified Facts & FAQ How Do Cat Eyes Work? Vet-Reviewed Facts & FAQ Sources https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/corneal-ulcers-in-cats https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/corneal-ulcers https://www.greensboro.carolinavet.com/site/greensboro-specialty-veterinary-blog/2020/09/25/antibiotics-for-treatment-of-cat-eye-infections https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/eyes/c_ct_corneal_ulcers   Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock The post Corneal Ulcer in Cats: Our Vet Discusses Signs, Causes & Treatment Options appeared first on PangoVet.

Click to Skip Ahead What Are Canine Allergies? Signs Causes Diagnosis Care Guide Frequently Asked Questions  Allergies in dogs are one of the hottest topics in veterinary medicine today. Part of this is because those of us veterinarians who work in small animal clinical medicine see suspected and/or confirmed allergy dogs every single day in practice. The other reason dog allergies are such a hot topic is due to the large marketing push by pet food and pet brand companies focusing on allergies. The pet product industry is huge, and many companies sought to grab a piece of the pie by employing smart, though not necessarily truthful or scientifically based, claims about allergies. In this article we’ll barely scratch the surface of what allergies are in dogs, what it can look like, and how you may be able to successfully (and unsuccessfully) treat them. What Are Canine Allergies? Allergies in dogs have some common ground to allergies in humans. Allergens are any substance that will stimulate reactions from the immune system after they are inhaled, absorbed and/or ingested. These immune system reactions include the release of histamine and other substances that cause inflammation, swelling, and itching. The differences between humans and dogs are numerous though. Dogs’ bodies react differently to allergens in addition to reacting to different substances than people. Treatment may vary greatly from humans as well. I touch on this because it’s important to keep in mind that many companies have marketed their products based on the anthropomorphism of human allergies to dog allergies. The two are not the same, and when you are seeking information and relief for your dog’s allergies, please be aware that a lot of what you read on the internet and see in the stores have absolutely no scientific background to prove effectiveness. Image Credit: Christian Mueller, Shutterstock What Are the Signs of Allergies in the Dog? By far and away the most common sign of allergies in dogs is itching (pruritus). You may notice your dog “grooming” themselves by licking their feet, legs, groin, and belly. However, dogs do not groom themselves; that is a cat behavior. If you are noticing your dog licking itself, biting at their skin/fur, and/or rubbing their face and neck, it’s likely because they are itchy. I’ve often heard owners refer to their dog as “trimming their own nails”, because they bite at the toes, nails, and paws. Owners mistakenly think their dog is doing this because their nails are long, when in reality it’s from excessive paw pruritus. Other signs of allergies may be the onset of ear infections. Some dogs will get ear infections from excessive moisture in the ears after swimming/bathing/grooming, or from their housemate licking out their ears. Other dogs will seemingly get ear infections out of nowhere, often which become chronic or persistent. Ear infections can often be a sign that your dog is actually suffering from underlying allergies, and the allergies and inflammation associated with it are the catalysts to the ear infections. Licking, scratching, and itching can then lead to further wounds on the skin. Your dog may also start to develop skin infections (pyoderma) as well. Severely affected dogs will lose their hair, develop sores and/or wounds at the site(s) of self-trauma, in addition to having an odor to their skin. Chronically affected dogs will develop thickening of their skin, brown discoloration to the fur, and hyperpigmented and/or dark colored skin from chronic inflammation. Unbeknownst to a lot of people, airway signs of allergies are not that common in dogs. While people will develop watery eyes, runny noses, and itchy airways, not many dogs will develop those same signs. Some dogs will get watery eyes and nose, or even allergic bronchitis (inflammation of the airways), but this is not as common as itching of the skin and ears. Image Credit: Sasa Dzambic Photography, Shutterstock What Are the Causes of Canine Allergies? Here is where we get into the meat and potatoes of it all, and where the pet food companies have gotten it wrong. The most common causes of allergies in dogs are environmental allergies and fleas. In other words: grass, pollen, weeds, dust, insects, etc., not food. Think about how many species of plants and possible environmental irritants are out there, not only specific to your yard, but specific to the area of the country you live in. There is absolutely no way to predict what your dog will encounter and/or react to on a daily basis, especially if you take your dog hiking or travel with them frequently. Fleas are also an extremely common source of allergies. Spare your veterinarian the rhetoric that your dog cannot get fleas because they only go outside to use the bathroom. They can get flea-infested that way and at minimum get bit. Dogs will actually react to the flea saliva, becoming severely itchy from only a few bites. And finally, food allergies are possible, though not as common as commercials make people think. Many people think because almost everyone they know has at least one type of food allergy today, that this is what is causing the reactions in their dogs. In reality, food allergies are infrequent as a single cause of canine allergies, though can be more common in dogs also suffering from environmental and/or flea allergies. If your dog does have food allergies, it’s not typically the grains or corn causing the reaction. It’s actually more commonly the protein source. In other words, that high-quality, organic, free-range chicken dog food that you feed your dog may actually be the culprit. Beef, dairy, and chicken top the list of most common food allergies seen in dogs. Image Credit: Veronika Gaudet, Shutterstock Diagnosing Allergies in Your Dog Diagnosing allergies in dogs can be an extremely frustrating process, both for pet owners and veterinarians alike. This is because allergy testing cannot definitely diagnose the condition, but rather identify the allergens that are likely affecting your dog. Let’s start with what everyone believes is the culprit, which is food. Allergy testing has not been found to be reliable for food allergies. There are of course food items that are included in the testing, but the most reliable is what is called an exclusion diet. This is a tedious process that the dog owner has to complete at home by excluding all but one type of protein or a hydrolyzed protein in their dog’s diet. The exclusion is completed for at minimum 3 months prior to any foods being re-introduced. This includes all types of treats and table scraps. Only after food is reintroduced and your dog starts to show signs of allergies again can we confirm the guilty foods. Other types of allergy testing are skin and blood tests. The blood test can be completed at your regular veterinarian and then sent to a lab that tests for multiple different types of environmental and food allergens. Skin testing has to be completed by a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist and is often completed under heavy sedation and/or anesthesia. Most dermatologists prefer skin testing to blood testing, though this will be more expensive. In addition, access to a dermatologist in some areas of the country is not possible, making blood testing the only available option. How Do I Care for a Dog With Allergies? It’s important to know that most allergies are going to be a lifelong battle for your dog. Many dogs will only have seasonal allergies, depending on what is blooming and/or in the environment for those few months. However, many dogs will have allergies all year long. Image Credit: Creative Cat Studio, Shutterstock Anti-Histamines Anti-histamines can be tried based on your veterinarian’s dosing recommendations, but they are frequently not effective. Steroids, the mainstay of allergies for decades, are great for acute and short-term allergic reactions. However, there are many potential side effects, not all great, with high dose and chronic steroid use. These should be cautiously used long-term in a dog of any age, or in animals with underlying health issues or arthritis. Immunotherapies If you complete skin or blood testing on your dog, you may have the option for specific immunotherapies to be given. These are either oral or injectable mixtures of allergens based on your dogs’ test results, that are given in the hope that your dog will develop increased tolerance. This can only be completed with specific allergy test results. Prescriptions There are two products widely used on the market for dogs suffering from either seasonal allergies, or for owners unable to pursue allergy testing. These are Apoquel and Cytopoint. Both are prescription only and need to be obtained at your regular veterinarian. Allergy testing does not need to be completed but there are pros and cons of each one, which should be discussed on a case-by-case basis with your dogs’ specific doctor. Special Diets As mentioned, while food allergies are not common, many dogs will be placed on a novel protein, hydrolyzed protein or hypoallergenic prescription diet if they are suffering from any type of allergy. Anything to reduce inflammation and an immune response in the body can be helpful. Prescription Flea Preventative And finally, regular prescription flea preventative year-round is recommended in any allergic dog. Flea allergies are a huge problem and easily be remedied with the administration of monthly prevention. It is much cheaper than dealing with a flea infestation problem and/or severe flea allergy dermatitis. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Can My Dog’s Allergies Be Cured? The short answer is no. Flea and food allergies can be controlled by getting your dog on flea prevention and excluding exposure to certain foods they are allergic to. But environmental allergies and complete lack of exposure to things such as pollen and dust can never happen. You may be able to increase your dog’s tolerance to such allergens, but a cure is never possible. Image Credit: AnnaStills, Shutterstock Why Are Allergy Medications So Expensive? Unfortunately, the effective treatments we have for canine allergies are few and far between. To date, there are no generic versions of Apoquel or Cytopoint, and both have to be prescribed by and given by a veterinarian. As we all know with human drug companies, once an effective medication is on the market, the developing company now has a niche. It then takes years of development and testing for a new product to come on the market, causing competition and decreased prices across the board. Please be aware that your veterinarian does not control these prices and we do everything in our power to keep them affordable so we can keep your dog comfortable. What About Vitamins and Wipes Over-the-Counter? These products do absolutely nothing to combat the allergen, or help with any portion of the immune-response that causes the itching. While fatty acids can be helpful, these should be given in conjunction with a balanced treatment plan. Vitamins and many OTC products are simply a marketing scam and a waste of money. Conclusion Allergies in dogs is a complex process. Allergies can be difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat. Many people assume that if their dog has any type of allergy signs, it must be the food. In reality, environmental and flea allergies are much more common. Anti-histamines are frequently ineffective, leaving few treatment options available. Blood and skin testing are always recommended, though access to a veterinary dermatologist who provides the skin testing may be difficult in some areas. Always speak with your veterinarian about their recommendations and don’t believe all of the marketing schemes put in front of you. By the time you waste money on multiple products that are ineffective, you may have been able to get your dog comfort with a prescription that works. Allergies cannot be cured, but we at least have a few prescription options out there to provide your dog relief. Sources Allergies in Dogs – Dog Owners – Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) Allergies in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospitals (vcahospitals.com) Allergies In Pets FINAL.pdf (ucdavis.edu) Pet Health Tips – College of Veterinary Medicine – Purdue University Food Allergies in Dogs – Veterinary Skin and Dear Asthma and Bronchitis – Ethos Vet Hyperpigmentation – Merck Vet Manual Pyoderma in Dogs – Merck Vet Manual Itching Pruritus in Dogs – Merck Vet Manual   Featured Image Credit: Iryna Imago, Shutterstock The post Allergies In Dogs: Our Vet Discusses Signs, Causes & Care appeared first on PangoVet.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) doesn’t fit the media mold for the typical chairman of the House’s conservative Freedom Caucus. He was born in New York to parents who had immigrated just a few years before. He went to high school in Manhattan, became a doctor, and today serves as deep-blue Maryland’s only Republican congressman. If that’s not enough, Harris is an appropriator — and not just rank and file, but a “cardinal,” or chairman, of one of appropriations' 12 subcommittees. 'The beauty is that we could reopen the government Jan. 3, when we take over. So it would basically be three days nobody's working.' He was elected chairman at a perilous time for the caucus, which turns 10 in January. His predecessor, Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, lost a bitterly close summer primary after he was targeted by ranking members of the Trump campaign. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid to attach six months of government funding to the election-protecting SAVE Act just exploded on the launch pad. And Republicans are staring down the barrel of a massive Christmas omnibus that that threatens to tie the next administration’s hands for most of 2025. Harris sat down Tuesday morning with the Beltway Brief to explain why the speaker’s CR fight was the right thing to do and why a December shutdown might be worthwhile, discuss consequences for leadership members if they side with the Democrats, and give us a peek at what it’s like to come to work with a delegation that wants to imprison more Republicans. This interview has been edited slightly for length and clarity. Beltway Brief: You come in at an interesting time in Congress. Something seems to be changing every day, but as it stands right now, there’s no SAVE Act going through (at least not attached to spending), no clean six-month CR; there doesn’t seem to be any promise not to have an omnibus from leadership, and it appears the three-month CR might be passing under suspension with Democratic votes. You’re in charge of the Freedom Caucus now — or at least trying to chair it as much as anyone can. What are some of the next moves for a Congress that is divided and even a Freedom Caucus that itself voted in different directions in the last fight? Rep. Andy Harris: Obviously what we have till the end of the year is we’re going to have a big spending battle, and we’ve got to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. The bottom line is we should have passed that six-month CR with SAVE. SAVE is incredibly important to the integrity of the election. The speaker is absolutely right about that. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get enough Republican votes to pass it, so we’re going to do what we’ve done in the past — punt this into December. The difference is that the speaker has indicated he will not back an omnibus. I managed to help get this to December 20 instead of earlier in the month because I believe that a shutdown in December shouldn’t be off the table. You know, it’s not going to affect an election 23 months later. It’s going to send a message to the Democrats that we’re serious about cutting spending, and if you’re not serious about it with us, if we win the House and the Senate and the presidency, we’ll just kick this into the next year and take care of it. Then I think that’s the best way to proceed. BB: Do you think you can get your colleagues behind a shutdown fight right before Christmas? Social Security checks, all the drama they’re going to try to drop on you from the media? AH: Well, the beauty is that we could reopen the government Jan. 3, when we take over. So it would basically be three days nobody’s working. Jan. 1 falls on a Wednesday. I bet you most federal employees are taking Thursday and Friday as vacation days. So basically, nothing’s going to happen in the government for three days, and then when we come back on the 3rd, God willing, we hold the majorities. Different deal. New sheriff in town. Let’s get a handle on spending. ‘The conversation in Washington for about a month around the time of the last indictments and trials was almost entirely, “Oh, he's a felon. He’s a convict. He’s this and this.” That’s totally gone.' BB: Now, you’re an appropriator. I think one of four in the Freedom Caucus — the most senior of them. And you’ve got a three-month trial period as chairman of the caucus. But this is a new tactic for the Freedom Caucus to go with. Conservatives have sometimes been criticized by people on appropriations, saying, “You guys talk a big game, but you don't even know how to do this.” What is the future, then, for some of the tactical changes that you’re going to try to make in this rather difficult time? AH: Historically, I think there's been only one other time in the past 40 years that we’ve gone from ... Democrat control of at least two of the three, the Senate and the president, to complete control by Republicans. To me, that’s a completely different scenario. I tell people every CR is not the same. When you have a CR that potentially could go into a new administration where you hold all the levers of power, that’s very different from a CR where you’re just going to be negotiating, as I say, an omnibus bill just before Christmas. You know, lard it up with $100 billion in extra Senate spending. That doesn’t even count the emergency spending, the supplemental spending that the Senate wants to do. This is going to be a huge battle in December, and I hope the speaker is up for it. I hope that he is true to his word. We're not going to deal with an omnibus bill larded up with all kinds of goodies for Christmas, and [we'll] be willing to say, “Look, if you're not going to do the work for the American people of controlling the spending, we’ll see you on Jan. 3.” BB: And you're no stranger to fights with Republicans over politics. You entered the Maryland Senate primarying a sitting incumbent. Your first shot at the House of Representatives was the same. Right now, you’ve got the Congress seemingly split into so many different groups. You’ve got the 12-billers who don’t want to vote for any CR, the folks who are still mad at basically any speakership, and those who don’t want to do anything that’s going to upset the Pentagon. What’s the sort of path to bringing those sorts of people together, not only for people like yourself or the Freedom Caucus but for Republican leadership and the role they might play in that? AH: I’m going to deal with just one of those groups you talked about: the defense folks. I mean, the bottom line is they’re always against continuing resolutions because in the past, continuing resolutions have always merely continued the defense spending from the last year again into the CR period. There is no reason you can't write a continuing resolution that has all the stops and starts the Department of Defense needs. There's no reason you couldn’t do it. We could pass it in such a way that the defense appropriators would be quite happy with it. But again, the powers in Washington want defense spending coupled with non-defense spending. So when we negotiate up defense spending, there's a big plus-up in non-defense spending. As far as I’m concerned, we broke that parity several years ago, and that parity was here since I’ve been in Washington. We broke that parity. Now it’s time to take the next step, which is say, let’s break defense away from the rest of the continuing resolutions. Let’s treat it separately because, honestly, in this day and age with Russia and China able to turn on a dime in terms of new defense strategies and programs, we need to make sure that we can do that. But we can do it. We just have to stop doing things the way we’ve always done them, and there's no reason not to. I’ve proposed this now for several months, and everybody nods, “Well, that’s pretty good idea," you know? But then they say, “We can’t do it because we’ve never done it.” Well, that's not a reason any more. We’ve never had a $35 trillion federal debt. We’ve had $2 trillion-plus deficits for several years in a row. It’s about time to try something new. BB: I know everything changes if there’s a Republican majority coming in the Senate, the House, and then the White House. But what changes for the speaker if he ends up passing an omnibus under suspension with more Democrats than Republicans? AH: He’s in trouble if he passes an omnibus with suspension. Because ... he told us Tuesday morning he is not going to agree to an omnibus in December. ... So I think we should hold them to that. BB: I'll switch track briefly to some Maryland moments here because you represent the Eastern Shore. You’re from Cambridge, or at least live in Cambridge. So you a hunter or fisherman? AH: Fish. BB: Old Bay or vinegar on your crabs? AH: Old Bay. If the Democrats take control, Jamie Raskin will be in charge of stuff, and we’ve heard what he says. BB: When are Republicans going to win the Maryland panhandle? AH: I hope this year! I mean, the bottom line is ... because of our court case, the Democrats drew that to be a toss-up district. With Rep. David Trone (D) the incumbent, it was almost impossible to win because he could throw tens of millions of dollars at it — and he did. But now that he’s not there, it’s an open seat. This is Neil Parrott’s third run, he is widely known in the district, the polls show an absolute toss-up. It’s all going to depend on who turns out their votes. BB: We could liberate Deep Creek. AH: We absolutely could! And I could stop being the only Republican in the entire Maryland delegation. BB: As the only Republican in the Maryland delegation, do you think it's going to be awkward in Rep. Jamie Raskin’s prison camp in January, or how is that going to work out? AH: Haha! Just fine! Look, you bring up a good point. I’m worried. I mean, if the Democrats take control, Jamie Raskin will be in charge of stuff, and we’ve heard what he says. The Democrats want to lock up their opponents. That’s the bottom line. They tried it with the president, and it was so, so much fun to watch, you know? Every time they’d indict him or accuse him of something else, his poll numbers went up. It’s incredible. It’s interesting. If you listen to what's gone on the past month and a half, they stopped talking about it! Because they know every time they’ve talked about it, the independents, the hardworking men and women of America, look at that and go, “That’s unfair. We know there’s a two-tier system. There’s a system for the wealthy and a system for us, and they're treating President Trump like they treat us.” And they don't like it, so they’ve stopped talking about it. It is fascinating to have watched. The conversation in Washington for about a month around the time of the last indictments and trials was almost entirely, “Oh, he's a felon. He's a convict. He's this and this.” That’s totally gone. I think Kamala made one mention of it in the debate, briefly, and that's it. That wasn't the point she was pounding home. Because every time she pounds it, her numbers would go down and the former president’s numbers would go up. BB: You can see the T-shirts for sale on the Ocean City Boardwalk. That’s when you know you're starting to actually change the culture. AH: Oh, I know it. When I go into town on the Eastern Shore, I see an “I'm Voting for the Felon” shirt or hat almost everywhere I go. Sign up for Bedford’s newsletter Sign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford's newsletter.