product alert!

By way of follow up to my last post, I thought I'd share with you a couple ways that we are dealing with some of th,e seasonal issues like allergies and dog hair...

First of all, in spite of the fact that all the kids were taking allergy meds of some kind (the younger two are on Singulair for allergies with asthma related issues, and the olders on Zyrtec or Benadryl, both over the counter) their itchy eyes were driving them absolutely bonkers.  We had an appointment with our family doc on Monday to see what else I could do to get them some relief.  The doctor recommended some drops specifically for eye-allergy symptoms.  She said it used to be prescription, and that it's really good, and now available OTC.  It's called Zaditor, which I found at Target, but also found there was a generic brand (much cheaper of course, and the exact same ingredients) so I went with that.  It's an as-needed drop, so as of yet we haven't needed it, so I can't really vouch for the effectiveness yet. 

However, while I was there I also saw that Similasin (a homeopathic brand who's drops I've used as a pink eye remedy), also has an allergy relief drop. 

Homeopathic will usually tend to be my first try, and if it works, great, and if not I have no opposition to medication.  In this case, one of the kids was having itchy eye this week and I gave this one a shot...and sure enough, it gave him relief!  So, I think the Similasin will be my first go-to, and we'll save the medication one for a more serious case.  (The Zaditor drops can only be given 1 drop every 8-12 hours). In any case, I'm still very happy to have found something to send along with Bryce to have on hand for while he is camping next week.  I guess I just never realized that there was allergy relief stuff out there specifically for eyes!

Also, I found this little gem today and am amazed at how well it works.

I was a bit skeptical (as I am of anything with the 'ol "AS SEEN ON TV!" plastered across the package, but I was getting desperate for something that would help with Maggie's shedding problem.  I got it home and tried it out, and sure enough, this thing is the real deal.  It's akin to a super-fine toothed comb, and it really gets down in the dogs coat and pulls out anything loose.  I seriously can't express to you how much hair was removed from this beast today.  I did it for quite a while, and then a friend who was here wanted to give it a try, and she did it for a while too.  The dog loved it and we both agreed that it's actually therapeutic!  Seeing all that hair blowing off in the wind (knowing it wouldn't be blowing around my hardwood) was just thrilling.  After that I went over her again with the undercoat rake and shedding blade.  She looks 10 pounds lighter...if only brushing my hair did that for me!!!