Problem: Article: Steroids are anti-inflammatory. By decreasing inflammation, steroids help a dog with CAD feel less itchy. However, steroids have serious long-term side effects, including increased drinking and urinating, liver enlargement, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. Because CAD requires lifelong therapy, you and your vet will need to discuss the safest way to use steroids to treat your Golden Retriever's CAD. Even though steroids rapidly reduce itching and inflammation, your vet's goal may be to limit or even eliminate the use of steroids for your Golden Retriever. Prednisone is a type of steroid used to treat CAD. Steroids can be given as short-term relief for flare-ups (temporary episodes of itchiness). They can also be given for the duration of an allergy season, as long as the season is short (a few months or less). As a third option, steroids can be given as long term, low-dose therapy. Your vet will determine which type of steroid therapy your Golden Retriever will need. If your Golden Retriever needs long term steroid therapy, your vet may prescribe a low dosage to be given every other day. Your vet would start with an initial dosage, then gradually decrease that dosage as your Golden Retriever's symptoms improve. Do not make changes to the steroid dosage on your own. This could make treatment more challenging. If your Golden Retriever is on long term steroid therapy, monitoring for side effects is very important. In addition to observing your dog at home, your vet will want to see your dog regularly to analyze blood and urine samples. For example, because steroids can cause liver enlargement, your vet will want to look for increased levels of liver enzymes in your dog's blood. If you notice any side effects (e.g., drinking and urinating more often, diarrhea, increased panting) at home, contact your vet right away. You do not have to wait until your regularly scheduled appointment to have your Golden Retriever examined. In addition to steroids, your vet may prescribe other medications, such as antihistamines, with the goal of limiting or eliminating steroid use. Follow prescription instructions for these other medications. Your vet will determine if the other medications are working well enough to start phasing out the steroids from the treatment plan.
Summary: Discuss steroid treatment with your vet. Follow treatment instructions. Monitor your Golden Retriever for side effects. Use other skin allergy therapies with steroids.

Problem: Article: You can use a jar, ziplock bag, or any sealed container. If you develop symptoms within two weeks of the bite, take the jar with you to the doctor. The doctor can send the tick out for testing. If you want to save a tick for testing, do not squash it, burn it, or put it in alcohol. Simply put it in the container, and leave it until you are ready to test it. Medical testing can be expensive. Even if the tick carries a disease, it does not mean that you have been infected. Attach the tick onto a piece of paper with a sturdy piece of transparent tape, like packing tape. This will keep it contained until you can identify what type of tick it is. Different species are likely to carry certain diseases. If you become sick, this information can help your doctor make a diagnosis. You can bring it to the doctor or you can look up different species of ticks online to identify it yourself. Black-legged ticks are more likely to carry Lyme disease while lone star ticks and dog ticks can give you Rocky Mountain spotted fever. If you do not want to save the tick, kill it with alcohol. Fill a cup or bowl with rubbing alcohol, and dunk the tick inside. Leave it for several minutes. This will likely kill the tick. Just to be safe, you should avoid throwing out a tick in the trash. Instead, wrap it in a piece of toilet paper, and flush it down the toilet. This will ensure that the tick is safely out of your home. Next time you go outside, try to prevent ticks from latching onto you. There are many things you can do to reduce your chance of a tick bite. Apply an insect repellent containing DEET. If you have children, spray the repellent on for them. Use permethrin on all of your clothing and gear. This is usually available at outdoor stores. Check everyone for ticks after coming inside. Pay special attention to their arms, knees, waist, belly button, ears, and hair. Remember to check pets as well! After coming inside, put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for an hour to kill any ticks that might be hiding in your clothing. Light-colored clothing will let you see ticks more easily. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and boots if possible. Tuck these into one another.
Summary: Put the tick in a secure container if you want to test it for disease. Tape the tick if you want to identify its species. Drown the tick in alcohol to kill it. Flush the tick down the toilet to get rid of it permanently. Use caution when you go outside to avoid ticks.

Problem: Article: You will need to plant plumeria seeds or cuttings to grow your own plumeria. Unfortunately, these are not very commercially available. It can be a challenge to find them, so your best bet is to obtain them from someone who already has a plumeria. Perhaps a neighbor or relative already has a plumeria and would be willing to share these with you. The seeds and cuttings can be harvested in the spring or fall to allow for the propagation of the plant. Seeds and cuttings can also be found online on websites like Amazon, although there are some concerns about the quality of these, since plumeria seeds and cuttings lose viability within a few months. This involves placing the seeds in a wet paper towel for one full day. They will absorb the moisture and look slightly swollen, indicating that they are ready to grow. This will help them to take root more quickly. Make sure they are in a warm environment while germinating. To plant plumeria seeds or cuttings, fill the container with soil and insert the seeds about .2 inches (about 5mm) into the soil or the cuttings about 2 inches (about 5cm) into the soil. Pack soil firmly around the seeds or cuttings to hold them securely in place. If planting seeds, make sure the swollen end is at the bottom and that part of the seed wing sticks out of the soil. Only plant one seed or cutting per pot. You can plant them originally in a smaller pot (about 500 mL or 16.9 fluid ounces) and then transplant them into a larger pot (2.5 gal or 9.5 liters) after the seed begins to grow in about a week to a month. The smaller pots are known as cultivation pots and can be helpful for a plant that is just beginning to grow. When you first plant your plumeria cutting, do not water it immediately. New plumerias are very delicate and their root systems will grow with minimal water. Simply make sure it has enough light and heat for about 3 weeks and then begin to gradually add water. Start by adding a half cup of water to the plant each week. Water any pre-started plants thoroughly; there is no need to wait. In about a month or two, the plant will begin to grow leaves. This means you can regularly water it each week. When leaves are about 5 inches long, it means the plumeria is rooted and you can water it thoroughly. Once the seedling is at least 3 inches tall, you can transplant it into a larger pot. Simply remove the seedling with its soil and place it in a larger container filled with potting soil, at least a gallon in size. Simply cover the roots with soil and pack it firmly in its new pot. Opt for a plastic pot or black nursery container if possible.
Summary:
Obtain seeds or cuttings. Germinate the seeds. Plant the seeds or cuttings. Wait to water any cuttings. Transplant the seedlings.