The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

Part #3 – Final Update (For Now) On The Saga Of Alyssum
And Our Battle With “Suspected” Feline Rhinotracheitis

I’ve been behind in posting this update on Alyssum’s battle with what we think might be feline rhinotracheitis. This herpes virus is one stinkin’ bugger to definitively diagnose which makes it frustrating for vets and pet owners. Without having certain diagnostic tests done to your cat, you can’t really nail it on the head as to whether it really is or isn’t rhinotracheitis. Or what may be the cause for persistent convunctivitis.

But the vet still isn’t convinced that perhaps the bacterial infection from the abcessed tooth and maybe allergies on top of everything else added to all her problems. He still thinks that though she probably is dealing with chronic nasal problems, that maybe her eye problem is also aggravated due to allergies. What a hodge-podge of troubles, eh?

The current situation on her health issues are: she is breathing better – less nasal congestion – and her left eye is looking much better than before. So this is good! The vet gave her a second antibiotic shot just to “be safe”. To which I whole heartedly agreed. I don’t know if that shot helped clear things up more or if the homeopathic remedies and L-lysine I am giving her daily are more responsible for her appearing to be on the mend. But I remain optimistic that all of this C#%# will clear up and GO AWAY for good real soon!

However Alyssum’s convunctivitis seems to get better and then it gets a little worse (we’re on a roller coaster of symptom intensity right now). Sometimes her eye is almost 100% open, sometimes it’s a bit squinted, and sometimes (like the photo here) it’s almost shut. And every now and then her eyelids are more inflammed and pink, but most of the time they are back to looking normal. I now administer the eye drops “as needed”.

There are some major tests that can perhaps nail recurrent convunctivitis on the head. But, please don’t think I’m a negligent pet owner by not having those “major” tests done … even my vet doesn’t want to put Alyssum through them. (The tests for recurrent convunctivitis are aerobic bacterial and chlamydial cultures, viral isolation, immunofluorescent antibody techniques, serology and cytology.)

Alyssum had a quick follow-up visit with Dr. Jones on Friday, and I gave him two papers I found online (links below) about recurrent conjunctivitis. He said he’d talk to a colleague/friend of his that is a DACVO this coming week and try to get more insight on this whole issue. I also questioned if another type of eye drop might really help clear things up. We’ll see what this other vet has to say.

Dr. Jones also said we’ll try a shot of Benadryl if her congestion gets worse again. To see if maybe that will alleviate things for her (I can’t pill her with the Musilex tabs because she goes beserk – to her the taste is really really bad).

So, this is where we are right now. But thank goodness Alyssum is eating well, and back to her playful self. She and Seianna (the new cat) are getting along better each day, too.

I count our blessings. I’ll take the small victories in her health right now. Slow but sure improvement is fine with me.

If you are dealing with recurrent feline conjunctivitis, you might want to read these two papers I found that are written by Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Opthamologists: Feline Infectious Conjunctivitis – Mary B. Glaze, DVM, MS, DACVO and Feline Conjunctivitis: Trouble Shooting the Chronic Persistent Cases – Michele E. Stengard, DVM, DACVO.

How to Seal & Protect Painted Colors
On A Concrete or Resin Bird Bath

I received an email yesterday from Jan asking me:

I have a couple of questions.

1. I want to seal a resin decorative bird bath & protect the colors from the sun exposure. I need a sealer that is safe and non toxic for birds and would prefer a spray. Do you have any recommendations that come to mind?

2. I have several outdoor decorative pieces, such as and old reel mower, wood chair with birdhouse, old wooden wagon, etc, and I want to protect the wood from exposure to the outdoors. What is a good sealer for wood & metal? I agree with one of your previous answers about sealing things and that Thompson’s is not a very good sealer.

Thank you, Jan

My reply:

Hi Jan:
Thank you for contacting me and I hope I can help steer you towards the right products.

Whether the bird bath (or any other garden art or outdoor item) is made from resin or concrete; and whether the colors are inherent in the resin, or painted onto the surface of the resin or concrete, my recommendations for a product remain the same.

#1) To be honest, I don’t *think* (notice I say “think” – I’m NOT 100% sure) the toxicity level of a clear coat sealant such as Krylon spray clear coat paint is going to be toxic enough to kill any birds that stop by to bathe or take a drink in your bird bath.

I mean … if your experience is like mine with my bird bath, the water in the basin is normally almost completely splashed out by mid-afternoon or early evening. Plus it’s almost always kind of yucky with a few bird droppings, and other little pieces of vegetation, thusly I’ve got to swish it out and completely refresh the water on a daily basis (or sometimes even twice a day in hot weather). So it’s not like the water is in contact for a terribly long period, soaking up toxic ingredients from the sealer.

So, how much toxic build-up could there be? I’ve no clue, but I really don’t think I’d be jeopardizing the health of my feathered friends by using Krylon, or a polyurethane or clear acrylic brush-on product. Weed killers used on lawns are probably WAAAAAAY more toxic to our little bird friends.

On a side note … I lost a whole brood of newly hatched baby Bluebirds a few years back. I found their poor tiny dead bodies scattered on my lawn in different spots, but all rather close to the bird house. I couldn’t understand why (no blow flies in the nest, etc.) and then the went on … a neighbor a few doors up from my house had sprayed his yard and whatever he used, man! We could smell it all the way to our house.

Momma and Daddy Bluebird had been very busy all morning and afternoon bringing little grubs and bugs back to feed the babies. And I will bet the babies were fed bugs from the neighbor’s lawn. I am convinced the chemical that neighbor used was deadly to those babies. Just my own “motherly” hunch. However I digress here … back to sealants and toxicity.

I have read that DecoArt Patio Paints makes a non-toxic brush-on clear coat that does work for sealing items to be used outdoors. I will *assume* (again I’m not 100% sure) that it can hold up to exposure to water 24/7, as will happen in a birdbath basin. This product will however be more expensive to use versus a product like Krylon.

But of course it’s your call! And if you can educate me otherwise as to the toxicity level in Krylon or a polyurethane clear coat as it concerns birdbaths, please do tell me.

#2) As far as what is a good sealant for wood or metal – I’d go and ask the sales reps in the paint department at your local paint store or big-box store. (Though I do understand “sometimes” the sales reps do NOT have a clue about any of the products that are in their department … been there and experienced that personally too often! Maybe ask a couple different people at the paint counter just to be safe!  )

However, I know Krylon spray will do a good job on metal. As far as wooden items – I’ve never personally sealed any wooden outdoor furniture, so can’t recommend a product that worked really well for me, but I do know you want to buy a product that is considered a “water sealant”. And yes, do not use the Thompson’s product!

But whether your item is metal or wood, make sure to clean/wash off any dirt or grime, and then lightly sand it before you apply your clear coats. I’d apply at least 2, if not 3 good coats, allowing each coat to dry well before you apply the next one.

As far as the bird bath is concerned, make sure to let your clear coats dry really well (a day or two at least – depends upon temperature and humidity level) before you add water to the basin.

Best of luck with all your projects and do not hesitate to contact me again if the need arises.

~~~

Hey everyone – did you know I have a FREE newsletter for garden art enthusiasts?? If you’d like to get garden art projects, tips and special announcements delivered into your inbox every month … please sign up now!

How About A Copper Trellis For Your Garden?

Need a nifty idea on how to make an attractive looking trellis for your tomato or viney-type plants? Use copper tubing that you can find at any “big box” store or plumbing supply store.

The neat thing about copper is that if you don’t coat it with a clear sealant, it’ll get a wonderful greenish patina over time. It’ll blend in beautifully with your garden, whether you have a traditional type or contemporary type of setting.

There are many different configurations that are possible for a trellis – you just need to familiarize yourself with what parts are available, such as the different angles, elbows or T-joints that will allow you join the tubing together. Then you can get down to designing your own configuration, if you don’t want to follow the trellis design I’m showing you here.

The fact that you can buy curved and angled pipe fittings opens up all sorts of options for your trellis design. It doesn’t have to be totally square or rectangular in shape. You’ll have to sit down with pencil and paper and sketch it out, and of course drawing in the exact angle of whatever pieces you’ll be using to make sure your “on paper” trellis will go together properly.

After you’ve finalized your design and cut the pipes into the lengths you’ll need, I HIGHLY suggest to first do a dry run – lay out all the pieces and fittings as per your sketch. Make sure everything will fit together correctly before you begin to solder or glue!

Now, typically copper tubing needs to be soldered so that everything stays attached together, so this project isn’t one that most all of us could tackle. I sure don’t have a butane torch in my tool kit! But perhaps you have a “handy” spouse or helpful neighbor who’ll solder everything together for you. Lucky for you if you do. BUT … BUT!! …

Don’t Have A Torch Or Know How To Solder The Pieces Together? No Problem – I Found A Glue For Copper!

There’s an easy alternative for us torch-less folks!   The alternative is an epoxy glue that is specially formulated for copper and it’s made by the Super Glue people. Here’s a link to their website so you can read about it and so you’ll know what to ask for when you go to the store: Copper-Bond® (Yes I’ve been doing research for you garden art enthusiasts – I’m always interested in learning how we can do our projects as easily, but also as successfully, as possible!!)

There probably are a few other glue products that will also work on metal-to-metal appllications. So if you can’t find Copper-Bond® perhaps asking the sales associates in the paint department (where you will find most all the adhesives and glues at the big-box stores), or maybe the people in the plumbing dept. for glue alternatives they’ll point you to other products.

This project in it’s entirety is sitting on the Reader’s Digest website (links provided below). Since this trellis project really does a good job taking you through all the steps, I feel confident it will do a great job of getting you familiar with just how a project like this needs to be done – from strat to finish.

I’ve put a little of the project overview and the photo of what the project will end up looking like here on my blog. I’ve also included the link for all the assembly steps at the end of this article (in case you are curious and want to skip right to those).

OK, let’s get down to it.

To read the individual construction steps, click here: Copper Trellis Step-By-Step Instructions.

Trellis Project -Copyright © 2009, The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Ok, this isn’t garden art related at all, but it’s ART related for sure!

Hey – Google (yes that #1 most used search engine) is having a fun contest for one child’s doodle art to end up on their home page May 21st. That’ll be a pretty neat honor for some talented kid.

Personally, I hope a younger child can beat out an older kid – like a kindergartener wins out over a 12th grader. Anyway … that’s just me (I like to root for the “little guy” not to make a sort-of pun here) but I’m getting off the subject, so back to what I was posting …

Here’s an example from the Grades K-3 division that I really like. I also like the student’s description of his doodle:

The public voting is NOW – May 11th – May 18th. Please take a minute and place a vote in each age group. You can see the doodle art and vote right here: Doodle Art Finalists.

I wish all the kids best Doodle Luck!