We got under 1/2″ last week, but otherwise have had nothing more than a dusting of snow for (literally) months. Although measured snowfall is something like 20″ since September, some has melted and it’s all packed down. Combined with more sunlight and some temps in the 20s, and we’re seeing only 2-3 inches on the ground, and many bare patches. We could really use some snow, but February and March are typically light snow months. It’s times like these when it’s abundantly clear that interior Alaska is, overall, a dry place.
Here is yesterday’s special weather statement from the National Weather Service Fairbanks forecast office:
NOAK49 PAFG 132115
PNSAFG*AKZ222-140915-*
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1215 PM AKST SAT FEB 13 2010
*...THE SNOW DROUGHT AT FAIRBANKS CONTINUES...*
SO FAR THIS WINTER ONLY 21 INCHES OF SNOW HAS BEEN OBSERVED AT THE
FAIRBANKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS IS ONLY 37 PERCENT OF NORMAL...
AND IS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW OBSERVED SO LATE INTO THE WINTER
SEASON SINCE THE WINTER OF 1969-1970. THIS WINTER NOW RANKS IN 3RD
PLACE WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW SINCE 1950.
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE NEXT WEEK DOES NOT LOOK PROMISING FOR ANY
ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL. A CHINOOK PATTERN WILL DEVELOP AT
THE END OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. LONG RANGE
INDICATIONS ARE THAT A LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL
BUILD INTO THE AREA LATE NEXT WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND. NEITHER OF
THESE WEATHER PATTERNS IS FAVORABLE FOR SNOWFALL IN THE FAIRBANKS
AREA.
Posted in General.
By Greg
– February 14, 2010
Ilana has a new LaughingHusky (Dave Klumb) sled. It’s wonderful. Pics soon. Metal runners, a nice drag pad, and many improvements over older designs.
Posted in General.
By Greg
– February 14, 2010
With all of the medical illnesses going on, I neglected to blog about my wonderful King Neptune. In mid Dec. 2009, Neptune woke up one morning screaming in pain. It was heartbreaking to hear and to look at the poor guy. He’s a malamute, so sometimes I’m not sure if he’s just a drama queen and overreacting, but I brought him to the vet.
After a bunch of ex-rays (on a really cool digital radiograph machine), he was diagnosed with Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD). Neptune was given a prescription for Prednisone (20mg 2x a day for 5 days, 20 mg 1X a day for 5 days, 20mg every other day for 5 days), and Tramadol (pain medication). The vet told us that he should be crated for two weeks and taken outside for leash walks; no couch jumping or stair climbing.
Crating Neptune is very difficult because he whines and whines and whines. I crated him for the first several days, and when he seemed to feel better, we let him out of the crate. I told him that he needed to take the doggie ramp and he wasn’t allowed on the couch.
Almost two weeks after the diagnosis, he developed a skin condition (hair loss and pulling chunks of hair out of his tail), and he appeared to have a slight pain relapse, so I brought him to the vet. He was prescribed another round of Pred, and Cephalexin for 15 days. His neuro response in his back right foot was still slow.
As I write this, Neptune is still on the two meds mentioned above. We haven’t taken him on walks (even though he desperately wants to go). He is not screaming in pain, but it’s difficult for him to lay down and he has a limp in his right leg.
Posted in King Neptune, meds, skin.
Tagged with hair loss, Intervertebral Disk Disease, IVDD, King Neptune, meds, skin.
By stinkypup
– January 12, 2010
Sugar is having skin problems again. She’s not itching, and is losing patches of hair on her back. Hair loss is circular and black flaky skin surrounds the circumference.
Update Jan. 11, 2010: I brought some skin samples to the vet and showed these pics. Ringworm, in Alaska, is very unlikely. We are treating it as a staph infection. 500mg Cephalexin once a day, plus a good bath.
Posted in Sugar, meds.
Tagged with hair loss, infection, meds, ringworm, skin, staph.
By stinkypup
– January 10, 2010
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