Archive for April, 2016

Heading into spring and summer is the perfect time to check and make sure your feet are in great shape. Ensuring your feet, ankles, and lower legs are kept healthy is important for preventing unwanted pain. If you suffer from flat feet, hammertoes, bunions, ingrown nails, fungus, or sports injuries, it is important to follow-up with your doctor or podiatrist. Additionally, there are many tips you can utilize to maintain feet health.

Your feet are strong and flexible, but you have to take care of them. From walking barefoot to wearing shoes without proper arch support, feet are commonly abused or taken for granted. Taking time and effort to care for your feet can help prevent pain or problems later in life.

The best way, in general, to take care of your feet is to realize that feet should not hurt. If they hurt every day, that is a problem. Feet that hurt for more than two to three days probably involve something other than just walking too much. Additionally, some diseases, such as diabetes, can cause complications with the feet, so taking care of yourself often requires more than one component.

Daily Foot Care

• Wash your feet every day and dry them thoroughly.
• Use mild soap and wash between the toes.
• Wear clean, dry socks and change them at least daily.
• Keep your shoes clean and rotate them to avoid wearing the same shoes two days in a row.
• Avoid walking barefoot as this increases pressure on your feet and can make them susceptible to dirt, cuts, and fungus.

Toenail Care

• Trim nails regularly and cut them straight across.
• Avoid cutting nails on a curve and then filing down any sharp edges.
• Use clean clippers and do not attempt to cut your nails if you cannot see or reach them easily. If this is the case, see a foot health professional for assistance.
• Seek medical attention for discolored toenails and do not cover discolored nails with nail polish or lacquer.

Daily Foot Inspection

Look for bumps, blisters, cuts, or bruises on the tops and bottoms of your feet and between your toes. Use a mirror to see bottoms of feet if needed. If your feet hurt, try to identify the source to manage it or see a podiatrist. Pay attention to dry skin and cracking. Apply lotion, if needed, to prevent dry skin from worsening.

Have your feet measured periodically when buying shoes to check and see if your shoe size has changed. Feet can flatten and become wider or longer as the body ages.

It also is important to maintain a healthy weight. Your feet will thank you for not having to carry as much weight every time they hit the ground. Excess weight can put pressure on the feet leading to general foot pain, circulatory problems, and arthritis.

Finally, remember to put sunscreen on your feet this summer. Ensure you cover the tops and in between the toes to prevent burns, dry skin, or cracking that can lead to other complications.

References

Treat Your Feet! April is Foot Health Awareness Month. – Crozer-Keystone Health System. Available at: http://www.crozerkeystone.org/news/press-releases/2013/april/treat-your-feet-april-is-foot-health-awareness-month/. Accessed April 18, 2016.

National Foot Health Awareness Month. ». Available at: http://podiatryassociates.org/national-foot-health-awareness-month/. Accessed April 18, 2016.

ASE Feed and Supply will be throwing a customer appreciation breakfast celebration on Saturday, April 23 from 8 am to 2 pm.

Ken Jewell and his wife, Teresa, purchased the feed store and mill in 2001 and renamed it ASE in honor of their three daughters–Amy, Stacy, and Emily. They have been serving the Plain City community for fifteen years!

We also want to congratulate Ken on receiving the Plain City Business Association’s Superior Leadership award at the 2016 Union County Chamber of Commerce Salute to Leaders Lunch. Ken certainly deserves it! Ken is pictured below with Joe Troyer, award presenter, and Ken’s wife, Teresa.

If you stop by on April 23, you can get a pancake breakfast from 8 am to 1 pm. There will also be a 10 percent discount on anything purchased inside the main store, including all bird seed and all pet food. Additionally, you can register in a drawing to win 1 year of FREE Blue Buffalo dog food. Get $5 off all bags of Tribute Feed (limit 10 bags per customer and you must pay at the time of purchase–no placing on account).

The customer appreciation event ends at 2 pm when the store closes.

I have to thank Ken and everyone at ASE for supporting Black and Orange Cat Foundation for the past eight years (or more). Carol Gaul helped Ken get the feral cats that were living around the mill and shop fixed and vaccinated. These cats kept the mice under control around the mill, but also tended to cross the street to the Gaul’s shop and often met unhappy fates on the road. After being fixed, they didn’t wander so much and Carol stopped worrying about them. Ken was also very glad to have the cats around.

Ken kindly donates food to Black and Orange every month, which we then distribute to people in need. We cannot thank Ken and ASE enough for all their generosity.

ASE Feed and Supply is located at 211 S. Jefferson Avenue (Route 42) in Plain City (they are across the street from McDonald’s). For more information, including hours of operation, products and services, visit their web site HERE.

You can also “Like” ASE Feed and Supply on Facebook HERE.

Der Dutchman will be celebrating their 30th Anniversary on Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23 with a number of specials.

• Get $1 pieces of cream pie when you dine in the restaurant.
• Get 30% off 30 items in Carlisle Gifts.
• Enter the Social Media Contest. Post a photo of yourself with a Der Dutchman bakery item (pie, donut, or cookie) on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #derdutch30th. The person with the best photo will win a free pie, cookies, or a dozen donuts. The contest ends April 30. Visit Der Dutchman’s Facebook page HERE.
• Enter to Win a Bunch of Prizes including:
  • Dinner for six
  • Dinner for two
  • An Amish-made Hickory Rocking Chair and Hall Tree Set
  • Vera Bradley Bags
• Win Your Wish List. To enter this contest, fill out your Wish List, valued at $250, at Carlisle Gifts. The winner will be chosen on Saturday, April 23 and will receive everything on their wish list! Visit Carlisle Gifts Facebook page HERE.

Der Dutchman is located at 445 South Jefferson Avenue in Plain City. For more information, call 614-873-3414.

April is National Pet First Aid Awareness month. We all love our furry friends, but do we know how to take care of them in case of an emergency? We may not want to think about something bad happening to our pets, but, in case something does, it is important to be prepared.

Here are some tips and tricks that can be used when caring for your pet during an emergency.

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has a great app on Google play and Apple app stores that can be easily downloaded onto your smart phone for free. The app contains a section for dogs and a section for cats. The app includes important information and various videos for you to learn how to handle emergencies. The app also contains an emergency tab where you can preload your veterinarian’s phone number so you can call at the click of a button. You can even upload your pet’s medical records onto the app. Check out the app here:

• Google play:
  • https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cube.arc.pfa&hl=en
• Apple app store:
  • https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pet-first-aid-by-american/id780415389?mt=8

Supplies for a Pet First Aid Kit

Having a pet first aid kit together and ready to use in case of an emergency is a good way to be prepared. Some basic supplies that can be included in a kit are listed below.

• Phone numbers for your veterinarian and animal poison control center (888-426-4435)
• Gauze, nonstick bandages, adhesive tape and towels – to wrap and protect wounds
• Milk of magnesia – to absorb poison (always call your vet or animal poison control before treating your pet)
• Hydrogen peroxide 3% – to induce vomiting
• Digital “fever” thermometer – must take temperature rectally
• Eye droppers or large syringe – to give oral treatments or flush wounds

Pet CPR

Knowing basic CPR for your pet is also very important and can help save your pet’s life in times of an emergency. Before you start giving your pet CPR you need to follow the ABCs:

• A: airway
  • Check your pet’s airway. Lay them on their side. Tilt their head back and pull their tongue out. Use your finger to check for any foreign objects.
• B: breathing
  • If your pet is not breathing, begin rescue breathing. To do this, gently close the pet’s mouth and extend the neck to open the airway. Then cover the nose with your mouth and exhale until you see the animal’s chest rise. Give the breath over one second.
• C: check circulation
  • Check your pet for a heart beat. If there is no heart beat, chest compression should be started.

There are different ways to do chest compression on an animal since there are many types of animals. In order to preform CPR properly on your pet, look over the procedure for your type of pet. This information can be found on the app from the American Red Cross mentioned above.

The best thing to do for your pet is to be prepared for an emergency. If you prepare beforehand, you will have a better chance of doing the right thing for your pet and possibly saving their life.

Remember, April is National Pet First Aid Awareness month, so make sure you do what you can to protect your furry friends.

Sources:

1. Pet first aid supplies checklist. Avmaorg. 2016. Available at: https://www.avma.org/public/EmergencyCare/Pages/Supplies-Checklist.aspx.
2. Pet Disaster Preparedness | Animals, Dogs, Cats | American Red Cross. American Red Cross. 2016. Available at: http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/pet-safety.

Take a look at the special two week Lovejoy’s ad for April 18 to May 1.

Check out the flowering hanging baskets for only $12.98!

Stop by the deli the next time you need lunch or dinner. They always have something great and, best of all, you don’t have to cook!

Like Lovejoy’s on Facebook by going HERE.

For more information on Lovejoy’s IGA, visit their web site HERE.

Remember, we hope you will shop locally and support locally owned businesses here in our community!

Click on each of the pages of the ad to enlarge them. When they show up on a separate page, click again to make the pages even bigger. You can also print them out and take them with you when you go shopping!