Vet Helper This past February, our dog got his leg cut in a hunter's trap. He got his tendon's severed to the bone. The dog survived and at the vets the reconnected all of his tendons and such. But his cut was so big (1 inch wide by 4 1/2 inches long) they were quite worried that his inclination to bite and chew at the "repair" would cause an infection and the dog would loose his leg.
So I was given all sorts of supplies and ended up dressing that wound several times a day as the dog would eat off the dressing as soon as I could put it on. Finally, after spending several more dollars on dressing my husband had enough. He grabbed the Duct tape and securely taped the dog's leg. The dog sniffed the tape and kind of nibbled at it, but quickly left it alone. Three days later we took of the dressing, it was clean and beautiful. So we re-cleaned the stitching and reapplied a nice thick layer of duct tape. Seven days after the accident we went back to the vet's office. They laughedat us, and one of the vets was quite angry at us for "putting that crap on your dog." However, when they cut it off, the wound was clean and one of the best looking wounds they had ever seen. In fact our dog healed so well that no one can tell which leg was the one that was damaged!
The other day I was at the farm supply store... and over heard a farmer laughing about the Vet... apparently they duct taped up one of his cows over a bunch of stitching... I wonder if it was the Grumpy Vet? - Roberta V., Sebringville, Ontario
 English Wash Line Repair This is my next door neighbours piss poor attempt to fix their washing line with duct tape. Hope you like his pink polo shirts. - D Metcalf, Andover, England
Goat Medic We used to raise sheep and dairy goats and one of the more onerous, but necessary jobs that you have with any hooved animal is trimming hooves. Even under the best of circumstances (like, during the summer, when it's hotter and dryer and the hooves don't grow as fast), you have to go out there with the trimmers or the hoof knife and trim on a fairly regular basis. And, how much do you have to trim? Well, the more you trim, the healthier the hoof is, and frankly, you won't have to go out so soon. And if the animal has hoof rot or a fungus infection or some other issue, then you have to trim a LOT - actually, our vet told us, when we asked him "how much" - "trim it until it bleeds, then Betadine it, and trim a little more." Now, I don't have to tell you that sheep and goats are not standing on a linoleom floor - if you've been good girls and boys, you've cleaned out the barn on a regular basis and put lime down. But the floor is NOT clean. So, what we used to do was after we'd cleaned the hooves up, trimmed and cleaned again, we cut a sanitary napkin (trust me, this works like a charm) in half, put it on the bottom of the foot, held it on with a strip of duct tape and then made a little bootie for the hoof. It would not last for days and days, but it would last long enough for the bleeding to stop, the healing to start, and was a big help in terms of hoof maintenance for us. If we found any animals still wearing their booties a couple of days later, we'd cut the booties off, but the whole thing worked really really well. - Toby W., Binghamton, NY
And Chicken Patcher I used to live on a 1/2 acre in Perris CA. I had ducks and chickens, goats, dogs and cats. We had a problem one of our dogs going after the chickens and one morning I found 'Sasha' on top of one of my red hens...justa chewing away at her chest. I shoo'ed her away...and brought the chicken inside. Cleaned her up with betadine soap and used antibiotic ointment on the wound....but, how to close it? Their skin is so thin...I thought sewing it would just tear out. I decided on duct tape. The only parts not covered were her butt, feet, head and wings. She wore that 'space suit' and continued to lay eggs for a good year before it fell off. I was surprised as any that she survived. I love Duct tape. Use it to fix everything. There's always not less than six rolls of various colors(though clear is my favorite) at any given time in my house. - Torre, Fallbrook CA
How do you stop a fast truck? Duct Tape! I volunteered at the Quad City Air Show this summer. While wandering to my post, I got to see the Shockwave crew ready the jet-powered truck. It looks like duct tape holds up even at 376 MPH. Awesome! - Cory "Spydee" L.
Marshmallow Roaster No this is not a picture of a strange alien caught in the woods, but instead a way to cook marshmallows while at Yellowstone National Park. My wife was struggling with how to cook marshmallows with little more than a pants wire hanger. Since pants hangers have the paper tube at the bottom, they were too short to comfortably use even when 'unwound.' Pulling out every travelers favorite tool - duct tape - I took the short hanger, bent it in half, taped it to a long straight stick and even taped a handle at the
base for comfort. Now my wife can quickly cook two marshmallows in comfort even with the largest of campfires. - Chris L.
Fungus Toe Nail Remedy I had toe nail fungus for some years. My doctor prescribed a pill that I took for a year and the nails normalized. Several years later, the fungus returned, particularly to one toe. Because of the possible side effects on one's kidneys, pills were out and I resorted to a topical solution that really did not help. About to lose one toe nail, I applied duct tape encircling the nail. Now after two months and no topical solution, my nail is half way back and looking healthy. One never knows. (see more medical uses in our HMO on a Roll area)
 Can't finish a beer? I was drinking a beer the other night and couldn't finish it. I didn't want to waste it cuz it was good belgian ale so i duct taped the bottle closed with green duct tape. I "opened" the beer the next day and it was nice and fizzy. - matthew Hey, Matt - Good idea, but we have one question: Can't finish a beer? This is a foreign concept to us!
Duct tape as a precision colorimeteric instrument Stick a palm-sized strip of duct tape on the outside surface of a disposable air filter (the big, flat rectangular or square ones that filter air going through your house's air conditioning system) where you can see the duct tape after the filter is installed. When the color of the filter media (usually white, to start off with) has collected enough gunk so that it's about the same color as the duct tape (dirt won't stick to the duct tape as much as to the filter), time to replace the filter! - Mark Adelson
Dave Shave? No, he doesn't really shave with this thing, but the duct tape does keep his hand from slipping into the spinning sandpaper disc when Dave is putting the finishing touches on his wood carvings. Check out David Frykman's whimsical and artful carving at davidfrykmanoriginals.com
 Stan's Bike Seat Repair "Heck, it's a great seat, why replace it?" Just add more duct tape - and if the weather gets too hot and the tape starts oozing, just put a plastic food storage bag over the seat to conceal the ooze.
Most Sacred Use of Duct Tape
During a painting project of our church, which turned into a total renovation (roof, plastering, electrical, lights, reopening windows that had been bricked off, carpeting, flooring, and of course painting) we also did some maintenance on the organ. The weak blower motor was rebuilt so that it put out more air (after all, more is better)
However, the project lasted about 6 months and the bellows became very brittle. With the increased air flow, they blew out when we were
testing the organ on the day before the rededication. Duct tape saved the day, until the bellows could be releathered.
To Catch a Snake I taped up some plastic to keep a spraying spigot from dousing my foundation when the hose was being used at a house we are fixing up to move into. We're not there every day and a few days later, I found a surprise stuck to the duct tape. Nice to know if you ever have a snake you need to catch. - Wayne Van Nice
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Cat Flea Picker When I was using the flea comb on the cats, sometimes the fleas would hop from it before I could squish them. My son offered a solution - a duct tape loop with the sticky side out so I could get the fleas off the cat and onto the duct tape. No more hopping back onto the cat! - Sue G. (& Timothy), State College, PA
 HVAC Assistant The heating unit that supplies our department went out last week. We were provided space heaters for temporary heat until the unit could be repaired. My co-worker Todd found that it worked best if he put his space heater under his desk. However, the dry heat it created dried out his contacts. Being the accomplished Duct Tape engineer he is, Todd devised this lapguard to block the dry heat and was able to proceed with an almost productive week. Thanks to Duct Tape, our productivity did not suffer due to the lack of heat. - Mark
Caffeine Keeper Duct tape saved my cup of coffee. I had just bought a large 16 oz.stryo cup, and within a few minutes noticed that the bottom was leaking. Instead of throwing it out, got out the roll of duct tape and put two pieces on the bottom, and another wrap around the side. Saved the day. - Butch T., Maine
Patch-A-Raft This summer my family and I went on a guided four-hour white water rafting trip that consisted of about four boats. As we were just a little over half way through with our trip, one of the boats noticed that their raft was flimsy. We all stopped on the shore and the guides flipped over the boat and confirmed there was a hole. They got out the pump and repair kit. What was found in the repair kit? Nothing other then a tounge depresser wrapped in Duct Tape! They patched it up, re-pumped the raft, and we had not more problems for the rest of the trip! - Micah W.
 Is your air conditioner ready for winter?
Don't struggle with getting your window air conditioner out of the window before the snow flies... Save time and your back with a little duct tape and some plastic sheeting (a garbage bag works nicely). If you want to be extra energy efficient, use a couple layers of bubble wrap under the duct tape.  Remember - the Department of Homeland Security said that plastic sheeting and duct tape will protect us against chemical and biological warfare... so, surely it will be able to keep out "Old Man Winter"!
Redneck Bandage? I am writing to tell you about a true redneck. as he himself said "You know your a redneck when you refuse to buy bandaids choosing instead to place a piece of napkin over the wound and ducktape it" This came out of my husbands mouth this weekend when he came in from his week on the road. he had cut his finger on his load and did not have a bandaid. the company he was loading at gave him one but when it fell off he had none on the truck and decided they were too expensive to buy. in his ultimate wiseness he wore the ductaped bandage for half a week then came home and took off the ducktape and proceeded to attempt to clean the sticky stuff off his wound with an alcohol pad. - lawanda c., union city, tn.
Keep it shut
When parting for the airport, I discovered that my suitcase zipper was starting to come undone. Not wanting the contents of the case to pop out, I "locked" the zipper in place with a couple of strips of duct tape. My bag made it home without incident. - JT
 Dollar Store truck mirror fix We caught this gem at a trail head on the Blue Ridge parkway in Virginia. We thought ya'lled appreciate it .
- Dave, Caroline and Conrad in Charlottesville, VA
Babyproofing hints from north of the border. Why spend so much money on "baby proofing products" which you will only use for a short while when duct tape will do the job just fine? (see Warning below) Also, bring duct tape along with you when you are travelling or visiting to instantly baby proof your temporary home. Don't you hate it when you visit someone for dinner and baby just wants to open the cupboard doors? Tape the handles together! Can't relax at the cottage because baby keeps pulling the phone off the table? Tape it in place! Keep a roll of duct tape in your diaper bag ... don't leave home without it! If a whole roll is too big to carry, wrap some duct tape around a pencil in multiple layers so you can bring smaller quantities.
You can use duct tape to:
• cover electrical outlets
• tape garbage can closed (or dog food container)
• tape up wires
• tape plugs to the outlets so baby can't pull them out
• put power bar for your computer inside a shoe box and tape the box closed
• tape a ball of duct tape to sharp corners of tables/shelving
• tape the tv/dvd/phone etc. to the counter top so baby can't pull the object off
-safety proof the tub by making it non-slip
-tape the edges of the tub spout so baby can't bang his head
• tape cupboard doors closed
• tape entry doors closed
• tape door handles so baby can't turn them
• tape plates to table
• tape a diaper that had the fastener rip off
• tape your bag closed so baby can't get into it
• attach a toy to a stroller/chair so baby can play without dropping it
• tape a napkin to a baby to make an instant bib
Warning: Don't create new hazards. Babies should always be supervised when they are around duct tape. Be careful with pieces of duct tape that could come off and eventually become a choke hazard and beware of pieces of duct tape longer than 6" that could wrap around babies neck and cause a strangulation hazard. - Heather P., Toronto
 Possum Lodge Van Back in 2002 when the movie Duct Tape Forever premiered. The local PBS station in Moline IL had a duct tape building contest. I entered a scale model of the duct tape goose on top the Red Green Possum Brotherhood Van. I got 3rd place and a full size movie poster. I was beaten by the duct tape possum and the duct tape corn field. RATS. Attached are photo's of my project. - Cory L.
 Here's the pitch... and the patch Dale P. of Minneapolis was recently at his nephews little league ball game when he looked over at another field and saw a player with a duct tape patch job on his pants. He didn't have my camera so he borrowed someone else's camera to share what he saw with us.
Mouse Rescue I tried to rescue a baby mouse from our septic tank well, thankfully the well was dry. I placed the tape rolled on the end of a yard stick and lowered it into the well, carefully touching the "gray duct tape" to the baby mouse and pulling him up slowly to safety.  My cat was very impressed with my skill, however, the size of the mouse and the stickiness of the tape was not the best solution for the baby mouse. It took about an hour to cut the wad of tape off his fuzzy little body. Out the my backyard there is a mouse with a small patch of tape protecting it from the rain, bluejays and, of course, my cat. The pictures I have attached are some helpful  hints on how to tame wild boxes for the garbage man and the second picture is how to patch the "mouse hole" in the basement. - Kate Hughes
No-Slip Ramps
When I went to repair my son's lawn tractor, I had to raise the front end, so I decided to roll it up on some car ramps. Unfortunately the ramps were not new and the rubber feet on the bottom of the ramps had disappeared, so when I went to push the tractor onto the ramps, the ramps just slid forward. Solution: I used duct tape and taped the leading edge of the ramp to the concrete garage floor to hold them in place while I pushed the tractor up the ramp. Worked great! - George J.
 Keepin' it Warm. Duct tape and plastic sheeting keeps this yard tractor owner warm during the winter.
Taping for a Good Cause I have done two 60-mile walks for Breast Cancer and am in training for my third. I use the tape to keep me from getting blisters. I put a strip of duct tape around the bottom of my foot, from the top of my big toe to the top of my pinkie toe. During all the training walks the tape kept me from getting any blisters. During the first walk I only got blisters after 45 miles. I think I pulled the tape too tight and made my toes rub together. The second walk I got them sooner, but I didn't have NEAR the problems other walkers were having. I will definitely be using duct tape throughout this training and walk!! - Kimber Streeter
 Spare Tape Storage
(left) Being an avid outdoors enthusiast, Deanna of Bayfield, WI stores extra duct tape on her water bottle for those little emergencies which always seem to spring up.
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