Tuesday 21 July 2009

Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray

I didn’t have an operation yesterday after all! Of course, I got pulled around by the vet a lot, and given an anaesthetic, but at least I didn’t have an operation. Even being in the cage at the vets was bearable (and they’re nice big cages at that vet) as I had some really nice dogs round be. Mum seemed to know one of them’s Mum from the Staffy Club. Her name was Ruby (the dog that is – her Mum is called Pammy). She was a really nice dog, but a lot quieter than me. I was there for a long time though – all day. I slept all the way home in the car, and was a little bit confused last night, but after a good night’s sleep I’m fine again. Oh, and I got chicken and spaghetti for my dinner again!

Anyway, the vet said it wasn’t the same thing as on my other knee and that I’ve damaged something called the cruciate ligament. He says I’ve got to go on taking my tablets and that I’ve got to go and see someone called a physiotherapist. Somehow I have a horrible feeling that that is going to involve a lot more pulling me around, so I’m not particularly looking forward to it. I’m allowed to go for walks too, but the vet said I have to stay on the lead, which isn’t so much fun. And I don’t seem to be allowed to play with Max. Anyway, Mum has to phone the vet in a month’s time and tell him how I’m getting on.

Saturday 18 July 2009

Oh Poo, Poo, Pooity, Poo

That’s all I can say. Now my other leg is bad. It really hurts most of the time and I can’t put it down properly (well, except when I’m playing cos I get excited and forget then). The vet has given me some different tablets, but it’s not any better. So now I’ve got to go back and see Ian Macqueen, my orthopaedic vet in Devizes. We’re going there on Monday and Mum says I might have another operation. I’m not looking forward to that. It’s bad enough having to go to the vet and being pulled about, but if you have an operation you have to have those horrible anaesthetic things, and you wake up in a crate in a strange place and can’t get out. And then your leg hurts like anything for several weeks. And you’re not allowed to go out for walks.

Not that I’m going out for many walks anyway, cos of my leg hurting. I don’t mind on the occasions when I don’t want to go, but at other times, like this morning, I want to go too, and Dad just takes Max and leaves me behind. And I know that he’s up the Delph saying Hello to all my doggie friends (or in Max’s case not saying Hello as he’s never particularly sociable).

It has been sooooo long since I wrote anything – I can’t believe how long it’s been. But there’s not been a huge amount happening. Most days it’s just going walks and playing with Max.

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And Mum and Dad have been decorating, and that’s pretty boring. But I’m enjoying all the warm weather. Sometimes it’s been a bit too hot and I’ve had to spend 5 minutes in the sun and then move and lie in the shade for a while to cool down. We’ve had the paddling pool back in the garden but I still don’t like it. Max goes in it sometimes though.

Anyway, at the beginning of May I had a poorly foot. A red lumpy thing came up on my toe. Mum took me to the vet and he prodded it and it started bleeding everywhere. I bled all over the vet’s floor! So I had to stay there and have an anaesthetic (yet another one!). He said it was a wart and he did something called cauterising it. Mum came and got me later in the afternoon. Anyway, it’s all right now.

But we’ve been to two doggie shows. The first was the Waggy Tails Rescue fundraising day in Bournemouth (we went last year). But it was really got so I spent a lot of my time in the shade under one of the trailers.

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But the really good thing about that show was that my friend Lenny the Lurcher was there. I hadn’t seen him for absolutely ages. I got sooooo excited and we had a good play together – well, as good as we could given that we both had our stupid leads on!

The next show was HUGE though. It was called Paws in the Park. And there were loads and loads of dogs there. I had a great time and Mum bought me a new bed which she was told would be good for my leg. So here’s me & Max & Mum…

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And here’s me sort of sleeping on my new bed…

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Then the week-end after that Dad went away. On the Saturday Eric & Maria came and visited us and Mum. It was really nice to see them again, and we spent all day just sitting around in the garden in the sun.

Then the day after that Mum too us over to see Eric and Pat. While we were there I spotted something on the lawn…

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I told Max about it and he came to have a look too…

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Mum told us it was a hedgehog.

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I’ve never seen one before. I wanted to go outside to have a closer look, and Max nearly jumped through the window, but Mum wouldn’t let us. Spoilsport! But what a great week-end (although, of course, it would have been better if Dad had been there to – I have to say that cos I know he reads this and I don’t want to upset him or he may not give me any more peanut butter!).

This month I’ve not done a lot cos my leg has been getting wore. But yesterday was Max’s first birthday. I got to help him open his presents.

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They were good presents. He had a sort of rubber bone that squeaks and holds treats…

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And a big rubber ball on a string.

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He’s got the hang of the ball: we can either play tug or chase with it, or you can shake it around…

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But he hasn’t really worked out how to get treats out of the bone yet. I’ve tried to show him how to throw it up in the air, or roll it around on the floor with your paw, but he still doesn’t get it. And the very best way I’ve found is to take it half way up the stairs and then let it roll down them – that way lots of treats come out (although I have to be careful as Max gets to them and eats them before I can – come to think of it maybe he’s not that stupid after all!).

After we’d opened Max’s presents and played with them for a while, Dad gave us a blueberry muffin.

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And then for tea we had chicken and spaghetti (my favourite!). And Mum had made Max a birthday cake, so we all had some of that too. It was a good day. I hope my next birthday will be as good.

So, while I try and forget that I have to go to the vet next week, I’ll leave you with a few more photos of me & Max from yesterday.

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