Animal Problems


Mary behaved impeccably at the vets this afternoon.
We had an appointment with the senior vet ( not George Clooney) who reviewed her history of recurrent ear infections and drew diagrams for me to understand the physiology of the problem .
It looks as though she will need surgery
I sighed....another day..another animal problem.

Earlier today I found myself trying to round up the field horses.
It had come to my attention that they had loosened the wooden fencing between them and the new graveyard by rubbing their itchy arses on the upright stakes so it was imperative that I move them to the lower part of the field where they could do no more damage.
Having little experience in tacking up ponies I resorted to waving a piece of cheap white bread in front of them hoping to do a bit of a "pied piper"  thing , but things went tits up when The ponies got all frisky with the whole situation and charged somewhat energetically after me.
From out of nowhere Irene noisily joined in with the stampede, and I found myself galloping clumsily ahead in my flip flops like a fat, bread waving lunatic .
It was a genuinely frightening experience.

The young Bantam cockerels have caused their own minor problems and have deserted their hen house in the Ukrainian village to move into the garden of our new neighbours. I have no idea where they are roosting but I do know that two sets of neighbours are feeding them so well that the roosters have now learnt to tap on their conservatory windows in a ploy to beg for food.

William is recovering from his car accident well and George despite his age continues to look robust even though I'm convinced he has the start of diabetes insipidus with his water drinking antics.

Only the oldest and potentially most unfit of all of the animals at Bwthyn y llan is doing all rather well. Winnie, who has past her sell by date a good while ago now , remains steadfast and magnificent
She's like a Old Spanish galleon in full sail

The best two bitches in my life

68 comments:

  1. John I am now waiting for you to tell me on here that you too are like a galleon in full sail. It will happen one day - I promise.

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  2. That visual of you "galloping ahead in my flip flops like a fat, bread waving lunatic" had me ROFLMAO. Any takers on the cottage yet and, if so, do the potential new owners know they'll have to deal with horses and chickens?

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  3. Beautiful writing John... A joy to read. Hugs! deb

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  4. I can't imagine a life without pets. Can you ?

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    1. Not now.....they are my family and will be my family

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  5. This took me awhile to read, as I had to stop and laugh for a few minutes at the mental picture of the "stampede"!
    Give hugs to the fur babies (fur seniors?) for me.

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    1. Irene led the charge most pissed off that I had offered ' her" bread to the ponies

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    3. Oh, Irene! Such a sassy sheep!

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  6. Your imagery is priceless :)

    But yes, you're right, with animals (and children) it's always something. It's one reason why we won't be having any more (pets) after our two cats are gone. I've spent so much of my adult life looking after other souls I feel emptied out. I wish it wasn't so, but it is.

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  7. oy, our four-legged kids are so generous with their love, yet so costly in vet bills.

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  8. God Bless Winnie and let that chubby girl live for a long long time.
    Having pets is being spoiled for so many people because of the cost of vets. In Buenos Aires, the vet came to our house the morning Pup woke up and let me know he was dying. The vet came and sat on the floor with us, pumped Tate full of painkillers and cried along with me when he finally slipped away. That is a Real Vet.

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    1. Yes , a real gem of a vet

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    2. I agree with you Candice. The cost of vet services is insane and has kept me from getting another dog. And I have a good vet!

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  9. What an entertaining post, John! Your troupe of animals and you are delightful. Though you probably didn't feel that way about the ponies after they charged you.

    Colloidal silver is a liquid that can be dropped directly into the ears of dogs to fight off bacteria, yeast and infections. Because it's a natural anti-biotic it's safe to use repeatedly without the side effects of those chemically produced. For now, it might by an inexpensive alternative worth looking into for Mary. A 16 ounce bottle of SilverBiotics from Amazon costs $25.-Mary

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    1. The vet put some special gel in which has to be repeated in two weeks time if that fails she will need surgery ..

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  10. I could visualize all this and it was hilarious but One day those flip flops are going to get you in a proper muddle!

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  11. "It was a genuinely frightening experience."? Not at all. It was like a scene from the re-running of an old Benny Hill Show... "a genuinely hilarious experience"!

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  12. Your flip flops and crocs sure do frequently star in the dangerous tales you relate. How about some sensible shoes for the farm stuff? Who will chase the many species if you twist an ankle?

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  13. Surely the horses are not your problem ? Cheap white bread works for most things though X

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    1. No but my friend village elder Islwyn constructed the fence

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  14. As others have said, I hope your galleon sails. Soon.

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  15. Keeps you out of trouble, John!

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  16. Anonymous8:21 pm

    I know the feeling, one of my pets was given a treat they'd not had in a while. She drove me potty all am, until finally I went to the shops especially to buy more, JUST! so I could have some peace.

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  17. Horses leading, I had to laugh at you and your flip flops. They are hard to herd in the best of times. Glad it is normal there in your part of the world.

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  18. I knew the minute I read waving cheap white bread, you were in for trouble :)
    Best get some decent running shoes for wearing in the paddock.
    At least the animals are keeping you busy, little time for pondering.
    ~Jo

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    1. The ponies are Welsh cobs and are robust characters

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  19. Love everything in this post. I was laughing so hard over you running across the field waving bread.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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  20. What would you say to a patient who came in with a broken leg from chasing animals while wearing flip-flops? Can't you at least wear wellies?

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  21. As I write this a pretty white hen named Darla is standing on my porch floor waiting to see if I will give her some more cat food which she loves. She, like those bantam roosters, have trained a human. Eventually she will decide that no more Friskies are coming her way and will slip back out the cat door but she will be back tomorrow. We can all count on that.
    I am glad the cottage is not up for sale any more.

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  22. You have written some wonderful posts, John, and this is one of your best!!!

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  23. Attempting to herd horses isn't a good idea! They usually get stupid and act up. Leading them is much safer but as you hadn't got their headcollars you could have gone to where you wanted them to be with a bucket, they're very keen on food in buckets! Rattling some food in a bucket can save a big journey across a field to get a horse to come in. Also, although it was scary for you horses don't in fact usually like to trample people and would make every effort to avoid stepping on you. Unlike cows, especially with calves at foot, they would knock you down and trample on you.
    Flip flops around horses? You must be bonkers!
    Best wishes John.

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  24. I love reading you . . .
    Writing style is one of your gifts!

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  25. Forgive the above deletion - wrote my post in the wrong place!
    I just pictured you in a sort of ‘Vicar of Dibley’ / ‘All Creatures Great & Small’ type sketch! (James Herriot and Tristram would have been terrified too....)
    I’m always so envious of all your creatures - for me, they all sit firmly in your “I want” blog piece :)

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    1. I am envious of your happy relationship......
      Things are relative dearheart

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    2. True. Very true my friend xxx

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  26. The cottage is off the market-hurrah!I hope? I do want happiness for you. And where damn shoes around those horses!Please.

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  27. The Cottage is Off The Market - YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!

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  28. Thank goodness you survived! I think horses/ponies prefer carrots.

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  29. A friend once told me that pregnancy causes a woman's body to regenerate all of its cells, essentially making her younger. Perhaps all those litters have made Winnie nigh unto immortal.

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  30. OMG, laughing so hard I'm crying. Thank you. Have to love Winnie, and of course, Albert (who doesn't come into this post, so presumably he is behaving himself).

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  31. You have GOT to get rid of those goddamn flip-flops -- they're a hazard!

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  32. Fabulous mental image!! I have to agree with the comments about getting footwear that is more secure. Flipflops cause a lot of accidents. A friend of mind broke her wrist because of what she described as "g*dd@mmed crocks". How about a great pair of slip-on Blundstones? -Jenn

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  33. Ahhh, look at Winnie and Mary, I remember how Mary would bite the folds of skin on Winnies face when she was a puppy, best of pals now.

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  34. Glad you survived the stampede! You've got some quality flip flops--those things are meant for running.

    Hope Mary and William and George get better. Hope Winnie, Albert, and the rest of your critters are healthy and happy. The same to you.

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  35. Next time up at the Vet ... see if George has the start of kidney failure... do not be upset ... there are great tablets and my beloved pekingese Coco is still well with medication ...I thought I would have lost her 2 years ago but she is going strong because she is on medication early :)

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  36. I love that photo of Mary and Winnie, it would make a great painting.

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  37. Best news hearing that your cottage is off the market!
    You get yourself into so many crazy situations...never a dull moment in The Life of John Gray! I agree with everyone else that you need a good pair of sturdy shoes. You cannot keep tempting Fate.
    Absolutely adorable picture of Winnie and Mary!

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  38. At least youv'e got bantam cockerels, one of my new bantams has gone broody, ice cold hotwater bottle under her bum is one 'cure'! Love your problems with animals....

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  39. Ahhh, those damn vet bills. We have 5 dogs, 3 cats, an old horse (35), an old llama, and chickens. It is cheaper to have the horse come here than it is to take a dog to its vet. When we took in the horse and llama we never thought we’d be feeding them all these many years. I sometimes wish they would just die, but we took them in and have a responsibility to give them a good life so we spend a small fortune on special feed for the ageing animals.
    Good luck with Mary’s ears. Actually, good luck with everything!

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  40. I meant to write it is cheaper to have the horse VET come here...

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  41. Good news that the cottage is off the market ! My schnauzer suffers with frequent ear infections. Apparently he has particularly narrow ear canals, and very hairy ears too ! He has only very recently allowed the groomer to pluck some of the ear fur, which hopefully will help. He has had 3 sedations so far in his 5 yrs of life to enable vet to clean and medicate his ears. If the op is the one I was told about I said no way...it sounds horrendous. They will just have to keep on with the sedations every so often ! ( costs just over £100. )

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  42. Love reading about your animal antics. I only have a dog and for many reasons, she will be the last pet I own, so I will have to live vicariously.

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  43. Go Winnie! Whenever she is mentioned I get a bizarre double vision of Scarlett O'Hara and Margaret Rutherford. Hope the other menagerie members regain full health soon. xx

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  44. Oh I would have loved to see you with those ponies. Somehow I don't think you know what you are doing with the equines - they can be very scary at times (try a bucket and rattle some pony nuts next time). Apart from poor Mary with her ears, this is a lovely post. Animals and their antics (and you with yours) - Lovely!!!

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  45. I hope Mary responds well to the gel and doesn't need an operation. x

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  46. There should always be a camera recording your activities.

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  47. Awesome blog, i always enjoy & read the post you are sharing.Thank for your very good article...!

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