Maddie update

The pre Birthday meal last night was a good idea because it diverted us from worrying about Maddie. I have just contacted the vets and spoke to an brusque, efficient and crisp vet nurse who informed me that Maddie had received two enemas yesterday with a smallish result. Today she will be having another enema but already does look a little brighter in herself ( she has eaten! a first meal since last Wednesday)
I suspect if the enemas do not work alongside the aperients, drip and exercise then surgery may be indicated, but I so hope not.
Thank god the "sing song" nurse was not on duty today, I could have bust her one after she informed me yesterday that Maddie ( who she referred to as HE) was really enjoying the company of several other sick dogs in the surgery holding room.
I have had run ins with this nurse before and cannot abide her platitudes.
Rather unkindly I told her " well that will be a first, she cannot stand other dogs!"

Having a sick animal to worry about is a dreadful experience and is one that only pet owners can understand fully. In the great scheme of things some would view Maddie's plight as unimportant but there is something quite overwhelming when a dog becomes ill.
Dogs show their emotions graphically when they are unwell, they become depressed easily and you can see the changes so clearly when they look at you with those big brown eyes.

Maddie has pulled on the emotions because of her blind loyalty and constant need to please and obey, there is something rather valiant about her which makes this health scare even more emotional for us. Kipling was so right when he wrote his poem The Power of the Dog......dog lovers always give their hearts to a dog to tear.

Thank you for asking about how she is doing..I will update the blog before I go to work this evening

hello?

I have only just realised that my cousin Carol looks like Lisa Minelli in SEX AND THE CITY2

LIVE well, LAUGH often LOVE much

From Left to right: My Brother Andrew, Sister in law Jayne, William with Brother in law Ned, Elder Sister Ann, Brother in law Tim and my twin sister Janet.

They all came around to celebrate our birthday......Chris organised a Chinese takeaway. the dogs ran amok...........it was a nice night
Thanks to Andrew and Jayne. for the saying.....it was printed on a kitchen hanger.......and we all got a copy..........I guess we all appreciate the meaning of it
x

Another trip to the vets

I wasn't happy with Maddie this morning.
No bowel movement and not eating.
So I rang the vets for another appointment, got one for 10.20 am and finally got in to see the vet at 11.20.
I asked her to review the xray which was taken on Thursday and she told me she didn't have to as she had reviewed the xray that afternoon and knew that Maddie was impacted with faeces along her entire colon.
I was a little taken back and showed it as when I specifically asked the nurse two days ago , if Maddie was "impacted" I was answered with an emphatic no, she was "just constipated". I questioned the use of one aperient then and was reassured that everything was on course, and as I explained today, if I was told that Maddie was so seriously constipated I would never have taken her home when I did.
Anyhow I was in no mood for apologies or detailed explanations, all I wanted to know what was our plan right now.
After examining Maddie , the vet put her on a drip and planned to sedate her to administer a high colonic enema. Surgery has not been ruled out and I signed the consent form in case some sort of "debulking" was indicated.
I feel I have lost my confidence with the practice, especially with the problems and misdiagnosis we had with Albert a year ago, and aim to register the dogs and cat with another practice once all this is over. Hey Ho
The family are all coming over later to celebrate mine and Janet's birthday which is on Tuesday.

ps Thanks to Kim over at Golden Pines for her email and sound advice!

Poo watch

When you know a pregnant woman, all that you see will be pregnant women everywhere you look. When you buy a new car...every other car on the road will be the very one that you have just bought.and when you are waiting for an old Scottish terrier to open her bowels...every poo you see will belong to every other animal BUT her.
Bless..the old girl has been dosed up with aperients and at least has been drinking ok....but as yet...there is not a poo to be seen.

The goose house arrived this morning, without any instructions I must say ! But it looks robust and solid to house even the most buxom of ganders. It is one of the nicest birthday pressies Chris has bought me since he bought me Finlay

This afternoon I have planted out the sweetcorn and pumpkin bed. They do look rather weedy at the moment don't they?

A Mother's obsession and a great Canadian film

Of course I have been worrying about Maddie throughout the day, but after being sedated for her xray the old girl seems to have rallied somewhat!
The xray showed that she is constipated to the hilt, but nothing else sinister could be seen, so the vet gave me a large bottle of lactulose. a 5 ml syringe and a hope that bowels would be moved very soon!
So medicine has been administered, and stool watch has started! Thank you everyone for asking just how the grumpy old Scottie has been doing. At the moment, she is curled up next to me on the couch, and still looks rather sorry for herself

Anyhow, I have just realised that I have effectively been turned into my mother!
Towards the end of her life my mother owned a somewhat bemused West Highland Terrier called Hamish. He put up with her irratic behaviour, chain smoking and temper tantrums and sometimes was led a bit of dog's life.
She never walked him...she never could be bothered...she just had one of those extra long extending lead things which she attached him to from the comfort of her front door. She would then reel him out down the drive and along the road so he could perform on the grass verges before pulling him back to the house as though she was landing a salmon!
Given the fact that she never physically walked him, my mother was strangely obsessed with the state of Hamish's bowels and would discuss them with all comers constantly, unfortunately it was always in the greatest of detail....not good in a nice social situation......today I have found myself worrying about Maddie's stools with a similar intensity.....no results as yet to report...but I am living in the hope of a steaming dollop very soon!!!!

Tonight I went to Theatre Clwyd to see a very intriguing and interesting Canadian film by Egon Egoyan. Adoration, is a complicated, multi layered study of a teenager's grief for his parents and his need to understand where he came from, yet themes of racism, fear of terrorism, and family demons complicate this affecting and thoughtful drama.
The film's premise is innovative.
A boy (Devon Bostick) with a troubled past is "encouraged " by his French teacher to secretly make up a story that his father was a terrorist that tried to blow up his wife and 400 passengers on board a transatlantic airliner. As the school and Internet get hold of his story, the whole fantasy suddenly becomes terribly real to all involved and specially complicates the lives of the teacher (Arsinée Khanjian) and the boy's guardian and uncle ( a nice performance by Scott Speedman), who had been drifting aimlessly along in his life

This is a clever movie,but it is not an easy ride as you need to concentrate on every theme and clue to actually work out what is going on ( the last scene finally gives you a clue after an hour and a half)

I gave it an 8.5 out of 10........It was great to see a cracking Canadian Movie for a change...

ps when I got home no bowel results to report!!!!

hey ho

Maddie

Maddie has not been well for the last 24 hours. Yesterday afternoon she had been straining at stool for ages ( she IS prone to be constipated) and by teatime looked listless and unwell. I booked a vets appointment for her for this morning ( I am waiting to go. hence writing this blog) but wasn't happy with her behaviour so I called the on call vet to discuss her symptoms.
Typically I had a "chat" with the young Polish vet..who is efficient but oh so difficult to communicate with on the far end of a telephone!
The conversation included a rather surreal moment when she asked me about Maddie's diet 24 hours before the symptoms had presented. When I told her all the dogs had been given a large ham bone to gnaw on,, the vet kept shouting " BONE! you give her A BONE????"
"A CHOP? VAT DO YOU MEAN? A BONE?
by they end of it all I felt that I had personally dripped poison down the old girls neck!
Anyhow she told me to give Maddie some water with oil in it, which I had already done and to bring her to the vets in the morning.
I am worried.Maddie has never been ill in her life and although I am a pragmatic health care professional myself I can't help thinking that there is something else wrong here than just constipation.
On a lighter note, one of my neighbours gave me some advice last night when I told her of Maddie's condition
"Just shove a soapy finger up her bum a few times" she called out cheerfully
"worked wonders with all of my children"!!!

Painful

Now I love embarrassing stories

This one actually happened way back in 1991 when I was celebrating the multicultural social events organised in Sheffield when the World Student Games were held in the city.

I went with a friend to the Crucible Theatre which was hosting a free night of folk music and dance (in the foyer!)...as usual I was dressed down for the event (t shirt and ripped jeans! - remember the fact I had ripped jeans on)
but as the whole event was very relaxed I kind of blended in!
Anyhow I remember sitting on the steps of the bar looking down at the singers and crowds below..and one guy, who was sitting at a table with some friends caught my eye!
I looked at him.....he looked at me! and suddenly I thought "my lucks in!!!"
Anyhow this game of glances carried on for a while ( I remember the guy looked a little like a bearded Jake Gyllenhall) and I did that half smile and hair toss flirting thing! before I caught sight of him downing his pint then weave his way through the tables to walk to where I was sat up on the stairs!
He leaned over slowly so I could smell his after shave and whispered gently into my ear
"Hey mate...I wanted to tell you that you have a rip in your jeans and one of your b*lls is sticking out!"...he suddenly left and went to sit down again!!
What happened to me?..........well I died on the spot
Now please....can I have some embarrassing stories from the lot of you