Saturday

Well I was only up once last night with Totty and she looked pretty good when I woke this morning. She wasn't her usual running round the bedroom, wagging her tail and rolling around on her back happy but much better than the last two days.

I went downstairs and let her out for her toilet and when she came back she was a different dog, shaking and whimpering, tail down and pacing round the room!

I rang the vet and they told me to bring her in at 9.30. I had a shower and when I came down Totty was not well at all and suddenly got up and had terrible diarrhoea with blood coming from her bottom.

I decided to take her to the vet and gathered her up and left the house.

When I arrived John was in consultation and so we waited. The nurse, Amy, came out to see Totty and brought me a blanket as she was shaking so much - she made a big mess on it but at least the vet could see what was happening.

The howling from the consultation room were amazing and I asked the nurse was it a cat or dog and she told me it was a staffi dog and what whimps they were! I heard the vet giving it an injection and the howls that followed and the vet saying what a sensitive guy he was!

We finally went in but not until I saw this really tough looking dog come out, pulling on his thick chain!!

We went in and another check and temperature followed and eventually Totty was given another long term antibiotic, more Buscopan, and we tried to get some other medication down her throat but she was having none of it and in fact, I got more of it over me plus a big scratch on my arm and lots of other mess!

As the liquid did not go down John decided on a course of tablets and another tin of the special diet food for her. All of this took 40 minutes and a lot of it was because they have changed to a computer system and it takes John a long time to type it all in!

If all of this does not work I have to take her back on Monday for blood tests. I am not sure why this has happened they say she may have been brewing something before she went in but she was and has always been a very fit dog, old but fit. So it is either a reaction to the anaesthetic or something they did when cleaning her anal glands?

I took her home an we got indoors and she was suddenly a different dog, wagging her tail and looking at her food bowl. She has no idea how much this is ageing  me! I fed her and she ate it and then drank some of her special water and she looked fine!!

Having had no breakfast or even a cup of tea Jon said we should now go for a coffee at least so we did and we got back and she was fine and sleeping!

We had booked to go and see War Horse and were due to pick up my friend Margaret at 12.15 and go for lunch. I would have preferred to stay home but  could not let Margaret down so off we went.

We had a lovely lunch sitting looking over the harbour and such a beautiful day - one of those days that we will miss here in NZ.

We went to the cinema for the National Theatre Live performance of War Horse and it was really good and I did enjoy it but it would have been so much better had I not been so worried about Totty.

We came home and much to my relief she was fine and looking so much better. I just hope she continues to improve and stay well till we get her home.

I know she is a good age and if she dies from something  natural then I will accept that but be sad. What I was feeling is that I had put her through all this pain and suffering just so we could get her back to the UK. I know it is crazy but I would have hated to lose her like that. Fingers crossed.

As we had a good lunch we only had an omelette for dinner tonight and we sat and watched some recorded stuff to get the Sky box down!

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day with no visit to the vet!!

WEATHER
Sunny 24 degrees.