Dogs
Meg's rat tail
Sunday 3 February, 2008
Our Collies will both be eight this year, so when Meg started sleeping a bit more, we put it down to middle age. Given her normal high energy hyperactivity, it was a bit of a relief. Then we noticed that her coat was thinning. She's never had a thick coat but we could see the dark patches of pigment on her chest, and her tail was "ratty". Although she was eating normally, the other end was fine and, for a normal dog (but not Meg), she was quite energetic, we suspected that something was amiss. So off to the vet! Turns out she has an underactive thyroid (it's the only bit of her that's underactive); so she's got to take one pill a day and go back for another blood test in a couple of weeks. Ten days into the course of medication, and we've got our old Meg back! Irritating, obsessive, hyperactive - but we love her! Just like the vet promised - I did ask for thyroid pills and a sedative!
Tess, the bionic dog
Saturday 24 November, 2007
Tess finally had her surgery on Thursday to repair the damage caused by the rupture of her cruciate ligament. She seems to be none the worse for it apart from a bad haircut! We've taken the wee bandage off her front leg but we're not brave enough to remove the dressing from the site of the operation - hey, that's what we pay vets for!
Poor Tess!
Sunday 30 September, 2007
One of our collies,Tess, has ruptured the cruciate ligament in her off hind leg. She injured a back leg when she was pup (I think it was that one) and she has been stiff on and off for a while. I've been giving her a food supplement and she's been on a diet!
She was a bit lame last weekend, so she was on "lead rest", but on Tuesday night, she got out an shot up the road after some small furry thing. I heard her yelp and when she came back, she couldn't put her paw down. She saw the vet on Wednesday, went in for more tests on Thursday and the vet confirmed his initial diagnosis - that she had ruptured the cruciate ligament.
Tess's new home
Friday 13 April, 2007
If Dan or I are at home, Tess lives outside. She's always been an "independent" dog - we have a photo of her as a tiny pup NOT coming for a walk with us. We have considered getting her a kennel and letting her live outside. Actually, she's a really good watch dog - she's not aggressive but she's very good at letting you know if anyone's around.
Happy birthday, Meg
Sunday 10 September, 2006
It's Meg's sixth birthday today. It doesn't seem like anytime since she came to live with us, in November 2000. How she shattered Tess's peace - I don't think Tess has recovered emotionally!
We didn't plan to have a second pup just as quick as we did, but one of the farm dogs, Gyp, had pups and the farmer offered us one. When we brought her home, she had a little pot belly, which turned out to be the result of a terrible worm burden. After the treatment, she was real skinny and she still is. We're sure there's a bit of whippet in her breeding somewhere. Her sister, Sally, is still at the farm and they don't look alike at all. Unfortunately, Gyp has to be put to sleep last winter - she must have been about thirteen.
Having a Border Collie
Wednesday 8 March, 2006
We love our Border Collies. They are fit, healthy (being, to all intents and purposes, mongrels), not too big, not too small but they are both totally bonkers. Tonight, Meg is playing "seek". She has a red rubber ring about 4" diameter. It was the first toy we bought Tess six years ago and Meg loves it. I hide the ring, she seeks it. She can keep it up for ages. Tess, meanwhile, is shadowing Felix.
They'll take as much physical exercise as you'll give (actually, for Tess, that's not that much) but it's the mental stimulation I think they enjoy too, and the interaction with their "pack". They seem to really enjoy weekends when we all just mess in the garden. I did obedience training with Tess and agility with Meg but didn't have time to pursue either seriously - Tess and I still do our "Crufts" stuff in the garden.
It's a dog's life
Tuesday 16 August, 2005
As part of the "Grassroots" programme, we wanted to "show" a meal that was all home produced. Tonight, that meant roast pork, "Red Duke of York" potatoes, courgettes and carrots.
We duly roasted the pork - Nancy recorded the sound of it sizzling as Dan took it from the oven. It was a magnificent roast with lovely crackling, succulent and juicy. The house was full of the warm smell of good meat. We all tried a bit - it was delicious.
After Nancy left, Dan popped into the study and I popped out to get some potatoes from the garage.
Poor Tess!
Thursday 18 November, 2004
Once our dogs had passed the puppy chewy stage, we bought them bean bags from a company called Barka Parka. They are probably one of our best ever buys. The bags are made of heavy cotton drill and have a top cover that's easily removable for washing.
However, the material seems to shrug off hair and dirt and a good shake usually renders them pretty clean. The dogs love them. However, so does Homer. He has adopted the one by the radiator, much to Tess's chagrin. Homer's really funny. He loves the bed but seems to find the texture funny to walk on so he sort of pounces from the floor into the middle.
