It doesn’t really effect us too badly as we don’t really go anywhere other than to the vet, and while the animals are well, we’re not making any vet trips. We know we can get their heart meds from the pharmacy, and I’ve taken Horace off of his medication, so hopefully we’ll have the car back on the road by the time we need to go back to the vet with one of them.
Ian will have to cycle into Llerena next week to pay some money into the bank – but that’s the first time we’ll have really missed the car. Good job the weather’s warm and the cold water is coming out hot as I don’t think he’d like to carry a gas bottle back on his bike! Although we could get it delivered to the house – after nearly 13 years, you’d have thought that was something we’d got sorted by now!
I took Horace off his medication as I think that was what the vet was going to do anyway. We’d been reducing the dose bit by bit with a view to stopping. The medication didn’t have any effect – but I wasn’t expecting it to. Well, didn’t have any positive effect, I do think it slowed him down a little. He’s been very skippy and playful since he’s been off the medication.
Horace will be a year old now, and we’ve had him for nine months. I think by now, if we didn’t know there was something wrong with him, we’d have come to the conclusion there was something wrong with him – if you know what I mean! He is still like a puppy. He plays like a puppy, skips around like a puppy, eats his food like a messy puppy… Although I do have his eating under control now. I hold his bowl right up under his nose so he can’t get distracted while eating. He still drops bits around because of the problem with his jaw, and seems to have problems finding his food in the bowl, but at least we’re not stood there for hours while he skips in and out of his food, scattering it everywhere – and then skipping off because he’s forgetten what he’s supposed to be doing.
I’ve noticed the things that the vet was talking about with Horace. I don’t think it’s because it’s got worse – but just that I am looking for them. He falls over on one side when he goes round in circles, I think it’s his back left leg. The vet said that his little brain’s signals don’t get as far as his back left leg, which is why he falls over going in one direction
Horace is very sweet and we are the right house for him. But I can’t help thinking how awful it would have been if he’d gone to a family or someone who wanted a dog that they could do things with. Even our blind dogs can go for walks and will happily run off the lead. But we could never do that with Horace. He knows his name or perhaps the sound of our voices, but he doesn’t come to us. He wouldn’t walk on a lead – not without traumatising him. He does play, but he plays Horace games which are games played to his rules which only he understands.
Charlie is a year old too – and is the most unrelaxing do EVER! When we are sat outside in the evening, the night is punctuated by the sounds of her foot steps as she runs round and round the table ensuring we don’t wander off. It’s just exhausting watching her!
And, still no rain! We have a yellow heat warning for the next three days and no sign of any rain…