Frankie troubles

I think that maybe I need to send in a proposal for a new soap opera to a production company…but I'll spare you the details. If you live in Glasgow, you can rest assured that emergency services are efficient and prompt. For reassurance, we are all fine, if a bit frazzled, but that's nothing new). We actually had five good days with Iris and I hope their new (secondhand laptop) will keep them inside more. Gaming all night is the lesser evil, for sure. I would of course prefer if Iris read Anna Karenina or play Scrabble but gaming is just fine if it keeps them off the street and away from trouble (although of course Iris IS the trouble more often than not). 

The puppy on the other hand had a narrow escape from serious harm. When I came home from the shops on Friday, I found an empty chewed-up blister pack of 400mg ibuprofen next. How Frankie got hold of these remains a mystery because we are careful with medication. I don’t know how many tablets were in the blister pack but definitely more than would be good for a puppy. I called the vet and was told to bring Frankie in immediately. He was given an injection to vomit and vomit he did. No tablets but a pink tinge, for sure. He was not happy as you can see in the first photograph. He maybe considered finding a new family! He also had his bloods taken for baseline kidney function. It was by that time after 6 pm and Frankie was transferred to the small animal hospital over night for IV fluids and observation, and if necessary, additional treatment. He was stable and on Saturday, I was allowed to visit and take him for a short walk around the hospital. He did the longest possible pee, no doubt because of all the IV fluids. He spent all of Saturday on IV fluids, then had another blood test in the evening, which showed normal kidney function. He as allowed home in the evening and was discharged with a bag of medication to protect his stomach lining. On Tuesday he had another blood test to check his kidney function, which came back normal. A lucky escape.

Frankie’s spirits were no dampened at all by his ordeal. We have a new lead, one of those retractable ones, for recall training. Frankie loves the extra freedom and he responds well to “come” when on the extended lead. Not so much when there is distraction and he goes positively bananas when he sees another dog, prams or toddlers. I’ve had some success with him being calm as soon as he is allowed to say hello to another dog. The thing is, when he behaves like the killer rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, dog owners are not keen to let their pooches approach. I usually call from a distance to ask if we can approach for a greeting. He is a challenge outside, for sure. I am glad to have found a dog trainer who does assessments and one on one training. Frankie’s first session is this coming weekend. He is definitely trainable, I’v had success with not reacting to people while out walking but professional insight and some tips will go a long way to make walks enjoyable and less stressful. Because we don’t need more of that!

On that note, my GP is just wonderful. I always try to see the same doctor and he knows me quite well after years and years of being at this practice. He removed a cyst from my back a while ago, which took some time, so plenty of opportunity to chat and talk life. I’ll see how it goes at home over the next week but I feel reassured in the knowledge that I can get help anytime. We discussed options, including time off and medication to reduce anxiety. I’ll give that a go when my head is fizzing so much I can’t focus.

Anyway, got to dash. My last evening teaching this term is just about to start and I need the loo, a drink and a strawberry or two for snacks. Wish me luck, it is a long one, and the last revision session before the big  professional examination for my own class and the students from two other UK courses that feed into the same exam. I believe in collaborative efforts and I am glad the teams of the two other UK courses share this view. The remainder of my teaching term is mostly asynchronous or if live, during the day. 

Thanks for visiting 😊