Clara's Painting

Whilst Clara was staying with us this summer, she secretly took a photo of Sam and Belle, and did a painting from it, as a surprise present for us. It was one of the most wonderful things I have ever been given, and she is clearly a very talented girl.

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Belle

Belle (or Bellie Buttons, or BamBam, as she is more affectionately known) joined us in late January 2014. Originally she was supposed to be a foster dog, but, although she nearly went to a new home, she has now stuck fast, and Sam has an annoyingly naughty but cute little sister. Part of the reason for her not going was that she suffers from something called Border Collie Collapse Disorder, and needs not to be over-exercised, a tough job with a young border collie. She will be two years old on March 19th 2015, and we love her very much.

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Sam Goes Swimming

Sam has a deteriorating cruciate ligament, caused by mild hip dysplasia. Because of this, he needs to go swimming. Unfortunately he hates swimming, and refuses to go anywhere near water, so his physiotherapist, Suzanne Cottriall, has been teaching him to swim at a nearby vets practice. She has done an excellent job, and in only two sessions he is looking far more comfortable and relaxed and is developing a nice doggy paddle. One or two more sessions should see him being able to go on his own. He also has exercises to do whilst on dry land. You can see more about her services here: http://www.animal-physiotherapist.co.uk

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Christmas 2013

This was the artwork for our Christmas card in 2013. Sadly, Tess died from a respiratory infection on December 9th 2013, just as the cards were being sent out. She was beautiful, a brave and loving girl, and we all miss her very much.

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More About Sam

Sam also came along to the photoshoot, and is always an easy and co-operative subject. The photographer chose this one as being his favourite picture of Sam.

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Tess Update III

Tess finally got rid of her e.coli antibiotic resistant infection a couple of months ago. We have been holding our collective breath in case it came back, but it hasn't. Whoopee! We tried various combinations of therapies, including some flown in from Russia specially. Anyone interested in knowing more can contact me.

Tess has also been off to a proper photographic studio to get her portrait done, and you can see one of the results below. Her legs are still not functioning properly, but she has now learned the command 'toes' and can wiggle her toes, if suitably rewarded.

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Update II On Tess

For the last two weeks, Tess has been suffering from an e.coli urinary infection which is antibiotic resistant. She has been on complete bed rest, and has not been going out on her wheels. We are still unclear on whether the infection is still present, but certainly she seems a lot brighter. She has started to get out and about again, but tires easily (so would you if you had lain in bed for two weeks). We are still seeking remedies, and there seem to be three options. Two of them are highly problematical and involve catheterising her bladder - not easy in a female dog. The third is bacteriophage therapy, which does not seem to be practised in the UK (please let me know if you know different). Any ideas would be welcome.

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