Itching and Sister In Law

Having written that blog title, I hasten to add that the itching has nothing to do with my sister-in-law, nor myself. But it's coming up to that time of year again. Itching time.

Apart from Mollie's allergy to fleas (a very common problem and one that the cat is responsible for), she's had another itching problem, but all non-dog owners, I suggest you look away now. This is not for the squeamish.

The second problem was anal glands. You know when dogs sniff each other's bums? This isn't anything disgusting: it's just how dogs identify each other – like us shaking hands or saying hello. These glands are also known as scent glands and they help dogs mark their territory.

Most dog owners will know about problems with these and I won't go into details here for fear of offending those of a delicate nature – or nose in this case. Suffice it to say that our first vet wasn't overly helpful, so I asked all my other dog owning friends for advice, scoured the internet and went cross-eyed with conflicting information.

The problem with the glands seemed to clear up relatively easily courtesy of changing her diet. I was advised to use a hypoallergenic diet and was recommended James Wellbeloved. (Widely available or from Nutrecare.) Within weeks her problem had sorted out, though this was also due to the fact that she was not allowed any treats (Himself sulked over this) and had to adhere to a strict diet of biscuits only. Still, it did the trick and now she is happy and problem free in that area.

So if your dog has a problem in that department, talk to your vet and perhaps try a hypoallergenic diet. It worked for Molls, it could work for you! Er, I mean, your dog of course...

And on another tack, just off to take my sister in law (over from Vermont) to Penzance. Rain is forecast, of course, but it's a joy having time with her. Come again soon, Shelagh!

(Pic of Mollie taken by Claire Wilson)

Itchings and Blessings

Poor Molls has had a bad few weeks. First of all her itching has come back and until she can have a blood test to ascertain what she is allergic to, she can't have any steroids to stop the itching. So she's currently on a very low dose of antihistamines, twice weekly antifungal shampoo baths and being treated with a steroid spray every day. Thankfully this seems to be working and she's not itching nearly so much - it was terrible watching her scratch and scratch, especially at night, and we felt so helpless being unable to help her.

On top of that, it turns out she has something wrong with the ligaments in her left leg. This means that the knee socket can pop out when she runs (though it pops back immediately and doesn't seem to hurt her). Still, it needs looking at more closely when she's sedated next week, and having had a week of Short Walks on the lead (and I don't know who felt more frustrated, her or me), she is now on slightly longer walks but No Running. Swimming is good though so we did that yesterday afternoon as well.

The worst case scenario is that the leg could have to be operated on as the wear and tear on the joint could cause arthritis. But I'm not even going there.....

So what with three vet trips in a week, and another big one next week for the blood tests, my bank account is beginning to look somewhat anorexic. Still, it's all worth it.

The good news is that I interviewed a young couple yesterday who have set up a very good bakery in Falmouth using local products and organic flour. Their flapjack is the best I've ever had, so I thought they would be good for a food piece for the magazine. What I hadn't expected was to meet such an enterprising couple who have really thought out their business, enjoy what they do and intend to keep it that way rather than expand. “We want to be able to enjoy what we do and the lovely place we live in,” they said. And why not?

It struck me this morning that this job is all about discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. And what a joy that is.

P.S. It's my mother's 80th birthday party this weekend. Whole family gathering for a meal on Saturday night. And believe me, getting everyone together in one place takes years of planning. Guess what? My eldest neice has contracted swine flu from being out in Cyprus and the whole family are in quarantine. So we will be minus 5 members of the family..... you can imagine how my mother is feeling.

Itching Babies and Elderly confusion

I posted the novel off yesterday and as I left the corner post office my heart lurched with a mixture of panic and fear, as if I’d thrown my precious work as far as I could over the sea, and was watching it twisting and curling, hurtling further and further away from me. But we won’t go there – all I can do is wait now and get on with other writings.

On the subject of my other baby, we took Moll to the vet this morning after a largely sleepless night (me) as she was scratching and itching nearly all night. So I’m a bit grainy eyed and weary this morning. I’ve been taking her twice weekly to the vet to get her more used to it out of surgery hours, and she was a bit better but still got into a panic which upsets me no end. Which in turn won’t help her. Anyway, the vet thinks it might be fleas (though there’s no sign of fleas) or dermatitis, so she’s had her next lot of Stronghold.

For other pet owners, there’s a really bad infestation of fleas this year, so if your animals are itching, get some flea stuff and spray the whole house (I’ve just done that and am sitting with the windows open to try and ventilate the place).

But back to other matters. We took our elderly friend for coffee on Saturday again. Having had ten days in the new residential home, he looked surprisingly well; his eyes were clear and his face was more relaxed and he seemed in much better spirits than he has done for a long time. Though he doesn’t like the other people –says they’re not friendly. And the only other man is nearly blind and can’t speak. Not ideal for someone who likes a good natter.

While we were out, James said, ‘You know, I’m a founder member of –’ and then stopped as the necessary word had evidently flown the coop. ‘Founder member,’ he said, looking puzzled. Where had that word gone?

‘A club?’ I said.

‘Yes!’ he brightened. ‘You know – women – and racing.’

I looked at Himself. He looked at me. Women’s Formula One, I wondered? Women’s athletics?

‘You know,’ James said, evidently frustrated. And he mimed rowing.

‘Oh, gigs!’ we cried.

Yes – he was one of the former members of the Flushing/Mylor Gig Rowing Club. Phew.

As we left the building he took me to one side and pointed proudly to Himself. ‘I just want you to know that this man is a - a –’ and once again that sodding word would not come. ‘A success,’ he said, as if he knew it wasn't the right word but hoped it would do.

‘I know,’ I said. I got the gist, and was extremely proud to be married to – whatever he was.

Awards, Novels and Itching

First of all, many thanks to the rotten correspondent for her award of Creative Blogger. I am extremely honoured and grateful; very ego boosting start to the week.
I will pass this on to other bloggers in a day or two when I've had time to have a trawl.

Also many thanks for all those encouraging comments about my meanderings on writing fiction. I would like to clarify that I have not yet had a novel published (god dammit to hell) but one of these days I will. Unfortunately the decision whether to publish a book these days is nowadays down to the Marketing department and has less to do with the writing itself. Yes, I can write (all of us bloggers can do that) but nowadays unless an agent and publisher is convinced that what you write will sell, you’re not going to get published.

So what makes a book sell? Ah, well, there’s the conundrum. No one actually knows. It’s an indefinable thing, like falling in love. It either works or it doesn’t, and until the book’s out there, who knows whether people will want to buy it? There are certain factors which will help or hinder, however:-

Don’t write about cancer (my last boo boo)
Don’t write about people with an age gap (ditto)
Don’t write about the theatre or ballet (yes, another of mine)
Your main (female) character must not be over 40 (another mistake), preferably early to mid thirties -

And so the list goes on, with lots and lots of Dos and Don’ts about plot, characters, conflict etc. which I won’t bore you with. All of the above rules can be broken, of course, but not by me – or not yet. So this time I’ve tried to keep within the rules. I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. Keep yours crossed too, would you? My baby is going off in the post today as soon as it’s stopped tipping down.

And many thanks for helpful comments about Mollie’s itching. As it’s on her back, she can’t scratch it with her claws so she hasn’t broken the skin, and a lot of the time it doesn’t bother her, but when it does, she gets very agitated. It’s not her anal glands as she had those done last week (a recurring problem, unfortunately, but one that I have now been shown how to do by the vet). I’ve decided to take her to the vet and made an appointment for tomorrow morning – they’re too busy today. In the meantime I’m off to buy moisturising shampoo and Aloe Vera. Will keep you posted on both babies.