celeste

We've had no diagnosis, it's not the auto immune thing though as he would be an awful lot more anaemic than he is and there would be destroyed blood cells in his tests ( so the vet says ), he just isn't making enough new cells. Anne he's already getting a B12 injection which is helping a tiny bit but not much, I'll have a look at the supplement though, anythings worth a try. My friends hubby is a doctor who specialises in drug abuse, he suggested that a transfusion might work, he's had HIV patients who reacted badly to the meds used for HIV, a few infusions were enough to stimulate the bone marrow into working again, feel like I'm clutching at straws but you never know. Thanks for the kind thoughts

Hey you lot remember me ?, haven't been here in a while, but now I need a bit of Fugee brain power for my lovely 2nd hand boy Ben. I've only had Ben for 2 years but it feels like he's always been here. Unfortunately Ben's become quite ill, after various tests the vets have found that his bone marrow isn't producing enough red bloods cells and he's anaemic, he has very rapid breathing and no appetite at all. Due to not having been able to find anyone who would insure him at a reasonable cost ( there was only one and they wanted £50 a month ) I really can't afford the thousands it would cost to send him to the vet school, and even if he was insured I'm not sure I could put him through endless tests, he doesn't cope well away from home, and there's no guarantee of a cure or treatment at the end of it.. I have been wondering if the vet could give him a transfusion, it would at least give him some relief, even if just for a brief time. He's had a couple of blood tests done and his blood count was only a few points off the lowest level, but even so he seems to be feeling the effects. Any experience or suggestions would be very welcome.

I luvs my stove, what I would say is don't get one thats too big, they belt out a heck of a lot of heat, if you get one that's bigger than you need it'll be too hot to sit in comfortably, we have a small 5K one and it heats our large livingroom no problem, you can feel the heat hit you in the face when you come in the front door. I've started using Anthracite, which makes less ash and burns longer than regular coal, it stays lit all night which is great in the winter, it costs about the same as grade A coal, one bag lasts about a week,.

I watched it and I must say, old Gog's went up in my estimation, he'd make a great investigative journalist, he's got balls.He was hilarious when he was trying to interview a Chinese family who were eating shark fin soup in a restaurant . He was genuinely sickened by the finning, you could see it in his face , and when he found a baby Hammerhead lying dead and discarded on the back of a truck. I never realised there's no limit to the amount of sharks that can be caught, what the hell are the, powers that be, thinking ! does an animal have to become critically endangered with no hope of recovery before they do anything

I've not long finished Neil Gaimen's book Neverwhere, really good read about the people who "fall through the cracks" into a secret world underground, bit of an adventure come mystical story. As always I can't recommend the Song of Ice and Fire books ( or is it Fire and Ice, I can never remember ) set in a mythical land and dealing with the constant struggle for power between the various noble houses, if you like tales of double dealing, back stabbing, dragon's, incest and general scull-duggery then these books are for you, they're so good they've been made into an HBO series to be shown next year, they also have a huge internet following which rivals Lord of the Rings in size....so if you haven't already....READ THEM [media][/media] For some reason the imbed thing for You Tube won't work but if you look for A Game of Thrones on it there are loads of trailers for it and a behind the scenes thing starring Mr Sean Bean

I use Durham Feeds for my lot and it is great stuff, pity there isn't a supplier near you, there are other places that will send food direct but it tends to be a bit expensive. If your worried about the vitamin side you can get stuff called Higher Nature which is a true food and completely vegetarian. Ask in at your local butcher to, I've got a great relationship with my butcher now, once he realised I was coming in every week he was more than happy to keep me back his lamb bones, he also gets me hearts and tongue, if your butcher does his own butchering rather than buying in pre-packed stuff they're bound to have chicken backs which are usually binned, so that would take care of a calcium source.

The clips taking for ever to load for me so I haven't seen it but I have zero sympathy for the Quantock Hunt, I seem to remember they had one of the worst records for cruel practises ( more than the norm for hunting ). I have no problem with deer being culled by trained marksmen but this bunch of clowns are just blood thirsty arseholes.

Don't have anything to say really but the post has made me go .at all the good that Dog Star do

A very Merry Christmas right back at cha' Alex, hope you have a fantastic Crimbo Jane, Spud, Daisy, Bendolina, PollyPuss and all the chooks xxx

No change in Abby yet, but she has eaten some Hills wet food.

Big sqidges for the wee fat oik , hope she's home soon

Last of my stuff turned up today , it's cookies from Daisy's Deli and I'm not sure how long they've been in the post, Spud seemed to think they tasted just fine so I suppose that's ok. I even got a call from Titmuss to check my dog food had arrived, which was very nice of them, I think they phoned yesterday and I put the phone down on the girl , I thought it was a tele-sales pitch

for Amy and Marge Hope Dex get's sorted It's Spud's birthday today, he's 9.

I'm not a fan of the RSPCA or the SSPCA so I share your anger at them, I wonder if part of the problem is that some of the managers aren't savvy with animals at all and are only employed because of their ability to balance books, raise fund's or because of degree's they have.

RIP Pixi

I'd have drawn the line at the wet food, I have to confess I always sample the dog's dry food, just out of curiosity Hope Dexter's bum's ok

I got the Tankie and the one that's similar but with sleeves, they're great for keeping tummies warm but are a bit of a bother for putting on and off if you have a muscle monster like Spud or if your dog doesn't like being man-handled too much, I got Spud the regular coat type and that's been a lot better for him, it doesn't slide off despite him rolling and generally arsing about in the snow, although he did rip the Tankie one going through bushes, have a look at the one modelled by the Rottie which goes over the head but is open underneath. If you want to try something more heavy duty and a lot cheaper you can't go wrong with a Cosydog from Robinson's, it's on the top row, brilliant coat, very tough, waterproof, Spudproof, and very very warm. The only thing wrong with it is it could do with some velcro on the chest fastening as it tends to slip open a bit.

Awww , loving their bunk bed

No snow here yet but we're in for it tomorrow. I found a frozen fox this morning it was so beautiful and peaceful looking, it had curled itself up in the lea of a hay bale and died in it's sleep by the look of things, it made me very sad . I have two hen's in my back room, Polly puss is bloody livid about it too, especially when Moomin made a break for it this morning and nearly landed in Polly's bed beside her

Oooo, I'd love a blue Orp too. I was looking a pic's of Frizzles the other day, they are cute. Cacky's fine, she just has a bit of conjunctivitis ( bloody hell, I spelt that right first time !! ) so she's in for about a week with some eye drops twice a day, I was impressed with the vet Angus, he really seemed to know his way round a hen, and he said she was in great condition , which was a surprise given why Cacky is called Cacky .

Poor Cacky-Pants is off to the vet's tonight, I thought she seemed a bit slow today and when I had a look she has gunky eye's, so I've brought her inside for a few day's, I'll go out and bring Moomin in for company, Moomin's had a major moult so she could probably do with being inside. Been pondering about what hen's to get next year, I'd still like some Orp's but I also fancy Croad Langshan's, there's a breeder in Stirling which isn't too far away, they look very handsome ( the Croad's, not the breeders )

My boots arrived , seems things are taking an average of four days through the post. Still waiting on the Orijen, although Titmuss got hold of their courier and the food should be with me by Monday.

Feeding on the step would be a good idea, it will keep his spine straighter, you could also try hand feeding him while he's resting somewhere so he doesn't have to get up at all.

Poor boy , I agree with others about getting a second opinion, a slipped disc needn't be a death sentance , a chiropractor might be worth a shot, I've had one in for one of my dog's, if you get one try and get a Chorly-Mctimmony ( sp ) one, they are much more gentle than the regular ones. therapy

Sleep well Fudge and Gracie for Sam and Grandma Squiggs