Ruthi (borrowadog)

Wolfhounds come in that colour - I'd say if not pure, then lots of wolfie in there. I wish I had a bigger house....

Petpals Witham are selling one of their vans to buy a proper car! The van is a 2004 Renault Kangoo S117 DCI 60. Signwritten for Petpals but that could come off. It had a MOT and full service yesterday. MOT runs out on 29th March 2010. Coming up to 66,000 miles. It has 2 new and 2 nearly new tyres. Both cages are the same size and can easily accommodate a large dog. We recently picked up a Dogue de Bordeaux from Newmarket and he was quite comfy! Can email photos if required. It also has a Nokia Advanced Car Kit which enables you to speak handsfree via bluetooth. £2,700 You can find their email address and number on www.petpals.com Ruth

Blimey, you don't look anything like that number! Hugs and thoughts for you all! Ruth

Back at Christmas time Seamus injured his foot. Vet X-rayed and pronounced it sprained but not broken. We bandaged and lead walked for ages, and by the time we went off to India he seemed to have mended. The dog sitter said he only limped once while we were away. But since we've been back its been bad again. I tried keeping him on the lead, and it worked, but only as long as we stayed on lead walks. So we went back to the vet. Its definitely the same toe. He had metacam for 3 days, which made me realise how much pain he'd been in, because suddenly he's a different, cheerful, frustrated (by his lack of exercise) dog. But by the end of the day he's getting worse again, so its only masking the symptoms. Next step is another X-ray, but the vet warned me that in general there's little that can be done, and the only option is likely to be the amputation of the toe. Does anyone have any experience of this sort of thing? Should I be asking for a second opinion (there's an orthopaedic referral centre locally).

However the Glucosamine liquid contains Allura Red which is another Azo dye, so I wouldn't give it to a dog that reacted to E122 which is of the same family. The combined glucosamine/chondroitin liquid is all natural (blackcurrant) - I'l buy that in future because its still cheaper than the other stuff. Ruth

Healthspan stuff is veggie friendly, and suitable for people with shellfish allergy. They have a very jolly, but informative website www.healthspan.co.uk - but despite the web address are actually based in Guernsey so you don't pay VAT Ruth

It takes a long time for glucosamine to take effect so its likely that it will take an even longer time to show if the stuff you are using is less effective. That having been said the ingredients in flexwize seem the same as Synflex. Even cheaper is the Healthspan offering. Its only sold as a human version, but the fruity flavour doesn't seem to trouble mine! Ruth

Ferritin? A better measure of iron stores than haemoglobin, I think?

Run free Penny, I hope you find some nice friends at the bridge. Sadly it seems its not that unusual in giant breeds. I've known a Bull Mastiff, and a Neo both go that way, and both quite young. Not a bad way to go, but much too soon!!

I'll have second booking! Is Mary's still there in Walberswick?

angel x sweetiepie?

It is, but it tends to creep up on you, rather than happening suddenly. Its also the sign of all sorts of other things including diabetes, hypothyroidism and goodness knows what else. But all of them are relatively unlikely in comparison the most likely which is that you have some sort of virus. If you are tired all the time for a prolonged period (more than a couple of weeks) then you need to go and see a doctor. Ruth

In law (Sale of Goods Act) its the retailer that is responsible if an item is not 'fit for the purpose'. A blackberry with buttons that fall off in no time clearly isn't fit. As far as the law is concerned the retailer cannot hide behind the excuse that the manufacturer is being unhelpful, that is their problem, not yours. I'd suggest that you do a bit of googling, get the relevant standard letter and fire it off to the retailer while you wait to see what happens with Voda. Ruth

Sorry Michelle, I'm afraid you are right and you are just delaying the inevitable. But at least you can taper off the HRT gradually, so that you can decide how much you can stand. I don't know whether I am lucky or not. Periods stopped at 58, but I've only had night sweats, hardly any daytime flushes. And I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at 47 (via a bone scan because of family history) - I just take the pills every week.

Its just you. I love all the details, but maybe you should concentrate on practicalities - there are warm floors and cold ones, taps that are longer lasting (and more expensive to start) etc etc A friend is soon to rent out his house, and his four koi are coming here for safety (and forever!). They were in the pond when he bought the house 13 years ago. And as you may know, Koi don't limit their size according to the size of the pond. They just keep growing. In this case I think the smallest one is probably nearly 2 feet long - excluding tail!!! Anyone know how you move big fish? Ruth Oh, and I have a fence round the pond - to keep the daycare labrador out!

Just what I was thinking. While he had a new woman to go to he had the courage to break out of the relationship, now all of a sudden it looks scary, which it is, of course. There are lots of men (and women) who can't face the idea of being alone, so they line someone up before they leave. I call it the 'transitional affair' and I did just the same thing when I left my husband. But I wasn't leaving him for someone else, I was just leaving him. The affair just gave me the energy and hope to do it, and in my heart of hearts I knew it all along. It is just possible that he played the baby card because Mrs Houseshare put the idea in his head. But if its been all wrong for ages, then thats not the real issue. IMVHO one can't go back. I've tried it, it never worked. And it certainly won't if he isn't able to be honest with you. March does seem a long way right now, but honestly, its not. It will be really hard, but it won't last that long. And in the mean time, don't feel bad. Instead of thinking about who is to blame, just accept that it doesn't work. Your task is to be strong for him as well as yourself (hard, I know) but you are doing him no favours taking him back, because he obviously wasn't any happier than you. :GroupHug: Three years ago, life was just as hard for me. So think about how lovely things could be, and hold your head up high!

Thank you for your kind wishes! It is going to be fab! Three weeks in India! Gosh, Claz, I never realised twas you too! Maybe we should start a 'Saved By Jules' club! Go on, all you new fugees (male and female!), go and read the original! I read it and then Jules sent me a link to a checklist http://www.thingsarelookinup.com/Abuse/test.shtml - I think my score was in the high fifties, whereas with my ex husband it had been about four! Now its ZERO!!! Ruth

Nearly 3 years ago I came across a Refuge topic that changed my life. Its here (can't work out the topic link thingy) http://www.therefuge.org.uk/forums/index.p...ng+relationship and I woke up to what a crappy relationship I was in. He hadn't been terribly violent, had only hit me on one memorable occasion, but the threat was ever present. I was deeply depressed, on heavy duty anti-depressants and pretty well paralysed emotionally. But it had never occurred to me until that moment that it wasn't all my fault for being such a useless individual. It took me a few months to get organised and move out. Then we had the drama of him harrassing me and trying to steal Tiger. Eventually we ended up in court over the house - and I won resoundingly! A little over two years ago I met Les. The first man in my life who was basically sorted. A little light hand-luggage, but nothing serious. He's gentle, funny, sexy, housetrained, and he loves me AND my dog (s) - oh, and my human family too! We moved in together far too soon, bought our house far too soon, and married last May. On Saturday we finally get to go on our honeymoon, which is why I am posting this a few days earlier than the anniversary of reading Jules' article. So to all of you out there going through horrid times, it can and will get better! It may need some courage to break out of the rut, or it may need some wonderful person to help us realise what we have done to ourselves, or it may be both. Missus Jules Kats Inc, I will be forever grateful to you for opening my eyes. I salute you! Here are the loves of my life Ruth

People do behave badly when relationships end. Even the ones we thought were decent! I'd be pretty sure she's the reason he's moving out too! Or else he's been a pretty quick worker!! And it doesn't really matter whether he's telling the truth. If you never want to see him again tell him to go. He can sleep on someone's floor in the interim. Clare, keep your faith. This is the worst bit of the process, it will get better, you will meet someone more worthy of you, the sun will shine! Ruth

Of course you would be wanted - for the right dog(s). There are loads of oldies out there who just want to be loved and fed, and taken for gentle strolls. Personally I can't imagine a home without dogs, no matter what their drawbacks.

I am reliably informed that the Green Dragon in Haddenham is good. Well, anywhere that puts their pudding menu online must be OK, mustn't it? Thinking about it the girl who recommends them is pudding mad..... Not exactly Thame, but well worth the extra miles, it the Sun and Stars in Holyport, near Maidenhead. Fab food, excellent value, and mein host is just so enthusiastic about food. I guess it counts as a gastro pub, but at the unpretentious end of the scale. Everything is fresh and home cooked (except, I believe, the ice cream). The veggie options are so interesting many omnivores choose them. Ruth

I hate the ones that don't say please! And the ones that expect me to phone them! But that is me. With an aquarium I'd probably choose someone who I thought would look after the fish reasonably well. Ask people to tell you when they will collect, and if they don't offer it to the next one on your list. Amazingly I've had people not show when they said, and then be abusive when I gave it to someone else. That went to the moderator! Ruth

I think the RSPCA varies enormously by branch. The small independant branch (with no funding at all from HQ) that I homechecked for were every bit as careful as the gold standard (in my eyes Wiccaweys). Its not my decision, but I have said to a rescue before that I wouldn't put my dog there for a holiday. And IMHO if the home resents the homecheck they don't get it. I know they'll get a dog from somewhere - maybe a rescue that doesn't check, or a private rehoming, but I don't want to be party to anything that makes me uncomfortable. Its bad enough when they seem perfect and turn out not to be. Or, as in one case, when the rescue doesn't give them the kind of dog that I suggested. (I still haven't forgiven the rescue in question. I said they want and need the kind of middle aged collie that is bomb proof. It will get all the exercise and mental stimulation it needs, but they can't really handle one of those collies that have 'hobbies'. What did the effing rescue give them? A nervous aggressive basket case! NOT a rescue that posts on this board, I add!!! - OK grumble over) Ruth - now puppy free, but still got mummy.

I met Les on Dating Direct (which masquerades as a few others too). I looked at it as being a numbers game - and internet dating is a way of meeting more people looking for a date than you would otherwise meet walking the dog. Its a haven for sad cases and pests, but you can weed them out with determination. My first rule was to correspond for a good while before agreeing to meet. That weeded out the illiterate, and the ones just wanting a quick shag. Can't fault it, really. I kissed a couple of frogs and then found my prince.

All the best people are ENFP - says she modestly but my E is in the 20s. But I think that some of the others may find us quite hard going sometimes. We can be seen as volatile and unpredictable. We aren't, the combination of N and P means that we are always finding new possibilities.... Ruth