Carole Stitcher

They test blood for specific things, so may not have tested his blood count. Even if they did, if it is a tumour, it may have bled after they took his blood, so it would not have shown when they took it. Our experience with Sooty was that the bleeds would happen suddenly, but briefly and that it would take time but she would recover. Each bleed did leave her a little weaker though and a note of caution, she did have a stroke after her last bleed, so if you notice anything unusual, keep your eyes on him (though I doubt I neede to say that). The reason we used curcumin is that the research I read presumed it to be the active ingredient in turmeric and we could obviously give her less of that than turmeric to be effective (as the capsules were 97% rather than 3%). I've never used Naturediet, but believe it to be a 'wet' food, so I see no reason why some or all of the meat element can't be replaced by that, it may even be better because it probably has a higher fat content and cancer REALLY doesn't like fat. The gloop altogether contains all the elements of the vitamin B complex, but you can fiddle around with it as you or Mal prefer. As I said before, the honey was there to indulge her sweet tooth, if Mal doesn't have a sweet tooth, leave the honey out and if there's something else he likes a lot then put that in instead. If you don't want to use anything but the Naturediet as the meat element, then do that. Mal is an individual, as Sooty was, what pleased her might not please Mal. I will give you the advice Muriel gave me, 'go with your gut'. You know Mal better than anyone else on the planet, listen to yourself. We chose not to give her iron tablets partly because she was so small and it was hard to determine a correct dosage. Too much iron can cause other complications like constipation or dire rear and can often cause black stools (which doesn't mean there's anything wrong, just the body getting rid of the excess iron, but I worried enough about her as it was!). Still thinking of you all

Marian, if anyone can give the best advice about a dog with a liver tumour, its you. The only person who could equal you is Muriel, and she doesn't seem to post any more. The gloop was indeed vile, but she seemed to love it, it was the only thing she would eat consistently 3 or 4 times a day and because it also contained all the basic nutrients I worried less about her not eating other foods. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric and what gives it the orange colour. But turmeric only contains 3% curcumin and the stuff we gave Sooty was 97% curcumin. Billy if you choose to try curcumin, it is widely available on the internet, but prices vary greatly, so check around for the best price. The research in curcumin came about because people from those nations who have a high curry content in their diet tend not to develop secondary cancers so there are those who believe that it has cancer limiting properties. On 6th March 2006 we were told that Sootys life was likely to last weeks, she actually stayed for just over 9 months from then, we think the curcumin helped. I hope that Mal will be around for much longer.

The fact that Mal is tired seems to support the possibility that he is anaemic. If he does have a tumour and it is having a bleed, the one positive point is that the blood doesn't actually get lost and his body can re-absorb the critical elements of it. 150g fish 150g chicken breast 150g braising steak 150g ox liver 125g brown rice (uncooked weight) 200g spinach 200g broccoli 2 large eggs ½ pot live yoghurt ½ jar honey 1 15oz tin chicken soup 450mg curcumin There are lots of different types of fish that can be used, I often used trout but any oily fish is a good source. All ingredients were raw except the rice, though you would probably not lose too much if you steam the broccoli (its really hard work processing that down, believe me). Mix is freezable. Yoghurt was half a large pot, honey does have healing properties but was mainly put in to indulge her sweet tooth. The best honey for healing purposes is Manuka honey, but that proved too rich for Sooty. Chicken soup may have just been superstition on our part, but when she had her first serious bleed, she almost died then, her eyes even started glazing over and we pumped watered down chicken soup into her by syringe that night and by the time she got to the vets the next day it was only her very low blood count that showed there had been a problem at all. The curcumin is there because there is evidence to suggest that it has cancer fighting properties and we started her on that when we found out that she had a tumour in March 2006, so when we started the gloop we put it in that because it was easier for her to take it that way. There is ongoing research, but as usual the medical establishment pooh poohs anything that is a potential natural aid. We think it helped and she did make it through to December, which our vet didn't expect at all, it can easily be left out. We fed Sooty 3 or 4 times a day, and at each mealtime I would mix 3 dessertspoons of the gloop with 1 dessertspoon of live yoghurt and a teaspoon of honey. She would have this and some solid food sometimes fish, sometimes liver or braising steak (raw), basically whatever she was having for her meal. I only ever meant the gloop as a supplement. You would need to give Mal more, because Sooty was a very small dog (only 10 and 1/2 inches tall). Sooty was very picky about her food too, but she never refused the gloop, we thought it looked awful, smelt worse but was obviously appetizing to her. Wishing you and Mal all the very best.

Thinking lots of 'get well and stop worrying your mum thoughts' here still. Billy, are Mal's gums pale? On occasion Sooty's tumour would bleed which would leave her anaemic and that can cause panting (at least, according to her vet it could). If that's the case getting liquids inside him can help his body replenish. I did devise a mixture to give Sooty which helped with the anaemia and I can hunt out the recipe if you'd like to try it. Its simply a concoction of the vitamin B rich foods. both meat and vegetables, all raw, which I put in the liquidiser so it ended up as a liquid. It was easy for her to get down and easier for her to digest because it was essentially broken down. You could perhaps bulk up on the veggies fish and yoghurt parts so that you can avoid the meat. The only problem I can see is that Sooty was a tiny dog and it was quite time consuming preparing it for her and Mal definitely can't be described as tiny, so it could suck up a lot of your time. Other alternative would be iron tablets, which is what the vet actually said to give her, I just preferred to take a more natural path.

For you all I, like most people on here, know just what you are going through right now. Here's hoping that its just a blip. Marian kept Barney for a relatively long time with his liver tumour, her advice is priceless. Lots of positive thoughts from all of us here.

The draw of the original Star Trek has little to do with what commonly makes a TV series or film popular. The storylines weren't great, the characters weren't greatly charismatic, the special effects were pitiful (though rather better than William Shatner's acting ) What it was was the ethos it represented. A Utopian universe where most species got along in relative harmony, working together for the common good. It had a structure, (the Prime Directive), that governed the way they reacted to new discoveries. People got things due to their need, not their greed. There were gadgets which made life so much easier that didn't exist in anyones wildest imagination when it was first shown. This dream world was born in the mind of Gene Roddenberry and, the same as any child, could never be as precious to anyone except its parent, so when he died, to a certain extent, Star Trek and all it stood for died too. There are those who have tried to keep it running, but without his input, it has no soul. Star Trek has had a large impact on the lives of all of us. Just take a look at your mobile, does it remind you of anything? A communicator perhaps. I think that many people have watched the various Star Trek series, have spotted something and thought, ooooh, that's a good idea and then used their technical skills to invent it. Just my opinion.

What lovely chickens, I'm so sorry you've lost them. I love seeing pictures of your girls, they are all so pretty. These pictures of Emily show that very pretty as she is on the outside, she's even prettier inside as the chickens are obviously feeling very safe with her.

Hi Mrs. B Have you got or can you make a poster for the event that you could email to me? Martin is going to Halfway Home's Fun Dog Show this Sunday (26th) with our Sootys Dog Stuff and it should be a great place to publicise your event, especially as their base (and the show) is at Collingham. I have spoken to Val and she's happy for Martin to give out leaflets for you.

I was quite young when I realised I was different to most people. Sunday afternoon, watching a John Wayne movie with my mum and dad. The cowboys were surrounded by Indians, in real danger. There were dead bodies from both sides all over the place, but none of it bothered me. Then the chuck wagon guys' cat was killed and that was it............. I sobbed for hours.

Driving Out Gloomy futures by Sterilising and Treating Animals Responsibly

I'm so sorry. It's always hard to lose those that we love, but somehow it seems just that bit harder to lose the ones who fight to stick around and manage to show vets that no matter how much experience they have, there's always a surprise just around the corner. Have a great time at the Bridge Bosun, as strong as healthy in your body now as you have always been in your mind. for all his family.

You could try a google checkout account as the fees are less, though a lot does depend on the throughput and size of payments as Paypal can work out cheaper in some circumstances.

Kazz, ask to speak to quality control or technical, as they are the ones who will directly deal with this particular problem. Both departments should have on file a technical declaration from whoever manufactures the sauce which lists everything in the sauce, no matter how much or little there is and even if its a constituent of something else that is used to make the sauce. The British Retail Consortium (which Sainsburys are part of) standard often goes way beyond the legal requirement and this is one of the areas that they do. If they don't have it ( a bit naughty, but hey-ho) the manufacturer should have. The 'may contain nuts' disclaimer is because if a factory uses nuts or nut derivatives (e.g. peanut butter) in any product they manufacture there is always a possibility, no matter how remote, that some can contaminate a totally unrelated product. Are you ill if you consume an infinitesmal amount of coconut? If so it might be worth questioning whether or not the manufacturer uses coconut or coconut derivatives in anything they produce in the same factory. Sorry you feel poorly here's a

Kazz, ask to speak to quality control or technical, as they are the ones who will directly deal with this particular problem. Both departments should have on file a technical declaration from whoever manufactures the sauce which lists everything in the sauce, no matter how much or little there is and even if its a constituent of something else that is used to make the sauce. The British Retail Consortium (which Sainsburys are part of) standard often goes way beyond the legal requirement and this is one of the areas that they do. If they don't have it ( a bit naughty, but hey-ho) the manufacturer should have. The 'may contain nuts' disclaimer is because if a factory uses nuts or nut derivatives (e.g. peanut butter) in any product they manufacture there is always a possibility, no matter how remote, that some can contaminate a totally unrelated product. Are you ill if you consume an infinitesmal amount of coconut? If so it might be worth questioning whether or not the manufacturer uses coconut or coconut derivatives in anything they produce in the same factory. Sorry you feel poorly here's a

Paypal covers you for item not received at all venues, but not for anything else. Distance selling regulations cover you for wishing to return items, but in the event of problems tou would need to resort to the county court. Check out the returns policy of the website, which they are legally obliged to display somewhere. Your legal right is 7 days, more if that fact is not displayed. They are also obliged to reimburse you for return postage unless they specify otherwise. Their name and contact details (which cannot be a PO Box) should also be displayed somewhere on the site. ' If they are complying with DSR's the chances are that they are a 'kosher' company and safe for you to deal with, if not, it may be a case of 'caveat emptor'. You could check with your credit/debit card company if they will still initiate a chargeback for a Paypal payment funded by them (not all do these days due to past problems), as if they will, you can sort it through them. I hope that helps

Alex, I have been watching this thread closely, though I haven't posted, but I've been thinking loads of positive thoughts for you and Max. Sootys tumour used to bleed on occasion, which would make her very anaemic very quickly. I devised a concoction which we called 'gloop' (if you saw it, you'd know why ). It used to bring her red count up really quickly. It's not going to help long term if your vet is right about the diagnosis, but it may help him feel better in the short term. Her vets were quite impressed with the effect it seemed to have. Let me know if you want to know what we put in it.

Melp, I certainly didn't mean to talk down to you, and if my post gave that impression, please accept my sincere apologies . Nor were my comments about considering what it would be like if more people cared meant personally and I'm surprised they were taken as such. Nobody could ever doubt that you care about those issues. I agree that she should have had more sense than to sleep with him, I also think women should have more sense than to go out in skimpy clothing and get p****d. That doesn't give him the licence to behave that way, Ross the licence to egg him on the way he did, or the BBC the licence to broadcast it, especially when they had the opportunity not to, any more than a man has the licence to rape a half dressed, half-cut woman. The fact that she has probably done more to embarrass her grandfather since the incident still doesn’t condone the actions of all involved. The managers at the BBC went because they made an extremely poor editorial decision which had huge repercussions. I think it was right that they went, the same as I think that the seniors at the banks who took such stupid risks should go, without the benefit of any kind of golden handshake. I also think that a good many of the people who were involved with the Baby P case should go. Did the Ross/Brand fiasco deserve the coverage that it has had? To be honest, I don’t know. I'm a bit of a Ray Mallon on these type of things - zero tolerance. I don’t care what anyone does as long as it doesn’t have an adverse effect on the lives of others. I do care about bad manners and disrespect, at any level, in any circumstance. I don’t have children, but I do care if children are harmed in any way by the action or inaction of others. I don’t live in any of the countries that are torn apart by wars, or suffering from drought, earthquakes, disease, but I do care about the conditions that the people who do live there are having to endure. I care about doing anything to the best of my ability, no matter how trivial the task. Too many people don’t care about anything at all, they have no standards, they only give a damn about what affects them. They make life much more difficult for those who do care and who do have standards. We all know that the DDA is not fair and is not right. We care. I would care whether I had bull breeds or not, many people on this forum don’t have them and still care, which is why you get the support you do here. If the same proportion of the British public were to stand up and say that its not right and its not fair, the DDA would be repealed and something far more appropriate put in its place. But most of them don’t care, they don’t have a bull breed, they don’t even have a dog, it doesn’t affect them, so it doesn’t matter. I’ve used that as an example because its close to your heart and you’ve worked hard to put it right, but the principle is the same with all issues. If the social workers at Haringay had put one tenth of the effort into doing what they are paid to do that you do into DNB for nothing, Baby P would still be here and safe. Just how much could you do with Sharon Shoesmiths’ salary at your disposal? (not to mention all the others). How much more could Kats Inc achieve if she was supported by those people she liaises with instead of wasting her energies trying to force them to do what they are supposed to be doing anyway? People not caring is, in my opinion, the root cause of most social problems and the fact that we are willing to accept poor standards allows it to continue. Boosboss, I’m afraid that its not that simple. The children in Cleveland were not at risk, but untold damage was done to them by the very people who were there to protect them. I think the incident that Rudi cites occurred in the Shetlands, you can see by what she says what damage was done. They are not the only incidences and they still happen today, but the scale tends to be smaller. Rudi, what an excellent post, very informative. I agree with you, and Kats Incs posts seem to confirm that for whatever reason, these agencies who are so crucial to the welfare of so many vulnerable people are totally resistant to using their mouths and ears in the proportion that they have been given them. Kats Inc, you and I have disagreed on many issues in the past, its nice to have an issue where you and I are singing, if not on the same hymn sheet, at least one that is pretty similar. I have enormous respect for you, believe it or not, because you do care about what you do. I only wish that there were more like you and fewer like the ones who are frustrating your efforts. I sincerely hope that you are never caught up in an incident like Baby P, you certainly don’t deserve to.

I agree in part, we've become a society who blame everyone but ourselves for our misfortunes. We all make mistakes and bad choices throughout our lives and its how we deal with them that determines our strength of character. But there are times when 'they' are at fault. When they take on responsibility and fail to fulfill it, not through the odd mistake or bad choice, but by being totally negligent in their duties. We can only stop this by making those that are negligent take the consequences of their action/inaction. When it comes to our fascination with celebrities you're absolutely right, but that's one of the reasons that their public behaviour should be of reasonable standard, because 'monkey do what monkey see'. I couldn't care less if Russell Brand and Andrew Sachs' grandaughter slept with the entire household cavalry, separately or together, just as long as both of them keep their private business private.

I totally agree and that is why I feel that people at ALL levels should be held equally accountable. If you have a department that hounds out social workers who question bad working practices, it's a pretty safe bet that it is likely to be the department that is a major part of the problem. A head of a department that does nothing about it is part of the problem, so therefore should be held accountable. The lady who lives next door to me is a foster carer and her last charges were subject to a care order (not voluntary) and had not been subjected to anything like the systematic abuse that Baby P had, yet our local social services department succeeded in gaining a care order, which is why I don't accept the excuse that is emerging that it is the legislation that failed Baby P. I will resort to an old cliche here: A bad workman always blames his tools. On the converse said, I am well aware that there are many people like yourself who work tirelessly for the children in your care and feel very deeply for their charges. It's another reason why I feel that the bad ones need rooting out at all levels. The money that they are paid is wasted, when it would be far more gainfully used to support those who care about doing their job to the best of their ability, instead of keeping them on making the situation worse, and making the job even harder for people like you.

Given that many men can be avaricious sexual predators, maybe all women should know better than to go out dressed provocatively, or drink too much, as they may end up getting raped. Same principle here, blaming the woman for the appalling behaviour of a man. This raises an interesting point in my eyes. Did Brand contravene her human rights by announcing so publicly that he had slept with her? Or can he claim the media defence of it being in the public interest? With all due respect Melp, in my honest opinion those two words contribute a great deal to the state of the society we live in today. Lets consider for a moment what it might be like if more people actually cared about even the small wrongs that don't actually impact on their personal lives. More parents would care where their children are at all times of the day and night, so they wouldn't be hanging around the streets, getting involved with gangs, drugs, guns and whatever else. Children could then walk home from football training without tragic consequences. More people might care about what's happening outside their own front door, so maybe, just maybe, something more could have been done to save Baby P from his suffering. Maybe the 7 year old child and her mother that live with us (not relatives, long story) would be able to read and write. They're not stupid, in fact the 7 year old is well above average, but both have been failed by the system and by everyone they have come in contact with and that includes social services. Maybe I wouldn't have felt today that I had to hide away my two beautiful natured staffy crosses from the policewoman who came to take a witness statement from my OH. If more people cared about what's right and what's wrong, the DDA in its current form would not exist and they would not be in danger of being considered 'type'. Sonia Shoesmith is a senior manager. Her job is to ensure that the people who staff her department do what they are supposed to. Whether that is through discipline or support, it is her job to supply that, through the chain, to the people who were directly involved with Baby P. She obviously didn't, so she is no less responsible than anyone else. And sorry to disagree with you Kats Inc., but the legislation allowed children in Cleveland and many other places to be placed in care unnecessarily, so that is no defence of the situation in my eyes.

I fear that I am possibly going to be controversial here. While I am not a particular fan of the media in any of its forms and I don't feel that it is their role to publicly 'try' people, I think that the particular issues involved do need raising and I also believe that action should be taken. The current financial climate has been caused by senior people on phenomenal salaries that most people could only dream of earning in a lifetime. Their errors have earned many of them a golden handshake which will be funded by the very people whose lives they have, if not ruined, certainly turned into a struggle for quite a few years to come. Baby P died, probably in extreme agony, because the people who are paid very comfortable salaries from the public purse did not do the job they are paid to do, which is protect the children in their care. That child was classified as at risk, had over 80 visits in a relatively short space of time, yet no professional managed to save his life and spare him his suffering. They even hounded a caring social worker who had the bottle to blow the whistle on malpractice out of her job. There are people on this board who work in this and similar sectors. While I don't always agree with their 'take' on things, the one thing that is obvious from their posts is the fact that they care deeply about what they do, and I strongly doubt that the outcome would have been the same had they been involved with Baby P. How long would anyone last as a checkout operator at Tesco if they let people with baskets full of shopping walk through without paying? The principle is the same, they wouldn't be doing the job that they were paid to do, but the results of their actions would be far less devastating. They would be fired, regardless. With the Ross/Brand issue, the BBC is a public corporation, funded by public money, so a certain level of good taste should be maintained. How the hell can that sort of behaviour be condoned? How would you like it if that had been your daughter/grandaughter/mother Brand had been publicly claiming to have slept with? I have no children, but if I had, I'm sure that I would want to publicly smack his bottom for behaving in such a childish and disrespectful manner. The same goes for Ross. In all cases, why on earth shouldn't people be held accountable for what they have done and shouldn't have, or what they haven't done when they should. To put it in doggy terms, many of us on this forum have vilified the Kennel Club for not cleaning up the world of pedigree dogs sooner, have said that they should be accountable for the poor state of many pedigree dogs. What's the difference?

Alternatively, if he got one, he could say it was for all those people who didn't vote for him.

Nope, I well remember Branded and Chuck Connors. He was in quite a few western series at the time and I watched every one avidly. I think it was him who starred in the tv version of Shenandoah. As for the Robin Hood theme - to my eternal shame I sang along to it and was word perfect. How old (or sad ) am I?

Pardon me for saying this, but.............. I THINK I LUFFS YOU!!!!!!!!!!

But I can't find the trivia quiz. Help me, please, please, I'm addicted, I can't help myself!!!!!!!