Posting days: Sunday and Wednesday and, sometimes, maybe, extra ‘news flashes’!

Thursday January 14th 2016

On Monday night, after we retire, Isis is not happy. Every so often she gives snarly growls and nyaffs angrily at her flank. I get up and adjust the blinds.

But soon she’s nyaffing again. I move the screen which is between the bed and the window to reduce light from outside.

Another bout of nyaffing.

What’s wrong? It can’t be anal gland trouble, that was dealt with last week. There are no beams of light falling across the bed. I’m not touching her.

At about 1.00 a.m. she gets up and stands on the floor by the bed looking very pathetic. And then a mighty upchuck as she rids herself of an undigested meal.

Ah, that’s what the little rages are about then. Something is hurting our insides.

She remains standing, head lowered, the picture of misery. She rejects my comforting pats.

Eventually she returns to bed and sleeps.

Isis has never been sick since she came, despite the unsavoury objects she has eaten. Calm and sensible about these things, as usual, I begin to fantasize about intestinal blockages, bloat and surgery.

Meanwhile, Isis sleeps soundly until eleven a.m. and awakes full of the joys.

Noticing with concern how pale her beautiful pink spotty nose is, I hesitate to take her for a walk. But if I don’t she may break down the front door, it appears.

She is her usual boisterous self as we dance round the park and is not at all pleased when I take her snatchings of sticks away. She will not accept any treats except for half a gravy bone from Ja. And when we return home  she doesn’t even glance at her breakfast.

I don’t take her out again and she sleeps soundly for hours. Ca. gives me a packet of pollock fillets. In the evening I poach one and sit on the futon with half of the fish in a bowl. A fast asleep dog twitches its (still pale) pink spotty nose and wakes up fast. She devours the offering as though she’s not eaten for a week.

Today I’ve begun mixing Burns with her fish. She is her usual hungry self and is delighted with Bev’s home made liver treats.

Tonight she runs and hunts by the river Rea until the light begins to fade. She’s back to her normal Isis self again.

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@aeza.org or  www.dogwatchuk.co.uk