Our Worst Fears Realised

It is with a heavy heart that we have to tell you that x-rays revealed Jackson has a large mass in his chest, most likely a tumour. He will have a CAT scan next Wednesday which will show whether the lesion is solitary or has spread elsewhere. It may be operable, but we won't know for certain until then.

Jackson will be coming home later today to rest after his latest bout of tests.

Thank you so much for your continued kind messages, comments and cards, they really do mean the world to us.

Please keep us in your thoughts during this difficult time.

The Js.

More Tests and a Tomato Beard

Magnified calcium oxalate crystals

Some of the test results from last week are back and have confirmed the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in my urine. These can be quite painful and may go towards explaining my general lethargy. The other results are inconclusive which means I have to go back to the specialist veterinary hospital tomorrow for even more tests. One of the first things they will do is measure my ionized calcium level which could indicate whether the primary hyperparathyroidism and tumour have returned. I might also have to have another ultrasound to see if there are any more kidney stones rolling around inside me. Yada yada yada, I know this makes for pretty boring and gloomy reading. To cheer you all up, here's a nice slightly-out-of-focus-looming-close-up of me (pre-ear scar) with a bit of a tomatoey beard.

Mwah!

29th July 2009

Quick update: Jackson is staying overnight in the hospital for further tests, including an ultrasound and chest x-rays. Results back tomorrow. Thanks for your continued good wishes. J1

Not the dreaded vet again!

Shhh! Jackson's asleep in the bedroom and we're guarding the door to stop anyone disturbing him.

Some of you already know that Jackson has been back and forth to the vet again this week. We weren't going to blog about it until we had some definite news, but since so many of you have been asking about him we thought we should fill you in.

Jackson has been feeling a bit weary recently. The Js and us wheelies noticed that he wasn't quite as perky as usual and so he was taken to the vet for initial blood tests. They revealed calcium oxalate crystals in his peemail and raised liver enzymes. He went back again and they checked his bladder and thyroid and he was also tested for Cushing's disease. Regular readers may remember that he's been tested for CD twice before and was thought to be in the early stages. You can read about one of his previous tests here.

Jackson has been very unlucky with health problems and we nearly lost him last year when he was recovering from primary hyperparathyroidism and his body couldn't regulate his calcium levels. A malignant tumour was removed from his neck and they didn't manage to get it all out. The medication he was on after this caused him to develop about 40 kidney stones which were then surgically removed. On top of all this, he also has degenerative disc disease. Phew, that's quite a list! So you see, whenever we notice that something isn't quite right, he's rushed to the vet, pronto.

The latest test results are due back on Monday afternoon, so we'll let you know the outcome next week. Thank you for all your support and good wishes. Please continue to cross your paws for him.

Hamilton, Seymour, Dunstan & Barnaby xxx

Ooo la la, meet Snoopy!

Salut mes potes!

Je voudrais vous présenter mon nouveau copain, Snoopy. C'est une Fox-terrier d'une année habitant en Belgique. Elle vivait en premier dans une famille anglaise qui a habité en France mais Ils ont dû retourner en Angleterre et n'ont pas pris Snoopy avec eux. Ils ont rendu Snoopy à son éleveur pour lui trouver une nouvelle maison. Sa photo a été éditée sur le Forum Fox-Terriers. Elle a alors voyagé 1200km de France en Belgique pour commencer sa nouvelle vie. Vous pouvez lire le récit de son voyage sur son blog. Click here.

Astute readers may wonder if I've suddenly become superclever (as well as superhandsome) and can now bark in French as well as English. Mmm, it's an interesting thought, but alas no, I had to rely on my good pal Faya to help me. Gros bisous Faya!

Do you need some help reading it?

Ok here goes...I've jazzed it up a bit so it's not a direct translation...

Hello pals,

Meet my new friend, Snoopy. She's a one-year old WFT who lives in Belgium. Her first home was with an English family living in France but they had to go back to England and decided not to take her with them. Instead, they returned her to her breeder to find a new home. Her photo was published on the Fox Terrier Forum where she was chosen by her current owners. She then travelled 1200km from France to Belgium to begin her new life. You can read about her journey on her blog. Click here.

Please go and bark hello, either in English or French.

STOP PRESS: Erm, there are unconfirmed rumours that Snoopy may in fact be a boy not a girl. C'est la vie!

BREAKING NEWS: Snoopy has just confirmed via email that he certainly is a boy! Oops!

The New Me

Today I got a new summer hairdo. Do you like it? I think it's a little too severe but the Js prefer me with a short back and sides cos then I'm easier to clean. Hrumph.



On a brighter note, I just got a pawsome new bed. It's made by Cath Kidston and features illustrations of Stanley, her Lakeland Terrier. It's lovely and comfy but it'll be even better when it's covered in crumbs and grass stains. Don't worry, I'm already working on it.

Ears, Nurses and Vampire Prevention

My ear is so much better now and I don't have to go back to the horrid vet unless it drops off or something. Thank you for all your good wishes. My speedy recovery is due in part to expert care from the dream nurses team. Asta and Agatha made a lovely stinky garlic potion to ward off any vampires after my encounter with Buffy and I have to wear this garlic necklace for another week or so. It's a bit uncomfortable, but I'm getting used to it.

To help with my recuperation, my wirey pal Eric and I decided to take the nurses out for dinner to old London town. First we had a few cocktails...

Photo by Asta

Why is Lacie still in her grundies* you may ask? Your guess is as good as mine!

Later we got separated but here's a photo of Asta taken by a policeman who was giving her directions. Look at how much luggage she's got!

Photo by Asta

Sadly there are no photos of us later in the evening. Best skipped over I think because SOMEBODY (mentioning no names) got rather tipsy.

PS Buffy's owners were very decent about the whole incident and paid all my vet bills. They even bought me a chew which I'm in the process of demolishing. So Buffy, if you're reading this, please thank your lovely owners for me. I'll look out for you on the beach so I can bark at you but I probably won't come too close next time!

*underwear

Strange Searches

Do any of you fellow bloggers monitor your blog site traffic? I'm always interested in finding out how people arrive here, particularly if it's not via Dogs with Blogs.

I was slightly bemused by a search carried out by someone the other day. You might have to click on the picture to read it:

Yes, that's right, the search was "nice gift for a human slaughter". What's that all about then? And do you think they found some useful ideas for presents from my post on the International Goodie Exchange?