Roxanne

We took both dogs to the vet this morning, as Rosie had been sick again, this time on our bed...Gemma was very poorly and had to be carried in - just as well Pete was there to help as she weighs 25kg and I can't manage her. As we went to sit down I caught my ankle on one of the waiting room chairs and went flying. I was in some pain - the combination of that and my concern about Gemma meant that I couldn't hold back the tears. The nurse and vet were lovely though and provided me with a whole wodge of tissues...

The vet examined both dogs, and said that although she couldn't rule out Seasonal Canine Illness, she felt that it might equally be bacterial gastroenteritis, especially as Gemma still had a very high temperature. She offered us the chance to have Gemma hospitalised, but also suggested that we try a course of antibiotics and some painkillers for both dogs first, and then considered hospitalisation if Gemma showed no improvement in 24 hours.

Both dogs have spent the afternoon sleeping, though since the visit to the vet Rosie seems somewhat worse and has been whimpering occasionally. The painkillers relaxed them both, but perhaps a little too well as Gemma lost the use of her legs for a while and became doubly incontinent, deeply distressing for her and us. However, as I write this she is looking a little brighter, and I'm hopeful that the worst is past, though I think it'll be a slow road to recovery.

Anyway, on a brighter note I thought I'd introduce you all to Roxanne, a baby rock dove (or feral pigeon) that Pete found shivering in a puddle last weekend. We dried her out and fed her on Complan for a day or two, but she quickly learnt to feed herself and has been growing up fast ever since and is now doing lots of wing flapping. This was taken in front of our bookshelves as she was taking some exercise on Pete's shoulder. Hopefully she'll soon start to fly and then we can release her close to where Pete found her.