Gilbert the Good – in good faith

Well, the first shock of my 1st birthday was that I wasn’t given my breakfast! To be fair, Roxy didn’t have any, either. That was alright, though, because I knew I would be going out soon.

I trotted off happily enough to the vets. They were very pleased to see me. I mean, I don’t want to be immodest, but they’re always delighted when I appear, and it’s mutual. 

I knew I was staying there for the day but I couldn’t tell you what happened because I seemed to be asleep for most of it. When I woke up I had a little snack but my paws weren’t working properly and I was still a bit wobbly when Barry came to take me home.

 My tummy and tail end both felt a bit very sore but I couldn’t investigate because I was wearing a peculiar garment, an all-in-one affair that felt really odd. Barry calls it my leotard and Janice says it’s a babygro. I think puppygro would be a more fitting name. I look quite smart in it, I must say.

The humans all decided that the puppygro would be better than the Collar of Shame. Jellicoe and his brothers had to wear them once and he said they were horrible.

                   Left to right: Isambard, Herschel and Jellicoe model their Collars of Shame.       

Jellicoe had to wear a babygro - a kittengro - a few years later after an operation. He's been through the wars!
                                                                                                                      

Gus-who-came-before-me had to wear the Collar of Shame when he was a bit younger than me and he hated it, You can read what he thought in this post.

   I was glad to get home and Roxy and Herschel and Jellicoe all gave me a good sniffing. The next day I felt much more myself and was looking forward to a good gallop and some rough and tumble play. I wasn’t allowed!! 

I was told I had to ‘rest and recuperate’ whatever that means. It seems to mean that I mustn’t jump about and if I do I have to go into my prison crate – so boring. Janice gives me a biscuit to make persuade me to go in it. Sometimes Usually I know what she’s up to and wriggle round to lie on her feet. That way, she can’t move!

Every time I want to go out, the body suit has to be undone and pulled over my back and tucked in so that I don‘t pee on it. I still don’t know what happened to my tummy and tail end but they aren’t so sore now. I had to go back to the vets to be ‘checked’. I wondered if I would come out of there with little squares of colour all over me, but I didn’t.

Then I had to go back to the vets AGAIN for another check and this time I came home with some antibiotics because one of the wounds (What?? ONE of the wounds? How many were there?) was looking a bit inflamed (Really? Flames coming out of me?)

I’m going back again (this is getting tedious) later on today (Monday) and maybe the vets will take the stitches out. I worried when I heard that. If they take the stitches out will I fall apart? Honestly, I went to the vets in good faith and they really are trying my patience. Anyway, I'll let you know.

Roxy went to see them a few days ago. They said she’s got some lumps. It’s quite usual for older dogs to get lumpy. They stuck a needle in her and took 'stuff' out of one of them to ‘send off’. (Why do humans like sticking needles in us? Poor Jellicoe gets them stuck in him all the time.)

Janice has hauled my puppygro off me twice now to wash it. It does feel nice to have clean clothes – but much nicer to go without.

 TTFN

Gilbert