Nutty Soldiers On

Both Boyfriend on a Short Fuse and I are still floored with bad colds (bad colds mind, not flu, people often upgrade colds to flu but flu means one is bed-ridden and we are still able to totter about, just).

I am feeling knackered though, and am ignoring my admin mountain in favour of watching old documentaries of Rod Stewart and Britt Ekland on You Tube. Britt was on Piers Morgan last night, still looking good if slightly altered by surgery, but my God she was so beautiful.

Excerpts of a documentary filmed of them both in 1976 takes me back to that blazing hot summer when I was twelve and the misery of surviving a childhood with my own Britt Ekland lookalike Mother. Heavens, no child wants a glamorous mother, it really is a terrible fate. I was studious and skinny, still am, plus ca change.

I never understand people saying that childhood is the best time of your life. I’m much happier at fifty than I was at twelve.

Some things remain unaltered, we had a beautiful fluffy sheltie then too called Tiffany (very seventies name), I don’t remember how she died but I don’t think any of our shelties lived past about twelve, which is why Nutty is doing so well to get to fifteen.

He is soldiering on, brave stoic little chap that he is. He is very doddery and forgetful and even if I have just stroked him he quickly forgets where I am and starts wandering around the flat looking for me. His mouth tumour means he still cannot drink and eating is difficult for him too. I spoon feed him his chicken into his mouth’s good side, it’s not that easy, bits of food fall out onto the floor (quickly hoovered up by the tiny dogs). He dribbles blood, pus and saliva and we have to regularly mop him up. It is undignified for such a clean little dog and he just doesn’t deserve it.

Yet he does not appear to be in pain, he wags his tail when we stroke him and he enjoys his walks at a slow pace, hanging out with and sometimes barking at other dogs.

I am keeping up with his pills and potions – a teaspoon of colloidal silver and seven drops of Dr Regweg homeopathic anti-tumour mix twice a day, a homeopathic pill three times a day, acopops anti cancer pills twice a day (formulated by Dr Dressler, the dog cancer expert), lastly, a shitake mushroom excerpt twice a day. Some of them I can mix in his food, but if he won’t take them that way I open the capsules and mix it up with water that is syringed into his mouth.

It takes time, but I have plenty of time and even more love for my old boy. I will do whatever it takes to keep him going.