A VISIT TO THE VET.

Today, I had to take the mad mutt to the vets (a visit he isn't too comfortable about due to a bad experience at our previous vets as a pup). An interesting thing I discovered the other day relates to something I've thought about him, the fact that from some angles he reminds me of the Egyptian god Anubis. Now like most folk, I thought Anubis was based on a jackal but, it has been proved it was inspired by the ancient wolf. Now that ... when you think about it makes more sense. A lot of people say he looks wolf like, though to me, he's just a lean, smooth haired border collie. A tri-merle collie to be more accurate. He's from working collie stock from a local farm and has "the eye". That means the focus of concentration that a shepherd will look for in a potential sheep dog. A farmer friend of mine, who has now sadly passed away at the age of 91 ( he was still working on the farm at the age of 89) thought Ffin would make a good working dog, but that would have meant training me as a shepherd which due to certain health problems just wasn't a workable idea. As it turns out it was a good decision on both accounts. It turns out he has crepitus of both (what would be wrists to us) joints. Crepitus is basically a form of arthritis and can as in his case (and mine on my spine) mean extra bone growth between the normal bone structure. A misdiagnosis from a previous vet that told me it was muscle strain meant that the condition worsened without the correct treatment. Luckily, Dad's vet diagnosed it correctly, but sadly it means that he is now on medication, ( an analgesic & antiflamatory drug) possibly for the rest of his life. Now having changed my local vet, we were back for a check up. She is happy to continue treatment and so more daily tablets are on order. What can I say ... except this ... had he been a trained, working collie , now over 5 years old, he would have been a frustrated dog, unable to work. So ... perhaps it's best that he has been trained by me, not to work sheep and can enjoy as far as possible a non-working life. He now has the diet of a more elderly dog but keeping his weight down and moderate exercise means he may have a decent life. Collies, unlike so many breeds, have a long life expectancy. With medication and care about his diet (No over fattening human treats) he may well be active for many years yet.
Now ... my vet has been good enough to let me buy the much needed tablets on-line. And considering I have to buy 100 at a time, I had to research carefully. Without mentioning  names, let me just say this, if ... you should be in a similar situation ... search around and you may find excactly the same medication for almost half the price.  "Buyer beware."

After the visit to the vet, I took him for a short walk in an old. ex-mining site. The autumnal colours were sparse except for one golden display ... an invasive and non native breed ... Japanese Knot weed! But we also discovered  a bridge over the Sirhowy River ...

This lovely wooden bridge, decorated with fast falling autumn leaves was intriguing.

 From left to right the Sirhowy flowed, eventually to meet up with the Afon Ebbw and flow down to the Severn Estuary, where ... followers of my blog will know that the Environment Agency are actively trying to entice salmon, trout and eels to head up into The Valleys. Maybe one day, this river too will see the return of these migrating fish.
Meanwhile the dog had had enough for one day and so back home we  came via ...

P.S. I found a more Anubis look alike, taken when Ffin was about a year old.