Poor Little Pip

I could tell Pip wasn't herself yesterday on the way up Quinn Rd. She wasn't bouncing and sprinting here, there and everywhere as she usually does. She walked sedately close to me. At the top of Quinn Rd. she wasn't with 'Snowie' right there at my feet ready to be put on the lead but sniffing around in the grass nearby. She squatted to do a toilet. Neighbour Janice came down Launching Place Rd. on the other side with her two collies. Old 'Hannah' trotted along some metres in the lead. Janice called for her to stop at the roadside before crossing, "Wait", but 'Hannah' was on the way home and kept going, with Janice now in a jog to catch her. Young 'Bee', obedient at Janice's side, crossed with them, about level with where 'Pip' was.

"How are you today," she called to me from about 20 metres away.

"I'm good mate. And you?"

"Not Bad. I have to watch 'Hannah' here, she's on a mission to get home."

"'Snowie's the same, if she's not on the lead she just goes straight across the road on the way home, cars or no cars."

Pip had inched up to young 'Bee', without the usual frisky tail wagging exuberance.

"I don't know what's the matter with 'Pip' this morning, but she's not herself. Maybe she's sore like me."

"What've you been up to?"

"Oh, climbing trees and cutting foliage, twisting and reaching with the cutting pole. It's strained my hip and stirred up the arthritis in my foot."

"That's no good. Can you take a break?"

"No, I have a lot to do. I've taken anti-inflammatories, I'll be OK."

"Well good luck", Janice said as she turned and walked after 'Hannah' who was now 50 meteres down Quinn Rd.

Pip kept stopping on the lead as we went up the main road, wanting to do a toilet in the grass. After I took her off the lead at Innes Rd. she stopped every minute or so and squatted, but could not manage it. Constipation, I thought, now a little worried, as she seemed a bit distressed. In the park where she normally jumps up on the bench for me to put her back on the lead she remained grounded with a sad look. As we went up the main street she decided she'd had enough and sat on the footpath, unwilling to walk.

I didn't fancy carrying her home with her in pain. We were only twenty metres past the new vet's surgery in Gembrook which only opened a week or so ago. Opening time,8.30am, was half an hour away, so I sat on the front step nursing 'Pip' on my lap. She was a bit shivery and dribbling and shifted every minute or so, which showed me she couldn't get comfortable. I hoped the vet wasn't late.

While we waited, 'Snowie' kept letting me know we should be on our way home, wanting her breakfast no doubt. Sam Mazzarelli stopped on his way back from the post office. I explained and Sam wished me well, saying it was good to have a vet in town now. Geoff Howard stopped, Big John McCann, then Glen Binstead. I explained to each in turn. I appreciated their concern. Glen asked me had I seen his copper beech tree lately.

"No I haven't Glen. I've been meaning to trim some foliage off where we did last year, to stop it encroaching too much into your neighbour's carpark, but I haven't made it yet."

"Well the contractors who clear around the power lines have butchered it. I didn't even know they were coming, they always used to let you know. Come when you like and get some, you might be able to tidy it up a bit."

Thanks Glen, I will."

The vet's nurse came and let us in. While I was filling in the new patient form the vet came in with an animal in a big carry cage, said gidday, and went into another room. I'd met Tom a number of times over the last two months as I walked the dogs past his soon to be opened surgery. He and his wife Kathy, a vet also and a bloody good sort I must say, have worked hard preparing their first business venture. There was a lot of work to do. The building, owned by Vince and Traudie Lamendola for all the 27 years we've lived in Gembrook, has been vacant for a year or so and was previously the venue of 'That Really Retro Cafe in Gembrook' which added buzz to the town but didn't last. Before that it was a gift/craft shop for a while and way back Vince and Traud had a pizza shop there. Good pizzas too, not like some of the crap around these days.

Pip squatted and arched and as I watched, dropped a rock on the floor. It made a noise like a heavy stone hitting. The nurse picked it up with a tissue and took it in to show Tom. Tom came out and we took Pip into a consulting room and onto the steel table. I had to pick 'Snowie' up to get her to come in. She hates vets.

Tom said she should come good now she'd dropped the rock. "Man, that was a big hard one", he said. "Do you give her fresh bones?"

"Yes, every day."

"I'd say she's getting too much bone marrow. It's a bit strong for little dogs and binds them up. Give her less bones and some good wet food regularly."

I bought a bag of 'Science' dry food, a bag of 'Dr. Natural' seed that you soak in water for 12/24 hours then add to fresh meat, and a worm tablet for each dog. I left the dog tucker to pick up later as I had to walk home. Pip was back to her normal self going home. Including the consultation, I spent $145 at the new vet's surgery. That's better than the $2000 it cost a mate of mine after his dog ate a corn cob and it got stuck in the bowel. Tom said 80% of bowel obstructions in his experience have been corn cobs, they just don't break down in the dog's gut.

You learn something everyday, as I've said before. The good story of the day for me came later when I went to Glen Binstead's and picked the most beautiful dark copper beech I'd ever seen. It was meeting him at the front of the vet's that jogged me to go. There was more beech for me than previously as the tree needed balancing up after it was cruelled by the contractors.