Mr Ernie here and I am feeling SOOPA, so thought i’d update you on what i’ve been up to and some very exciting news…….
First of all I need to show you just how amazeballs my transformation is, particularly as there have been quite a few people who haven’t recognised me when they’ve seen me ???? In fact, I hear that a even certain director at Bedlington Terrier Rescue thought that Aunty Lisa might have swapped me in the videos she sent over ????????.
So what have I been up to exactly to do this? Well, you’ve probably seen my earlier blog about starting physio exercises and those have been going really well (in fact, i’ve got a new physio regime now to help ‘refine’ my new found flexibility – we’ll share this with you later). My diet has also been going well too. There was a tiny blip in the middle, well, round my middle actually, when it turned out that a certain person (who I love sooooooo much) had been adding the little scrapings from my wet food trays into my dinners instead of sticking to the exact amounts that Aunty Lisa calculated with the vet…. but this soon disappeared when he was sprung and I was quickly back on track. I now weigh a fabulous 10kg, yes, 10kg! I still need to lose a little bit more, but we’ll just continue my steady progress and I do already look rather fab!
My diet has also been about helping my tummy and my itchiness and my ears and my eyes and we made another change in October as I improved lots on duck and turkey but just wasn’t 100% so I now get to eat rabbit! And only rabbit (with vegetamobbles though) and i’m feeling even better again. My eyes may never lose all their weepiness but they are so much brighter and less smeary and I am happy to have them gently wiped each day if I need to – all my itching and licking has stopped too and no more tummy ache or icky poos either.
My supplements also help with this and I will stay on these forever to keep me in tip top condition. Some of them complement my pain medication too and I feel the best I have in ages. I do lots more walking and I am now starting to do small amounts of uphill work (still not actually allowed up stairs though, the middle video you first saw happened when I snuck up!!!!)
and better still, my sound sensitivity is reducing as my pain is better controlled and I think Aunty Lisa will write something separate on this too as it is something that could help lots of dogs!
I have had lots of other adventures – I helped Aunty Lisa with another beddie buddy who is worried about other dogs and I was the first ever dog he met after Bug and Huey and I do really well and invited him back to sniff round my garden and everything. I have also been camping in a Yurt with my foster family and I went on a little holiday all on my own to do a sleepover at Aunty Lisa’s too – this is me in my travel bed…. I stockpiled some of the toys I found in Bug and Huey’s toybox!!!
I’ve also learned to be MUCH more relaxed about being groomed now – some of this is because my pain is much less and the rest is because I have learned that grooming is something that will be done ‘with me’ not ‘to me’ and I can choose how much i’m happy with and say stop any time I like. When I arrived, I didn’t like being touched at all really, but now I will even come over to be clipped (except my legs – just scissors for those thank you!) and my coat is going to continue to be kept short for a while until i’m completely happy about brushing and having Winter muck rinsed off!
This is me after some clipping a month or so ago – there were a few chuckles, which I don’t understand at all, I think I look amazing and especially because it was done super quickly and without any stress, so who cares if it’s even ????????????????! (And this was before we swapped my diet to just ‘rabbit’ which has helped my eyes even more!
And the best news of all? My luffly foster guardians are going to keep me forever and ever and ever! They will still be working with Beddie Rescue and Aunty Lisa (we have more physio to do and in February/March next year we’ll be starting to work on the rest of my sound sensitivities), but I now know I don’t have to move anywhere else ever again.
I am really, really grateful to all my BTRF supporters who have donated so much to help me get all the care I have needed this year, and to my very special guardians (of the keepy-failed-foster variety!) who have transformed my life so thoroughly.
I have just one last little favour to ask from my beddie friends…..
I have a feeling I am quite an ‘expensive’ beddie because of my age and the fact I can’t be insured and I need my very special diet to keep me well and all my supplements and medications. Not many people would even have considered offering me a home because of these things and so I know i’m very lucky that my brilliant guardians are determined that i’m not going anywhere else! So………Aunty Lisa and I wondered if there was any way my amazing new guardians could get a bit of a helping hand to set them up for the first few weeks of looking after me fully. I’ve written a list of some of the things I need and if any of you could help out, we would be very grateful (but ssssssssshhhhh, don’t tell my new family, it’s going to be a surprise for them to say thank you!)
Thank you! And don’t worry, you haven’t heard the last of me yet, I will be back with more updates and advice and tips on looking after extra special golden oldies like me!
