Purple Heather

Oh the summer time is gone
And the leaves are sweetly turning
And the wild mountain thyme
Blooms across the purple heather...


I hardly slept last night as I was so worried about Murdoch. He was so poorly last night that I was convinced that when I came down the stairs this morning I would find him no longer breathing. He did not seem much changed from yesterday, so I was very pleased to have that appointment at the vet. I had to carry him to the car and he normally squeals with excitement when we go out in the car but today he was silent.


The vet said he has torn his shoulder ligaments quite badly - apparently as dogs (and humans) age their ligaments stiffen up around the joints, so the slightest movement that is untoward can cause damage to the ligaments. We don't know how he hurt it, it could have been anything simple like coming down a stair. So it is not his paw but his shoulder which is preventing him from walking properly. The listlessness and panting is due to a very high temperature, not related to the shoulder injury. The vet suspects its a bacterial infection as the temperature was so high and there are no signs of a viral infection - like diarrhoea (had to look up that spelling!) but he cannot determine the source as the kidneys and liver seem fine. He was given an anti-inflammatory injection and an antibiotic injection which definitely caused him to perk up enough to eat and drink a few hours later. He is on a course of antibiotic tablets and anti-inflammatory suspension which I have to administer to him - that will be fun - and he has to go back to the vet in a week's time as he is concerned about his shoulder injury.


So no walk for Murdoch today - I went to the heath by myself today to see the heather which was looking beautiful, and the heather colours are my favourite colours.


Tonight we have a book club summer dinner - we have not done it before but it seemed a good idea when we planned it and I am looking forward to it. Then its the weekend and Adam is finally coming home for a day - he has gone straight from his job as a course leader on a Cambridge summer course for foreign students to his 6 week lab research assistant job. The latter is unpaid but the experience is essential for his degree and post graduate studies.