Wide Wednesday - Beautiful

After fetching Murdoch from the vet yesterday evening, he did not seem any better. He refused to eat and I did not see him drinking - we also could not give him his antibiotic tablet. Usually I have no problem prising open his mouth and throwing a tablet down the back of his throat but he just clenched his teeth and no amount of coaxing with cheese or pieces of chicken could get him to open his mouth.

First thing this morning I phoned the vet and we got another emergency appointment, so I took him back to the vet. His temperature was still as high as yesterday (40C), he was dehydrated and he still seemed to be in great pain when the vet felt his abdomen area. He was admitted for the day again to be put back on an IV drip for fluids and today he was also having X rays to see if he has eaten anything silly which is causing the pain. The vet says it is a very bad gastro infection, probably from something he has eaten, but he also wanted to do some further blood tests today to check his pancreas. Murdoch is usually never ill, in fact he was so healthy we cancelled our rather pricey dog insurance (!), but since we moved to our current house about 20 months ago he seems to get gastro fairly often. We have checked there is nothing strange in the garden, and we have no rubbish lying around. It could just be a coincidence due to him ageing and having a weakened immune system.

I was so worried about him that after I left the vet I decided to take myself for a walk around Claremont Landscape Gardens lake, as it was very cold this morning but lovely and bright. I thought this image certainly qualified for the theme of 'beautiful' for the Wide Wednesday challenge. I was happily walking around the lake taking photos and next thing I was stumbling and falling, my camera went flying as did my camera bag. Luckily my camera landed on muddy sand so is not damaged, just dirty. I got a few scratches and cuts and my jeans were filthy, but all is fine!

I am waiting to hear from the vet, I was told that he will probably be able to come home at about 6.30 tonight.

Added later....
Murdoch only got home at 8pm. He has chronic pancreatitis which is caused from a high fat diet. He has only eaten his specialist dry dog food all his life, never eaten from the table or given titbits so it shows how the dog food is not always the best thing for certain dogs. Apparently he is in severe pain and has been on a drip all day to get fluids into him and for pain killers and antibiotics. He has to go back again tomorrow for the same treatment. We have been given specialist low fat food from the vet which he has to eat for the rest of his life. Thank goodness the vet, who is a locum while our usual vet is on holiday, decided to do the blood test for his pancreas today so we have a diagnosis sooner than later. Poor boy, he is still very uncomfortable and not at all his usual self. We have to give him certain medications tonight at midnight and then again at 6am tomorrow, so I hope we can administer them with no problems.