Cabin fever and an inflamed pancreas.

It rained almost every day for a month. So much for living in the sunburnt country.

I just wanted to sleep in and sulk and eat longans and bananas.

Some days the rain was light and kind of fun. Some days it was so heavy, we couldn't get out of the house and it was no fun at all.

Mr Thumper ALWAYS wore his raincoat out because it takes too long to dry him and when he's damp, he smells like a salt fish.

Personally, I'd rather smell like salt fish than rosemary and aloe vera shampoo.

When the rain was heavy, Mr Thumper would get an umbrella as well. That's the green bit in this picture. He's quite spoilt.

Since I am A Dog Of Little Hair, I only got a raincoat when it was really raining.

We hardly saw any other dogs about on our walks. I miss my friends and all our sunny summer evenings  at Birrung.

Mr Thumper got lucky one morning and met a meat truck outside the butcher's.

Fortunately, he didn't get any or I would have been sadder still because I was already across the road.

Sometimes the sun would come out and we'd all put on our hopeful faces.

Then it'd go away and we'd put our raincoats back on.

 There were sloshy puddles EVERYWHERE.

Lots of trees and branches fell down in the wind. Good thing they didn't fall on any dogs.

      

 

Maybe it was the rain and rain and rain. Mr Thumper fell sick again.
 

One day, he just burped and farted and cried and threw up and had runny poo. This time, there was blood everywhere and we all got really scared. 

Mr Thumper had to have his bum washed twice that day, and then he went to see Dr Dog and didn't come back for 2 days and 1 night. When he finally came home, he looked quite different. 

Mr Thumper had been eating through a tube and needle. I didn't know you could do that but that's what happened. 

Both his legs got shaved because Dr Dog couldn't use the first spot he tried. So now, he has the legs of a poodle that went to a cheap grooming parlour.

I'm not sure I'd like to eat that way.

Mr Thumper has been diagnosed with p.a.n.c.r.e.a.t.i.t.i.s

For the next few weeks, and maybe longer, he'll only be allowed bland, easy-to-digest, no-fat food. My stay-at-home human is tearing her hair out. "WHAT is NO-fat food?" I heard her ask Dr Dog over the phone.

She went to the supermarket and came back with the leanest roast she could find and a big bunch of silverbeet.

She spent 2 hours cooking.

Burnt the beef.      

And came up with this.

Mr Thumper doesn't like his new diet much and I don't blame him. He gets a scary number of pills stuffed down his throat morning and night. And at least 3 meals every day of oatmeal with a little bran, boiled boneless skinless chicken, boiled beef pieces and boiled blended silverbeet. For some variety, I hear he's going to get boiled rice tomorrow. Yum. At least my stay-at-home human is getting the bland part right.

Yesterday, my humans put a tarp up in the backyard so Mr Thumper can sleep outdoors even when it rains. It looks quite ugly.

Mr Thumper likes sleeping outdoors even though it's winter and always gets wet because he doesn't think it's necessary to come in from the rain. He's very malamutey [and silly] that way.  

 The sun finally came out again this week. Maybe it'll stay a while. I am keeping a close eye on Mr Thumper. And hoping for the best.

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UPDATE 10th June or The Next Day: The Tarp gets an Extreme Makeover and is renamed I'd Rather Be In India.

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P.a.n.c.r.e.a.t.i.t.i.s is nasty.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1580&aid=335