Digby dozes, plays and then dozes.

The good news is that the infection seems to have responded to the treatment Digby received on Wednesday. The uncertainty remains over what damage has been done to his organs. The wee fellow is still running a high temperature and is very anaemic and weak. He'll play with his big brother for a few minutes but then gets quickly tired out. His gums and the inside of his eyelids are almost white. He has no appetite but a chronic thirst - he drank two bowls of water first thing . 'The font' thinks this manic drinking might be a sign of liver problems. In addition to the antibiotics the vet has prescribed a supplement to help his kidney functions. He's also on a strange gel like food substitute which provides him with all the basic nutrients and vitamins. The supplement has to be syringed into the extremely unwilling patients mouth while the gel is wrapped in a sliver of enticing ham to get him to swallow it.

Thanks for all your comments yesterday. I too had thought that Frontline and the tick collar together with the finger tip checks would be a good defence. Apparently not. The infection from these brown ticks is passed on when the tick first bites the animal. Frontline will kill the tick but by then its too late. The only solution is to keep your dog in the garden . No more morning and afternoon walks for Wilf through the village until the peak of the tick season passes.

Do any of you have any tips on dealing with anaemia ? Any tips would be very welcome.