Thursday 20 October 2011

Coughing and coughing up

Greetings from the House of Hacking Coughs. It sounds like the old Chest Wards must have sounded a hundred years ago, with tubercular old men coughing and wheezing, and - well, yes - spitting up.

Flossie has had a cough for over a week; it started as soon as she had finished crunching up one of these:


the spiky beechmast husks that lie everywhere at this time of year. A "huff! huff!" sort of cough, followed by a large amount of spit, always deposited on the carpet rather than in her (fully washable) bedding. It went on long enough for me to move from the "Serves you right, you silly dog!" stage to start fretting about blockages or tears in her throat, and to take her to the vet.

No, unlikely to be a scratched throat, thought the vet, given the copious phlegmy spitting; more like tracheitis, or even low-level kennel cough, quite coincidental. Jabs were given, much wimpish yelping issuing forth, Flossie not being at all stoical about having needles stuck into her, and slowly the "huff! huff! began to decrease and the spitting stopped.

A few days later, daft spaniel pup Alfie came bounding up, greeting Flossie as ecstatically as is his wont. His owner told me that Alfie had been kept indoors for a few days because of kennel cough. Hmmm.

Catkin had gone to the vet at the same time, and was duly jabbed and medicated for cystitis, which seems to have disappeared now. Altogether a happier, calmer cat. We have entered a Cold War phase, with occasional growling stand-offs, but no real battles where fur might fly.

Then Tosca started up. Not a genteel cough like Flossie's, but a loud, painful hacking that woke us both up several times a night. I won't go into the details of the involuntary deposits this racking cough caused, except to say that it wasn't spit.... Her medication, kept in reserve and usually only needed in the damp and dreary days of February, didn't help, so back to the vet we went. An expensive hobby, all this vet-visiting.


And poor old Tosca, gradually going blind and deaf, with a wonky back leg, turns out to be rather poorly, with a chest infection and asthma. She's heavily medicated and on the mend, but can still cough dramatically, with me watching her rear end anxiously.

Perhaps it all has something to do with the arrival of this:



The builders are busy tearing up the floor in what will be the utility room; next week it will be tanked, and eventually beautiful slates laid. I have to keep reminding myself that it will all be lovely in the end.


In the course of the digging, this was found, buried for who knows how long:



I shall clean it up and use it to iron tiny handkerchiefs for the dogs to cough into.

21 comments:

dinahmow said...

Your final sentence...priceless. (Hope the hackers are better now)

Arthur Ransome said...

What a tonic it is to read your blog - all that trauma and a good laugh at the end of it. All the best to poor Tosca, especially.

mountainear said...

Oh dear. Such hacking and spluttering in these parts is always referred to as sounding like 'Baguely Sanitorium'. Presumably the local TB hospital - which shouldn't really be joked about.

Hope you are all feeling better soon. Love that little iron.

Anonymous said...

Oooh, show us again after you clean it up what it looks like!

Lucille said...

I laughed - I couldn't help it, but commiserations to all the patients.

the veg artist said...

Poor Flossie. Poor Tosca. Poor purse, literally!

Danielle P. said...

Poor Tosca! I hope the dear girl is better very very soon.

Anonymous said...

Oh dear, poor you-all.

Not Anon but Isabelle - just testing to see if the non-recognition things had cured itself, but no. Maybe Blogger needs on of those nasty injections...

Hope the invalids recover soon.

flwrjane said...

Oh My, It's a veritable sick bay at your casa.

Hope all are feeling better and that kennel cough isn't transferable to humans.

I think my boss might have it.....

xo jane

Bow Street Flowers said...

I am the one hacking at my house. The animals are all fine here. I'd like to curl up with Tosca, take my medicine and then sleep!

knutty knitter said...

I can just see that little iron doing frills on a small blouse. Not so sure about doggie hankies :)

Healthful thoughts to you all (including your purse!)

viv in nz

BumbleVee said...

Awwww.... poor little Tosca.... she does look like she needs a bit of tender loving care.... she fought it off longer than the others even if she is old and decrepit... poor little gal...

Well, for heaven's sake...what a tiny iron... wonder if it is dolly iron? ... or really....what on earth would it have been used for .. tiny pleats perhaps? Must away to Google miniature irons...I have one...but, use it for dolly making stuff.....

Val said...

Hope you're all feeling fit and well soon (and you get a break from worrying' bout them!)

love the mini iron!!!

Pup met the old Ginger cat..pup rather enthusiastically greeted said old fella and pursued him to the bedroom...followed by high pitched yelps... a very rapid retreat and "oh gosh you really don't mind if I just glue myself to your feet do you" pup

Old Cats 1 Pup 0

Anonymous said...

Oh dear - it has happened again - a lovely long comment vanishing in an instant!
Short version, hope everyone is well soon!

Frances said...

Perhaps you could see if you can get a season ticket at the vet? Hope the furries are all feeling better. Your last line made me laugh!

Anna at the Doll House said...

Poor loves and poor you.

Anna

Maggie Christie said...

Oh I couldn't help laughing in the end too at the image of the poor dogs and their hankies, crisply ironed by your unburied treasure. Much sympathy all round though.

annie hoff said...

Ahhh....concrete! I'm envious Are you sure you haven't nicked ours..!

Anonymous said...

I hope they are all better soon, those vets bills are not cheap! Love your last line, will you get a miniature ironing board too?

jabblog said...

Breaking up long-standing ground can cause problems - hope they're short-lived. Poor Tosca (Flossie's young and fit enough to cope and cast off!)

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