...last night, about half an hour after going to bed, Pads started barking. We decided to ignore (against my better judgment as he never makes a noise nowadays at night).
This morning, I got up at 7am and Paddy had poo'ed everywhere in the kitchen: as I walked towards the glass door into the kitchen, I could see piles of poo, but when I walked in, I found piles of poo, puddles of liquid poo and a pile of vomit. Then around the corner, I found a puddle of blood, about eighteen inches long and six inches wide. Paddy was just sitting weakly in his basket, wagging his little tail.
He was in the vets before 8am and has been kept in overnight. On a drip and having a general anaesthetic this morning, to have a colonoscopy and a gastroscopy.
The cautionary tale for the new puppy owners is about insurance cover. I made use of the free six weeks' insurance cover that comes with Kennel Club registered puppies, but then switched to Marks & Spencer cover. Because Paddy's first bout of colitis occurred during the six week free period, M&S treat it as being part of the colitis saga, therefore a pre-existing condition.
The vet thinks that it is probably colitis again, but that we'll now have to go on a permanent prescription-only feed regime, with steroids and anti-biotics. None of this is covered by insurance and we'll gladly pay to keep Paddy healthy and happy, but...if any of you get a problem during the first six weeks of free cover, which MIGHT recur - do give serious thought to sticking with that insurer. Alternatively - if I had my time over, I'd just take out the M&S cover from day one of having got Pads and not "coasted" on the "benefit" of free insurance. Today will cost £500. God knows what else will come.
In the meantime, have a kind thought for Pads ....
