A Scottish Terrier’s Unknown Journey with Cataracts, continued.

Diabetic induced cataracts can happen overnight in some dogs.

Our previous blog page began a story about the unknown journey of our beloved Scottish Terrier – Kara,  who became stricken with blindness caused by large white cataracts.  I tried to imagine what Kara was thinking , now that she could no longer see, and it wasn’t hard for Martine & I to make the decision : we had to try and help her. The omens for success were seen to be good.  Once Kara’s insulin levels had been corrected, following her diabetes diagnosis, she had responded quickly & regained her lost weight, and notwithstanding that she was now fully blind, she showed lots of determination to try and cope. We also knew from experience that Kara had responded well in the past to antibiotics, antibiotics being a critical factor in the success or otherwise of dog eye operations.

And so it was that we delivered Kara into the kind hands of Dr Steve Heap at the Veterinary Practice of McMaster & Heap, on Friday 6th March 2020. It was a long day…I mowed lawns and tried not to worry about our dear “girl” . Later that afternoon, Steve phoned to say that all went relatively well,  one eye was easier to do than the other, but that Kara was out of the anesthesia and responding well…so we then knew that the first hurdle had been crossed.

Later that evening both Martine and I travelled across the city to the veterinary clinic where our reunion with her was one of happiness. Even in her post operation condition, we could detect that she was feeling ok and glad to be back in the company of familar voices. But we had yet to determine the outcome of the operation.

However, as I  write this note – Sunday the 8th, and barely 48 hours since her diabetic induced cataracts were operated on, Kara is beginning to realize that she is no longer totally blind.  Some of her sight is definitely returning and a good indication  this morning came when I suggested to her that we go for a ride in the buggy( a 3 wheeler push chair).  She made a fast walk towards the door leading to the patio where the buggy is stored, and was more than happy to have a ride around the neighbourhood. Our first real concrete sign that her confidence is returning & she is happy, despite her dad religiously placing a variety of drops into her eyes every 4 hours .

10 year old Scottish Terrier post an operation to remove cataracts
Kara , now minus her diabetes induced cataracts

Tomorrow Kara has her 1st Post Operation check.

P.S. Kara is progressing well so far.

 

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The Travelling Blondie

The Traveling Blondie phrase is in the URL of a blog dreamt up by true to form Nichole, from small town USA. Her passion is travelling to different places around the world and writing up her experiences so as to help other travellers following in her footsteps.  Nichole’s aim is to supply no nonsense travel information in the form of her cool blog which helps readers make informed choices without trawling through Trip Advisor, Expedia, Booking dot Com etc and getting confused or overwhelmed with information. And above all it is unbiased, honest and more importantly- not promoted for financial gain.

Perhaps understandably, her world travel blog’s menu covers Oceania and included in the drop down menu is  NEW ZEALAND: CHRISTCHURCH AND SUMNER BEACH-THE SOUTH ISLAND’S HIDDEN GEMEven Le Petit Hotel gets a mention,  being described as “an adorable bed and breakfast with great customer service” and that “it’s a 2-minute walk to the beach”.

Nichole has collated an amazing number of beautiful images of her travels around the South Island including some taken on Sumner Beach, and her suggested 10 day itinerary would be one of the best I’ve seen yet.  I particularly like the concise information that she provides, together with relevant photos of exciting and interesting places and activities no one should leave out of their brief look at the South Island of New Zealand.

Sumner Beach, Christchurch, gets singled out for a special mention by Nichole as the South Island’s hidden gem – quaint, quiet and perfect.

Sumner, Scarborough beach, The Traveling Blondie
Quaint, quiet & perfect, Sumner’s Scarborough Beach

Congratulations Nichole, The Traveling Blondie,  on a blog well done! We appreciate your kind words about Sumner Beach, Christchurch as well as the rest of the South Island places that you have mentioned .

I will be following your travels.

Safe , happy voyages where ever you go.

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Scottish Terrier, permanent resident manager, Le Petit Hotel

 

Clan Scottish Terrier!

Scottish Terrier Kara
Not really sleeping..but keeping an eye on things.

As Le Petit Hotel’s Scottish Terrier , it’s a while since I’ve been in touch with the wider world…& much has happened in both Sumner and Christchurch . I’ve grown up fast and the earthquakes are supposedly behind us, the experts say, but I am still anxious when I hear strange noises. I’m  now 9 years old, and my black overcoat is showing some grey hair now!

I’m still performing my hotel guest welcoming routine…racing to reach the front door before Bruce, after the door intercom phone rings, so I can see the new guests first. I really live for my meet & greet job. 

Always at my best,

Kara.

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Look at me now : The continuing story of Kara the Scottie

Hi there all Scottie lovers…It’s almost 15 months since I left behind my friends at Juscot Kennels in Hamilton, and I’ve had my 1st birthday at Le Petit Hotel. Despite having inherited a twisted right hind leg, I’m doing my utmost to be part of the hotel day to day operations…answering the door, checking the guests in, plus security duties, so much so that several of Bruce & Martine’s guests have suggested that I climb into one of their suitcases & go home with them… Unlike many of my 4 legged relatives, I have developed my own vocabulary for use in the hotel..eg. when I want to go outside, I don’t bark, but I do a bit of a quiet sing song. I’m also quite good at singing along with the piano!
Sometime in the next few months, I’m going into hospital to get a CT scan done on my crooked leg, to see what can possibly be done to help me…but I’m a good patient, so it won’t be a problem.
My shiny black coat at the moment makes me a difficult camera subject, but attached here is a recent photo taken on Christmas day with one of my presents.
Until my next post…yours truly
Kara

Kara, Christmas morning 2010

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Scottish Terrier : Lessons from a dog’s life at Le Petit Hotel

A French philosopher whose name I can’t recall, once wrote that to understand fully one’s soul, you need to first love & understand a dog. I often ponder this view, as Martine & I move onwards with Kara, our new Scottish Terrier. Here at Le Petit Hotel, we look at our Juscot Scottie, her physical disability, and her ability to surmount the difficulties it presents her; and then ponder her unmistakable happiness at the thoughts which obviously flood her mind, when she anticipates being taken for a simple walk by either of us. It’s a constant reminder that the simplest things in life can & should be enjoyed.
And so it is with an American NY Times contributing writer Dana Jennings. Dana’s New York Times Health blog is an ongoing story of one man’s brave journey with cancer. It’s an exemplary human story of adaptation, courage, gratitude, resilience, and the ability of the human spirit to rise above adversity…and well well worth a read.
Lessons from a dog’s life ( See Dana’s posts about his 13 year old dog Bijou)

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New hotel staff member

Hi folks I’m Kara – Le Petit Hotel’s new black staff member. I arrived here ex Juscot Kennels, Hamilton, in early January, after being flown via Air NZ in the dog standard crate and picked up by Bruce & Scott at Christchurch Airport. I’m adapting real fast to the busy hotel life here, and when new guests arrive at the door, I usually manage to be first to greet them, check out their shoe laces, luggage straps, and anything else that I can try out my new pearly white toofies on. If I think they are going to growl at me, I just roll over on my back and play helpless. I know Maggie left big shoes for me to fill but I’m going to do my very best. Unfortunately tho’ I’ve given Bruce & Martine a fair bit of worry already, because I inherited a strange uncommon( in Scotties) genetic problem from my parents. Essentially what happens is that my two back legs turn inwards, especially my right one, when I walk, and the effect is to make me hop when I try to run. I have to say that lots of white coated people have inspected my hind legs, they have taken lots of photos as well, and now I have just got to wait until I’m a bit older before we can have another assessment. However I know I’m in a good place here, I’ve got 24 hr TLC and I can still get from A to B very fast.

I’ve grown a lot since this day one photo was taken so keep an eye out for more pictures.

I need time to sus things out.
I need time to sus things out.
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