Spread your wings and fly away

Took the dogs to the vet for their annual check up and boosters. that is one booster each and booster for kennel cough as well (as they go into kennels while we are away).

Now our previous dog used to come with us everywhere. Where we went he came too, course we never went abroad and it was always to a seaside town because he loved the sea and he loved playing with the kids or going on long walks through the countryside.

However oneof our dogs gets quite car sick and taking two dogs on holiday is not feasible. After losing out beloved dog, I really didn't want another one because nothing could replace Gaz in my affections, but hubby and the kids begged and pleaded and due to some cock up with one of the kennels we ended up with two dogs. Yes they are great, I love them dearly, but they aren't the type of dogs I wanted, they are definately the boys and Nig's dogs.

So we consider ourselves pretty responsible dog owners and they are treated like dogs. They aren't allowed on the furniture, they aren't allowed in the kitchen when I am in there, not allowed to jump at people and not allowed to lick people's faces. We always clear up after them when they are out, nothing worse than people who let their dogs crap and don't clear it up.

So being responsible we take the dogs for their annual check up and boosters. They are quite happy to go into the vet, wagging tails and greeting anyone who will pay any attention to them.

Greyhounds are notorious for having bad teeth. They are fed on slops and muzzled when they are training. Our grey is no exception to this and despite brushing his teeth, giving him plenty of dental chew sticks and other such niceities his teeth are bad. How bad was revealed when the vet took a look at them. Poor thing has an abcess and his gum is receeding. I know he has lost two teeth this year, but we were told to expect that, greys do tend to lose their teeth.

So he is on antibiotics for the abcess and when we come back from holiday he will have to be booked in with the doggy dentist to see if they can save the remainder of his teeth.

I come out a lot poorer than I went in with a bill for over £100, £40 of which was the antibiotics!!!!

Credit card has certainly taken a bashing this month!

Now to look for his documents to see if dentistry is covered by his pet insurance!

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hmm my turn for the funny stats lol

Not getting very far with the cleaning, youngest keeps getting in my way and demanding attention!

Where is my eldest child when I need him to supervise his brother lol!!!

Aggghhhhh

Obesity 'contagious', experts say

Having a friend, sibling or spouse who is overweight raises a person's risk of being obese too, US researchers say.
They said data on more than 12,000 people suggested the risk was increased by 57% if a friend was obese, by 40% if a sibling was and 37% if a spouse was.
They argued this showed social factors, such as the body sizes of other people, were important in developing obesity.
Experts said the New England Journal of Medicine study was not conclusive as other hidden factors could be to blame.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the University of California, in San Diego, looked at data collected over 32 years as part of a heart study.
Participants gave personal information, including their body mass index, and the names of friends who could be contacted.

'Causal relationship'
The authors were able to map social connections including both friends and family members.
The effects were generally larger between people of the same sex.
And their analysis suggested that the links could not be solely attributed to similarities in lifestyle and environment, for example the impact of friends existed even where friends lived in different regions.
Author Professor Nicholas Christakis said: "It's not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with.
"Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship. What appears to be happening is that a person becoming obese most likely causes a change of norms about what counts as an appropriate body size.
"People come to think that it is OK to be bigger since those around them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads."
Moral support
Dr Richard Suzman, director of the National Institute of Aging's Behavioral and Social Research Programme, said the finding could have important implications.
He said: "This seminal study breaks important new ground in showing how social networks may amplify other factors and help account for the dramatic increase in obesity across the [US] population."
Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of charity Weight Concern, said it was no surprise that people who are obese tended to be friends with others who were obese, but that the fact that the link was more important between friends than siblings was "very interesting".
He said this suggested that social factors were even more important than physical ones in obesity.
He added that, on the positive side, if overweight people had friends who were obese, they could offer moral support to help each other lose weight.

'Speculation'
But Professor Andrew Hill, of the University of Leeds, said it was purely speculation to suggest that people's body images change because their friends become obese.
And he said it was important not to forget things which are known as key factors in obesity, such as diet and exercise.
"The statistics may be meaningful, but in real life this is not very helpful to people who are overweight.
"We don't have an understanding of what is really causing the relationship - it might be very complicated."

Well that is alright then.

My nose is peeling, an even worse look than it being burned!!

The sun is shining brightly again, all is right with the world.

Or it would be if I didn't have stomach cramps, and hayfever!

Ah well, can't have everything going smoothly I suppose that is too much to expect.

Won't be sitting here all day and blogging in between chatting to various people on MSN. Thanks to those that I did chat with yesterday, made me feel a lot happier especially after having a conversation with a friend that was feeling a little down.

Today I am going to blitz the house. I will give it a good clean and then set to on the conservatory where Nig seems to have dumped half of his tools that he doesn't need on the van right now. Not having that, I need my sewing room back lol!

Have a good day everyone

hugs xx