Ben's Life

199x - 25th Nov 2008 RIP

Sadly no longer with us, after the difficult decision to end his life before it got really bad. After almost a year on the thyroid treatment he was far from well. He'd picked up a bit during the first half of the year, and some of his fur had re-grown, but he seemed to be fighting a losing battle looking after himself, and despite our best efforts we couldn't compensate.

With winter looming - not his favourite season - we had to face the inevitability of his decline, and I hope made the best decision.

< Looking a bit unwashed in Feb 2008. Unlike most years, we didn't take many pictures of him this year.

2007 - Started well, ended not so well

After another fairly uneventful year in which we felt we had all the minor ailments under control (like fleas & tics), in the final months Ben became increasingly vociferous, un-appeaseable, thirsty & hungry but picky with his food. At the same time he was losing weight and taking less interest in washing and generally looking after himself, and most recently started shedding big chunks of fur whenever he tried. After some internet research, Kathie correctly identified the probable cause as an over-active thyroid, a diagnosis confirmed by a trip to the vet and subsequent blood sample analysis.

So now we have two endocrine patients in the house. Kathie with an under-active thyroid and Ben with an over-active one. No prizes for guessing who's the most reluctant to take their daily tablet! He's only been on them for a week, and we're still struggling to find the best solution, but the effects seem to have been beneficial in terms of more washing and a slight reduction on the whinging front. He's still shedding a lot of fur and has another blood test scheduled for 14th Jan to assess the effect of the treatment and adjust the dosage if required.

Ben describes a day in his life...

"I lead a very full life. After being kept waiting for breakfast - the service is awful and food not much better - I like to take a constitutional stroll outside to inspect my territory. Upon my return I am usually to be found in my morning room, near to the patio doors, where I adopt a supine position. Around mid-day, if anyone's around, I try to blag some lunch, after which I retire upstairs for an afternoon nap. At dinner time I am usually the first one ready, and am again kept waiting - for the "tall one" to return home. After dinner I might engage in a little lap-sitting, getting groomed, and nipping outside to check on the prevailing weather conditions for the night ahead. Later on, I frequently find that I've somehow locked myself out of the main part of the house, leaving me with little choice but to venture outside and look for some action - a few small rodents to terrorize, that sort of thing. By morning I'm tired and hungry and half driven to despair as I shout to try and rouse the household for breakfast and the start of another day..."