For the last while, dogs seem to feature increasingly in my day to day affairs.

Of course there was the sad episode last week where we were introduced to Callie and then had to say farewell as things didn’t turn out. I’m still very sad about that.

Mainly though Penny has increasingly developed health problems and in that respect has joined us humans.

When I do my morning nursing rounds dispensing pills I now have to include her. Initially she had to take half a tablet a day for her arthritis. This has become somewhat more complex of late as she has to endure her dose of Calpol.

For those of you not familiar with Calpol, it is the drug of choice for children. Kids not settling down for the night? Pump ’em full of Calpol. Works every time. The trouble with it though it is extremely sticky. It’s up there with honey and marmalade – get a drop on your hands and you have to follow up with a good hand-wash in hot water or else you will stick to everything you touch.

Penny’s dose is administered using a hypodeemic [but not using the nurdle]. 3,4 ml precisely. Not 3.5 or even 3,3. Very specific instructions. Penny is getting used to this as when I approach her with the dreaded yoke in my sticky hands she curls her lip in an Elvis impersonation. I then slowly inject the goo into her mouth while she frantically swallows. We’re getting good at this though there have been disasters. The first time, I plunged the plunger too quickly and the contents shot through her mouth and onto the arm of the couch. It took an age to clean that up. Sometimes a bit leaks out the side of her mouth and she ends up all sticky around her muzzle. I leave that there for her to discover.

She’s also on a monthly injection which [I’m told] will take a couple of months to really take effect. I’m hoping that if it is as miraculous as promised that I can stop the Calpol and the half tablet. That would make life a little easier.

Her deafness is getting worse. She rarely reacts to sounds now. She used to react to a hand-clap or a rap on the glass door but now if she’s outdoors doing her favourite thing – standing on the top step and just staring around the estate – I can only get her attention by poking her arse with my foot. Sadly she is increasingly startled by someone approaching her from behind as she doesn’t hear them coming.

Old age is a fucking bugger.