Saturday, 1st of July 2006

The heat made us all very inactive the whole day. In the evening we went back to Malmö. We decided to have a vet checking the itching since it was very obvious now. We will try to book an appointment for the beginning of next week, before we go on vacation to Lotta's parents' summer- house in Skummeslöv.  Unfortunately I realised that the both of us can not go to Gothenburg for the Robbie Williams concert. We can not leave Manuel to Ingela now, since we do not know the reason for the scratching. So instead it will be me and Ingela going to Gothenburg, and Lotta staying at home with Manuel. To bad, but what to do? Instead me and Lotta are planning of going to London and watch the musical Billy Elliott. /Mikael

Sunday, 2nd of July 2006

So Micke and Ingela went to Gothenburg. I believe both Ingela and Micke think I am anxiety-ridden. But I fully believe that one does not hand over a dog that has problems with itching if you don't have a proper diagnose. What if flees? Well, anyhow I will try to get an appointment as soon as possible this week.

Manuel and I drove Micke to Bjärred and then we went to Torup and strolled around there by the golf-coarse using harness and a long rope - but it was just too hot for Manuel. He grows so fast now that the harness is almost too small already. When we got back to the house he didn't even want to stay in the yard, he just gratefully followed me into the elevator without any protests. 

Then I showed him the bath-room, where we have shut off the heating (floor-heating), and he spent all warm day-hours on the cool nice clinkers. It is not fun to skip the event in Gothenburg, but what does one not do for one's dog??!! Nice weather, Gothenburg, good food, some shopping and then concert with Robbie Williams - yes I do feel a bit depressed.  Manuel was totally crazy during the evening - so I took the car to Nina and Mårten and sat there for some hours outside their flat in the garden. Mårten and Manuel had had some nice cuddling-time. /Charlotte

Monday, 3rd of July 2006

Now we have started with small walks outside the yard. One in the morning and one during lunch. There are many things out there that interests a little puppy so we really have to work on the "contact". When we picked up Mikael in Bjärred we took a small trip to Löddesnäs and strolled around there for a while.

I must admit I was a bit incautious today. Since the car was hot when we were to leave, I put Manuel on the floor in the front so that the air-conditioner could provide cool air directly. Not so safe hrm, but Manuel seemed to like it. He really wants a pillow to support his head so he sat with the head on the front seat, but it was "slightly" too high?

Then it was hot hot hot again...so Manuel spent a lot of time...in the bathroom.

In the evening Manuel made paid a visit to a restaurant for the first time in his life. We went to our local restaurant, a nice Greek restaurant. He relaxed after a while (after having tried to eat some Swedish snuff from the pavement) after some water, and then fell a sleep under the table. /Charlotte

Monday, 4th of July 2006 

It is so HOT!! So the day started with our morning-routines, "going to the dog-toilet", breakfast, a small stroll again, having a crazy-fit in the yard, continue this fit inside the flat, and then "drop dead" on the balcony. That was Manuel's morning. Later that day we went to the vet.

As Manuel has been scratching himself a lot (but the skin is still intact) we wanted to exclude any thoughts about parasites. The vet said there was no parasites and was talking about the food. It is strange vets talk that much about food-allergies since it really is not that common with food-allergies.

Air-borne allergies are much more common on dogs, but that they seldom talk about. But we will obey and go through the whole procedure of using "pure" food - but I am already thinking about the coat, the heat and the incapability of scratching in the "right places".  Puppies tend to use scratching also when they are confused.

In the evening we went to Skummeslöv. There is a big house, a big garden, 200 meters to the sea and 200 meters to the woods. Manuel has been there once before and one could notice that he knew that. He directly found a nice carpet where he relaxed and chewed on a bone not bothering about us unpacking.

Manuel loves carpets (it gives better leg-control) but unfortunately he has peed on all the carpets in our flat so the floor is all empty - no carpets. Here we have a much shorter way out than we have in Malmö, which means that we just open the door, and Manuel can cope to wait - no "accidents" occur. He is already aware, and wants to go out, but the poor thing, his bladder can not wait for so many seconds as it takes in Malmö. 

It was very hot even in Skummeslöv, but we let some air in and soon it was nice and cool. Manuel slept on cool clinkers which he really liked. He still sleeps in his playpen and he feels safe and secure there. On the other hand, city-boy as he is he reacted on birds - he got scared and started yapping (no Manuel, it was not barking even though you thought so) . But the coaches, trucks and cars in town are a "piece of cake".

Wednesday, the 5th of July 2006 

HOT!

Manuel spent the day in the garden investigating how things taste, such as; pine-cones, sand, branches, bird-droppings, roses, pots and of course...shoes.

In between he was sleeping in front of the house facing the sea, feeling the breeze, or in the bath-room on the clinkers. We made some mini-walks and he took showers approximately 4-5 times.

In the evening he tested the sea-water at the "dog-bathing-place"./Charlotte

 Thursday, 6th of July 2006  

Hot! Yet another steaming day! Manuel made sure he used the early cool morning-hours well - had a crazy-fit and then he passed out during the hot hours. Siesta as in Spain. In the afternoon Ingela and Golda arrived. Manuel is very fond of Golda, and Golda, well she accepts the bogger patiently and tells him off in a good way when needed.

In the evening both of them had a nice bath in the sea and Manuel tried to swim for the first time. He also found out that Charlotte and Mikael are very good at "finding food". (A game that makes him be aware of where we are). In the evening Pia, Jens-Ola (8) anmd Siri (7 months) joined us. Manuel was really good with the children and the children were very good with him.

Friday, 7th of July 2006  

HOT! Golda went home after lunch and Manuel had to take a siesta. Today he had a rash in armpits, and other warm areas. I got depressed and thought about bad things that it could be. Anyhow I used some antiseptic which both cleaned it as well as gave a cool sensation, then I put an old aerobic-top on him so that he could not hurt himself with his claws when scratching. 

Manuel went with us to Halmstad and was really really well-behaved. He does not want to pee in his dog-box and really understands what he is supposed to do, even though his body sometimes can't handle the situation - but his mind does. In the evening he took a bath in the sea. This was a difficult question - salt could be good for the rash, on the other hand being wet makes the skin dry...I did not really know hot to handle it. /Charlotte

I contacted Lotte via Internet and we "talked" during the week about his rash, and we discussed that it probably just was the heat, and that I should keep him dry or at least - dry him carefully after being wet so that the moist didn't stay on his body so long. Also that he should have a shower after the salt-water, since salt binds the water to the body. Moist and heat is perfect for fungus and other problems. Internet is great, I could send some pictures and she said that it did not look anything like an SA outbreak.

Saturday, 8th of July 2006 

Today Manuel has been on a boat at the Lagan river. We where invited by Staffan and Theresia and their Anton soon 1 year. "The little ones" where almost the same weight and both were calm and relaxed on the boat. Everyone that meets Manuel get the impression of that he is a very very unusually cool guy. (They should see him half past five in the morning ....huiaaaa)

It was a lovely morning and lunch. Manuel forgot to scratch himself and that was lovely since his skin needed the rest.  This day was warm but not hot, which made the boat-ride a lovely experience. A breeze, no bugs and lovely company,

Staffan told us about the zander he had caught the other day, and if Manuel only would have understood I believe that would have made him slobber.The weight of the Zander was 6,5 kilos!!! (I am so jelaous.) During our evening "walk" (around the district) with Manuel, we trained some obedience. We mostly train the stuff that is necessary for the safety of Manuel, as stay, stop, good, no and come here. /Mikael

Sunday, 9th of July 2006 

Nina och Mårten came to visit us and we went to Båstad on a short trip. Manuel walked some and was carried some. Of course he was very popular and everybode we met wanted to pet him. We choose sometimes not to "hear" the "ooo so cute..." since we do not want everyone to pet him. He is not a toy. But if they ask kindly then I usually "hear" them. :-)

In Båstad Swedish open was on-going (tennis) but Manuel was as usual, more interested in old dry chewing-gum. /Charlotte