We enjoyed a 3 month house/pet in Turkey last year and when the owners asked us if we would be happy to return, we jumped at the chance....we'd love to!. We stayed once again in their beautiful villa about 15 minutes outside Bodrum. Looking after Hayley, Spencer (cocker spaniels - brother and sister) and Lassie (the border collie) was a joy. We love these dogs as we know them really well.
Hayley and Spencer are both 14 this year and as such had had a few health issues in the past year. We arrived to find the owners concerned about poor Spencer. He had a large cyst on him bottom (about the size of a cricket ball) and the vets had advised that it was best to leave well alone as there was little they could do. We had a very difficult conversation with the owners. We obviously needed to know what they would want us to do should anything happen - after all 3 months is a long time and they would be over in the States. As we know their vet quite well from our visit with Spencer last year, it was agreed that we should take him straight in, if we are at all concerned and, obviously, keep them informed.
The house/pet sit was wonderful. We had made a lot of friends in the small resort last year and it was lovely to meet up with all again. We also had the added bonus of some close friends coming over to Turkey ( The Thailand, France and cycling Stalkers again) who would be staying at one of the hotels nearby. The owners very kindly said that they had no objections to our friends coming to the house during the day, which was great for us. Everyone fell in love with the dogs and I think the dogs all enjoyed the company and extra cuddles.
Unfortunately, as we neared the end of our house/pet sit, we had a problem with Hayley (not Spencer). We noticed that she seemed to go off her food (and she LOVES her food), had diarrhea and also started to lose a little weight. On inspection of her mouth, we discovered a large growth on the inside of her lip. It did not look good. We took her to see the vet and they agreed that it needed to be removed as soon as possible.
Obviously, we kept in touch with the owners all along the way and them how they wanted us to proceed. It was decided she should go for the operation. Fortunately, it went well (there was a worry as she is an old dog and they needed to give her an aesthetic). We brought her home and gave her lots of TLC and she, soon, seemed more like her old self.
They sent the growth removed for analysis and it has turned out to be cancer and an aggressive one at that. We had wondered as she had been losing weight whilst we were there, even though we gave her extra food. This was exactly the same way our dog Nessie
(also a Cocker) was towards the end of her days. It was a sad time for all. Still she happy enough in herself and the owners are hoping that her decline will be a slow one.
It was with heavy hearts that said a teary farewell when we left.
The Adorable and Much Loved Hayley
Spencer, Hayley and Lassie
