Just wondering how many of us there are?
I have 7 patterdale terriers, 4 horses, 11 Jacob sheep and a few chickens. When diagnosed I had a stud farm of 6 ponies and gave 2 away to make life easier. My main passion these days are the 7 patts and my ponies. They get me up and out and keep me active. Bess one of the patts is about to have a litter of patterjacks on Feb 1st. cant wait.
Yesterday we went for a good 2 hour walk around the fields trying to do a bit of rabbiting but the little perishers were staying down the holes. Rode one of the ponies, breaking 2 of the others. Quite a lively day.
Anyway rambling on thought it would be nice to start a topic a little different and see how people with there animals cope with the old chemo and to see if animals make a difference to how you feel on chemo.Im convinced it does I dont think you get as many side effects as you havent time to be sick. What do you think?
Just dogs here - two very lively terriers - but walking them twice a day through chemo was my salvation. I didn’t always want to do it, but always felt better having done so. Mind you, there were a few days on TAX when we didn’t go very far! Rads was a struggle though - as the travel took up so much of the day - mine aren’t sued to being left for very long. Got a dog flap now so that helps.
finty xx
Well you know theres me!!! 22 sheep (used to have 150!), 2 dogs, umpteen hens, huge veg patch etc. We often have pigs too. I have been a smallholder all my life and also lay hedges and am a chainsaw user…and intend to continue as I am doing as I love it! Just bought 3 more sheep…in the middle of chemo!..Oh and intend going back to riding too!
Four border collies here and I really don’t know what I’d do without them (even though one of the little tikes stole my cheese and pickle sandwich yesterday). There’s been a couple of days when OH has had to do all the dog walking but generally I’ve been able to do it myself and it’s been great to get out from under the duvet. I suppose it makes a difference living in the countryside where you can wander over fields. We have loads of sheep (different types; can list if wanted), chicken, ducks, deer, horses, llamas, alpacas, etc round here (not ours)as well as the proverbial rabbits and pheasants.
fantastic folks, its great to know how healthy (well as healthy as we can be) farming dog owning lot are.
Im off out again in a bit lostinfrance perhaps we can arrange to go out riding in the summer?
Ive gained nearly a stone in weight despite the exercise has anyone else found the same?
hatty if you are in the middle of chemo you may find some of the weight is just water retention - I blew up like a balloon with tax, and then deflated just as quickly afterwards!
Hi
Have 2 labradors, I had 2 while going through chemo, walking him kept me sane, a bit of normality in my life.
Love Carolyn x
Finty havent even started Tax yet that is next week oh i hate the weight its all blown up around my tummy up to my breast. Oncologist said you will be fine just pea it out lol…
Yep - that’s what I did - most of it in just one night when I lost count of how many times I got up to visit the loo! My face was all puffed up and completely round - looked like a football - awful.
Good luck with the tax next week x
awe thanks for that i feel a bit better about it i had to go and buy size 16 jeans from BHS with elastic waist i just cant believe it i feel so ashamed… Did the weight stay with you through the chemo as mine doesnt go away at all some days are worse than other but its about a lb a week going on…
Hiya, had to chip in with my four dogs and nine chickens… lol. Getting out with dogs for fresh air has def. been a big bonus - and an incentive to go a bit further than the village shop for a bar of chocolate.
Onc has even agreed to delay 5th chemo so I can take my dobe male to Crufts…hehehehe, she told me she thought it was great to have something exciting to focus on - whereas my kids (and poss OH, though he hasn’t commented) think I am utterly demented in ‘delaying’ cancer treatment to show a dog…
Hey, bc isn’t taking everything from me, you know!
Sophie xx
Would love to ride again - rode all the time until I was 17, and got a motorbike…lol… (also at point dad retired from army, so lost access to army saddle club, and local riding school was NOT the same at all). Think I need to shed a few stone before inflicting my arse on any poor horse, though… but a def. aim for the future.
Sophie xx
triphazard99 im as bad im trying to delay surgery for the summer as I show my dogs at the working terrier shows. Trouble is we dont have time to have cancer really ha ha. My daughter in law shows staffy bulls at Crufts.
Im living for the shows at the moment getting my terriers out and muscled up.Loads of walking and digging lol…
All that fresh air and exercise, plus the mental agility required when working in any form with animals, has surely got to offset any (teeny) delay in treatment, imo!!!
Loads of road walking at mo to build up (more) muscle on my youngster, but also trying to get a little weight on him as he’s still terrible scrawny teenager - not quite so leggy as he was, but his line is slow to mature, and he won’t be fully filled out until he’s three’ish… don’t want him fat, but not skinny either. It’s all a balancing act, isn’t it?? Really ought to do some silly show practice with him too, as we’ve done none of that since October - and he was still only a puppy then, really!
Sophie xx
Hiya,
I have 2 Retriever sisters, 2 Cavalier King Charles brothers and a gorgeous white Bulldog, 12 horses/ponies 1 yard cat, hoping for chickens again this year, lost our lovely 4 ex batts last year one afternoon, still miss them, hoping to get a driving pony this year, keep looking, something to focus on ;-)love being out with them all, had farrier today for 10 and had lovely time chatting while holding neddies, going for a quick nap tho’ now !!
triphazard99 I should be doing more show practice i cant believe the season is on us in March and im no where near ready plus trying to break in my colt, gelding, and school my mare. phewy im tired just typing it lol…
troublesbrewin, sounds fab, im hoping to break my little gelding for driving my ambition is to drive him to the supermarket and then complain there is no where to park him lol… Its an idilic life isnt it shame about the cancer.sigh…
Just wondering what your all up to today, its forecast torrential rain and so makes the dog walking when they are only 12ins high a bit like a walk in the river…Hope you have a good day all what ever your doing.
Am just about to get out with smaller two dogs, in between rain showers. Asbo doesn’t like puddles (good, hardy farmstock that he is), so we shall spend a lot of the walk taking half mile diversions so he can walk around them, and lots of moments to rest whilst he shakes each paw in turn, in disgust at the mud on them, whilst his daughter Gremlin jumps in every swamp we find, rolls in every bit of cow poo and then dashes through the ford on the way home to wash off…
Sophie xx
(Dobes went out with OH first thing, and will go again with him later - I’ve only just started walking them again as they are so darn strong… and I use my left arm to walk em with… bcn horrified, but you can’t sit around and worry forever about lymphodema, can you?)
Sophie xx