One of the reasons we have this section...

One day, Ella, our eight year old staffie sloped off to her bed covered herself up and shivered. She shivered for over and hour yet it wasn't cold in the house.

Previously I had read some articles on illnesses that particularly strike staffie's. No good reason, just a mild interest.
It was because of what I had read I decided get to the vets and quick. If I was wrong I might look stupid (a man thing).

The vet was a five minute drive just the other side of the town centre but it was 5:45pm and rush hour was upon us. The trip to the vets took 25 minutes but I may as well be driving to Scotland it seemed to take that long.

There are no wailing two tone or flashing blue lights when a dog is ill or injured, a member of your family or not.

One hand on the wheel and one on her head, her shaking became more and more violent. I really felt like abandoning the car and running with her in my arms.

When we got there the vet cleared the waiting room and bought her in. They operated immediately and an hour later the vet came to see me. She was alive but she would probably not make the night.

That was a long night with little sleep. The next morning the vet rang. She said she was amazed, Ella was sitting up waiting for her when she got in. Later when I picked her up he said he really was expecting her to be dead that morning and that's when it really hit me. My fast actions saved her life all because I read up a bit a year or two earlier.

Because of this we have included a more detailed list of all ailments that are more common in each breed, just click the link.

For dog's sake, please take the time to familiarise yourself with the ailments that most affect your dog. Hopefully you'll never need this knowledge and you'll live in bliss with your dog. However one day you may need to act quickly, as I did, and boy, am I glad I did.

Ella is now my loyal 11 year old staffie.

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