Update on Alfie

I took my Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Alfie, to the vet yesterday, as he's had another bad flare-up of his skin problems.


The daft dog's been biting himself silly as a result, bless him. He also needed to have his eye checked again, after my evil cat, Leo, decided to smack him in the eye. Luckily, he's suffered no permanent damage to the eye, and no infection. Thanks to Aileni and Dragonstar for enquiring about his eye - and my apologies for not updating you sooner.

Alfie's seen at least three different vets at the PDSA since I've had him. The vet I saw yesterday has asked me to make all Alfie's appointments with him from now on, so that he gets consistency of treatment. It seems my poor doggy is suffering from some kind of allergic reaction. Detecting the cause of allergies in dogs is notoriously difficult. So, the vet has doubled Alfie's Piriton dose. He was on half a tablet twice a day. He's now on one tablet twice a day. He's also on antibiotics, and two lots of eye drops, for his keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Unfortunately, Alfie HATES vets. He changes from his usual sweet, docile self into a yelping, snarling, snapping monster as soon as a vet gets anywhere near him. He gets very defensive if anyone probes his eyes, yet I've never had any problems bathing and treating his eyes. So it looks as if he's known from day one that I've been trying to help him. I still can't get near him to trim his nails, though, nor can anyone else. It looks like he will have to be muzzled for that. Luckily, most of his nails wear down from walking, and don't need trimming, but he will need his dew claws chopped soon.

Apart from his physical issues, he's made a lot of progress since I first brought him home. I now rarely have to clear up any accidents after him in the morning. In the beginning, I would have to mop up several puddles a day. This means I can now trust him in carpeted areas of my home. He's a much calmer dog now, too. Travelling on public transport with him was a nightmare, until I hit on the idea of taking some of his Gelert dog food with me. As long as he can sit on my lap and have some kibble every few minutes, he travels quietly. Not sure how to break his habit of trying to pick up and eat discarded chewing gum, but at least he now drops bones and other food items he picks up on his travels, once I tell him to.

Overall, he seems to be settling really well. The last few months must have been so disorientating and bewildering for him, so I hope he finally realises he's safe and has a permanent home.

Help! Alfie's a persistent beggar

Does anyone know how to deal with a begging dog? I've looked after dogs in the past, but they knew the score. If they were told 'no', and 'lie down', they did. I've tried saying 'no' loudly (he's hard of hearing), I've tried ignoring him, and I've tried walking away. The instant he smells food cooking, he starts to bark and beg, and simply will not shut up. If I leave the room, he simply stands in the kitchen, barking. I must have lost half a stone at least this week, because I've barely cooked/eaten anything, as I find his behaviour so irritating.

The problem I have, is he's old and set in his ways. I suspect his previous owner used to feed him tidbits from his plate. The dog certainly seems to get very excited and very demanding when I'm eating. I refuse to give in to him, as this will make him even worse. Do I simply need to keep on ignoring him? It's very hard to avoid a woofing spaniel. For a dog who only weights 8.8 kilos, he's got one heck of a loud bark. This is the only aspect of him I'm finding very hard to deal. I know how to train a puppy not to beg, but not a dog who is set in his ways.

Is my dog mad?

Help! Alfie's doing weird things. Well, they may not be weird, but they are to me, as I've never had a dog before. In the last couple of days, he's started mistaking my couch for a flower border. He'll be happily snoring on his blanket, when he'll suddenly get up, and start digging at the couch, as if he's trying to unearth a long-lost bone. Is this a normal dog thing? A Cavalier King Charles thing? What does it mean?

Little beggar

Alfie, my Cavalier King Charles spaniel, is a little beggar. Obviously, his previous owner did nothing to discourage him. I can't eat a thing, without him developing the most pathetic, pleading expression ever. Not really sure how to deal with this, other than totally ignoring him. The ignoring isn't working yet, but I'm hoping he will eventually take the hint.

I can understand why people end up giving in to a begging dog. They just look so pitiful. But Alfie's had his eyes cleaned and treated, a nice walk, a hearty breakfast, lots of fuss, his steroid pill, and a tasty conditioning pill or two, so as far as I'm concerned, he's got nothing to look pathetic about. I'll just have to keep telling myself I know better than he does, and that I'm being kind to him by denying him human food, not mean. He was after my fruit and nut chocolate yesterday. So I said, 'Alfie, you're very welcome to a nice big chunk - over my dead body! It's poison, love. Get it? P-O-I-S-O-N!' He looked back as if to say, 'so? gimme some'. Not a chance!

He even begs when I have a coffee. I've tried offering him water, but he just looks back as if to say, 'no. Cappuccino, please'. I've been told to feed him three quarters of a mug, twice daily, of his special dry food, moistened with warm water. I guess this is enough for him. But he always seems to be on the scrounge for more food. Maybe it's just something all dogs do? I'd hate to think he's genuinely hungry.

The latest on Alfie

Well, he's been home nearly six hours now. In that time, I've walked him twice and cleaned up two of the most revolting, squidgy poos ever. He was very unsettled to begin with, pacing non-stop and trying to copulate with rugs, cushions, doggy blankets and cat toys. He seems to have stopped that rather fruity behaviour now, though.

The little beggar managed to wangle his way on to the couch earlier, and had a snooze. It seems the money I paid for his bed and bedding was rather a waste. He's now resting on a furry, lilac rug. Look:


Bless 'im. He's shown no aggression to the cats at all. Leo growled at him, but Liberty's just curious. The local kids have made a big fuss of him, too. Despite not being used to kids, he was very good with them. Unfortunately, he's a bit whiffy right now, so I'll give him a bath tomorrow.