Update on Buddy

Well, we left for Kumasi yesterday morning at 6.00am and went straight to the "Vet" which turned out to be a "Pet Clinic".  It looked sterile enough for me and there were 6 attendants all in white coats. The instruments were in a sterilising solution and I thought that it probably would be better than what Buddy had experienced in Kwame Danso.
I am not going to go into detail as I do not want to relive or remember what Buddy and I had to go through. I keep having flashbacks and I think I have a tiny, tiny inkling of post traumatic stress syndrome, or does that sound too dramatic?  It was a horrible, awful and emotional experience and I vowed then that I would not own another animal while I live in Ghana.

Look for the good Shan, look for the good!

Buddy had many stitches, but we left with anti-biotics and pain killers which is more than we received from the first clinic.
Joe, the driver, was with  Buddy and me in the clinic and he tried hard to console us throughout the ordeal.

Roz, Hannah and Emma were waiting in the car and because Roz and Hannah leave in less than 2 weeks and Deon and Emma leave on the 12th, I am so grateful that this whole fiasco was completed while they are here to support me.

The weather was lovely and cool.

Our spare bedroom door does not close. We are sleeping there now as the air conditioner in the main bedroom has been broken for nearly two months. I was woken this morning to the door being pushed open and Buddy jumping onto me in the bed!  Tail wagging, happy little face and a hungry little chappy!

Throughout the day yesterday we received an outpouring of love and support from literally all over the world!  Buddy and I got through this thanks to you as I was ready to pack my bags and go home.  Just knowing that my family and friends really care about our well being means so much and I wish that all of you could experience the same feeling of a huge blanket of warmth hugging you!

What have I done?

I spent the first two or three days back in Ghana lethargic, disinterested and unmotivated.  Porks said I had the "Bantama Blues". Whatever it was I'm not used to it and it wasn't pleasant.  I unpacked the suitcases and piles of groceries slowly and had cat naps in between.

We had the von Beneckes around to watch the rugby and for a braai on Saturday afternoon and as usual the family's company was delightful.

The von Beneckes, Buddy and I went for about a 10km walk on Sunday morning and stopped off at one of the dams on the plantation to cool off.

Emma tried to persuade Buddy to swim, to no avail.

Our two little starfish enjoying the coolth!

Deon and Roz.

We had walked so far and Buddy was so tired that on the way home in the truck he could not keep his eyes open and literally kept nodding off.

We enjoyed that outing so much, that we went back in the afternoon with tubes for the girls and a picnic for all of us.

I had been considering having Buddy neutered but the thought of driving for 4 hours to Kumasi, waiting in line for many hours and then the 4 hour drive back again was daunting and I put it off.  Besides the fact that to obtain an available vehicle and driver from the company for my disposal is difficult and unrealistic.  Having to rely on other people, not even family, for transport is one of the many challenges we have to overcome.

We all, even the the Ghanaians, were worried that with Buddy's gallivanting, he was going to get run over and I also didn't want to be the owner of an animal that contributed to the over population.  I was then told by the locals that he could be "castrated" in Kwame Danso, so we made arrangements to get him to the vet yesterday morning.  We had no idea that there was a vet in Kwame Danso and apparently there isn't.

Isaac took Buddy off while I waited at the house, not being brave or strong enough to be subjected to the things that I might be subjected to there, and how pleased I was that I hadn't gone. We had starved Buddy since 6.30pm the night before in preparation for his operation and he woke up hungry and thirsty and confused as to why I was not being my normal generous self.

Off he went at 8.30am and two hours later returned, bleeding profusely, having had no sedative, no stitches, no pain medication and no Mommy with him. The insides of his scrotum were hanging out and he couldn't lie still he was in so much pain. When he did, he just lay there and shivered in shock.  I am so traumatised and I am not the one in agony.  I know that "When in Rome" and all that but I cannot get over this! 

Two of the least gruesome pictures.

I covered him with a towel to alleviate the shivering. 

Isaac had to go back to Kwame Danso in the afternoon so I asked him to go back to the vet and get pain medication for Buddy.  He arrived back to tell me that the vet had said "The dog will be alright."  So I googled 'pain medication for dogs' and was informed that I could give a baby aspirin every twelve hours which seemed to help a little.  

I let him sleep inside the house last night as I felt he needed to be near us for comfort and I woke up early this morning to see how he had fared during the evening.  I was greeted with a tentative little wag of his tail and pain but gratitude in his little soft eyes.  He is still refusing food but managed to lap a little water.  The bleeding has virtually stopped but the meat hanging out of his scrotum has ruptured and he is still in huge agony and discomfort. When I try to observe the injury, he cries softly and takes my hand gently in his mouth. Fortunately I had brought some veterinary anti-biotic spray up with me for Buddy's other injured friends in the neighbourhood and have used that to spray on his wound.

Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Oh, what have I done?
I have been balancing on a knife-edge emotionally since I have been in Ghana trying hard to find the positives and look for the good in all situations and working through all the challenges but I feel that this has started to tip me over the edge and I just want to go home!  

Porks is trying to organise a vehicle to take us to Kumasi tomorrow to see the vet there, so I'll keep you informed.  I just had to share Buddy's pain, and my sadness, with you all knowing that your warm and caring love out there will get us through this!

I'm back

After a month of chilly weather, laughter, love and good company, we are back!

I didn't want to bore you with the same information as all the other holidays back in South Africa but there are a few things to tell you.

Just so you know that I am fairly active when I am in Ghana, I took this photo to show you my embroidery.

Some of the gorgeous girls from Pietermaritzburg Girls High School 1974 Matric year celebrated our 40th reunion while I was in South Africa.  In fact I travelled back early so that I could attend.

Below are the girls from VI L for Latin.......did I do Latin?!

Barbara, Mary and Wendy.  

Mary, Moi and Wen.

While in South Africa, I managed to meet up with most of my local girl friends and caught up with all their news.  Laughed, loved and hugged!

The night before we left home, we had a welcoming supper for the Nicholson's who had just returned from visiting their daughter, son-in-law and new grandson James in Australia, as well as a farewell for us.
My Tiki and Scruffy knew something was going on but enjoyed lying by the warm fire anyway.

                                          

On Tuesday morning, Kelly took us all to the airport.  Andrew flew back to Cape Town and we flew to Johannesburg.   I had such a wonderful week with my little family.

The trip to Johannesburg and Accra were fairly uneventful and we arrived back in Ghana on Tuesday evening to a cool 25 degrees and a lovely breeze blowing.  In fact, for the past five days, the weather has been wonderful with cloud cover every day and we hardly need to use the air conditioner. If the Ghanaians knew the word, they might even say it is "freezing!"  We went straight to the hotel where we left our luggage and went straight to Shoprite and Game to buy our non-perishables.  Our driver, Joe, waited for us to complete our shopping and then dropped us off at the Holiday Inn for supper.  After a delicious meal of fish for me and a hamburger for Porks, we caught a taxi back to the hotel.

After a lovely breakfast, we went back to Shoprite with our driver to buy the meat, yoghurt, fruit and vegetables and then placed them in cooler boxes.  We then asked him to take us to the market Tete Kwashi to buy a few small gifts and sent him on his way to Bantama.

We flew with Starbow airlines from Accra to Kumasi at 1.00pm, arriving at 1.50pm or so. I cannot remember the last time I saw ashtrays in the armrest of an aeroplane.

John, the other driver picked us up from the airport and after stopping to fetch a tyre, we were on our way.

On the way, he had witnessed some buckets falling from the vehicle in front of us and stopped to pick them up from the chap on the side of the road who had recovered them.

We chased after the driver, carefully, and caught up to him.  

 The owners of the buckets were thrilled!

We arrived home at about 6.30pm and Joe, the driver who had driven all the way from Accra with our groceries, arrived after us at about 7.00pm.  The von Beneckes had kindly asked us to join them for a delicious supper.

Buddy has been living with the von Beneckes for a few days, house and all, and on the day that we arrived he decided to disappear. They had been worried all day that something had happened to him but he was just on the prowl.  They found him in Bantama lying in the shade under a tree not at all concerned that he had caused such panic.

His testosterone has taken over his brain and he is scouting for ladies of the night, and day.  He has grown so much and is easily the biggest and tallest dog in Bantama.

I did NOT give him permission to do this!

We do love him though!

 He spends hours away from the house and only returns home when he is hungry, for food, or contentedly exhausted! 

Boys!