My Villa

Aroo…roo!

It’s been about two or three months since we arrived at our new house in Thailand. Oh my dog, time really flies when you are busy, adjusting to a new life and at the same time dealing with my problematic health issues.

Anyway, this post is all about my new den in Thailand. Let me give you a little tour. Here we go.

This is me, outside of the main gate…

…and here I am posing in front of the villa.

As usual, the Missus always makes sure that there is plenty of garden space for me to roam around in. This place is no different. There are patches of grass here, there and everywhere for me to explore…

…see! I’m an avid explorer!

Sometimes when the mood takes me, I’ll hang out by the pond and do some fishing…

…but occasionally, I just like to chill out at the gazebo and watch the world go by.

Of course, I always need a small corner of the garden for when ‘nature calls’!

As you may know, the weather is often brutally hot here in Thailand. When it becomes unbearable for Yours Truly, I simply retire back into my villa, plonk myself down and enjoy the air-conditioning.

Can you see me?

Let me show you a little of the inside of my villa.

This is my bedroom. Sometimes, when no one is watching, I like to rest on my comfy bed and chill my nuts with the air-con. And sometimes, I even allow my humans to sleep on my bed (if they are lucky!)

Check out the huge space in the living area, with easy access to the kitchen! Guess what, there are no more stairs for Yours Truly to negotiate. (After all, I have to be careful with my joints; I’m no longer a spring chicken, you know!)

But the best thing of all about my new villa…the “pièce de résistance”…is that Yours Truly has a swimming pool all to himself!

Ta-da! Here I am, next to my pool. It looks so inviting, eh? How can anyone resist?

And look, it even comes with proper steps for me to get in!

Got to go for a nice cool dip now folks. I will tell you more about my swimming exploits in the next few postings.

Bye for now.

Love,

Homer

Post Surgery Report - Pattaya, Thailand

Woof folks!

I would like to take this opportunity to provide a quick update on my health status.

For the benefit of those who aren’t aware, I was recently diagnosed with a ‘Round Cell Tumour’. You can read more about it here.

There are 5 types of Round Cell Tumours: Mast Cell Tumours (Some of you may recall that I battled with this dreadful condition last year), Histiocytomas, Plasmascytomas, Transmissable Venereal Tumour and Cutaneous Lymphoma. The only way to get a proper diagnosis of the actual type of tumour that I had was to remove the nodule and to have it sent for biopsy.

So, a surgery was promptly scheduled and I am happy to report that all went well!

I woke up feeling groggy and disoriented but I recovered very quickly. As my vet wanted to monitor my wound closely, I had to spend the first night in the veterinary hospital. Because the Missus is such a ‘big worrier’, she decided to spend the night with me – just to keep me company. (I think more likely to keep a watchful eye on me – just to make sure that I didn’t feel stressed in such a strange environment.

Anyway, here are some photos which she took during our night together at the pet hospital.

This is me, wearing the ‘cone of shame’, heavily sedated from the anaesthetic and painkiller drugs.

The veterinary hospital gave us a room so that the Missus and I could spend the night together.

However, I wasn’t just cooped-up in the room all day. I did manage to get some fresh air and to explore the corridor.

Chilling on the nice cool tiles.

I slept pretty well, except for a few occasions when I woke up feeling a bit disorientated.

This photo was taken the day after my surgery. Can you notice how my left front leg was bandaged up heavily?

I shall leave you with a photo of me with my happy face. I will keep you posted on the biopsy results.

I’m always a happy boy!

Love,

Homer

My Actual Journey From Singapore to Thailand

Woof folks, I hope all is going well on your side! ☺

You may remember, I recently moved to Thailand. I’ve already told you about my packing experiences, my wonderful stay in a swanky hotel prior to departure and how I was duped into thinking that I was going to ‘Pie Land’, rather than Thailand. What I neglected to share with you was my actual trip from Singapore to Thailand.

So, here goes…

My journey began early in the morning after we checked-out from the hotel. The staff were very helpful in looking after us while we waited for my transport agent to prepare and load my crate into the van.

Here I am with Dad, waiting patiently to board my ‘limousine’.

All ready to head to the airport!

After a 30 minute drive, we arrived at Singapore’s Changi International Airport. The airport ground staff lifted my crate onto a trolley and wheeled me to the check-in counter. Man, I felt like a VIP (Very Important Pooch!)

Me at the check-in counter.

My paws were crossed that I would get an upgrade! After all, I should have plenty of frequent-flyer miles having previously travelled from Australia to Singapore, Singapore to Korea, Korea to China, China to Holland, Holland to Italy and Italy to Singapore.

One more formality before boarding the plane. I had to be weighed…

Can you believe that it took 5 men to lift my crate and have it weighed? 
“I’m not that fat you know!!!”

Soon it was boarding time.

The Missus made sure that everyone knew there was someone very important inside my crate!

“Yours Truly, of course!”

Before I knew it, we had left Singapore and I was up in the air.

This map shows my flight path from Singapore to Bangkok. The journey took only 2 hours…

…and then I was on the runway at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.

A quick pass through Thailand’s quarantine office…

…and then I was quickly loaded into my new Thai ‘limousine’.

All loaded, ready for the drive from Bangkok Airport to my new home in Pattaya.

Here’s the route we took. The drive lasted a little less than two hours.

And voila! Here we are outside of my new home. First they unloaded my bed…

…then it was my turn.

Safely arrived at my new home in Pattaya. I’ll tell you much more about the place in my later blogs.

For now, Sawadee-Krap!

Oh No! Another Tumour?

Woof folks.

I guess you should know that this is not going to be a happy post as the title speaks for itself.

On my ninth barkday, the Missus found a nodule located underneath my front left paw pad - the same foot where my mast cell tumour was located. I am also limping quite badly and we suspect it’s because of the nodule.

We went to the vet who did a fine-needle aspirate and sent it for cytology. The report came back and indicated a Round Cell Tumour.

We went to get a few more opinions. One vet said to leave it alone and observe, as he suspected that it might be a Squamous Cell Carcinoma which could metastasise when removed. Another said it’s unlikely to be a Squamous Cell Carcinoma or a Mast Cell Tumour and advised for it to be removed and sent it for biopsy.

So, after much deliberation, I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow (9th July) to have the nasty thing removed.

Other than limping around the house, I am in good spirits. ☺ My appetite is good; my toilet habits are excellent and I had a good swim over the weekend, which I will blog about later. I know I am behind blogging – there are too many things going on and I’ll try my best to catch up whenever time permits.

Here’s a happy picture of Yours Truly frolicking in the pool…

Below this, are three pictures of the nodule. For those who might be squeamish, no need to scroll down further.

Much love to you all and wish me luck.

Homer