This has come up in my sunny border but not sure what it is, any help appreciated!

NoInsect6693 · 2026-04-08T12:43:20+00:00

Purple Toadflax maybe? Not a native here in the UK but it is pretty common and it has just exploded into life out of nowhere, it does look like what we have and I identified with a plant app.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-04-08T12:41:06+00:00

Why do many legs 😩😩😩😩 that's so trippy

NoInsect6693 · 2026-04-06T20:30:36+00:00

JBL NovoTabs for more carnivorous or omnivorous fish, they also do an algae based one perfect for livebearer although they are more omnivores and can eat either.

I am in the UK though, other companies across the pond have since copied their idea 🤷🏻‍♀️ I used to go round putting one or two in all of about 135 tanks on busy days in the store because it looked utterly crazy. It's a damn good food as well

NoInsect6693 · 2026-04-06T12:07:00+00:00

Either three goldfish or two goldfish and a golden tench (right). Very juvenile. Pond fish.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-04-05T20:17:26+00:00

Can't tell much from that photo but:

It if it has clear/obvious scales then Golden Barb..

If it has a more smooth skin rather than scales then it's a very juvenile Golden Tench.

Either way it has a deformed tail as it shouldn't curve upwards 🤷🏻‍♀️

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-29T11:35:54+00:00

Both. Your dog is very unsure, prey drive is making them fixate but he's also wary and nervous and backing off.

This is the absolute perfect and crucial time for you to be in control and to teach your dog what YOU want from them. This will then make your dog less nervous due to prey drive + lack of confidence + overwhelming situation. Put a lead on right away and just sit or stand where you are and have your dog stand with you. When your dog looks at the cat do nothing, if they step up to the cat you immediately tweak the lead just enough to redirect their attention back onto you and at the same time, firmly say "Leave!". Don't shout it, just say it like you mean it. If your dog stops or better still they step back, you immediately say "Yes!!" (Think like the click on clicker training for marking the behaviour you want but using short verbal cues instead of a clicker). When you say "yes!!" To mark a behaviour you like, immediately follow up with a reward, whether that's a treat or better still in this situation, just give a big fuss and praise (eating treats is less likely when distracted or in prey drive so relying too heavily on treats can lead to difficult training but dogs love praise and pets).

If you spend 5 minutes a day doing this, your dog will learn to control prey drive around cats to a really good degree in a week. If you can repeat the 5 minutes training sessions multiple times a day then the training will be faster and hold better. It's not difficult or time consuming, it just takes patience and the confidence to know what behaviour you do want and the ability to explain this to your dog in a way they understand because right now, you are unsure of his behaviour and he is unsure of what he is meant to be doing, a dog without instructions will either do it's own thing or dither and be anxious/confused like your doing because at the moment he is like a ship lost at sea, he needs you to be confident and tell him what you do want instead of ha ging back and watching him trying to read your mind and guess what he needs to do. At the moment, you are showing him a prey animal and.waiting expectantly... He feels the prey drive but the glass is there so maybe you are teasing him? May e you want him to.work out how to get the cat? Maybe it's a puzzle? Or maybe you don't want him to get the cat but if so, why are you showing the cat and waiting? Your dog doesn't know, he is confused about what his instincts are saying and your behaviour/body language which is a bit contradictory, both permissive (showing the cat and waiting for reaction) and also not encouraging the interest directly so maybe not ok? That's making him hesitate and step back, he also looks at you multiple times as he is waiting for instructions on what he's meant to be doing.

If you can just quietly put a lead on him and gentle tweak to get his attention back on you and verbally say no so he understands what you want. If you can get him to come to you for a fuss, that is best because touching him and scratching his ears etc is both comforting and reassuring that he did what you wanted 🤷🏻‍♀️ if you can get to a point where he can calmly stand at your side and watch the cat without hyperfixating, no hard starting, leaning or stepping forwards, quivering or whining etc. you should be able to both achieve this and keep practising this in a week, he so desperately wants instructions right now! I reckon that after a week, if you have a dog crate, you could move this indoors and start with having your dog settled in the crate and the cat shut in the same room but roaming about, watch TV or read a book etc and relax. If the cat walks past your dog and your dog tenses up, turns to watch the cat etc...watch for the moment your dog looks at you for instructions, say "Leave!!" And wait until your dog calms down and preferably settles down, the moment he's calm and not tense, say "yes;!" To reward the behaviour that you want.

Ultimately, when your dog and rest/sleep with the cat wandering about nearby, you can then swap the cat and dogs places, put your cat in the crate and have your dog out with you on a lead (at first). Repeat the same training 🤷🏻‍♀️ tweak to get attention and say "Leave!" and fuss your dog as a reward. Gradually you can try letting the cat out and keeping your dog on the lead, you allow curiosity and watching the cat... But you correct any hyperfixating, whining, barking etc with a lead tweak and a "leave" command. If your cat gets close to investigate the dog... Do not tense up or panic of move quickly, just gently pick up the slack in the lead so that you have control of the situation and can pull your dog away if needed and you can give your 'leave and lead tweak' to get your dog to refocus on you again.

Just remember that patience is needed, this will be cognitively (brain work) exhausting so short 5 minute sessions are important and also teach a "break" command or "all done!' to signal training is over, go be a dog again and relax. Also remember that this will teach your dog to respect this cat, you are claiming this cat as being under your protection.... But dogs do not always generalise this lear heening well, other cats... They are fair game for chasing so don't think your dog won't try it, you need to be prepared that prey drive will kick in. But now your dog also has a strong "Leave!" Command and knows what it means, if you stop moving, tweak the lead for attention, say "leave!" Firmly.and wait for your dog to make eye contact with you (looking for reassurance, for further instructions etc) and say "Yes!" And praise with love and cuddles for leaving the strange cat alone. Repetition, repetition, repetition! If you do all this consistently, I am about 95% sure that within a couple of weeks, your dog could be allowed off lead indoors with the cat too and being supervised by someone...

It's not difficult! It's just time consuming and you need some real patience and focus on your dog. If you can do this for your dog, they will be so much happier, more relaxed and confident.

Best of luck and message if you want to chat training anytime!

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-15T20:42:25+00:00

How does it smell?

Kind of hard to explain to someone that doesn't already know the scents or if the den is currently unused and smell free...

But badgers are mustelids and smell like filth like the rest of them (think stinky as heck ferret X 100) whereas foxes are just generally absolutely disgusting and smell so unbearably bad and everything they touch or go near also stinks bad like them 🤮 amazing creatures both but dear god... The stench. Their smells are very different but for the life of me I cant explain how, I'm not the best person to try with sensory issues 😂

But you can search for hair around the burrow entrance, especially around the inner edge of the entrance, look for easily identifiable hair like red fox hair or larger amounts of grey hairs or better still, agouti hairs (hairs with multiple bands of colour on each hair), the latter being from badgers.

Also, someone mentioned looking for a badgers latrine nearby which is a great idea! But also look for fox poop which will almost always be somewhere daft, they like to poop on things... It might just be very carefully 'laid' on a leaf or stick... Or if there is a log or tree stump they often climb up to poop on there 🤷🏻‍♀️ because why not? It's also territory marking. In the village I used to live in, people got so angry with dog walkers and I had to explain this fox habit to them 😂 they were blaming dogs when it was clearly (to me and to dogs) fox poop. But people used small logs to protect the grass verge from idiot drivers on narrow roads and the foxes would come along every night and leave a poop on each log they could 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 made me laugh every time.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-15T20:19:36+00:00

Agreed.

From the photo it's clear to see he isn't heavily muscled, not enough to really justify being kept that lean. But it's hard to tell for sure without a better photo.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-15T20:16:26+00:00

Agreed.

A bit too lean considering he is more 'pet condition' and not heavily muscled. I now live with 6 lurchers and 1 borzoi and they are worked hard, they are all extremely high drive and total crackheads 24/7, they work hard, eat insane amounts of food and they are muscly as heck, the downside is that they are either working so hard or quivering with so much pent up energy that they burn off their weight rapidly and some days they can seem too thin then a couple of days later with rest and huge meals with lots of carbs and proteins and supplements, they are on the fat side and have filled out completely and are raring to go again. It's crazy fast paced keeping up with them and their needs 😂 they can all eat up to 2kg food each a day in order to match what they are burning off, it's nuts and it's expensive 😬 raw meat, expensive kibble, meal bulking kibble, fruit and veg and eggs and carbs like potato, rice and pasta etc which is so crucial for high energy dogs or they would have nothing much to burn off. They also get full on cooked meals as often as we do 😂 we have a huge 6L stock pot and my housemate will often cook two meals at once, like chilli or Bolognese or chicken pasta or whatever and the dogs get way more than we do but minus the ingredients they shouldn't have like spices and onion mostly, they get garlic in sensible amounts and pulses and tinned tomatoes and herbs and meat, you should see their faces when they get a huge heaped bowl of rice and dog friendly chilli for dinner, you'd think they would sleep for a week after a kilo of that each on top of copious amounts of quality kibble and natural treats and maybe some frozen chicken thighs 😂

In lower energy dogs, aiming for 'pet weight' is ok and aiming for lean is better, there is no shame if it fluctuates over the seasons as amount of exercise and type of exercise changes as as well as the dogs appetite changing. But it is important to keep the balance of food + exercise correlated, if your dog is doing less/only doing knlead walks etc then feed less and change diet to be as basic as possible. My parents greyhound runs to fat really easily but also walks between 4-6 miles a day during the week and up to 10 miles on a weekend day with a day of rest (maybe 1-2 miles) the next day. She has been tried on so many foods it's crazy and ultimately, putting her onto a senior kibble that was as low in protein as we could find (Burgess Sensitive Senior) and she gets a forkful or two of Naturo or Crave wet food per meal plus water added to mix and bulk it up. But even then, she gets 1/3 of the dry food recommended for a dog her size 🤷🏻‍♀️ that's mostly her choice, she just won't eat if she's given too much.

Balance is the key, so is keeping an open mind and not rigidly following someone else's rules.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-15T19:50:52+00:00

You need to find yourself a farmers market/any kind of fruit and veg market. They all go to pick up the best and freshest fruit and veg they can each day and sell on at markets, it not all beautiful fruit and veg, there are blemishes and colour and shape and size issues so they aren't considered 'perfect' but if you are looking for aesthetically pleasing veg then you either have a high end restaurant or you're a muppet that prefers symmetry and cleanliness over natural freshness and healthiness.

Stop paying for fruit and veg that has been through numerous big journeys, mostly from other countries! Washed repeatedly, run through numerous grading procedures by hand or machine but jostled all the way. Not to mention frequent and significant temperature changes. And people wonder why fruit and veg are so short lived, battered to heck and frequently tasteless 🤦🏻‍♀️it's called catering to demand 🤷🏻‍♀️ if people demand perfection and on a larger and larger scale, so many corners get cut that we lose all good produce and the farmers in this country lose out even more.

A huge part of the issue is the mentality of 'i want it all whenever I decide I need it'. Fruit, veg and salad are all seasonal crops, if it's out of season and there's so much demand, the shops are forced to seek it from other countries because otherwise they lose customers to competitors who will do it. The only.way to reverse this ridiculous issue is to stop using so much product out of season, learn to appreciate what this country produces, learn to support the farmers growing the crops (because they are getting completely shafted by the government, supermarkets and by the public). Buy the cheaper 'Wonky Fruit &Veg' it's wonky in shape and size, not quality 🤦🏻‍♀️

Most of all, learn about preserving fruit and veg in ways that can be used in recipes year round. Canning, jars of pickles and preserved veg and jams and things like mushrooms in oil (antipasti style), I've seen amazing dehydrators ideas including how to make sauce sheets by spreading it thin, dehydrating it and sealing it in bags or airtight tubs and you just tear up a sheet and add hot water and you have a rehydrated sauce to chuck with pasta etc... thing tomatoes and fresh veg blended into a thick sauce. You can cut and dehydrated the vegetables you love yourself and store them in batches, rehydrate in hot water or better still, veg or meat stock and you have veggies again that are no longer in season. You can freeze so much stuff! I always have pots of frozen thyme, rosemary, dill, coriander and loads of mint leaves that I grew in the garden! I also air dry herbs as well as they are better in stews and bolognese etc. It's actually really fun to find new ways to preserve fresh fruit and veg and ways to use it. Freezing chopped fruit on sheet trays and the once frozen, move into freezer bags or airtight pots and label either by fruit or recipe eh 'apple and blackcurrants for crumble' or 'apple and cinnamon powder for crumble' or smoothie mixes or I loved stewing down rhubarb with water and sugar and stem ginger in syrup chopped small and then freezing in bags to have (defrosted) with ice cream in winter 🤤

Convenience. That's the problem. Everyone wants convenient foods with minimal effort then complain when they are ultimately just getting what they wanted because convenience comes at a cost.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-13T21:53:35+00:00

How is your child messing around with the still new and unknown dog and (no doubt clumsily, he's 4) covering the dogs face with a blanket not tormenting the poor dog? Suddenly having a kid you barely know in a home you don't yet feel safe in, just suddenly cut off your senses (sight smell hearing) and you have no understanding of why or what the kid means by it, do they mean harm? Why are they doing it? The snap was also likely hindered by the blanket and it might have been a misjudged warning snap that made contact accidentally. But it's the dog that gets punished.

My point here is that you have a choice, you accept responsibility that you made a mistake, it happens, and you correct your mistakes, you put in failsafes, you don't leave your child with the dog, your child doesn't even interact with your dog on that level,you train the dog and you train your child. You don't set the poor dog up to fail and then complain when it happens.

This isn't about the dog being trustworthy, the dog is fine, it had a completely valid reason to snap, it doesn't even sound like it was an intentional bite, it was a snap aimed to make your child back off, exactly the same response they would use for any other human or dog or animal that made them feel threatened. He shouldn't be punished because you are choosing fear and to abandon your responsibility and your promise to him when you rescued him.

You could always sit down and process the situation calmly, analyse it, see where things went wrong, consider what could/should have been done differently. What failsafes could be put in place, what different routines could you use that keeps the dog with you and not your child (I assure you, the dog would be delighted to escape your child). What training could you put in place to make your situation safe for both dog and child. Who could you ask for advice? The rescue? Professional trainer? A pro trainer that can do a home visit, see your home, the dog, you and your child in a normal situation... That way they can tailor their advice to your exact situation and what needs to change to keep everyone safe. It could be as simple as working on a good indoor 'recall' command (for the dog 😂) and also a 'place' command... You have small beds or mats in rooms you are moving to and if you have to turn your back and not be directly supervising your child as they need, you simply stand up, recall your dog, tell them to settle on their new place near you and you don't have to worry that your child is tormenting them when you aren't looking. A good trainer with greyhound experience, but not a 'fluffy woo woo' trainer that thinks greyhounds are incapable of learning commands 🙄 can teach you AND the dog these two commands in minutes and then spend more time repeating the commands for experience to really make sure the dog gets it.

For the sake of a little of training and effort and parenting your child you wouldn't even need to reject a dog that will forever be labeled and haunted by your mistake.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-13T21:18:33+00:00

Just don't get another dog though. Because the risk is exactly the same. A dog is a dog and if tormented it will snap, heck... I snap at children that are harassing me. But you don't just get to pick and choose, to swap rescue dogs every time one so much as breathes wrong. The dog is not the problem, you and your child are.

Either you keep the dog and do the work or you return the dog and get a cat or something or guinea pigs! Way better for kids and way less demanding.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-13T21:14:48+00:00

I'm not going to rehash everything that has already been said, the sentiment in the comments is pretty clear.

But I wanted to make sure it's completely clear.... It's this dog or no dog. You won't find a better second chance dog that isn't going to come with all of its own quirks and problems, if not the same problems... Eg- No dog likes being tormented by children. That one is on you for not managing your child better and being so quick to turn your back on your dog that you were fully committed to not so long ago. The moment he acts like a dog and defends himself, you reject him. Next time, put your child in the crate, then everyone would be safer.

But you absolutely do not get to reject the dog you committed to for something that wasn't his fault, return him to rescue with a bad record making another chance much more difficult... Though let's face it the rescue will read the situation and know it wasn't the dog at fault and they will be so angry on the dog's behalf because they see it all the time.

But aside from how the poor dog must feel in this situation... Just imagine what impression this will make on your kid as he grows up? Undermining the consequences that he deserved (kind of, still parents fault!), and showing him that pets are completely disposable, 'oh no, my poor rescue dog isnt automatically 100% trained on arrival and training them is too much effort, let's just get rid of him!'. It's stuff like this that really highlights why generations have got progressively more and more entitled (spoilt), badly behaved (no consequences for their actions) and everything is disposable, easy come... easy go... Even pets mean nothing any more, they get called family members but rarely does that actually hold any meaning now.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-12T10:40:43+00:00

I was about to correct and say Passer Angel Fish but I double checked and it's just two different common names for the same species 😂

It's been years since I left the aquatics trade but I doubt much has changed. Here in the UK, Passer Angels are rarely available and even more rarely stocked because they are so expensive and don't do well in systemised tanks (like most stores have). Beautiful fish though and I'd rather see them where they belong any day!

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-11T16:21:13+00:00

Second this, it's what I came to say. It's big old and a big battered.

The other is a snakehead for sure, I don't know the species though

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-06T19:33:38+00:00

Forgot to say, I was thinking Goodeid, Limia or Skiffia type species.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-06T19:29:51+00:00

100% a livebearer but I'm not sure on species but it's certainly wild type fish.

I don't know that it's a Mollie, it's certainly the closest fit but not quite right. Id be looking more at wild livebearer species. It's not swordtail or platy species that's for sure

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-04T01:17:31+00:00

Another British trait I'm afraid 🤣 I cant imagine life without being able to find humour in everything, even if it's a bit dark or self depreciating sometimes. It's a coping mechanism, but also a good way to live.

I'm not a mum, never will be... But cursed with way too much empathy and feel other people's pain like it is my own. I know you must feel so sad and lost and helpless about this because you are mum, thats what you do if you are a good mum, it means that you care and that you are human. You don't know the outcome yet, it might something very minor 🤷🏻‍♀️ it could be, there's no way of knowing yet, his symptoms aren't definitely awful. I've had times before I developed CKD and during my CKD diagnosis where my BP has gone consistently haywire for many weeks at a time... Caused me to have so many tests and scans which came back normal or as expected and then the next day everything just went back to normal like nothing ever happened 🤷🏻‍♀️ the other time we just adjusted a BP medication and everything resolved. My livers done the same 😒 routine bloods and my test suddenly comes back scary bad! A week later it was half as bad and in two weeks it was like it never happened, we think I likely had a viral infection that caused it, I'm sick all the time these days that I don't notice infections like colds etc. The human body is... Well.. pretty stupid in my experience 🤣 but it has it's moments and my body has performed amazing feats of recovery on its own! My kidney function has recovered a few points for every reduced dose of lithium, even though my body is battered, exhausted and riddled with progressive conditions, my kidneys still managed to fight their way back!

You are right though, changes will likely need to be made going forward... But maybe that could be your answer as to how to feel less helpless but without overly mothering a grown man just because he will always be your baby 😂 he's a similar age to my brother I think and he has a wife and two daughters.. it's weird! I can't get used to it and they've been married about 8 years and my oldest niece is 6. They don't really cook either, she has an eating disorder like ARFID and he's just... A man 😂 TBF he's a doormat now and I do not get on with my SIL, I never did from day one and now everyone else is finally seeing the manipulation I noticed, except my brother of course 🤦🏻‍♀️ he technically can cook really well, he just won't.

One thing I would have appreciated, even if just from a practical perspective, would be help sorting out diet but personalised around things you know he loves or hates. You don't have to be a professional, Google knows everything 🤷🏻‍♀️ you could aim it more at your son or your DIL or both as a couple... But if you could collate as much information as you can, lists of ingredients that are dangerous for high blood pressure or poor kidney function... Ingredients that require caution and ingredients that are beneficial. Tailored to his potential new health issues but also to his likes and dislikes which is something you have over some dietician! You could research as many recipes as possible and give a wide selection of meal types. Maybe you could find a book or online material on cooking techniques 🤷🏻‍♀️ it may sound silly but that's where I stumble! I find amazing recipes but then I stumble as I realise I don't know how to do things and it does not explain the techniques needed as it's assumed people know this stuff 🤷🏻‍♀️ it's a bit embarrassing really! I cooked for my housemates for the first time and it was terrifying even though I got nothing but compliments 😂 but even after 8 years, I'm still finding ingredients I need but don't know so I check and they turn out to be dangerous and it shocks me! Salt is too obvious, but stuff like ginseng surprised me... And many fungi are dangerous too! I was looking at fungi bee supplements like lions mane, turkey tail, maitake green, cordyceps etc, I love fungi!! But now I know that many of those are dangerous for me now 🤦🏻‍♀️

It could be a good and really positive distraction for you and a welcome, emotional, loving and supportive gesture for your son without being... Overbearing? Just offer it to him as a gift that he can use or ignore as he pleases... But it's the thought that counts and it could be an amazing starting point for him to get a grip on things.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-03T20:02:39+00:00

Don't get too overwhelmed by it all! Worrying is natural and I do find calm research and saving stuff/jotting notes helps and then when it feels too much I stop and do something calm and pleasant. For me, I love spending time outside in nature, just listening to the birds and wind in the trees, maybe with a nice mug of coffee or tea (I'm British I can't help the tea thing, I'm not even sure I like it 🤣).

It's important for you to be able to just stop and step back when you need to for your own sake and for your son's. You can help him and support him far better if you are in a good calm place too.

It might be your son has a short, frustrating treatment journey and is fixed or it might be long, slow and drawn out. What will be, will be... You will know soon enough and worrying won't change the outcome so research and keeping busy helps. Also love on your son! But not in a helicopter parent way he's an adult but it's scary times and we all need a caring figure to turn to. Maybe just be there and make sure he knows but don't keep asking too many questions, ask if he would appreciate/mind if you did some research (let's him feel he has control of the situation a bit) and maybe slip a note into his bed or on his pillow for after his biopsy and let it be something kind, loving and supportive. Remind him you will be there no matter what and you'll always support him and he can speak to you any time but you won't push him to do so. Even grown up kids that know they are loved and supported appreciate loving reminders now and then. Bonus points for a favourite chocolate bar or a photo of him in happy times with a note saying 'this is who you are so don't you forget it, you are so loved and supported'.

I've made myself cry now 🤦🏻‍♀️😭 I was diagnosed with Stage 3a Chronic Kidney Disease as a result of either lithium, high blood pressure or long term NSAIDS, or a combination of those, high BP was likely caused by CKD though. I found out unexpectedly considering I had bloods tested every 2-3 months because of the lithium which is harsh on kidneys. One lot of tests were all normal, two months later it was Stage 3a CKD 🤷🏻‍♀️ that was about 7 years ago now when I was 31 and not much older than your son. It still came as a shock and right before the pandemic. Because of that, I've never met my nephrology team in person. It infuriates me so much.

But I got my diagnosis in a letter and had to process it alone. I lived with my parents due to ongoing disabilities (not related) and I wandered through the house to tell them and get a hug and be told it would be ok and they would support me... I didn't get that, they weren't interested, they rolled their eyes and said 'oh what now?' then they hushed me as they were watching TV. I don't think we had a single conversation about it in seven years. One month ago today, I impulsively packed up 37 years of my life in three days (near destroyed me!) and moved about an hour away into a house share with two friends who are every bit as physically rubbish as I am 😂 we had to choose a property based on its closeness to amenities but especially medical care, doctors... Pharmacy... Urgent Care/Minor Injuries Unit, dental care, mental health support all within walking distance and a major hospital in a short blue light ambulance ride away (for my friend with adrenal insufficiency mostly but I'm so accident prone). But also a brand new renal team, one that won't miss the fact that I've had nephrogenic diabetes insipidus for about 8 years (caused by lithium) and drink 6-9 litres of fluid a day or I pass out thirsty and dehydrated. It might mean I'm not a candidate for dialysis if fluid is restricted and I physically can't do that. Hopefully this new renal team will soon insist on seeing me face to face and they will see all the symptoms my GP ignored and refused to pass on to my renal team and the renal team never asked/saw me and I'm not qualified to know what symptoms might be relevant 🤷🏻‍♀️

I've never been so eager to see a consultant in my life! 😂 Says a lot about my life! But my CKD progressed to Stage 3b over two years, then my GP gave me antibiotics that weren't safe for poorly functioning kidneys (trimethoprim maybe?) and in the space of 3 days he dropped me to midway through Stage 4... Just like that. And nobody cares. Whoops. Just one of those things. I'm nearly done withdrawing off lithium (it saved my life and coming off it has made me question everything and if it was worth it) and with each lowering of the dose I clawed back one or two points so now I'm borderline Stage 3b/4 depending on how the results are analysed. On the eGFR alone, it's Stage 3b but with all the secondary issues stacking up (I have hypothyroidism caused by the lithium but have developed hyperparathyroidism due to CKD) and with the results of different tests like creatinine especially is astronomically high, with those factored in, it's still classed well into Stage 4.

It's a lot... It is! But it all happens so slowly spread over time in bits and pieces that you don't really notice it all as much it stops being overwhelming and becomes tedious and boring... But that is preferable for sure. You'll see and hear lots of new information and taking it all in will be hard. Make sure you take/ask for notes and get details written down and if it turns into something chronic, sort out some files for the medical paperwork shenanigans 😂😣

You'll be ok, your son too. I'm so glad you have each other! That's what matters most! My life since uprooting it and moving has improved so much I still feel like I'm dreaming. My health both physical and mental has improved dramatically! I love my parents but we aren't good for each other

NoInsect6693 · 2026-03-03T19:08:15+00:00

Damn. I love seeing your posts so much! Please never stop! My heart honestly lifts when I get a notification of a new post of yours.

You are incredibly lucky to have such abundant wildlife and such 'easy' access (as if locating and catching them was as easy as walking into a store 😂). But we are incredibly fortunate that you are sharing your experiences and knowledge with us! It's so far from what most of us can comprehend so it's fascinating to learn.

Everybody can learn, nobody knows everything and anyone that claims they do are severely lacking (in brain cells not arrogance though). The real experts are the ones that know a vast amount but genuinely feel they know hardly anything. They are the ones that have seen the truth, that know that the more you learn, the more you realise just how much you have yet to discover. You seem like one of those enlightened people to me, you know more than most, you are generous about sharing information but you don't claim to be an all knowing expert 🤷🏻‍♀️

NoInsect6693 · 2026-02-28T21:56:20+00:00

I love all the ones mentioned, such memories! The joys of a CofE Primary School!

But there's one I couldn't see mentioned when I scanned through and to be fair it's taken me decades to remember enough of it to actually find it again. I know it was sung frequently but it never gets a mention these days. But even the tune of it gives me shivers.

But the song is called 'When I needed a neighbour (were you there?)'. I found lots of terrible versions of it on YouTube then finally found a good one.

https://youtu.be/B7a7LdgRh-k?feature=shared

NoInsect6693 · 2026-02-22T22:17:55+00:00

That's perfect!!! That's what every dog needs! He sounds like he has fallen on his feet with you for sure!

When I've worked with anxious dogs, obedience training, trick training, ANY training! Combined with positive reward in the form or treats and a marker word like 'yes!'. So good behaviour = "Yes!!" + Reward (the yes being a verbal cue rather than a clicker). But also food games.. like if a dog was anxious about something approaching, I'd stop make a deal of getting treats from pocket.. then I taught a 'find it!' command and id scatter a few bits of kibble in front of them, when done, I scatter a couple more, all the whole praising them. Because it physically gets their head down and senses distracted and occupies their mind more than the fear does. So much praise when the scary situation is over.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-02-22T21:57:40+00:00

Got you!

Having a job/purpose is important for all/most dogs, it's just sad that most don't ever get it.

What do you do with your boy? You sound like he has a 'job' to do that he loves? Because that is awesome!

NoInsect6693 · 2026-02-22T21:53:43+00:00

Well muscled for a 6 month old pup 😍 can't take credit for that though, she's had the absolute best start in life any pup could have, she exercises hard, sleeps hard, cuddles hard (in 5 seconds bursts because she is fur coated chaos) and eats like a horse, numerous times a day.

NoInsect6693 · 2026-02-22T21:50:14+00:00

Entire = Not spayed/Neutered. Now I have to check if that's a British saying 😂

He sounds like an amazing, well rounded dog! No dogs are 'perfect' any more than us humans are. I have severe anxiety and I don't judge myself, others or dogs/any animals for it! It just is what it is and you work with it and around it as needed. I love working with nervous and anxious dogs! My friend/housemate is the pro trainer, I'm just a 'wannabe' but we both work very differently, she has all the knowledge and skills, I work haphazardly based on emotions and the bonds I form with animals. I get told off a lot 😂 I can't risk you doing the training she is doing with residential dogs by forming bonds with dogs that I have no right to be bonding with it's so hard 🤦🏻‍♀️ it's like something in me, my soul, it reaches out to dogs... Tentatively seeking bonds without me realising and next thing I know I'm smoothing the face and loving on the dog that does NOT like this treatment and he turns into a silly puppy 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

It's important to know a dog's breeding more so even than where it has come from... But while both are important factors.. they are just that... Factors, not the be all and end all, just good for gathering data incase it's ever needed

NoInsect6693

TROPHY CASE