When kindness can be a fat lot of good

OUR nursing staff at the surgery in Greenock have a special secret friend.

He hangs about impatiently at the front gate waiting for their arrival first thing in the morning.

This has improved their punctuality considerably. As they step out their vehicle, he sits on the padlock, almost pointing out where the key should go.

He then flits to the far wall, as he knows he will be able to have a quick fly round inside the garage before finally they feed him.

If one should venture down the hill to the shops, he will follow them, but only as far as the traffic lights. He will do the same if they are walking dogs.

Usually, when they are unpacking the drug order, he will perch on a box and oversee their chore.

On occasion, when we have attended to an animal in the owner’s car, he pops on to the parcel shelf and adds his support.

Once, he gave great comfort to a lady whose dog had died, just by the trusting nature of his very close presence.

And, simply because he is a Robin Redbreast, he makes everyone smile.

He has been living here for the last few years and would be sorely missed. But when a well-meaning client said she might buy him a fat ball for his Christmas, the assembled nurses looked at her as if she had suggested using him as target practice. “Fat ball?” they shivered.

The client was at a loss over what she had done wrong. Then they explained – fat balls and dogs just do not go together. While some birds might like to peck away at them, all too often they end up on the ground, where they are easy pickings for our canine friends. And this can be disastrous.

Every year, generally around about this time of year, when the weather gets suddenly colder and people become mindful of our wildlife, we see dogs that have consumed fat balls.

The sudden huge intake of lipid causes the pancreas to become inflamed with painful and potentially lifethreatening results.

Affected dogs will vomit and have diarrhoea. They often assume a “praying” position due to severe abdominal discomfort.

The pancreatitis can be difficult to treat and can grumble on for days.

Patients are dull, nauseous and distressed. Intravenous fluids, anti-emetics and pain relief are essential.

In nature, being overly kind to one species can sometimes have adverse effects on another.