There is a God..the Zymox arrives after 2 months in Italian customs.

Wilf is a happy go lucky soul . He enjoys life to the full. Unfortunately like many dogs of an unusual breed type he suffers from allergies.

We have agonized over his stomach ailments - the tests show an allergy to gluten which means keeping him on a strict low protein diet and no products containing wheat or milk . However, after a bout of pancreatitis he has now developed an allergy that manifests itself in manic scratching of the ear until it bleeds and a constant licking of the paw. The vet thinks it may be stress related ( although a more relaxed, carefree dog she has never seen ) while we think it must in some way be related to his diet or the environment. In order to control their weight we are very strict about allowing them into the dining room - over Christmas we found that well meaning guests were surreptitiously slipping them treats such as turkey or chipolata sausages whenever they would do one of their well rehearsed sad dog routines.

This well meaning largesse with rich food has ( I think ) caused a resumption of the ear scratching that we thought had been cured last year. The only thing that we have found works at soothing it is a US product called Zymox. We had ordered six bottles of the ear cleaner in November and with no sign of it in sight we were afraid that the consignment had disappeared into the black hole known as Italian customs. Hallelujah, this afternoon our marvellous post lady drove all the way down the road with a large cardboard box containing the Zymox and a bill for a hefty import charge from the customs folks. The Zymox has now been applied and we are hopeful that the irritation will soon disappear. In the meantime he is feeling sorry for himself and angling for a treat.