The V*t says that as long as Pooch continues to improve today, he can come home this evening. Apparently he is still not 100% but is eating again and well enough to come home. I'm excited and can't wait to see his face when he realises he's leaving with me this time LOL.

On a more sober note it's still a complete mystery what caused his illness. The V*t says that to be so severe it must be something he's eaten, however we are very careful about what he eats and always check the garden for rubbish etc before he goes out there. He has been quite ill and the last thing we want is to go through this again... but if we don't know the cause we can't prevent it so it's a worry.

Thanks a lot for all the comments, suggestions, messages and support. They are greatly appreciated and have made a big difference. With so many people holding Pooch in their thoughts, he really had no choice but to get well as quickly as possible! :-) We'll be replying individually in the next few days.

I'll try to post a photo of Pooch late tonight - be warned, he's had rather a severe haircut on his undercarriage because of the tests, and it looks a bit odd. In the meantime, here's another archive shot from Sunday's walky at the Fountains Abbey estate.

UPDATE: Pooch is home but still poorly and in need of careful nursing with several different types of medication and prescription food. He's very quiet and I think it'll be a while before he'll be well enough to go out on a long country walky again. Nonetheless it is wonderful to have him back on the sofa where he belongs! Here he is: http://www.pbase.com/poochdad/image/70978351