Seems that this week is a week for allergies. Last night, I went to dinner at my boss's house and I broke all my diet no-no's (I'm on water and apples today, for that).

It seems that, to punish me for the sin of scoffing bread, rice, potatoes, smoked foods, butter (too much of), lentils, pasta, cheddar cheese, peanuts, and carrots (I think the only thing at dinner that I could have legitimately eaten was lettuce, and even that I have to have in moderation because it aggravates irritable bowel syndrome), my tongue decided it was allergic to something and swelled to a disagreeable size. I say disagreeable because it was difficult to talk without slurring, but mostly because my tongue kept getting in the way of my molars. My molars are particularly sharp, I've discovered.

In other news, both my dogs (that's Gadget, the untrained dalmation who apparently needs to go on diet, according to the vet [he says she's become a barrel dog], and Honey, the sort-of-trained labrador) are allergic to grass (no, that's not the news, we've known that one for a while) and have had to have shots and be put on to the most expensive dog food known to man, Eukanuba Dermatitis (or something like that), because the vet thinks it may be a food allergy. I ask you, R350 for a 10kg bag that lasts less than a month between the two dogs? My mom is practically having kittens - she doesn't believe dogs are like children, with ongoing costs. The cheaper the dog food the better, according to her. I couldn't disagree more, but then I'm not paying. So, in an effort to save my dogs from my mother's miserly tendencies, I have been phoning around various vets, looking for other food allergy alternatives. The cheapest I can come up with is Vet's Choice, for R125 per 8 kg bag. Still more than twice what the supermarket charges for Epol, but its way better than R350.

Lastly, the people we are staying with this week have a staffie. It broke out in hives the other night. Have you ever seen a dog with hives? It was the strangest thing I've ever seen - bumps all over this poor thing. You could see the bumps right through the fur (can you imagine how big they must have been to be seen through the fur and all?). I would have loved to have taken a picture of it, but since the owners were a bit distraught at their dog's alarming condition and obvious discomfort, I thought it would probably be a little tactless to whip out my phone and start snapping away.

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