Where is Raed ? No more comment on Americans and Iraq. Salam says it all much better and he's on the spot.

For me, life has been turned upside down recently by a medical problem for my daughter's dog. Koheila, a rescued Dalmation, is one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever known. She is movement personified, a delicate spotted streak through the fields, and joyful chases of the egrets at the farm.

On Thursday morning, we found her paralysed in the study, the victim of a spinal embolism or a slipped disc. I took her to one vet, who gave her something for shock and some IV fluids, then arranged for her to have a spinal x-ray taken at my family doctor's clinic. We have no vet clinics or labs here and you have to rely on the kindness of human doctors. Over the years, our family doctor has done blood analyses for horses, dogs and cats as well as cultlures for parrots, and who knows how many x-rays. One of the good ones.

Koheila lies on a big cushion in my study and has to be coaxed to eat and drink. She has to be carried out to the garden very carefully to go pee and so on. We hope that the medications she is on will help to allow her to regain her movement. It's so difficult to see someone who should be flashing by lying immobile on a bed. My housekeeper and her son have moved in with me to help out and Nagat sleeps next to Spots on a bed that we put away in the morning. All day we are tempting her with anything that will keep her eating and drinking, because otherwise we have to feed her by syringe in the mouth and give her fluids under the skin. This is an easy procedure, but a bit painful as she gets stuck each time.. Hope she drinks today.