Tiani also got the job of walking the dog around on the lead outside the vet's so he could sniff everything and then wee on stuff. We had to bribe him with treats to stay on the scales for his weigh-in. Super social Buster couldn't wait to get into the examination room to meet his nurse and doctor, but he was even keener to get out of there 30 minutes later when he'd had quite enough.

Although he tried to hide under my arm while he was up on the table, Buster was found, and had to take his medicine, get his teeth checked and have the matted fur behind his ears buzz cut off. I was covered in his fur by the time we left.

Reporting on Buster's appetite and toileting habits, I was forced to explain that although I am an extremely responsible pet owner, Kym is a rule breaker, giving Buster tinned food which the vet referred to as junk food.

I would force Kym to take Buster to the appointment himself to admit these crimes, but the last time I tried, Kym ended up leaving our number one pet behind for minor surgery. And no, the skin scrapings revealed no new information, just confirmation that when a dog has an itch, he should scratch it, but not too much.

Kym is always trying to sneak Buster into the house while I walk him straight out a different door.

On completion of Buster's examination, the veterinarian soberly concluded that apart from a possible heart murmur, a small hernia, a little arthritis, some gingivitis and dry eyes, Buster was doing all right. I quietly turned to Tiani and said that apart from her orthodontic treatment, eye glasses, scoliosis of the spine, chiropractic appointments and myotherapist needs, she was almost in better shape than Buster.