Some new observations on pets adapting to blindness....

So, as most of you know by now, this is Lil'Shit, my geriatric male chihuahua. And no I didn't give him his name, but he is appropriately named. And now we've nicknamed him "Super Dave". Meaning he is always falling off of things and gets up and goes on, perhaps a tad bit more addled than previously.

He is fully deaf now, and for some time blind, with cataracts. Although he could see shapes and shadows. This function is decreasing over time also. And it takes very bright light for him to distinguish things. And if he gets into a shadow, he seems lost. He also has developed this need to be on the edge of everything all the time. We are always trying to watch him if he's on the couch with us or in my brother's bed like the picture above. He seems drawn to teetering on the edge all the time! You pull him back to you, and he is like a magnet and goes right back to the edge. Sometimes we catch him in time before he goes teetering off, sometimes we don't. Sometimes he'll be sound asleep and simply slip right off the furniture and be very puzzled when he has his abrupt awakening. The song that keeps coming into my mind as I watch him always on the edge is Aerosmith's "Livin' on the Edge". He is absolutely never far from the edge of anything. And like Super Dave, he gets up, shakes his head and keeps on going.

However! The other evening I noticed something as I was working in the kitchen, I had to bend over to get to a lower drawer and this is how this came into my line of sight. I stood straight up and had to watch this! Poppy, the cranky one, was snuffling around the kitchen floor as usual when I am working in the kitchen (she's looking for dropped items to snag), and Lil'Shit was there with his shoulder to her back leg, and his nose sort of tucked into her flank. As she would move, he would with her, keeping touch with her, and if she stopped, he did. My Goodness! Exactly as if she was his seeing eye dog, so to speak! This went on till she made the circuit around to me, when he felt or sensed me, he transferred over to my ankle.

Well I mentioned it to my husband and brother at supper, and something clicked with my brother. He said well that would make sense with what he saw the other evening when he had put the dogs out after their supper. When he went to let the dogs in after they had done their business, Lil'Shit was out meandering around off of the patio. The others rushed in, and Poppy who usually was always the first one to rush in, didn't, she turned around and ran out to retrieve Lil'Shit, by nosing him till he noticed her then she brought him in.

It seems this has also happened before with Biscuit, the Peke, when the others came in, he stayed out with Lil'Shit, monitoring him till the both came in together.

This morning when I went to let them all in, in the rush of furry bodies, he got bumped away from the open door and couldn't figure out why the wall wasn't opening. Thumbelina (his daughter) darted back out to him to bring him in.

I have to say, this for me was not expected behavior for this crew. But it makes sense. Animals really do watch out for one another and they do care for their elderly. And he is just taking it all in stride. And he knows very well how to sound the most pitiful to get spoiled. It worked on my brother and his wife, how do you think he ended up on their bed with the lovely fleece throw wrapped around him?

So I guess I should note that just because a beloved animal companion, be they dog, cat, horse or bird, are losing one or more of their faculties; this is not cause for putting them to sleep because you think they are suffering. They really aren't suffering, they adapt much, much quicker than we do, we, as empathetic souls, are the ones suffering watching them lose their senses. So if we watch and wait, you will see some very beautiful and remarkable changes happen. Especially if you have other animals around them. They aren't suffering, they are learning to adapt to the new situations, and we just need to be understanding and supportive and not add more change to their lives right now.

Learning to live with the elderly, dog that is. :)

Ah yes, learning to live with an elderly dog. They are much like us as we age, things don't work as good as they used to, or there is loss of one or more functions, and they become needier and require a wealth of patience.

Well.... some days the patience part wears a bit thin. And while I know it's not his fault and I know intellectually he isn't thinking or doing as he once did, I still find myself a bit impatient with him and I have to try to catch myself and not let it out.

My little man, Lil'Shit is about 15 now, he's a chihuahua and has had some rough knocks in his life. And no, I didn't give him his name, but he felt and still feels he needs to live up to his name. He is a very loveable little guy, but very very hard headed, litterally and figuratively. In other words he is stubborn and single minded.

As he gets older, he is pretty much completely deaf now, and cataracts have robbed him of almost all of his vision. Although even the loss of vision hasn't fazed him, he actually has adapted to the house pretty well. And I know better than to move furniture right now so he'll always know where things are. His balance isn't that great and he doesn't eat with the gusto he once did. As he has been losing his sight, I know he can still see shapes and shadows, but only if there is enough light. He likes to be close to us at all times, and seems lost and disoriented if he can't find one of us. We all have to be careful when walking or turning around in the house because he is always right there and ends up underfoot. I notice too that he doesn't like to go outside to do his business hardly anymore. I think the backyard has become foreign to him now, and if  it's dark he won't leave the area that is lit by the porch light. So getting him outside to do his business is hard and one has to be on the watch to catch him and put him outside, otherwise there are little bombs left on the floor.

His balance is getting worse and he seems to carry most of his weight on his forequarters. And the part about being stubborn and single minded falls in here. He still thinks he can hop from couch to couch or couch to chair, or balance  on the edge of the couch before he jumps down. Of course we have to pick him up. We are constantly either just in time or helpless across the room as he slides off or simply loses balance and falls off the arm of the sofa or was sleeping too close to the edge and slides off. And you hear this "thump" as he hits the floor. And he has an obsession with the stairs. I cannot find a solution yet to keep him off of them. He mostly wants up there to look for us, and it's warmer up there.  Although if he is cautious he can get down by himself. Most times we carry him down and then he wants to go right back up.

There are times he will wander around the house and come to say the cross piece for the table chair and he can't seem to figure out how to go over it anymore or around it. And you will find him just standing there staring looking very lost. I am sure that dogs do get a form of senility.

As I learn from my boy, I also have a friend who's Golden is going through the same thing. She feels so bad for her pup, and thinks she is suffering. I keep reminding here how remarkably adaptable dogs are to all this and that she isn't suffering. She will learn to make her way around and always be close to my friend, whom has already fallen over her. It takes time, but they do adapt and we have to have the patience for them while they age and have these changes through the last years of their lives.

I enjoy most times loving on him when I get home. And have to laugh when he wants up then seems to want down, walks around the coffee table and wants right back up then over on the other sofa. While I myself might find it frustrating to lose my sight and hearing and not be confident moving around, I really don't think they have that frustration. They really do adapt well.

So.... Patience is my word (again) of the week.

Older pets and OCD's

Sorry about the delay in postings, ok, so I was lazy, it is my annual time off from work and I got preoccupied rather than spend time in front of the computer all day. 

Yes, that's my little man, Lil'Shit, he's the better part of 14 to 15 yrs old now. And he's a chihuahua whose ears never stood up. He is deaf now and having vision issues and most definitely balance issues. And yes, he has a hard head and a couple of OCD's. We love him anyway. ;-)

And Yes, as pets get older they do get obsessive compulsive disorders. He always had a thing for liking fabric, but now is it almost constant. He gets so focused on that, that no matter what you do to distract him, it doesn't work. The only time he doesn't like is when he's asleep or adamant about being let upstairs with us. His other focus is that he doesn't like either of us out of his sight for long or rather out of his range. This places him underfoot or a tripping hazard more often than not. So we have learned for the most part to shuffle alot. He also has balance issues and doesn't get around as well as he should. And oh god, poor little guy has rolled down the stairs more often than I care to think about. I do my best to carry him up or down, but there are times he will walk right past us thinking we are upstairs and not seeing us. And he'll get up there before you can get to him or if you aren't watching, then lose his balance and come tumbling down again. He gets up, reorients himself and stubbornly runs back upstairs. I haven't been able to find a way to block them yet, most kid gates are too tall and our banister and molding along the runners (steps) is funky. And if I block the bottom step or two, it then creates a hard spot for the front door. So I am actively looking for a solution. However, the four of us do our best to watch out for him.

He also has a phobia about going outside by himself now. So, I am buying stock in wee wee pads. Thank god for tile floors! I think it has to do with becoming disoriented outside by himself. He'll go out with the others as he can follow them around and find his way back to the door. But not by himself.

I love him to pieces, as do we all, even though some of his little "quirks" are driving us to distractions at times. So we do our best to pamper him and watch out for him. He loves to be with us as much as possible, and he absolutely loves the bean bags! I think he thinks they are nesting devices just for him, well.... his daughter, Thumbelina loves them too. 

Living with pets with special needs

Animals are the most precious companions we can choose to share our lives with. They bring so much to us, and sometimes it is hard for us to conceive that sometimes they might have or develop special needs too.

 

Any pet  or animal companion may develop a special need at any time in their life, some of those needs aren’t always visible. It can be a physical or emotional need. It can be from injury, illness, fear, or old age.

 

Aging is probably the most common special need as they age things don’t work as well, for example a loss of sight or hearing, and perhaps bladder control issues.

 

Just because your companion might develop or already have a special need doesn’t mean that you have to “let them go” or euthanize them because it might be uncomfortable for you to watch or it seems overwhelming to deal with. You need to know that your animal companion can still have a very happy and fulfilled life with a little help from us. Just because they perhaps can’t jump anymore, or see/hear as well, or they require daily medication needs like insulin, or joints don't work as well and they have a harder time getting up and around, they do adapt well and just require some assistance from us.

 

For example your pet may develop diabetes and require insulin injections daily. This is not insurmountable, taking the time to learn to manage it at home is well worth the investment and the pet does very well and can still give you many more years of companionship.

 

Should your companion develop physical limitations from injury, etc., there are some simple things we can do to help make things more comfortable or easier for them:

•             Situate their food and water close to their resting area or be consistent with it’s location.


•             Make steps or ramps for them to get onto the furniture more safely, if you allow them on the furniture.
  


•             Put down carpets on slippery floors.


•             For a cat, add more litter boxes, especially in a house that has more than one level so they can reach a box when needed.


•             For a dog, use people bed pads for "accidents".
  


•             If it is visual impairment, try not to move furniture or their habitual feeding and watering areas. Try to make as few changes as possible in their environment.

Remember they have feelings too. So be encouraging, loving, and patient. Help them live their lives to the fullest, pay back some of what they shared with you, joy, compassion, and love most of all.

Pet sitters and Older pets....

I have decided that perhaps my crew might test the patience of a saint some days. As they have aged they have each developed their little quirks and OCD's. Which when going on vacation can make getting a pet sitter to care for them at home a challenge. Usually my brother or sister in-law cares for them, but this trip we will all be out of town on a family vacation.

I have found that sitting services are fine if they aren't booked, so that leaves you begging from friends and co-workers. I can't really consider boarding them because of their age, and one dog is scared to death of strangers, one is a very cranky old lady, and then there's Lil'Shit. He's going blind, deaf and fully lives up to his name. You cannot count one meal to the next what he might eat or refuse. One time he might want his canned, then he might want dry, or a small mix of both. Or if you are very stressed at the end of the day he'll choose to believe that he should have what is in one of the girl's bowls instead of his own. He is also an escape artist and would escape to go looking for me. He is the dog that has chewed through metal mini blinds to be on the window sill so he can watch for mamma to come home. So putting together a list of who gets what for food and when and where can be challenging.

And then there is the cats..... Mushy being 18+ is now a yodeler, he is very adamant about his feeding routine. I must be up by 5:30am and have them fed by at least 6am. Now granted, he is getting better about maybe letting me sleep till 6am on the weekends, but only after I have told him to hush at least twice. And then once downstairs to start the morning routine, he and his brothers are just about constantly underfoot and trying to trip me up. But get the spoon and start heading back to their feeding area and you will be stampeded. Mushy has also developed the taste for fresh water only, and all the better if there are a few ice cubes in his water bowl. If it isn't fresh, and spotless, he'll sit there and tell you off. If we are gone though, Mushy becomes very insecure, and cries alot or develops undesirable neurotic actions while we're gone. So he gets shut out of alot of his normal areas. Then there is Yummy, ah yes, the imp to torment unsuspecting people. He will try every opportunity he possibly can to escape the house with unsuspecting people caring for them. The only thing that trips him up is his love for grazing on grass, so he'll always stop short to munch grass and is usually easily caught. Problem is carrying him back in, he weighs alot! The best of the lot is Djinn, he'll just hide mostly be polite at food times, but does not travel or do kennels well.

Once upon a time not long after we were first married, my mother in-law was staying with us. She is not used to cats, and tended to forget about them in the house as they usually stayed out of sight. We came home to her in tears and sobbing that she had lost one of my cats. She just wasn't thinking and opened the back door for the dogs to go in and out as they pleased. Yummy took advantage of her and split the scene for awhile. She was just sure he was helpless and gone for good. Fortunately Yummy is very cunning and a survivor. It took us an hour to calm her down. Thank heavens the others were too scared of the outdoors to venture near the door. After he had his lovely romp and did the tom cat strut for the neighborhood ladies, he came home around 3 am. Being the mother type I am I heard him mewling (he sounds like a little girl) at the back door wanting in for his supper, and I got up and let him in.

Oh yeah, sorry, I think I veered from my topic there. Anyhow, good reliable pet sitters are hard to find, especially those that will care for animals with special needs or other strange little quirks.

Quirks of our elderly pets

Life with an elderly pet is never boring. There are many pros and cons with them, fortunately the pros are the ones that make the memories worthwhile. Currently I have 2 twilighters, my little male chihuahua, Lil'Shit is now 14 and Mushy the cat, is 18 coming on 19 now. To some that may not seem very old, but for them, they've had a full life. And Lil'Shit has had some very rough patches in his life for such a small dog. Either way, anyone who loves and has shared their lives with an animal, know when they reach their last year or two of life. They go through distinct changes and not all of them are easy for us to deal with.

Lil'Shit I believe is going deaf, and is going blind. I know he can hear only sharp whistles and noises, and probably only see shadows or shapes, which would account for his dogging our steps everywhere, and standing close to our feet. It makes moving around in the house and especially the kitchen hazardous for us and him. We keep tripping over him. And heaven forbid we go into a part of the house where he can't see or sense us, he'll whine and cry till we come back to him. And he cannot bear to be outside for long, he'll go right out and do his business then want right back in. His food preferences change about every other day. One day, he'll love his food, then maybe for supper he decides he'll want one of the girls' supper instead of his. These are trivial things, what is most wonderful and warms the heart is to see him so ecstatically happy when one of us comes home, and the adoration in his looks he gives us, brings us back to how much we do love him. And how much he relies on us.

Mushy..... Oh Mushy.... Silly old man. He plays and runs and chases dust motes like a kitten. But unlike a dog, cats when they head into their last year(s) get very very vocal. And they will talk or sing at any time day or night. I am constantly amazed and the variety of different tones and sounds from him. And as the months go on, he gets more and more vocal and louder. He is also prefers to always be around me, and has become very possessive. Mushy is my boy, I have had him since he was a small lump of flea bitten fur at 4 weeks of age (someone dumped him). I raised him on goat's milk and honey, and we've been very bonded since. He is usually very impatient with my morning routine, and will sit and talk to me while I am in the shower, and will talk to me the entire time I am getting ready. Then he will walk downstairs with me for his breakfast. He is in excellent health, and as is the case with our senior pets, is thin and is always hungry it seems. He absolutely loves drinking water from my glass as long as it has ice in it.  He has become very loving cuddling and loves to purr when laying on me. He is always either in my lap, on my chest, or cuddled next to me in bed, I never have to reach far to find him, and making contact brings on the purrs, which really are calming and healing.

I try spoil them as I can. I do my best to provide them the best natural diet I can, which shows I am doing it right by their coats, and the fact that they are so healthy and haven't needed a vet in years. I give them both Ttouch daily and they repay it with love. Although like any senior, they have parts that don't work as reliably as they once did, like balance, jumping up to the sofa, wash themselves, or back leg coordination.

So I make sure to cherish them every moment, and when it's their time to pass to the bridge they will be sorely missed, for they did bring alot of light, love and joy into our lives. And I just couldn't have imagined a life without either of them.