Helping your pet age gracefully and with love

Yes, it's a fact of life, we normally outlive our beloved animal companions. And it's very, very tough to watch them age and see the changes they go through.

The first thing I really want to impress on you is that for the most part, a healthy pet going through the aging process isn't suffering! Yes they may have aches and things don't work quite like they used to. Pets are much more adaptable and accepting of their aging process than we are. However, you should still make sure they see the vet at least annually to check for any unwanted possiblities such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, liver and kidney disease, and a few others.

 Some of the normal changes that they tend to go through are loss of weight, possible blindness due to cataracts, possible deafness and arthritis. And while it is tough to see them go through all this, they aren't suffering, Honest!

There are some good things we can do to help them through their days, we get the chance to give back to them for all the wonderful years of unconditional love and compassion they have shown and shared with us over the years. Patience is one of the top things.

As they lose their vision, "child" proof the home, and don't move furniture, be sure to have a space that is secure outdoors like your back yard for them to feel secure in, or walk them on the same route daily, always with the leash. Be aware that they will feel the need to be closer to you and will probably follow you around most of the time, you become their eyes and lifeline. Sometimes if you have other animals in the home, they might help to act in this role also. Know that they will startle easily, especially if they also lose their hearing. So they might nip when startled. Sometimes coming in range of their nose helps to alleviate the startlement.

Deafness, many dogs may lose their hearing. You just need to practice on visual cues and directions for them.

Loss of weight is scary. Most times it is the normal loss of muscle mass you see as they age, and it is still good to have them checked by the vet. As they age, several little meals during the day is much better for them than one or two big meals a day. This will help slow some of the muscle loss. And realize that they can't chew as well as they once did. This means softer treats, and feeding a good quality grain free canned food is best. And always, always make sure they have fresh clean water in the same place available to them.

Sometimes they will take up soiling in the home, especially if blind. This is usually due to the fear of being in a larger open area without guidance or a shoulder to be close to as it were. Going outside with your pet even on a leash is good, and will represent security for them. Eventually they will have their scent trails back down and feel more comfortable about going outside again. But this can take some time.

One thing to watch for, yes, they have aches much like we do when we get older and the warm sunshine feels like heaven to them. Watch that they don't get sunstroke, or heat stroke.

For those who can't get around too well, use more area rugs to alleviate slipping, ramps will help your smaller pets gain their favorite snoozing places. Slightly raised beds help, or those with heat mats under them. They will also need cushier sleeping arrangements. For cats, lower sided litter boxes will help ensure they use it.

And last but not least, don't ever be selfish if they are in pain and they tell you it's time to help them to the bridge. Helping them pass without pain and with dignity is the ulitmate act of compassion you can give your beloved companion animal.

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.