donheff
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Anyone else struggling with old dogs who need a lot of attention? We are going through some trials and tribulations with Darcy, who is a 13 1/2 YO Golden Retriever and to a lesser degree with Violet, Darcy's 11 1/2 YO cousin. Travel is a bitch because they have never been boarded and are not about to adapt to it at this age. When they were younger it wasn't a problem because our daughter was always eager to house sit while we were gone. But these days we are reluctant to leave them at the house with someone who works long hours during the day. We have made a couple of trips with our daughter staying at the house and a dog visitor coming mid day and letting them out in the yard. But our daughter has moved a few miles further away and has her own life which makes house sitting more difficult. We are looking at professional pet/house sitters, coupled with mid day visitors. But as the dogs enter their final days it becomes difficult to risk leaving them with a sitter. Too much likelihood of medical emergencies.
We just had the second episode of idiopathic vestibular disease with Darcy. This is colloquially known as old dog vertigo and something worth knowing about if you have an old dog. They wake up one morning with their head tilting and are unable to stand. During Darcy's first episode about 8 months ago, I was sure she had a stroke or brain tumor but no, it just resolves itself in a few days and then they gradually get back to normal over a couple of weeks. Darcy started her second episode yesterday morning. I took her to the 24/7 veterinary hospital to be sure - same diagnosis, same meds. This morning I carried her to the yard and stood her up long enough that she squeezed out a poop and a pee which is what I worry the most about in the early days before she can walk and squat effectively. (That's the TMI I warned about)
At any rate, it is getting to the point where travel may be a no go. When these two bite the dust DW and I figure on going dog free for a few years to enable unfettered trips. But eventually we will get another dog. We just love them too much to go without. Maybe a smaller one - it's not easy to get 70 pound Darcy up from the ground in my own declining years. It isn't the 70 pounds - it is the need hold her carefully while standing from a squat. Too bad they don't come with handles. Speaking of which, I have an overnight Amazon order coming today with a harness with a handle to help her walk while she recovers. Unfortunately, I can't just pick her up with that to carry her up the stairs. Still have to squat down and get my arms underneath her.
We just had the second episode of idiopathic vestibular disease with Darcy. This is colloquially known as old dog vertigo and something worth knowing about if you have an old dog. They wake up one morning with their head tilting and are unable to stand. During Darcy's first episode about 8 months ago, I was sure she had a stroke or brain tumor but no, it just resolves itself in a few days and then they gradually get back to normal over a couple of weeks. Darcy started her second episode yesterday morning. I took her to the 24/7 veterinary hospital to be sure - same diagnosis, same meds. This morning I carried her to the yard and stood her up long enough that she squeezed out a poop and a pee which is what I worry the most about in the early days before she can walk and squat effectively. (That's the TMI I warned about)
At any rate, it is getting to the point where travel may be a no go. When these two bite the dust DW and I figure on going dog free for a few years to enable unfettered trips. But eventually we will get another dog. We just love them too much to go without. Maybe a smaller one - it's not easy to get 70 pound Darcy up from the ground in my own declining years. It isn't the 70 pounds - it is the need hold her carefully while standing from a squat. Too bad they don't come with handles. Speaking of which, I have an overnight Amazon order coming today with a harness with a handle to help her walk while she recovers. Unfortunately, I can't just pick her up with that to carry her up the stairs. Still have to squat down and get my arms underneath her.