Doing the best for my old dog
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 3:08 am
I have a 16 year old collie /spaniel mutt who's deteriorated a lot in the last year. His eyesight and hearing is really poor at this point and he's lost all his muscle tone and gets really stiff so needing to get up and walk around often, then struggling to settle but going into deep sleeps pretty fast after. He's still very jumpy and playful around the time when his metabolisms going at food times so I just keep saying as long as he's happy, but need to have him get checked at the vets more often because dogs can hide pain really well even if they're still enjoying getting affection.
I've made comfy dog beds in corners of rooms all over the house I can encourage him onto, and take him out on 2 half hour walks a day but really short just strolls along the river going at his pace, stopping often. I'm giving him tablets in with his meal for his joints and have had to pull up the carpet to the slate floor below because can't hold his wee's very long anymore.
I've really narrowed down my social life and work opportunities looking after him because he's our family dog but ever since college I used to take him off to land co-ops and squats I was living at because it was a better life than being stuck in 10 hours a day waiting for my mum to come home from work, and no long walks or attention. So he really just follows me around the house at this point, and looks to me to know he's safe.
I've become a proper village busy body helping out all the neighbours with their allotments, minding chickens and taking the neighbours welsh sheepdog on big mountain biking expedition's to stay fit and also expecting the dogs death to really hurt so want to be able to direct that into cycle touring again, but life's kind of on hold at the moment which isn't great, and living in a village far away from the cities I used to nomad between where my mates are.
Just thought I'd share that, anyone dealt with similar experiences?
I've made comfy dog beds in corners of rooms all over the house I can encourage him onto, and take him out on 2 half hour walks a day but really short just strolls along the river going at his pace, stopping often. I'm giving him tablets in with his meal for his joints and have had to pull up the carpet to the slate floor below because can't hold his wee's very long anymore.
I've really narrowed down my social life and work opportunities looking after him because he's our family dog but ever since college I used to take him off to land co-ops and squats I was living at because it was a better life than being stuck in 10 hours a day waiting for my mum to come home from work, and no long walks or attention. So he really just follows me around the house at this point, and looks to me to know he's safe.
I've become a proper village busy body helping out all the neighbours with their allotments, minding chickens and taking the neighbours welsh sheepdog on big mountain biking expedition's to stay fit and also expecting the dogs death to really hurt so want to be able to direct that into cycle touring again, but life's kind of on hold at the moment which isn't great, and living in a village far away from the cities I used to nomad between where my mates are.
Just thought I'd share that, anyone dealt with similar experiences?