Old Dogs

[noludoru]

So, I know a lot of us on here have seniors right now. Middie's 10-ish, and while senior means a different age in different breeds and different dogs, I feel like half of chaz has a senior dog right now and is dealing with senior problems.

I want to vent about mine and hear about yours.

Middie is losing his eyesight right now - his night vision is almost gone. I got really frustrated with him for not picking up a treat he missed on a walk, and the BF pointed out that he probably couldn't see it, even though it was a dark brown treat against a white sidewalk under a full moon. His daytime vision has worsened drastically, and he can't tell a treat against a wood floor any longer. He's also losing his hearing. The vet said it was okay on our last visit, but he's deteriorated in the months since. He's sleeping in his bed in the same room as the door and can't hear a quiet knock. He doesn't notice when we have people over, and comes downstairs totally shocked. He'll sleep through a rowdy get-together if he's upstairs. He doesn't even freak out over the doorbell sound on The Simpsons anymore if I have the volume on low. That used to be his nemesis.

He's starting to get a little wobbly in the rear this week, and he refuses to sleep anywhere without a cushion, which makes me think he's getting achy. I had him tethered to the door this week, and he started growling at my roommate. Not in an aggressive way, just in his "I AM TRYING TO COMMUNICATE" way - I figured out that he was uncomfortable and asking for his bed. I pulled it over and he was quiet the rest of the evening.

On walks he's completely content to walk, and doesn't get excited about running anymore.

It's so weird that he's not a puppy anymore. People have completely stopped asking how big he's going to be when he grows up.

 

[xpaeanx]

I know how you feel. Keeda became very senior this past year. It's very hard for me to watch because I know the dog that she used to be and how vastly different she is now is just heartbreaking. I think she's getting close to that time, but she can still get up and move so idk. She does seem depressed though.

 

[Assamiea]

Rocky has aged a lot in the past year or so. He turned 15 in June and it's really noticeable that he's slowed down a lot.

His hearing is pretty much gone to anything but the hugest pitched sounds. He'll bark when Baxter barks but really has no clue what he's barking at so it takes him a while to stop unless someone stops him.

His traction has deteriorated a lot too. Some days he's ok, other days he'll stand on the tiles and he'll slowly sink to the ground because he can't get a good grip on the tiles.

His vision is also going and sometimes he'll stand there staring into a wall. I think he might be going a little senile too.

The saddest thing I've noticed was when he got his head stuck in a milkbone box (bought for the rats). I came in to find him in the corner with the box on his head and him barking in distress. This dog used to be able to get out of anything, normally a box on his head would be no big deal.

On top of that he also has a liver issue and an enlarged heart, but he just keeps on going. Getting old sucks.

 

[crazedACD]

Romeo is 8, Zoie is 9, Skye is 10ish. I'm not ready to talk about this yet .

Skye is very mobile and happy. No age deterioration. Some increasing allergies though, and she had a few lumps checked that were just lipomas.

Zoie has luxating patellas but I took her coursing a few times this summer and she had a ton of fun. Getting a bit grey in the face, has a lump, but no serious problems. She doesn't always want to get up and go out.

Romeo is...blindish. He can't see in the dark or dim light. I brought him in my store the other day and he walked into a door frame, so it's not good in the daytime either. It does seem to me he is much quieter than he ever has been but he had a major surgery and splenectomy in May. He has spondylosis and disc problems, I've noticed that his back end has a little muscle wastage. Last night I was sure he was sick again (bad night) but he seemed to recover on his own and seems okay today. It's tough.

 

[Snark]

Mick and Murph are around 12, Murph limps more after his broken leg when the weather changes and you can tell he's not as limber as he used to be. Mick is still doing well, no problems so far (knock on wood). My greatest fear is because they're so bonded, I don't think one will survive without the other.

 

[pinkspore]

I lost my ancient GSD in March, but she was a joy for the few months we had her. Josie had massive spinal degeneration and a lot of trouble getting a grip on the hardwood. She did a lot better with extra-short toenails and all her toe-fuzz trimmed as short as possible.

 

[Julee]

Shadow is one of those dogs who has always been an old, feeble soul. She turned 12 in August, and honestly, I can't see much difference from when she was 6. We are awaiting our Peanut so we may continue to keep her as fit as possible through the winter. The only real difference I notice is she's slightly less tolerant of young dogs hopping on her (though she does enjoy wrestling!), and she doesn't catch treats as well.

I'm thankful for it. Shadow isn't my favorite dog, but she was the dog that introduced me to training and dog sports. I've had her since I was 7. We worked through a lot of fear issues together, and she finally passed her CGC last month. Depending on how she feels this spring, we might try to get her RN, but beyond that... I'm just going to enjoy my old dog.

 

[krissy]

Summit is 9.5. I've started to notice him getting old in the past few months. Nothing scary, but noticeable. For starters he has become a bit protective of his space. He never used to have any space issues unless he was pretty much trampled upon, but recently he'll grumble at Kili if he perceives she might be in any way getting close enough to risk trampling him. He's still good with us humans, it's just Kili who gets the growls.

For another thing he doesn't keep up as well on long hikes. It's not that he can't, but I find myself walking less briskly when he's with us.

And most noticeably... he can't outrun Kili anymore. She used to have to lose him by taking hard corners and doubling back. He'd catch her on the straight aways and she'd take a hard turn to lose him. But I noticed this summer that he can't outrun her on the straight anymore either.

It's definitely sad to realize that he's starting to show his age. But I'm thankful it's not worse. His vision and hearing seem pretty good still. His activity level is still good. He is still playful. He still beats Kili up. He's still interested in training. His muscle tone is good.

 

[*blackrose]

Cynder is 8.5, although everyone who sees her thinks she's half her age. In some respects, she's doing well. Her energy level is as high as ever and not much has noticeably changed. She may be a bit more grey and a bit more arthritic in her lower back now than she was a few years ago, but that's about it.

The biggest toll for her is her megaesophagus, which is currently being managed quite well. She's actually at the heaviest weight now than she ever has been since I've known her (30.4lbs!). She's not on any meds, and she currently only has to eat elevated to keep her food down.

She just had bloodwork done and everything looked good aside from her urine, which we will be rechecking next week. The lab said her ph was low and thay she had sodium oxilate cyrstals, to which I am really hoping was a fluke.

She's still going to live forever. Because Michael won't know what to do with himself when she's gone.

 

[Brattina88]

Maddie's 12. She's blind in one eye from injury when she was 7, and Now she's totally deaf. In June she tore her ACL and several weeks ago she had a stroke

She's not herself a lot of the time. But then other times, she's good. I just love her so much

I have an appt on the 25th. I don't even know ...

Ugh

 

[Laurelin]

Summer is 10 and a few months. Overall I'd say she's doing good but is definitely starting to age. Really the last 6 months have been the first signs I've seen.

She's white faced and also getting white hairs in her ear fringe.

She can still run a full agility weekend but I don't think I'll be asking that of her anymore. We're just going to do a day or so per trial and give her some rest.

She seems to have some moments of either hearing loss or confusion. I'm not sure which. A few times she has seemed to have issues pinpointing where noises are coming from. Like tonight at agility I called her from the sideline and she ran over to the tunnel when I was the opposite direction. It took a few seconds for her to find me and where I was calling from. A couple times on off leash walks she's ended up lost like that too. I call and she runs the opposite way looking for me.

She can still take long walks but endurance in the heat is bad now. The heat really slows her down these days. In the winter though she can go and go. But she's a bit slower.

She's also having some mild seizures and some peeing on herself. She seems to stress more easily than she used to about things. Blood work came back normal this last time so that's good.

Most people that meet her think she's 3-4 though. She's still overall very spry and active.

 

[Dogdragoness]

The old man here is 15 and has to now take a prescribed supplement for his joints or he can't walk. His eyes and hearing are going (poor dude ran into a tree the other day ) and he sleeps more. His mother passed away from cancer a few years ago, so I am so worried he will come up with it too. I just know that I will go to his crate to get him one day and he will have passed away in his sleep

So much sad, this little dog won a lot of shows for me back in the day. Why do they have to get old? Boo

 

[Applebear]

I can def relate. My yorkie/pom, Knarly, is just about 16. He was diagnosed with a murmur a few years back and has had problems with his teeth ever since. He doesn't hear like he use to, his sight not as sharp. His teeth are so sensitive, I feel bad every time I see him jolt backwards when a good gust of wind hits his face or a blade of grass pokes him the wrong way as he's looking for that potty spot.

He can't jump up on the couch anymore. He can't sleep curled up in bed with me either, because now he some times has accidents or the occasional fall. He's a little grumpier, and he can't play fetch nearly as long...one-three tosses and he's coughing from his heart. It crushes you because you can tell, he wants to so bad.

But he still gives kisses, cuddles, keeps the others in line, and he dances. Every day, he dances...for food, coming inside from potty or just something that makes him really happy...could be anything. Long as he shows that happiness, I hold on and I will continue to until his final dance and tells me it's time to let him go.

 

[Dogdragoness]

I can def relate. My yorkie/pom, Knarly, is just about 16. He was diagnosed with a murmur a few years back and has had problems with his teeth ever since. He doesn't hear like he use to, his sight not as sharp. His teeth are so sensitive, I feel bad every time I see him jolt backwards when a good gust of wind hits his face or a blade of grass pokes him the wrong way as he's looking for that potty spot.

He can't jump up on the couch anymore. He can't sleep curled up in bed with me either, because now he some times has accidents or the occasional fall. He's a little grumpier, and he can't play fetch nearly as long...one-three tosses and he's coughing from his heart. It crushes you because you can tell, he wants to so bad.

But he still gives kisses, cuddles, keeps the others in line, and he dances. Every day, he dances...for food, coming inside from potty or just something that makes him really happy...could be anything. Long as he shows that happiness, I hold on and I will continue to until his final dance and tells me it's time to let him go.

That's kind of where we are, now I can only play fetch in the evening when the sun is behind us because Bear can't see when he turns into the sun and runs into everything he also has a heart murmur and I don't know how long he will be able to play ball at all, he is on a joint medicine ... but when that stops working, the only other option is one that requires BW to check if he can handle it and I know he cant. So when this medicine stops working it will probably be the end of the line for him.

 

[Paviche]

I'm loathe to post on this thread because I don't consider Rowan a senior at 8, or really even believe that 8 is old (at least for a Brittany)... but I have noticed a few things.

He got his first lump about three years ago. He now has six of them, plus two (maybe three) sebaceous cysts, and one gross skin tag.

He has a lot of gray. It started appearing around the time I got Riff. It's all around his eyes.

He's gotten more freckles on his nose as he gets older.

I feel like he's slowed down a little bit. He's still got a ton of kick - he was ON all weekend at lure coursing - but we can go longer without doing anything without him getting antsy.

He's lost a LOT of tolerance for other dogs. It used to be that he didn't like other dogs but would tolerate quite a bit. He's much quicker to get grumpy and snap now. He's more inclined to immediately growl and snap at a dog instead of waiting until the dog actually offended him like he used to.

 

[CharlieDog]

Ozzy will be 8 this year, and while he's still super active sometimes, I've noticed he's much more content to lay around. He can't play chuckit as long, and he can't beat Indy to the ball anymore. He hears fine, he's just a stubborn ass now. He can certainly hear me opening a can of tuna from the back bedroom, but can't hear SIT when I'm standing in front of him.

He gains weight way easier, so we have to really monitor his intake of treats and food, which we didn't used to have to do.

And he's WAY WAY more prone to heat exhaustion these days, even on a cooler day when we play chuckit. We've had to chuck him in the tub with cool water more than a few times this summer because he still has that "never say die" attitude.

He is WAY less willing to get into altercations. Indy got attacked by the neighbors dog about eightish months ago? Three year ago he would have been attacking that dog like a chicken on a june bug. This time, he just stood there and barked his "SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS HAPPENING" bark.

He's gotten much more affectionate, and wanting to be in your lap kind of dog now, whereas before he was more about, "I'll lay here and maybe lean against you, but no cuddles"

 

[Dogdragoness]

Ozzy will be 8 this year, and while he's still super active sometimes, I've noticed he's much more content to lay around. He can't play chuckit as long, and he can't beat Indy to the ball anymore. He hears fine, he's just a stubborn ass now. He can certainly hear me opening a can of tuna from the back bedroom, but can't hear SIT when I'm standing in front of him.

He gains weight way easier, so we have to really monitor his intake of treats and food, which we didn't used to have to do.

And he's WAY WAY more prone to heat exhaustion these days, even on a cooler day when we play chuckit. We've had to chuck him in the tub with cool water more than a few times this summer because he still has that "never say die" attitude.

He is WAY less willing to get into altercations. Indy got attacked by the neighbors dog about eightish months ago? Three year ago he would have been attacking that dog like a chicken on a june bug. This time, he just stood there and barked his "SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS HAPPENING" bark.

He's gotten much more affectionate, and wanting to be in your lap kind of dog now, whereas before he was more about, "I'll lay here and maybe lean against you, but no cuddles"

HA I think bear has the same old man syndrome, he can't hear me telling him no or calling him, but he can hear the toy drawer open from OUT SIDE THOUGHT the door. Nice try, dog, I know some of it is hearing loss (I think he is starting to loose hearing range, not volume lol).

Heck Josefina is five (I know ... right???) And I notice that she has slowed down a lot, she used to be super active, always moving and now she sleeps more and is not willing to play as long as she used to.

 

[Applebear]

That's kind of where we are, now I can only play fetch in the evening when the sun is behind us because Bear can't see when he turns into the sun and runs into everything he also has a heart murmur and I don't know how long he will be able to play ball at all, he is on a joint medicine ... but when that stops working, the only other option is one that requires BW to check if he can handle it and I know he cant. So when this medicine stops working it will probably be the end of the line for him.

It's the same here...whenever Knarly gets an infection from his teeth, he is put on antibiotics and pain pills. He usually snaps back in a few days and it's hard to believe he just looked like death. I know some day, those pills aren't going to work and that will be my cue to let go.

It's just so hard, you don't want to but know you have to for them.

 

[elegy]

Luce is 12 now. She's hard of hearing and she's creaky in her (repaired) knees, she takes two different heard medications twice a day, but mostly I see it in her mind going. She's always been a bully, but now she's completely losing her boundaries and picking fights and just generally being a jerk. And she barks omg she just barks barks barks and I have no idea what she wants and suspect she has no idea either.

 

[pinkspore]

Brisbane is nine and his eyes are just starting to get a tiny bit cloudy. He also developed some hip arthritis over the last year, and between that and the Prozac it feels like he slowed down a whole lot very suddenly. The pain meds for his hips have helped a lot though, and his senior blood panel was great. He also just spent an entire weekend going crazy for lure coursing so I know he's still got plenty of energy.

He also spends a lot of time sulking right now because he doesn't like living with Uly and is also a huge drama queen.