Loving my Oldies

Such a sad time, @esther5. Take your time, spend as much time with your boy, talk to him, sing to him. Despite making all the arrangements, it can still be a shock and a huge sense of loss and responsibility. Our thoughts are with you, your family and your darling boy.

Poor little cat . So sad. Thanks for the suggestion, @jemappelle . I’m doing that as well as putting her bowl against something stable so it can’t be pushed over. She still wobbles into it, but I will raise it even higher to see if that helps. Luckily, considering where the disease affects, she is not constipated and is very regular.

Just a little video of Tamar and Sooty out walking a couple of days ago. She looks quite good here, but is definitely getting worse in terms of her wandering and wobbling to the extent that I now crate her at night and she sleeps the night through. (Hope I haven’t jinxed myself .) I wonder if anyone can suggest something to hold her still and upright while she is eating. She tends to tip onto her front legs and she regularly steps into the bowl tipping it over, getting food all through her feet and spilling it all over the place. All I can think of is a mini mini crush type apparatus. She takes ages to eat having lost all her teeth over the years and although I try to hold her up, it puts her off eating. Here are my two girls: a case of the wobbling one guiding the blind one. 4C64BCDD-FADA-4900-A23F-97068E16A4E9 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

Yes, it is a deeply distressing and difficult decision to have to make. I agree with Snook - I feel it is time for your boy to be released from his pain and disabilities. You have come to a forum where probably each and every member has faced this same sad and gut wrenching situation at least once and many (me included) have faced it many times. IT IS NEVER EASY OR STRAIGHT FORWARD. You will probably beat yourself up endlessly, whatever you do. It comes with the territory of love. Many people say, “You will know when it is time.” Most of the time, I would dispute this maxim, but from what you have told us, I really feel with your boy, it is time. He can’t get up, he falls over, he is in pain. Just so you know, I am not speaking from a position of “you aren’t going through what we are going through”, I actually am in a similar situation, albeit easier than yours because my dog is tiny and she is not in pain. She still gets around okay, and, like your boy, is still eating heartily, but losing weight and condition around her hind quarters. She has degenerative myelopathy, she tumbles over, she gets caught in the furniture and gets what I call “the wanders” and goes around and around the place and if I didn't pick her up and cuddle her, she would do this for hours as her brain has been affected as well. It is so damned hard and I feel for you and your boy.

In case anyone is wondering about that cute little coat Sooty is wearing, it was made by our very own DOLer @yellowgirl. You can find all sorts of goodies for your loved ones at her online shop www.LeagueofLove.Org. 50% of the profits go to AWL SA. Another video here. Note her little about turn spin. Always makes me laugh. FE055F78-B5FC-4F77-8ED0-AF1A9C874BE3 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

Yes, it makes me laugh to see that tail going. Perhaps I can start my own wind farm.

After many many months of not taking the dogs out walking, I have finally got off my lazy a** and we have been having short and slow wanders up the street, increasing the distance gradually and having many stops for sniffies. Little Tamar is all over the place like a chook’s breakfast with her wobbly legs, but nothing stops her - she loves it. During today’s walk, Sooty seemed to be channelling spring lambs and I took a few videos which isn’t the easier thing to do while walking three little dogs, one blind and one whose back legs are almost useless. However, this one was taken in my front garden after our walk. IMG_1253 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

Ditto

@NikkiandKane, I have not commented previously on your topics because I didn’t have any knowledge regarding Kane’s medical issues. You have suffered a great loss and a dearly loved dog has lost his life far far too early. You have endured a time of physical, emotional and psychological upheaval. My deepest deepest condolences to you. Never ever chastise yourself or apologise to anyone for feeling as you do or for the tears you have shed and will shed. You are on a forum where just about everyone understands what you are going through and wishes you only the best and know that only time starts the healing. It is wonderful and so precious that Kane’s breeders have offered you another puppy when the time comes. While this is way in the future I am sure you will be having frissons of excitement at the prospect; when you have loved a dog as much as you loved Kane, the prospect of feeling that love again is very seductive and natural. Leave your heart open to that. Who knows? It might come sooner than another litter, life is never a straight line. In the meantime, please be assured that although we cannot take your pain and loss away, you and Kane are in our thoughts.

The difference between me and probably a large percentage of their clients is that I have had many many dogs over the years and there have been times that I’ve been there every few days for weeks. Add to that the number of dogs (rescue dogs and my own) who have been taken to SASH, my experience with vets has probably been greater than most pet dog and cat owners. Most people go to their vet a few times maximum a year. And, up until these last few months, the service has been dedicated and caring. (Except for a few glitches over the years when medications have been forgotten, mislaid, not ordered, mis-ordered, etc etc several times in a row - but one of the receptionists was playing silly buggers - god knows why.) I actually tried to speak to the vet yesterday, but he was just laughing and saying how everything was good, everyone was okay, they have two new vets, all good etc etc. I have loved and trusted this guy totally as my vet, but I wasn’t happy with his “nothing to see here” attitude. Anyway, he still gave his lovely, caring time and expertise to my little Mezza so I guess I can’t ask much more. I was lucky to get Mezza back He is a darling boy.

Is her name Dianna? Where did I get idea she’d gone to a Brisbane? Did she have Whippets?

@juice, now that you mention Stormy, I have some vague recollection of going out there with a rescue dog - it would be years ago. I used to keep a document detailing the people associated with rescue who I’d been in touch with and for what reason as well as their IRL and DOL names. I wonder if I can find it. I seem to recall that she moved to Brisbane ?? Maybe she returned ?

That’s the thing, @persephone . So worried to find someone experienced and knowledgeable to deal with the myriad different needs of my littlies.

That is some recommendation, @tdierikx Galston is not far as the crow flies, but the roads around here are getting worse and worse. Even before restrictions were lifted, I had to go out to Dural and it took me ages. The traffic was horrendous. I can get to my current vet in under 10 minutes. I have had some very promising recommendations from my queries on FB and will investigate a couple of places closer to me. Will certainly keep Galston in mind, though.

Thanks @jemappelle. I have posted on a couple of local community pages and have been inundated with recommendations LOL. My head is spinning. A couple of places are beginning to stand out, though. Among other plaudits for a particular vet, one poster said the vet was “pratical” which sounded good to me. I can certainly understand people selling up for a better lifestyle, but there has to be something wrong when there is such a huge turnover of all levels of staff. Four of the vets where I have been going would get unending gold stars from me, but two have gone and the two I have continued to see are not there enough. Sad and scary.

I have been going to the same veterinary clinic for over 13 years. Last year, without any advice to clients, the hospital was sold to Best For Pets. Vets who’d been there for years were suddenly gone and vets who’d always been there started to work fewer and fewer days. New vets appeared (and disappeared) and did not inspire confidence. A “practice manager” was appointed who had never heard of giving clients a smile and chewed gum. My little boy, Mezza, isn’t well and I rang on Thursday only to find that the vet who has worked his case for a long time isn’t available until late Monday - now working only Mondays and Tuesdays. This particular vet has always been so wonderful and so caring, ringing late at night with follow ups, etc etc, but if you need to book a week or more in advance that caring and wonderfulness aren’t much use when your pet gets sick suddenly. One of the vets who has been there as long as the one mentioned above was also one of my absolutely go to vets - caring, excellent and experienced, always helpful - has changed as well. She used to be unfailingly cheerful, instilling confidence. All these attributes seem to have disappeared and she now looks unhappy most of the time. Some one else mentioned to me how she seemed to have changed. I don’t know whether any of these changes have to do with the change of ownership, but it has to be assumed that that is the cause. So many changes in so little time. Anyway, as hard as it is (and scary) I need to start looking elsewhere I think, but where to start? There are a few veterinary clinics around me (I live near Hornsby), but vets are a bit like doctors: how their abilities or otherwise are viewed is very subjective. I have rung today and the only vets on are one to whom I would not take a pet rock and the other is one of the newcomers and I know little about him. Damn damn damn. I hate changes.

They are a great pair. What is that marker to the right of the trees about 3/4 way up the photograph?

Tamar is doing well. She eats like a horse, but is not putting on much needed weight. Back to high calorie Nutrigel. I took this photo this morning - note the absence of dining chairs . Only two remain, but Tamar continually likes to get underneath the rungs. Please don’t be worried for her: after I took the photograph, I kept watching her to see if she needed help. She certainly didn’t - she moved from under the rung, did a couple of circles and walked back under. Love this litle girl more than I can say. Coming up to 16 years (July 2004) when I swooped down and took her from Canterbury Pound. One of the most welcome changes is that when I go downstairs to collect her, she comes when I call her and she does not struggle at all when I cuddle her - something she always did even when she was a young dog - and snuggles into me as I give her a heap of kisses. fullsizeoutput_c4d by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

This is the thing, of course. Finding that person. However, with all the good reviews, I am starting my search.

Yep, talking about my dogs. Thanks for the link, @Dogsfevr

Does anyone have a recommendation for a practitioner in Sydney, please? Hills/Hornsby area but could travel. A discussion popped up on FB which made me wonder if my littlies could be helped. Experiences good, bad and indifferent welcome. TIA

WOW. How did you find this thread? It is from 2013. I hope both John and Carrie are well and happy. It would be good to know more about how you became involved and helped them. Great news.

My brother, long retired, ran his own veterinary hospital for over 30 years. My blood still runs cold when I recall some of his stories. Unpaid bills were the least of it and he was constantly being told “if you loved animals you’d do it for free.”

Oh, @Kirislin, what a shocking, devastating thing to have happened. Poor, dearest little Arkey, so young and so beautiful.

@Cat, Hamish was very special and I, for one, loved following his antics on FB. You must miss him dearly. As @sandgrubber says, emotions, like and dislikes etc of our dogs will mostly remain a mystery, but real grief can be interpreted; I have seen it personally in my dogs and others and it doesn’t seem from your description, Yuna has it, acknowledging of course that she has you at home during these restrictions. As for Yuna's wanderings, I wouldn’t read too much into it .... I think it is something some older/elderly dogs do. Are Shar Pei known for getting dementia? Maybe a little bit of this has started? I have to agree with @Dogsfevr. Wait until YOU want another dog and start a bit of a routine with Yuna for when you go back to work. Thinking of you and Yuna.