Loving my Oldies

What a traumatic experience for you both, @Mark powell. I hope your dearest one is on the mend soon and that you, too, can start to feel better. @Scratch has set out what I would consider the most detailed and carefully considered excellent plan of action. . I have had a few blind dogs over the years, but never one who became blind immediately from an accident. Given time, your little one, will manage very well, but as Scratch said, he is probably still hurting quite a lot from the accident and would be very confused. Has your vet put him on pain relief? My blind dogs have managed very well, but have always been in a family of several dogs and only one human. So the furniture isn’t moved around, there aren’t lots of different noises of people coming and going or confusing signals. My latest little dog is blind and came as a foster in January of last year. Despite being severely compromised healthwise through neglect, she adapted very quickly and within days was finding her way unerringly around the house. You are both probably in shock, but when this starts to wear off, you will be surprised at how quickly your “real trooper” starts to return to the happy active little dog he was before. Good luck and please keep us informed as to progress. We do really care on this forum.

Oh my goodness. Lucky lucky dogs and lucky lucky @BJ. A house full of love.

Living the life. I am worried that she harbours a secret desire to run away to the Circus.

Thank you @grumpette. I hope it is Danny and not Bunter she meets up with. Shortly after Bunter came to live with us, he took real exception to Jeune and was intent on doing her damage. Luckily, she was young and spritely then and very happily lived on the couch. I used to divide the house every few hours to give Jeune room to run around, go downstairs etc without being attacked. I even listed Bunter for rehoming and had a few acceptable responses. However, one day when we were all in the lounge and Jeune was in her usual spot on the couch, she just jumped off, walked past Bunter to go downstairs and Bunter didn’t bat an eye. With equilibrium restored, Bunter was removed from the adoption pages.

Thanks, @jemappelle. Gosh, that was a long time ago, wasn’t it? Hard to remember the good times, yet, but thank goodness for photographs to prompt memories of happier and healthier times.

You are so right. And such a good way to put it because we love them all and would do anything to keep them well and safe, but sometimes one comes along . . . .

We are so lucky to live in this time of instant photos, @Kazm. I’ve been scrolling through my photos and have forgotten so many. Those in the post above are from a long time ago, though. Seems another life time.

Thank you everyone. You have all been through this loss and pain, so it is very comforting to have kind and understanding words from those who come from a place of knowing. Two loved ones gone in a couple of months - such a strange feeling. After Danny died a few years ago, I was a three dog family for only a little while as I started to foster again. But I don’t have the energy or drive to start that again. The past year has been difficult because I am a born worrier and, in terms of my little dogs, I have had a lot to worry about. And I’ve been sick for months with a diagnosis only a couple of weeks ago: Laryngopharyngeal Reflux. Not looking for “poor little you” just telling why I don’t have the energy for fostering anymore. So we are back to three little dogs: Tamar 16, Mezza 16 and Sooty 14. Tamar has been with me nearly as long as Jeune as I fostered her just a few months after Jeune in June 2004. Poor little Tamar was a complete nervous wreck, her first rehoming didn’t even last 24 hours and as she had turned to Jeune for comfort, eventually I could not bear to separate them. She was about 6 months old and spent her week in the pound listed as a male. Still makes me angry and sad. Jeune was uncommitted, but Tamar was attached to Jeune by an invisible cord, moving when Jeune moved, going downstairs when Jeune went downstairs (even in the dead of night), getting into Jeune’s bed and, when they used to sleep on the bed, if Jeune changed spots, Tamar would move to be close to her. I remember being quite surprised when I noticed that Jeune was going down to the bottom of the bed, but Tamar was staying in her place at the top of the bed. Strangely, this started to change a few years ago and I wonder if it had something to do with Jeune having been diagnosed with cancer. It was quite a dramatic change in that, until a few years ago, Tamar would not even start eating unless Jeune had started. I am quite relieved this separation happened because I have seen in one of my dogs, a long time ago, the terrible grief at the loss of a mate. So despite one strange thing happening this morning, Tamar has not shown signs of distress. The strange thing (and probably quite unrelated to Jeune’s passing) was that Tamar came into the bathroom, lifted her head, gave one great screech-cum-bark and left the room. Because she is the only dog I’ve adopted who was a puppy (apart from my first two dogs in 1993), I’ve always called Tamar my puppy and she still is, just a 16 years old puppy. She has her own problems having been diagnosed with Upper Motor Neurone disease. Luckily, she is very light so, although her back legs are all over the place, she stills gets around easily although she does fall over quite easily and trips over things (like the water bowl) despite them being in the same places forever. Tamar loving Jeune: 2009 Jeune and Tamar on the bed 1a by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr Tamar Jeune 2 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr Tamar Jeune 1 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

And you took the best photos I have I her. When I am not so raw, I will take a trip down memory lane with them.

Today, my beloved crossed the Bridge to join so many of my little dogs. It was clear the time was right, but it absolutely broke my heart. Jeune has been in my life since November 2003 when she came as a little foster girl of 3 years. This was the last photograph which I took because she’d eaten everything in her bowl. IMG_1191 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr And below a thread I started when she was first diagnosed with a tumour. Hard to believe it is nearly 4 years.

Yes, I think so too. I sure as hell hope so.

Poor little thing. Nothing funny about being doped to eyeballs.

I recall many years ago a dog coming into rescue who was blind from living in a pothead house. The people thought it was very funny to blow smoke into the poor little thing’s eyes.

So wrong

That goes without saying, but I was responding to the video that LG had posted. And if they have escaped and attacked before, my sympathies for the owner are somewhat tempered. (This may have come out in the video LG posted, but I only read the article, I didn’t listen to the man, because I can’t hear.)

Hard to find words really. He is obviously devastated. How do you live with the knowledge that dogs you’ve loved have killed another person? Huge emotional burden.

Goodness, I’d forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on. Some weeks ago, sample packets of dried cat food were being put in people’s letterboxes. Normally, I would just give these to someone with a cat, however, this time I gave it to Jeune. She loved it .... then. Won’t touch it now You’ll find it in cat treats area, called Temptations.

Your vet.

@Cat we all know how skilled dogs are at sorting out a pill half the size of a pin head from a walnut sized piece of meat. For Mezza, I have started buying Devon, I slice it really really thinly and roll it up. Works most of the time. For Jeune and Tamar, I crush their tablets in Nutrigel. This has two benefits: they get the goodness of Nutrigel, and because Nutrigel is sticky, they can’t spit it out although I do hold their mouths light closed while they lick it down. Jeune has cancer, too, so she is very thin and I know it won’t be long

@Cat, I’ve had enormous difficulties finding things my oldies will eat. Check out my thread called “Whatever Jeune Wants .....” I have actually started buying dog roll from Woolies - horrors. I wouldn’t dream of it if they were young, as I feel it is a bit like giving children Maccas or pizzas for every meal. But they really seem to like it. I lightly cook human grade mince with lots of home made bone broth and mix some of that in it. Mine went completely off BBQ chicken too. Good luck finding something to tempt dearest Hamish.

@Deeds it is something I grapple with every day .... sometimes I think she is telling me it is her time to go and then I’ll see her “skipping” up the stairs.

Three months on and precious Jeune is still hanging in there. She is very very thin and I am still syringe feeding her. Her stools are normal, she will still take herself downstairs (if I notice this I will carry her down) and soaks up the sun - when it is there. I have found something she loves !!!! Late last night I went shopping and all the bread was gone, so I ended up buying a Brioche loaf. When I cut a couple of slices to toast for breakfast, I gave a little bit to Jeune. As she hoovered it down, I cut some more for her and then a bit more. I am sure she’d like more, but I don’t want to overdo it.

OMG! They are so expensive.

Where is work, @juice and how much are they?

Yes, @asal Because of the proliferation of ads for the same beds from multiple companies, I am concerned to purchase from legitimate source.