My “very mixed-breed” dog, Otto, turned 12 years old at some point in the past couple of months. For a big dog (currently 72 pounds), that’s getting up there in age! And he’s got some health issues that I have to stay on top of – a benign mass on his liver that we are monitoring, lipomas that have just started blooming in size and number in the past year, and molars that keep fracturing and needing removal (despite the fact that he doesn’t chew on anything hard – no bones for this guy for years). He also has a very subtle, intermittent limp on his right front leg, particularly when he first gets up in the morning.
The good news is that he’s still as mentally sharp as ever, and still getting around well. He can still jump into my car, and will still jump into the back of our truck if the tailgate is down and we happen to walk by it – just in case we were going somewhere for the kind of fun he associates with the truck: paddleboarding, fishing, hiking, camping. I don’t take him on long hikes anymore, because he gets way too stiff and sore afterward, and I don’t want him to tear something when he’s fatigued. He still stays ahead of me and my friends on our regular two- to three-mile off-leash walking routes and is only a little stiff the next day. But it’s hard to keep from hovering and fretting.
Communicating with a deaf dog
This week and next, I’m caring for a friend’s 14-year-old small dog, Leila, while my friend visits family in Europe. Leila has stayed with me and my dogs before, but it’s been at least six years or more; she’s a very different dog at 14 than she was at 8 or so – solidly deaf, for starters. She still chases her tail and barks when she wants attention, skips around when it’s mealtime, and her eyes are bright and happy, and her vision seems good! That’s fortunate, because what’s new to me is that her habitual gait is quite slow, and she sometimes stalls out and stands still, not sure if she wants to go with me and my dogs as we travel the 100 yards or so back and forth between my house and my detached office building on our fenced property.
I’m in the process of figuring out what sort of body language and gestures encourage her to come along. We’ve established that she does not want to be picked up, and that she will definitely hurry along if I happen to make a treat available from the depths of one of my jacket pockets. She can trot along, and will for a treat, but left to wander around the property without a destination in mind, she sort of shuffles and snuffles; she’s enjoying all the smells on my property, that’s for sure. But I think I will recommend that she see her vet about something for what looks to me like arthritis pain.
Hoping for many more good years
Observing Leila at 14 is kind of ramping up my anxiety about Otto at 12. How much time do I have before Otto has mobility issues, or can’t hear me? This is stiffening my resolve to diet-and-exercise away those extra two pounds that now appear on the vet’s scale every time Otto weighs in. He’s already great at physical cues (without a verbal reminder or co-cue), so we’ll just keep practicing those.
The cold temperatures just add to my worry. My last heart dog, Rupert the Border Collie, passed away (at 14 years old) in the winter, and so many of my friends’ dogs passed away in the winter, too. I’m so relieved that, even though winter has officially just recently started, we are past the solstice and the days have started getting longer again. We still have many cold days ahead, but at least we’ll have more light.
Here’s looking forward to spring and, we hope and pray, gifts of at least one more year with our precious heart dogs.
I am sitting here crying. I cannot even bear the thought of losing my little Yorkie. She is my first dog and is the love of my life. She is with me 24/7. She is now 8 and I pray every day that I have many more years with her. I know that she has slowed down a little and has luxating patella in her right leg and she sleeps more than she used to, but that is o.k. because I am older too. I just cannot imagine my life with out her, but I try to just concentrate on each day we are together.
Otto is such an amazing looking dog! And equal in spirit. When I look at Otto, he reminds me that he could be a dog character in a story book, with his distinct wired or semi-wired face hair, bushy eyebrows, and semi-pricked ears. For whatever reason, he is what I have always imagined the quintessential Story Book dog would look like!- features full of character!
I started fretting and hovering over Metta as early as age 9! I know exactly how you feel. You love them so, they’ve been such an integral part of your life, you don’t want to miss a single thing should it crop up. That’s… what a heart dog will have you doing… uber surveillance!
I’ve read the comments, and I see some regarding Dementia. My 13+ mix breed has been showing signs of Sundowners Syndrome for the last couple of years. In addition, she is more anxious and very clingy. She gets stressed when I have to go out without her, especially if I leave in the car. She has been noise phobic since we adopted her at 3 !/2 yrs of age. But that has gotten a lot worse also. I do use Senilife supplement and it seems to help with the dazed, confused look and excess nesting. I would love to hear any other suggestions. I use Rescue Remedy for her anxiety when it gets bad to the point of pacing or trembling, but don’t want to do it on a regular basis unless absolutely necessary.
Thanks for any suggestions, stories or advice.
I highly recommended the website dogdementia.com. The comments from people in each section will be very helpful in letting you know you are not alone. It was hard to accept that no matter what I did, she was not going to get better.
When to let go is a very personal decision. I think the best advice I can give, based on my recent experience, is to be honest about what’s happening. I think what finally clinched it for me was recognizing the constant look of terror & confusion in her eyes. I realized that the dog I had for 13 yrs was already gone. What was left was an animal being tortured by fear & anxiety with no understanding of what was happening & when, if ever, would it stop….
I don’t mean to be dramatic. This was a new experience for me. I’m sorry for anyone going through this….
There are a lot of products that contain the amino acid, l-theanine that is good for anxiety.
Great advice, thank you. Didn’t know of this vet service. You & your loved ones had a very difficult period of time, however you got the gift of further insight into how to better care for beloved aging companions. Really appreciate your sharing.
It’s really hard to see your dog family members show signs of aging. If you can afford it, have your dogs go for a senior dog checkup as early as possible. This would probably involve bloodwork for starters. I just wish my vets recommended it sooner rather than waiting until our family dogs were up in their teens. Perhaps we could have slowed some of their problems earlier on.
I lost my little boy, best buddy, my faithful companion—a 14/15 year old Sheltie—in July 2018. He had shown signs of cognitive disorder at times probably after 12 years, arthritis when he tried but gave up chasing his frisbee, and lost some of his hearing as he aged. He had his first senior diagnosis beyond his normal annual checkup when he was already around 14/15. When the vet first told me his kidney and liver levels weren’t looking great, I was in denial but agreed to put him on a prescription diet. In retrospect, I think she was trying to soften the blow, but I wish she had been more forthright in emphasizing the seriousness of his situation. Then the first time this voracious eater refused one if his favorite treats three months later, I started to worry. Acupuncture, food stimulants, and subdermal fluid treatments helped…but just for a while. Then when (another) vet told me that if I hospitalized him for over a week or more to get him intravenous fluids, he could live a couple more months at least, I knew it was time. I wasn’t going to let him be in a strange place at his age just to extend his life a bit longer and prolong his suffering.
Shortly after he was gone, we lost his best dog friend, another dog family member (my parents’ 13 year old Yorkie), later in October to what started out as what appeared to be UTI and turned out to be worse. Then I lost the senior 14 year old Chihuahua I fostered in November 2018 then adopted in December to kidney failure and possibly complications after a teeth extractio—less than 4 months after welcoming him to our family.
Although I adopted another dog this year, a 5 year old Eskie, I still grieve over the loss of all our dogs. Meanwhile, I am trying to make ensure my Eskie has a better chance to long and healthy life by giving him supplements now, such as Alaskan salmon oil. I give him vet-recommended dog food (Hills Science diet for sensitive stomach and skin) but am not convinced it is a healthier option so I plan to try ProPlan next.
One regret I have is that my parents and I should have had our dogs start much earlier for senior dog chechkup/diagnosis and bloodwork so I encourage others to take the initiative and ask your vets, not wait to be told.
Dear JC, please don’t try ProPlan. It isn’t necessarily a good choice. Please check out Whole Dog Journal’s dog food recommendations and check with a knowledgeable vet. Good luck!
I had to say goodbye to my beloved Chumley on Sept. 30 – just 2 months short of his 16th birthday. He was ready, but I was not. It’s always this way, and taking my cues from them that they’re ready for release is part of the commitment I make to them in the beginning. I printed out these lines from Irving Townsend’s “The Once Again Prince” from his Separate Life Times, and have it on my desk. It isn’t the kid of comfort the Rainbow Bridge offers, but still – a description of the company we are keeping does give some solace.
“We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan.”
Thank you, Laurie. I’m copying this to hold onto as my pup and two kitties match me at 69 in their equivalent animal years. Both cats have life threatening conditions.
Loved this. So apropos. Thank you for sharing . Planning to share it onwards myself.
Wow, what a beautiful expression! Thank you for sharing Townsends words. My beloved Shep is on the cusp- it’s so hard to know when it’s time cuz he has ups and downs. I pray that I will let him go when the time comes, without selfishly hanging on. I will never be ready, so it will be an act of courage and supported by the Spirits wisdom and soft whisper…
I LIVE IN PAKISTAN AND HV MANY PET DOGS. DURING WINTER THERAGRAM M AND COD LIVER OIL CAPSULES ARE THE BEST FOR ARTHRITIS. IT IS MY EXPERIENCE OF OVER 30 YEARS NOW AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD BOTH THESE WORK VERY WELL. USUALLY VETS DO NOT RECOMEND SUCH TIPS AS OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE PROFESSIONALS AND ARE THERE TO MAKE MONEY. HOWEVER I HV MADE A SINCERE SUGGESTION BUT OBVIOUSLY IT IS UPTO U TO CONSIDER IT.
Just put down the last of my pack- she was almost 14, had gone from 45 lbs to 33 lbs, some hearing/eyesight loss, etc. The real problem was the doggy dementia (dogdementia.com). Its heartbreaking. I finally decided better a week too early than a day too late. Unfortunately people think if the dog is eating & walking then everything is ok. They dont see the dog pacing for hours in the middle of the night & the fearful, constant anxiety. Or the amount of drugs it takes to try to calm them down & the toll THAT takes on their system. & the stress of you watching a beloved pet go through that.
I miss her but am relieved she’s not suffering anymore…
Thank you for sharing Dee. I’m watching my mom struggle with this now with her dog. So heart breaking 💔
You loved your best friend the hardest & mostest❣️ Sending you healing hugs & appreciation.❌⭕️
Jeri & Crew
I love seeing photos of your beautiful Otto 🙂
Kudos to you for releasing your pup from the stress and anxiety that dementia brings to our beloved pups. Doing what is right for our dogs (or any of our pets) despite what others think or say often takes a lot of both courage and love.
Agreed, when a dog stops savoring and enjoying life, and it isn’t a correctable issue, what are they getting out of life? My g. shepherd will be 14 in February. She has been deaf for 18 months. She is incontinent of both 1 and 2, altho the hormones really have improved the urinary incontinence. Unlike some dogs she doesn’t leak, but she apparently lacks total control so that she will wake up in a huge puddle. This rarely happens anymore with the hormones, so it is a big improvement. She still does our 4 mile off leash hike 3 times a week with great enthusiasm, and still lopes to play and chase sticks. When she stops enjoying herself I’ll let her go, but she’s always been a strangely outgoing, friendly shepherd who loves strangers ( who she invariably suckers into throwing sticks), and so far, so good.
Your friend’s dog looks so sweet! Still doing well (enough) at 14!
I know when my old hound was in his last year of life I had the opposite seasonal worry. He barely tolerated warm weather in his last few years. I worried about him falling on icy or sidewalks that didn’t get shoveled but the colder weather he thoroughly enjoyed!
Good luck with all- it never gets easier! 🙂
I’m in the same boat as you are, Jacki. My 9 year old GSD loves the winter. When my teeth are chattering on a walk she’s in her glory; and the more snow the better. She’s a throw-back, old school, short haired shepherd. Think of Roy Rogers Bullit or Rin Tin Tin from the old TV shows, not the long haired, slope backed GSD’s popular today. When it starts to warm up she starts to suffer. A half hour walk in 68 degree weather will have her laid out and panting for hours. She’s a big girl at 85 – 88 lbs but you can easily feel her ribs and see a waist when looking at her from above so it’s not like she is way overweight and the vet has checked her heart and blood panel and she’s fine as far as that goes. When the ceiling fan is fine for me, I still drag out the portable A/C for my girl. Truth be told, I agree with her about the heat. Here in northern NJ we also have a humidity problem. Summertime, both that and the temps can be in the 90’s for days on end.