It is difficult to imagine an old dog who sleeps all day when they are new.
We’re now into the golden years. You probably don’t know where the years went; how did you get here so fast? These years come with the most monumental shift in your k9/human connection. From all the years of giving, giving and giving, it is now time for your dog to receive. That’s right, their turn to receive and our turn to give our all. Some days may seem like everything is changing, and it might be. But these days are the very special ones; the ones that many don’t get to experience because of sickness, disease or an accident resulting in an early passing.
Much can change in the blink of an eye.
Having a dog in their senior years is a wonderful gift; much of the struggles of the younger years are now gone. Typically (of course not always) our senior k9s are pretty much angels with fur. They know the routine, they don’t give a sh*t about too much anymore, reactions are normally much less and they sleep a lot. And when I say sleep, they sleep; and they sleep hard. A dog in their senior years needs up to 20 hours of sleep a day. Just think of that. I know, it’s a bit mind boggling. But our Miss Elsa is there now and when she sleeps, she sleeps.
There are time when I go out that she has not heard me leave and I return without her waking. When I see her sound asleep when I return; it brings home the fact that comfort and feeling safe is so very important. Seeing your old dog as they sleep and dream in a big comfy bed is magic to your soul.
Not only does Elsa sleep a lot; she has also lost a good amount of her ability to hear. Her eyes are pretty good for an old girl but not so great in dark or poor lighting. Our older dogs may lose hearing, vision, control over bladder or bowel and all sorts of different ailments. They are all different, some never lose their hearing or vision, some will. Dementia and Vestibular are fairly common in older dogs, which we’ve dealt with in some of our past dogs.
We’ve personally dealt with brain tumors, spleen and liver cancer as well in our past k9s. Right now we are dealing with a spinal stroke, laryngeal paralysis, constant uti’s, a lung tumor, kidney issues and high blood pressure with Elsa. Something will happen to our dogs as they become extremely old. Sadly many dogs even in their early years are struck by some sort of medical issue and never make it to their golden years. But as they become older; most will suffer from something; it is hard to know what will hit each dog.
This is something that most don’t consider when they are thinking about adding a new fuzzy bundle of joy to the family. But it’s going to happen to all of our dogs; it is a sad reality. But being prepared and dedicated to giving the best tlc and medical care that you can is what is important. We are in the thick of it right now with Elsa; we’ve been here before and we’ll be here again. It’s not easy but each and everything that I do for her is from my heart.
I remember very clearly saying “I don’t think she’ll ever age,” of our crazy young and highly energetic girl.
After living through the golden years with so many dogs over the years; I have to say that the biggest requirement is patience. It is easy to lose your patience when they can’t move faster, become picky eaters, have strange sleep patterns, diapers, don’t listen and simply need so much more care. All we can do is our best and give ourselves grace if we faulter.
Since living through the senior years so many times I have personally opted to do full abdominal ultrasounds in hopes of catching “medical stuff” early. This has been very beneficial with Elsa as we just recently found a tumor in her lungs. It’s small but it is growing; and frankly I think that it is the least of our worries right now. But I know and put it in the back of my mind for now. I also try very hard not to say “work” when talking about everything that needs doing. It is my job as her guardian and mom to care for her; it is not work. Yes, there is a lot of care needed and I am more than happy to give it.
We are all going the same direction; we are all aging whether we like it or not. How you age and how you treat aging is huge. Those people who abandon their dogs when they become “too much work” as they age, are DISGUSTING. The saddest thing for an old dog is to lose their home when they need it the most.
So yes, when we add a bundle of joy to the family; we have an idea of what our dog life will look like. There will be struggles, there may be regret in the beginning that will turn to love and adoration. The part we don’t think about is that they will age and get old, very old and then be gone. Cherish every single moment.
“Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it.”
Kermit the frog.
