Caring for seniors - any suggestions welcome
Up until Remo was about 12 years old he was a typical Sheepie. He was full of energy and was go go go all the time. It seemed like he was a puppy his whole life and then practically over night he was old. From what I've read this is not uncommon for this breed. His problems are also pretty typical of a large breed also. He developed arthiritis in his hips. We started on Rimidyl and that worked for a while and then it didn't. We switched to cosiquin but that never seemed to help at all. Last year we started him on Prevocox. At first it was almost like a mirical drug. He was able get up on his own more times than not, he seemed to feel much better. After about 10 months of that the miracle wore off. I am not combining it with Adiquan (I'm sure that's spelled wrong) injections. He is also on Soloxin for his tyroid which he has been on for about three years. I feel like we have tried every medicine available. His vet says he doesn't know of anything else to try. So now I give him his meds and do my best to keep him comfortable. He can't climb steps so I carry him upstares to be with us in the evenings. He can stand up on his own if he really wants to. He can still walk but he looks like he is walking on egg shells. I have had to help him stand so he use the bathroom but this is pretty rare. He has accidents in his bed and I'm forever washing his towels, blankets, and sheets. I don't mind any of this. He still eats like a horse. He loves to lay in the yard and bark at the neighbors dogs or the occasional car that goes by. I know his time left is short and I need to start thinking about sending him to be with O.D. but I don't think either of us is ready just yet. He has always been a beautiful boy and he still is. His one blue eye is still as clear and bright as ever (so is his brown one) but he really is looking old. Does anyone have any tips for things that might make him more comfortable, ease some of his discomfort, anything at all from others that have gone throught this same situation? I know there is a wealth of experience on this forum. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for your time and sorry this was so long. |
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| Welcome to the forum!
Sounds like your vet has tried everything. Do you have access to any holistic vets or canine chiropractors in your area? I know a couple of people who have had great success with acupuncture and massage therapy, as well as chiropractic medicine for their dogs. My vet referred us to a holistic vet to help manage Oscar's IBD and allergies, and it has been very beneficial for us. Let us know how it works out. Laurie and Oscar |
| It's hard when they get old and the bodies are wearing out. You sound like you are doing everything possible to make your boy comfy.
There is lift harnesses you can buy to help him up when you need to do that. It will also help assissting him up the stairs and a lot easier for you and your back. There comfortable to have on the dog all day and when needing help makes it so much easier to help him up. 15 is a wonderfull age and while there is light and sparkle in his eyes & there eating well and happy you keep doing what you can, Val might post a link for the Harness for you to see. 
With the arthritis in the back end you could try a heat pad there if it is cool where you live. Helps them through the cooler months. My old Girl loves it at the moment and after sleeping all night she is not so stiff in the morning to get up. Belly rubs for Remo |
| I just lost my 14 year old Lucy a couple of months ago so I understand how you're feeling. I used to sit on the floor and massage my old girl down her spine, using mostly just fingertips with light pressure. I went to a dog massage session once and it was something the leader suggested. It seemed to loosen her up a tiny bit and it seemed to make her happy while I was doing it. I also tried to help her up every time, whether she wanted my help or not, to save wear and tear on her old body. |
Quote: With the arthritis in the back end you could try a heat pad there if it is cool where you live. Helps them through the cooler months. My old Girl loves it at the moment and after sleeping all night she is not so stiff in the morning to get up.
I was going to recommend this as well. I used a heating pad on Mattie's hips all the time. She really seemed to enjoy it. I also used massage on her. When she was unable to pick herself up anymore I used a lifting harness that I bought from a handicap pet website. I truly beleive that they will let you know when the time has come. Until then know that you are doing a wonderful job taking care of your baby! |
| Ditto to the lifting harness. We found it invaluable when Merlin's back end failed due to compression between vertebrae in his spinal column. It gave him added confidence, and mobility and saved our backs. |
| First I'd like to thank those of you who replied. The harness you mentioned, is it the ones that go under the bellie and you help lift them and walk with them? I had looked at carts at one time but he also has arthritis in in front legs, but not as bad. The harness thing sounds like something I should look into not only to help him but to save my back as well.
I haven't used a heating pad because he sometimes wets on his blankets. Maybe I should try to find something that heats up with his own body heat. As far as holistic medicine there is nothing like that anywhere near us that I know of. We live a a small rual town in Southwest Virginia. I will try the massage though. He loves being rubbed so he may also love a good massage. Who wouldn't right? Thank you all again for your great ideas. |
| I tried many types of lift harness with Chumley. The one by Outward Hound was our favorite because she could wear it all the time and the handles did not interfere with her legs.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?ur ... &x=15&y=15 I am also a huge fan of the absorbent, washable poochie pads sold at Petsmart. I kept them over Chum's beds to contain the mess and make cleanup easier. They are a bit pricey but well worth it. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2752864 I also would use a water resistant sack inside the dog bed to prevent messes that did not make it onto the poochie pad. I haven't found a link to that product though. I agree massage is really helpful and Chumley loved it. Start gently and gradually work to increase flexibility through assisted stretching, etc. For Chum, making sure she went out on brief walks several times a day really helped keep her limber and mobile. If she didn't get out, she would be dramatically more stiff and slow the next day. Also, I kept trying different pain killers on her til I found the one that worked the best. It made a huge difference. (If anyone wants 1/2 a bottle of Metacam, please send me a PM!) Best wishes in caring for your sweet senior sheepie. It can be hard but is very rewarding too. |
| I just went on Amazon.com and ordered a harness. I hope it helps. Thank you guys. |
| For a heating pad - I got something from our vet that heats up in the microwave and stays warm for an hour or so. It is like a large packet of blue gel. After I warm it up, I put it in a fleece pillowcase and then put it on Winston's hips/leg. He seems to like it. The vet also told me to put the heat pack on his leg for five minutes before his massage - I think it makes the massage a little nicer. If you are interested, I will find out where the vet got it. |
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