Old Dogs - classic or dud

Kenny the whippetlurcher is 17 and a half, the oldest dog in Bloomsbury. His arthritis is making him slowly sit down a lot, people walking him need to pull his lead taut to make sure he doesn't backward-somersault from a standard poo crouch, he can't do stairs apart from up/down curbs, he's gently senile and selectively deaf, and he has cataracts. But he'll have flashes of activity: a slow canter on the lead, whirly food dances when I'm putting his bowl together (expensive renal diet - did I mention his kidneys? - and bits of chicken for smuggling in his Vivitonin, Tramadol, and kidney pills), and the sleep-running he does every night, at exactly 12 am. He's stretched out asleep on my bed right now. Ken still eats with vigour, but can't finish a meal without sitting down.

Everything's pointing toward the end, and I think he's in a certain amount of pain because of the way he breathes now. At some point after the New Year, we've decided to pick a day and summon the mobile vet, but nothing's properly decided yet. But this is so hard, because he's such a gorgeous dog in every respect and so very, very loved.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10396283_10152438645291949_7897643830556726926_n.jpg?oh=dc7f0f3ef654d855c2a76d6d3810f46b&oe=553B661C&__gda__=1429387107_7669facb4cf731af06a4a00397b96447

what a beauty he is.

I love when they smile as they sleep, it makes you feel like you've done a good job.

Sadly, letting go is part of the very, very loved part imo

What a lovely old doggie. Such a nice life he's had!

kenny <3 and :(

happy christmas Kenny

Old Dogs, or, rather, Senior Dogs, are wonderful!

https://www.aspca.org/adopt/adoption-tips/top-10-reasons-adopt-older-dog

and

http://www.sanctuaryforseniordogs.org/id3.htm

Senior Cats are also wonderful:
http://www.aspca.org/blog/adopt-shelter-cat-month-consider-bringing-home-senior-kitty

Senior Companion Animals, in general, are wonderful:
https://www.pinterest.com/ASPCA/adopt-a-senior-pet-month/

aw kenny <3

Kenny has rallied somewhat. This morning, I found him a timeline in a parking lot:

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10489970_10152499976121949_8724484881562763157_n.jpg?oh=02f048610373f7f6228f996a1793aae3&oe=55359119

At risk of turning this into the Kenny thread, here he is - still hanging in there. Walking is a bit harder for him than it was, but his blood tests are good, he eats everything we put in front of him and he's enjoying the sunny, warm weather.

https://scontent-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/q84/s720x720/1533715_10152678050336949_637514376385994875_n.jpg?oh=8deb4fe1e2db7a68b76c83d31b3dd83f&oe=55A4C8B3

<3
beautiful. that gaze.

One of his many nicknames is Noble Beast.

What a beautiful dog.

a noble & kind old soul enjoying the sun: few finer sights in the world.

Working from home under Ken's watchful gaze.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/11265254_10152741406756949_3557591537840321780_n.jpg?oh=fd009d121064b7357832d2a1818b5371&oe=560D2BF5&__gda__=1439196682_c7bd0fcaa0a84c61eb060d8055315fac

lovely ken

<3

Sad news. We said goodbye to Kenny on Tuesday afternoon. He remained quietly dignified right to the end, and the vet said it was one of the most peaceful exits she'd ever known. We took this picture recently, intending to post it on his (notional) 18th birthday - as a Battersea dog who'd been found as a stray, we couldn't be totally sure of his age. Ken, you were amazing. That's why J and I are still in bits, two days later (and probably for awhile to come).

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11008573_10152753355591949_7663980263216054681_n.jpg?oh=776266fd8403cc8dd899ed5b082419ee&oe=5605BA83

RIP Kenny :((((((

my condolences for your loss, suzy. thank you for sharing images of beautiful, noble, gentle kenny.

Be easy, Kenny.

A lovely dog, a lovely life. So sorry for your loss, suzy.

oh suzy :(

What a grand old handsome dog he was, he always looked marvellous in your photos. RIP Ken

<3 <3

RIP Noble Beast

rip kenny and condolences, suzy. he was a most beautiful dog, i'm glad he had a long and lovely life and that his death was peaceful.

My mum just texted me to tell me she's taken her 15 yr old labrador Murphy to the vet and he isn't coming back. He was a great dog and did well to get to 15 as labs' life expectancy is around 12, but he's had arthritis for a couple of years (alleviated by swimming therapy but you could tell he was still having the odd bad day) so it's for the best.

Kinda unexpectedly cut up about it tbh, I'd left home about 8 years before she got him so it's not like he was a beloved childhood pet.

"as labs' life expectancy is around 12"
My lab is now 8 and is still athletic enough to jump over the gate, but the idea that he might be in a bad condition in 4 years is quite depressing.

My parents' Basset Hound was just diagnosed with pancreatitis last week. Everyone's crossing their fingers it's only temporary and not chronic, because chronic is bad fucking news.

Kenny spent a year on pancreatitis meds and Royal Canin food as a potential 'chronic' case but after about a year, he showed no symptoms. All of this happened when he was 16, and was very expensive. Basically your folks must never give their guy people-food snacks ever again (exception: unseasoned poached chicken breast) in addition to keeping him on the special food and the pills.

It's Carl's birthday again! I don't honestly know if he's 13 or 14 but he is 100% old.

our little dog harry, aged 15, died last week after falling suddenly very ill. he was a wonderful little dog and we loved him with all of our hearts. we think we have never cried so much in our lives, but having him for all those years was was worth this grief. rip little man, you were the best.

i'm sorry, estela. if there's a doggy heaven i'm sure that harry is romping around in it right now.

thank you karl

My condolences, Estela <3

<3

<3 thank you suzy and darragh

i'm sorry to hear about harry
the time we have with dogs is so short and their love is so true
hope you are coping alright!

sorry estela - rip harry <3

Indeed, very much adding to the sympathies. Sounds like a lovely guy.

Friends here in the city just lost their dog as well; she suddenly started to fade, and they made the decision after a couple of days when it was clear there was no coming back. They adopted her when she was nine or so, so they knew the years would be shorter. I met her a couple of time -- she was a sweetheart.

I met a dude this weekend who was wearing a baby diaper around his waist because he's 17 and just can't hold in the pee like he used to. He was roaming the grounds in the middle of a first grader's birthday party like he couldn't care less, just all into whatever smells and affection he could find along the way. Screaming 6 year olds with plastic swords were no worry for him, he'd seen it all. Much love to Harry. Here is one of the better sentences that some Wikipedia person wrote:

Dogs are domesticated descendants of wolves and have a significant impact and role in human lives.

my friends rescued an elderly terrier named Hampton a couple of months ago.

poor dude was almost hairless from malnutrition when they got him so he has to wear a jacket to go out in the sun.
about a month ago he had bad dental problems stemming from the prev. malnourishment & poor Hampton had to have all his teeth removed. his little tongue pokes out the side of his mouth now.
two weeks ago an ulcer formed on his eye & he now has to have surgery to get his eye completely removed.

i feel so bad for the poor little man. he's so cute & his new parents love him so much.

i love ppl who care for these lovely aging pooches. yall are a+ ppl

RIP Harry. Sounds like you had a great life with people who loved you. All dogs should be so lucky.

My two male dogs are thirteen this year, and we are really feeling the difference in our house. On the plus side, I no longer have to get up at 6:30 on the dot to stop them tearing the house apart - they'll happily sleep in till 8:30 or even later. On the minus side, a walk that used to take twenty minutes now takes at least twice that long. Not so much a walk, more of a detailed forensic examination of the neighbourhood.

<3 thank you La Lechera and VG and ned and tomboto and trishyb, i really appreciate your kind words. it's been a very sad time but we are getting through it. there is comfort in knowing harry had a happy life. he was a clever and cheerful wee darling and it was our great pleasure to care for him. and although it was horrible for us to lose him so suddenly, it's much better for him that he was enjoying life right up to the last day.

i've always loved all the old dogs on this thread, they are such wonderful animals. i hope hampton fares very well with his new family<3

My dog is only 3 but has hip problems that we recently learned about. So this sounds verrry familiar:

Oops

On the minus side, a walk that used to take twenty minutes now takes at least twice that long. Not so much a walk, more of a detailed forensic examination of the neighbourhood.

<3 estela

thank you ross.

i'm so sorry your dog has hip problems, karl.

our walks were also getting slower--there would be very lengthy sniffed deliberations about whether or not a particular leaf or twig or bush was spray-worthy. he became quite pedantic about it in his later years.

my old dog (who isn’t even that old really, at 8) has very suddenly succumbed to cancer. really, in the space of a month she’s become irreversibly lame in one leg. she has been at the vets today and the MRI confirmed that it’s comprehensive. there’s nothing we can do either and she is clearly in a lot of pain when she has to move/bear weight on the affected leg. she probably only has 2/3 days left with us and it’s just so sad. we’re heartbroken. mostly because it’s been so sudden and she’s such an angel. they become such a part of the rhythm of your life too. I can only imagine the house will feel empty once she’s gone. sorry just wanted to post somewhere about it