It's a bugger gettin' old

Curly is officially showing his age after 14 and a 1/2 years.  I've been through this a couple times now with other dogs.  The cloudy eyes, the slow and unsteady walk due to arthritis.  And then there is that first heart stopping tumble down the basement stairs.  Yes, he fell from the top step right to the bottom.  He does these stair everyday but for some reason he just couldn't get all limbs working and down he went.  Fortunately it was more of a slide than a tumble so nothing is broken.  He just staggered to his feet and wandered away.  This time... 

So I finally put him on some drugs - meloxicam to be exact.  I'm still trying some natural food supplements like MSM/Glucosomine/Chondroitin combo, fish and flax oil, and eliminating tomatoes (which used to be added to his food for prostrate health) but I was finding he still was walking with pretty stiff legs.  So I asked our vet to prescribe some anti-inflamatories.  These drugs can be hard on the dog's stomach and are not recommended for long term use,  but at 14 and a 1/2, how long term are we really talking about?   He's been on them for a month now and the wag is back in his tail. That's how I can always tell when it is time, when the wag is gone. Even when their favourite things are presented to them - car rides, walks, treats- nothing says unhappy like a dog that has no wag left.

The results from the drugs have been amazing.  He has turned into a 12 year old again.  He dances around at the prospect of going for a car ride.  And by dance, I mean actually catches airtime - both feet off the ground, leaping and prancing around.  And he willingly goes for walks again.  I thought it was all good until I witnessed the tumble.  So now all of his downstairs trips will be supervised.  It may soon be time to put up the baby gate which will frustrate Cooper to no end.  There is nothing like having two dogs of a different age to complicate the dynamics of the home.  But more on that another day.

So I am still trying some natural remedies and will attempt to wean him off the meds just to give his stomach a break, but when that wag leaves again - back on the drugs he goes.  I'll get back to you on some of the natural things to try.  From what I know about them so far, it is better to start them before the problems occur (prevention being the key) and there are differing opinions on forms of supplements and quantities.  More later.  In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for Curly that his tumble was just a momentary clumsy accident and nothing more.  Getting old is tough business.

   

Comments

[Pets]

Looking so cute and fresh.....
https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&send_id=817789614&email=7cff47bb7cdcb76fbfa15e66c81a1961

[ドレス]

近年、生活水準の継続的な改善と、人々の欲望が社会活動に参加しても、ドレスは、より多くの人々は、特殊な状況で使用されているされており、増加しており、過去からリースに着用者のいくつかの購入またはコレクションを表します。一方、過去の市場に比べウエディングドレス販売台数が大幅に増加している。しかし、業界カラードレス格安、製品の品質問題の急速な発展は、非標準の市場はますます顕著になってくる。