My turn

[Louie and me]

I read so many times of people struggling with their aged or ailing pets and wondering if their time has come. Now it's my turn.
Louie is now 14+ and is not doing well at the moment. Mostly it is arthritis in one of his front legs as a result of a break when he was very young that was left to self heal. (Before we got him of course). He's been on Meloxicam and Glucosamine with Chondroitin for a few years and more recently on Meloxicam and Tramadol. For the last couple of days none of them seem to be helping and he is limping badly. To add to that, he has had badly infected anal glands for over a week. He just finished the antibiotics yesterday but is still seeping blood so back to the vets this afternoon. He eats quite well so long as we make it interesting but is steadily losing weight.
My husband is in complete denial and my heart is aching. He has bounced back before and I sometimes call him "my comback kid". Let's hope he will again.

[Asiel]

He eats quite well so long as we make it interesting but is steadily losing weight.


I can relate to what you are going through but that sentence about the weight loss got me thinking. Did your vet do a test to see if your dog might be suffering from malabsorption? Of course as they age and if he's in pain maybe the weight loss is just part of the downhill progress. I hope your dg will rally for a while longer yet, I think we all feel the same about that.

[Queen of Poop]

My Sasha was on a monthly Cartrophen shot for her arthritis and it did help her greatly for quite a few months. She was also taking Deramax for her pain.

[Taz_Zoee]

It is so difficult when they get older. I've only been through it once and I'm not looking forward to going through it at least three more times (probably more).
I hope the vet can find a solution and at least help Louie be comfortable.

[Louie and me]

Asiel
the vet thinks it is just part of the ageing process. He was overweight for the longest time but is now almost skin and bone.
Queen of Poop
I'll mention those meds when I go this afternoon.
I do appreciate all your kind thoughts. This is my second time but Rocky, my previous dog died fairly quickly with Lymphoma at age 10. Our first dog Joshua died very suddenly when he was only 9 months old of unknown causes.

[Louie and me]

Just back from the vets. One anal gland was clear but one was still infected so he is on one more round of antibiotics. Vet feels like the Cartrophen and Deremax are no improvement on what he is already taking and because of his frail state it would not be a good idea to change meds at this point. It's a "make him as comfortable as possible situation". Tomorrow we're going to look for a new very cushy dog bed (he has four but they are a bit tired and flat now).

[lizbud]

I hope Louie will overcome the infection after another round of meds.

[Asiel]

sometimes all we can do is love them and make them as comfy as possible till the end. I hope he'll perk up a bit for you and you get a bit more time with him. Always the hardest part of dog ownership when they get old and frail.

[K9karen]

I always asked my vet "How will I know", and he said "Oh, you'll know". And it was the truth. Cody knew he was ready and told me. I'm certainly not looking forward to it again, of course, but I'll leave it up to Logan. I hope your baby love the new bed.

[Bonny]

Me, How is Louie doing? Are the meds working for him? My sisters dog was a rat terrier & she had him for over 13 years. He rallied many times for her & made it through. You & Louie are in my thoughts & prayers.

[Louie and me]

Hi Bonny - thanks for asking about Louie and to everyone else for their kindness.
I wouldn't exactly say he has bounced back because he still has the anal gland problem and is on his second round of antibiotics. It is very cold and icy here now so walking is a challenge for him but he is still game to slip slide along even if not very far.

[lizbud]

Louie sounds like a real fighter. I'm glad to hear he still enjoys a little
walk.