eve Posted May 22, 2018 Report Share Posted May 22, 2018 I am reassured by this! I've never had a dog get to 15 before. George was 13 when he went over the Bridge and Kim was around the same age but she was an adult dog when we got her so never knew her true age. She had dementia in the end but her behaviour was very different from Archie's. The others we lost earlier due to illness or accident. I was up again at 5am with The Archibald but he had a bit of a dire rear. However he had decided to eat a couple of Shape biscuits and a dumb bell before going to bed. He is on fine form today, demanding a longer walk like yesterday and then jumping into the car unaided at the end. He's eaten a little bit of his wet food too. That's what I mean. At his age you just have to let him do what he wants to do lol. I intend to be that mad old person, should I live that long. But agree with Blackmagic that you should coax him to eat a little of what he fancies when he's being fussy. If you can work out what that is! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted May 23, 2018 Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 just worked out why the dogs love me. ive been mugged! i had treats in my pocket to do some training with luna. gone. 6 suspects … Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted May 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 Hahaaa Jazz! Cupboard love. Little blighters. Well it was 1 step forward with Archie only to take 2 back. He got me up several times during the night. It wasn't his dire rear & seemed to be more like the acid reflux. He had a regular dose of his antacid medicine and was all up for his walk this morning. We went early, as we mostly do anyway, but we were a tad earlier because 1. I had been up since 5.30 anyway and 2. I wanted to go before the heat got too much for both of us. We were walking along the old railway line again which is really nice and shady. From the off Archie walked beside me. This just isn't him as he always trots a few yards ahead and stops to sniff here there and everywhere. We hadn't gone far when his back legs got all weak and wobbly and the next thing they gave way on him. I checked his gum colour and fortunately they were nice and pink. I let him lie quiet for a while and then he got up under his own steam and we set off back to the car. However he made it clear he wanted to walk further so we went round one part of the churchyard adjacent to the old railway line. It was about 8.15 by now and I wondered if I should call in at the vets on the way home and see if they would either see him whilst we were there or at least give us an appointment for later today. As they don't open until 9am Archie and I took a shady seat in the churchyard and listened to the bird song for a while. The receptionist (who is my neighbour) asked the vet if she could fit Archie in as we were there in person and she agreed. Hurrah. We had to wait whilst the first 2 appointments went in but were then squeezed in before the next appt. Archie's tummy felt really tight to the vet and she reckoned it was paining him. She wants to put him on painkillers for his back legs, which have lost muscle mass through age as well as appearing to be arthritic in the knees. However she needs to get his tummy right first. I told her what a fight we'd had to get his medicaments into him so rather than put him on a course of antibiotics she gave him a time release jab of them plus something to soothe his tummy and help the acid reflux. She told me to just keep him home for the next few days, let him potter in the garden and maybe have an occasional walk around the block depending on the heat. As he just spat the rice out when I tried to give him chicken and rice and flat out refused to eat the prescription food she said to just feed him little and often on cooked chicken breast. He can have things like a little bit of toast with a scraping of butter on to go to bed on after his antacid medicine or any time he came looking for a treat. I've tried some of that this morning whilst his chicken was cooking and he spat it out as there wasn't enough butter on it for him I daren't put too much on as it's not good for his reflux problem. Anyway he is looking brighter and has lost the wobbliness of this morning. He was back to swearing at the postman so I knew he's feeling better. Oh and he's had half a chicken breast, hand fed to him whilst he lay on his sofa like Cleopatra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted May 23, 2018 Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 oh good fun. dont we love them? jerry has hurt her hip. did it yesterday. gave her metacam, in case it was just a pulled muscle, but her leg is stll in the air, so trying to get a lift to the vets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted May 23, 2018 Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 A worrying morning. Glad he seems a bit better and has eaten chicken. When they get to that age you just have to work with whatever they feel like on the day. I had a strange experience. I fished through the Refuge posts to find May RMF (as it used to be called) for 2008. I wanted to check Wispa's exact Gotcha Day as it will be her 10th anniversary. It is in fact May 31. I have only been celebrating it a week late for the past 9 years hehe. It was of course a month of great changes and total upheaval as partner died on 10th after a very long illness, not long before his 49th birthday which was 23rd. We used to have heaps of members posting then and I was moved by all the friendship and support shown to me by those of you who are still here and by people who don't post any more. I also fished through the dog section and found some great photos of Wispa 10 years ago ... with a dark speckled muzzle. I was thinking she was going white around the chops and also the eye patches but had not realised how much. I rather shook me up. Should not have done it last thing at night and ended up getting 2 hrs sleep. Silly owl. Maybe I should stick to the rules laid down by the late great Polly puli. Everyone goes to bed at 10 pm whether they want to or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted May 23, 2018 Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 im sorry it was upsetting xxxxxxx i go to bed between 9 and 10. its normally one of the dogs stamping their feet that makes me turn the tv off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted May 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 Owl I recently had a trawl through previous RMF's over the years. Yes, you don't half realise how many Fugees are MIA. It's a shame because, as you mentioned, we were such a supportive lot. Well we still are but there are now so few of us. You don't always realise how old your dog is looking until you see old photos of them. I think Wispa is marvellous and the fact that she is still tracking is wonderful. Wobbly (aka Archie) has had to hitched up onto his sofa. Before he got up there he had the other half of the chicken breast. Archie decides our bed time here too. We've got earlier and earlier and Ruby and I tend to be chased up at 8pm! We both have TV's in our rooms with access to Netflix and Amazon Prime tv so we can each watch what the other doesn't care for. I have the rocking chair that I was rocked to sleep in when I was a baby in my room so I don't have to go to bed to watch the telly. Jazz I hope Jerry's leg/hip will be OK and that you can get her to the vet without too much bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted May 23, 2018 Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 Owl, I remember you getting Wispa. I had only just joined the Refuge. It's hard to believe it is 10 years. Poor Archie. He is in the wars at the moment. One of my goldens used to sometimes lose the power in her back legs when she got 12. We would be walking along and she would start to dip then collapse completely. After a couple of minutes she would get up and continue as if nothing had happened. We just had to stand beside her and wait for her to get up. The vet had no ideas as to what it was, maybe a nerve problem. There was no pattern to ti happening, it was purely random. She had always had a vey slow heartbeat and I wondered if that had anything to with it. At her annual check up it was always commented on how slow it was but it didn't seem to bother her. She competed successfully in obedience until she was 9. But she did everything in her own time. I always said she didn't live life in the slow lane, she was on the hard shoulder. Murphy is black but, as a youngster, had a little white chin as if it had been dipped in flour. Now he is 13 he has a white muzzle. Murphy goes to his bed at 8.30pm. Cleo used to tell us it was bedtime at 11 o'clock but now she lies and wait until the tv goes off. That is her signal to go to bed. She won't go to her bed until we go to bed. I got the full story of the lost rescue this morning. She had only gone to her forever home on Saturday morning. They took her for a walk, came home and were going into the into the house when she jerked the flexi out of their hand and it fell with a clatter which scared her. She fled out of the open front door to get away from the noise but of course it followed her. They live in rural area with miles of countryside. They caught sight of her after 30 minutes of searching but she ran off. Many very kind people were out searching for her over the weekend but until Monday night there was no sign. Her foster mum had been out with one of her dogs who cocked his leg every few yards leaving a scent trail. They had had a barbecue on Monday hoping to attract her but no sign although they did hear barking so were slightly hopeful it was her. On Tuesday morning her foster mum got up early to go out searching again before she had to return home. As she turned the corner of the house there was Kim at the top of the drive standing looking at her. Kim slowly started waggling her bum and ran to Barnaby, greeting him as if nothing had happened . Foster mum remembered she had been told not to get excited but remain calm. She opened her car boot to get out a lead to put on Kim but Kim jumped into the boot and lay down with a big sigh. She was home. She was minus her collar, her harness and flexi lead. With agreement of her adopter and the rescue and the foster mum she is now back with her foster family for now. Quite an eventful weekend. Did you get to the vet.Jazz? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted May 23, 2018 Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 That is an amazing story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted May 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 Wow. I'm glad she got back to them. I wonder what happened to her collar and the lead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted May 23, 2018 Report Share Posted May 23, 2018 couldn't get anyone available, but found a vet taxi. they are available tomorrow, but been waiting all day to find out what time the foster is going tomorrow. found out as the vet closed so cant book tomorrow, but shes being picked up 2 hours earlier than arranged so glad I didn't sort the vets. glad the dog came home at last xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted May 24, 2018 Report Share Posted May 24, 2018 vet taxi got a puncture this morning, just my ruddy luck. so hopefully lewis can take me in the morning. shes not in pain, shes eating and barking as usual daxi foster is going in half an hour. luna will miss her. but hugo is here to take over playing with her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted May 24, 2018 Report Share Posted May 24, 2018 Wow. I'm glad she got back to them. I wonder what happened to her collar and the lead? They think maybe her lead snagged on something and she her wriggling to get free dislodged them. She is very wary of strangers so it is unlikely anybody would near her to remove them. Her adopter has decided she is not the dog for them. We all have a sneaky suspicion that she will stay with her foster family but nothing has beed decided yet. Another glorious day here. This is the third week of blue skies and sunshine. Only one day of heavy drizzle all day but the ground needed it. The ploughed fields were like dust. The midges are out for the first time today. I hope it gets hot enough to chase them away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted May 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2018 I hope she gets to stay with her fosterer then. Another lovely (and hot!) day. I am waiting for a Sainsbury delivery. Archie is eating his chicken with no problem and I got his dose of antacid into him with no fight last night and this morning. He's not as wobbly as yesterday but we are still taking it easy today and probably for the next few days. He's currently sleeping on one of his garden beds in our nice shady garden. The sun will come round onto this afternoon but there are still shady spots so he can keep out of the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted May 24, 2018 Report Share Posted May 24, 2018 daxi has gone. vet booked for tomorrow luna has realised when im at the door, she can get on the table and into the kitchen. i close the doors so she cant get out but any ideas how to stop her please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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