Anyone else have senior dogs?

[ArchandEbs]

There are a lot of people here who have young dogs - how many have "seniors"?

I have two - Arch will be 10 in May and Ella-Bella is 8.

Arch has HD and arthritis in his front leg. Ella-Bella is slightly brain-damaged as a result of strokes she had when she was 3 due to her hypothyroid which also gave her menengitis and water on the brain - but she has a really good quality of life.

When she began her road to recovery if she stopped running her front legs stopped but there was a slight delay between the back ones stopping so she used to "swing around". Under the guidance of two very supportive vets and in the UK her specialist her movement has really improved and her co-ordination.

Arch recently had a blood vessel burst in his ear again and it filled with blood so he had to have it operated on again and unfortunately his ear doesn't stand upright any more (it's the 2nd time in 3 years this has happened).

Ella-Bella also had a bad spell recently when her thyroid levels went really low so it was a very expensive few months!!

Last year Arch had a really nasty reaction to Rimadyl (blood in the urine etc) and had to go the emergency vet - another big bill!

Arch is my very first gsd - he's aged really well and has very little grey around his muzzle - but not much.

Even thought he's older I find I still learn things all the time and he's so intelligent.

I'd really like to hear from anyone else who has senior gsds. My boy may be 10 but he still thinks he's a puppy!!

[LOVEGSD]

Your dogs sound gorgeous, and what a fighter Ella-Bella is to recover from strokes at such a young age......my boy is only 4 at the moment.

[ArchandEbs]

Originally Posted by LOVEGSD

Your dogs sound gorgeous, and what a fighter Ella-Bella is to recover from strokes at such a young age......my boy is only 4 at the moment.

She is - it happened when we were living in the Uk - thank goodness I had Pet Plan! Her specialist was in Potters Bar and I lived in Bristol. He fought so hard to save her. He was Italian and kept asking me why I'd given her an Italian name - I have to say I loved the way he said her name

[DelsMum]

Del is 9 but doesn't seem to realise it, he is still the same as when he was about 4/5....the only health issues we have had, other than really random stuff like tonsilitis and infected grass seeds is arthritis in his left knee and elbow. Touch wood he hasn't had a bad flare up since last August/September and I am managing it to the extent that he is very rarely stiff in the evenings so, so far so good!

[gsdlover4ever]

not a GSD but the dog i had growing up, my family got her at the age of 6 months - i thin i must have been about 4 at the time!

Tammy was a tibetan terrier x - people were going around doors trying to give her away - she was really hyper - my mum said yes, they came backa wee or so later asking for her back - my mum said yes and they came back once again with her - my mum took her back again.
and they came back once more asking for her back - my mum told them ware to go!

when she was about a year old, she was always left in the kitchen and she wasa chewer - however my mum left the chip pan or cooker on whilst she was away out - to cut a long story short tammy was rushed to the vet - she had black tar stuff coming out of her - the vet gave her a 20% of living!

but she did!

she had loads of ear infections!
2 hip replacments!

by the age of 14 she didn't have a clue who i or anybody else was - apart from my mum, she followed her everywhere the best she could!
she was also going deaf, blind, had a heart murmor, artheritis - she was still eating well.
but when she hit the ago of 16 - she really slowed down, she wouldn't eat her normal dog food - my mum actually bought her steak etc... because she new she would eat it!

sadly in July she gave us that look, (i hope you know what i mean!) she hardly ever went walks -out in the garden was usually enough for her. but on this day i took Tammy and Zaar out for a walk together - i think we were out for about 30 minutes!
Zara and Tammy weren't close at all - but i wanted her last day to be nice!

when we got to the vet, he gave her two weeks to live, but we thought she should go with dignity and she slept very well that day, the vet didn't have to give her much before she was gone!
we buried her in our back garden!

here is Tammy at teh age of 13 - my little blond goddess!

[ArchandEbs]

Originally Posted by gsdlover4ever

not a GSD but the dog i had growing up, my family got her at the age of 6 months - i thin i must have been about 4 at the time!

Tammy was a tibetan terrier x - people were going around doors trying to give her away - she was really hyper - my mum said yes, they came backa wee or so later asking for her back - my mum said yes and they came back once again with her - my mum took her back again.
and they came back once more asking for her back - my mum told them ware to go!

when she was about a year old, she was always left in the kitchen and she wasa chewer - however my mum left the chip pan or cooker on whilst she was away out - to cut a long story short tammy was rushed to the vet - she had black tar stuff coming out of her - the vet gave her a 20% of living!

but she did!

she had loads of ear infections!
2 hip replacments!

by the age of 14 she didn't have a clue who i or anybody else was - apart from my mum, she followed her everywhere the best she could!
she was also going deaf, blind, had a heart murmor, artheritis - she was still eating well.
but when she hit the ago of 16 - she really slowed down, she wouldn't eat her normal dog food - my mum actually bought her steak etc... because she new she would eat it!

sadly in July she gave us that look, (i hope you know what i mean!) she hardly ever went walks -out in the garden was usually enough for her. but on this day i took Tammy and Zaar out for a walk together - i think we were out for about 30 minutes!
Zara and Tammy weren't close at all - but i wanted her last day to be nice!

when we got to the vet, he gave her two weeks to live, but we thought she should go with dignity and she slept very well that day, the vet didn't have to give her much before she was gone!
we buried her in our back garden!

here is Tammy at teh age of 13 - my little blond goddess!

She was beautiful - Ella-Bella gets lots of ear infections.

I'm glad your mum never gave her back. We had a cocker spaniel when I was growing up. We adopted her and soon found out that she had scars all over her - that were hidden by her fur. When her owner decided she wanted her back she came into the room, the dog snarled at her and showed her teeth and my dad told her that she'd have to take her to court because there was no way he was letting her go back. She also lived along and happy life with my mum and dad. It's the saddest thing in the world when you know it's their time - but they do seem to let us know

[LOVEGSD]

Originally Posted by ArchandEbs

She is - it happened when we were living in the Uk - thank goodness I had Pet Plan! Her specialist was in Potters Bar and I lived in Bristol. He fought so hard to save her. He was Italian and kept asking me why I'd given her an Italian name - I have to say I loved the way he said her name

something about broken English anyway I think, let alone an Italian accent...thank god for him then

[LOVEGSD]

Originally Posted by DelsMum

Del is 9 but doesn't seem to realise it, he is still the same as when he was about 4/5....the only health issues we have had, other than really random stuff like tonsilitis and infected grass seeds is arthritis in his left knee and elbow. Touch wood he hasn't had a bad flare up since last August/September and I am managing it to the extent that he is very rarely stiff in the evenings so, so far so good!

He sounds such a delight Faye he really does! So nice to have had no health issues and that his arthritis is under control...xx

[LOVEGSD]

Originally Posted by gsdlover4ever

not a GSD but the dog i had growing up, my family got her at the age of 6 months - i thin i must have been about 4 at the time!

Tammy was a tibetan terrier x - people were going around doors trying to give her away - she was really hyper - my mum said yes, they came backa wee or so later asking for her back - my mum said yes and they came back once again with her - my mum took her back again.
and they came back once more asking for her back - my mum told them ware to go!

when she was about a year old, she was always left in the kitchen and she wasa chewer - however my mum left the chip pan or cooker on whilst she was away out - to cut a long story short tammy was rushed to the vet - she had black tar stuff coming out of her - the vet gave her a 20% of living!

but she did!

she had loads of ear infections!
2 hip replacments!

by the age of 14 she didn't have a clue who i or anybody else was - apart from my mum, she followed her everywhere the best she could!
she was also going deaf, blind, had a heart murmor, artheritis - she was still eating well.
but when she hit the ago of 16 - she really slowed down, she wouldn't eat her normal dog food - my mum actually bought her steak etc... because she new she would eat it!

sadly in July she gave us that look, (i hope you know what i mean!) she hardly ever went walks -out in the garden was usually enough for her. but on this day i took Tammy and Zaar out for a walk together - i think we were out for about 30 minutes!
Zara and Tammy weren't close at all - but i wanted her last day to be nice!

when we got to the vet, he gave her two weeks to live, but we thought she should go with dignity and she slept very well that day, the vet didn't have to give her much before she was gone!
we buried her in our back garden!

here is Tammy at teh age of 13 - my little blond goddess!

Aww RIP Tammy, she looks a real cuddle monster...xx

[ArchandEbs]

Originally Posted by DelsMum

Del is 9 but doesn't seem to realise it, he is still the same as when he was about 4/5....the only health issues we have had, other than really random stuff like tonsilitis and infected grass seeds is arthritis in his left knee and elbow. Touch wood he hasn't had a bad flare up since last August/September and I am managing it to the extent that he is very rarely stiff in the evenings so, so far so good!

Arch has it in the same leg. He was limping badly and holding up his paw so I took him to the vet. The vet didn't tell me at the time but he thought he had bone cancer. Luckily the x-ray showed arthritis. He had an injection and a course of metcam and he was back to normal.

I think Arch still thinks he's a puppy too - although he can only chase his ball a few times and then he gets tired - but we pretend not to notice to keep his dignity