Loving my Oldies

Hard to believe five years have gone by. Great drawing, K. DOL is full of really talented people.

Nothing ventured, etc etc. It pops up onto FB from time to time and I’ve wondered about it. Will be interesting to see if others have experience of it. As a pessimist, I always wonder about reviews.

Yes. I miss him so much.

Thanks LG. As you can imagine, I am pretty miserable and feeling so bereft. Mezza was my shadow, unless he was channelling Rip Van Winkel, whenever I moved so did he. He was such a lovely little dog with not ounce of “bad” in him. Whenever the little boys from across the road came to visit, they always ran into the house to find Mezza. I’m also feeling inadequate for Sooty and I wonder how I can make her life happy. She too has experienced a huge amount of loss and change over the past couple of years she has lived with me. Not easy for an elderly blind dog to manage these sorts of disruptions although she has shown herself to be remarkably resilient. I haven’t taken her out since Mezza died (apart from downstairs to toilet), so I will do so today and see how she copes. The photo below was a couple of weeks ago. This sort of sibling attachment rarely happened and was always instigated by Mezza. Sooty was more likely to growl and jump on top of Mezza to chase him away. They’d been at the groomers and were exhausted, hence the harnesses still on.

Yes, my heart is in pieces. I knew he wasn’t quite right and was going to take him again to my vets after the long weekend. Although his little body was giving up he still had some playful moments in the past week. So it wasn’t the Propalin or the ulcer, he was fading away. At my vet on Monday, he was being given oxygen although his tests showed that his blood was properly oxygenated. So he would be half sitting up watching what was going on and the he’d collapse. The last collapse was really bad and he was intubated. There was no way I was going to put a tiny, 17 years old dog through the interventions that were presented to me and neither would the vet. My darling little man - just floods of tears. And yes, Sooty will be confused and lost. I am talking to her a lot and she actually followed me into the study a little while ago, although she didn’t stay. It’s horrible to know that she can’t see to put things into perspective.

These words are so hard. Mezza passed away yesterday. I’m too gutted to say much, but he had been treated for airways disease for a couple of years with a puffer and medications daily and Cerenia injections from time to time. He collapsed in the very early hours of Monday morning and despite being rushed to SASH and then to my vet, he was in much too bad a way. Just so broken hearted now. Four of my darlings gone within 12 months. Sooty knows something is wrong so my focus must now be on her to ensure her life is as good as it can be.

You definitely need help to overcome your fears. Your dog is well aware that he has become the boss and, if you don’t take steps now to address this for the happiness of both of you, the outcome is not going to be good. If you decide the best action for both of you is to rehome him, there is a Jack Russell Rescue organisation run by Jill on 0408 491 542. Good luck. Dominant dogs can be very daunting and even more so when you are a first time dog owner.

Beautiful ones. Good luck for amassing point

Thanks @westiemum. I haven’t seen any signs of aggression in Mezza. He has always been a laid back little dog and even when Sooty starts growling and leaps on him, he rarely reacts, just tries to get away. Whenever dogs visit or stop by on the footpath to say hello, he is his same placid self.

9 special months. Too few, but Boomer would not have known that. A wonderful experience for all of you.

That’s what I meant. Head is not working properly. God knows where Advanced came from and needless to say the ladies down at the vets when I picked up Mezza and Sooty were scratching their heads until one of them said, “Recovery is very good.” And in the midst of all this, I forgot about Mezza’s ultrasound. I am feeling a bit like a Jack-in-the-Box, @persephone. So we just have to see how Mezza goes over the next few days. The strange thing is that he has not lost any weight. Anyway, next time something goes wrong, I’m just going to consult @tdierikxbecause all I have to do with Mezza’s ulcer is to apply weak Betadine.

Thank you everyone. Well, it was an ulcer, but vet says as far as they go, it is not too bad. Apparently some can be caused through pressure and he has seen some down to the bone - horrific thought. Vet is still mystified as to why Mezza would have done those big throw-ups. And, yes @tdierikx, he did say that a weak solution of Betadine would have been fine . He also suggested trying Mezz on Advanced which is a highly flavoured canned food. He isn’t going to dress the ulcer as he thinks it is better to just dry out and, of course, the AB injection is helping. At least, that is what I think he said: we are in full masks these days . I actually left them both there so I could relax with the plasterers coming and going. They have finished now and tomorrow will be the sanding and painting. Two really nice men, but with my chronic hearing loss and their accents combined, I was never 100% sure what they were saying . Now having a very belated breakfast with the air con blasting away. What with masks and accents, I am exhausted from straining to hear what people are saying. Edited because it is Recovery not Advanced - god knows where that came from.

I thought about Betadine, @tdierikx, but didn’t want to in case it was ulcerated. I will be calling the vet immediately the switch the phone on at 8am. I have repairers everywhere today fixing roof and internal damage caused in a storm in October so I will just have to leave them to it when I get an appt. OMG!! The roofer has finished already. Took nearly three months to get around to replacing a batten and three tiles which took less than 1/2 hour. The kitchen plasters and painters will obviously take longer. Have now called vet and have an appt for 9.40 am.

I am in shock, but I think I might have found what is wrong with Mezza. When I was putting on his harness on Friday to take him to the vet, I felt a lump on his leg. When I checked it, was horrified to see that it was a great lump of poo which had become all rolled up in his fur. It felt dry, so I started to cut it out, but had to stop to get to the vet on time. Awful as it sounds, I forgot about it until I started to bath Mezza this evening and got to work while he was in the bath to cut it out. He is so tiny and with so much fur that I really needed a couple of more hands, but eventually I managed to get most of it out and this is what I found: Needless to say, I was so upset for him and at myself for not even knowing it was there. He had a long lasting AB injection yesterday, so if it weren’t for that, I would be taking him to emergency, but I think he will be okay until I take him to my vet tomorrow. He has actually had a couple of very very tiny meals today, so I think the ABs are kicking in. It looks inflamed and infected, so do you think this would have been making him sick enough not to want to eat?

Well done sheena . . . . naughty Cricket. LOL, he loved it so much he had to show approval somehow.

Thanks @Snook. We’ve been through the ringer haven’t we with our oldies ?

I’m so sorry hear about your dog’s diagnosis. Medicating some dogs can be such a difficult and worrying thing and something I’ve experienced and quite often failed at. With some dogs, I’ve had to get the meds compounded at the chemist and given via syringe. I’ve gone to the deli and bought bits of just about every cold cut available, but that can be dangerous for a dog with renal problems. I’ve whipped up cheesy scrambled eggs and on and on and on. Remember that your dog will be feeling very unwell, so whatever you try to hide the meds in needs to be highly flavoured and deliciously smelly. It will be a matter of trial and error. One of the most successful foods for me has been liverwurst. There is a product you can buy at the vet called Nutrigel which is given to dogs and cats when they are having trouble eating. It is very tasty and sticky like molasses (which it is based on). I used to crush the tablet and mix it in Nutrigel and wipe it into the dog’s mouth. Because it is sticky, it is hard for the dog to spit it out, just gently hold the dog’s mouth closed while they lick and swallow. Good luck and let us know how you and your dog progress.

Thanks @stellnme. Good to know that it was of benefit to you and your dog . Funnily enough, Mezza hasn’t lost weight which, considering his self imposed extreme diet, is a worry. He is a teeny tiny so the dosage is watched carefully.

Thanks @PepperP. Yes, belly bands have been in fashion at this doggy retirement home for many years. Bitches Britches too . I’ve lost track of the number of seniors I have adopted over the years hence my forum name. @Papillon Kisses, I am worried about the Propalin although from what I have read about effects, appetite loss is the only evident one apart from the two huge throw ups which now are two in 7 days: ie last Sunday and Thursday. Mezza isn’t picky, he is not eating at all even what are generally his favourite foods!! Poor darling Malcolm; he has been through a lot, as have you trying to help him. I’m off to look up lymphangiecstasia to see what that is. He doesn’t seem anxious. On the contrary, generally he is a very laid back little dog, but he has started barking a lot more than usual. Loves standing at the front door and barking. Luckily, we are quite set back from the street. I have had a few dogs over the years who seem to get a great deal of enjoyment from telling the neighbours that they are here. Mezza has refused Tuna this morning (one of his favourites) but is currently sniffing at some puppy roll from Woolworths which is something I use in tiny amounts to give Sooty her tablets and to help Mezza get rid of the taste of the Propalin. I call it doggy McDonald’s and It isn’t something that can be fed as a normal meal. Nope, just checked and he hasn’t eaten any of the puppy roll either. He was also sodden this morning which hasn’t happened for a while, but he is sleeping so deeply. All the bedding gone into the wash and he has had a sponge down with a bath on the agenda for later today. Looks like ultrasounds tomorrow.

Thanks @Boronia. At the moment, that wouldn’t work because Mezza isn’t eating well. 5 drops is quite a lot so it must taste okay?? Definitely worth following up if we find that Propalin is making him unwell. I’m so worried about my little boy.

Caveat: Mezza has been seen by the vet, bloods and urine samples taken and I am waiting for results which should be available later today. Mezza is a 17 years old Pomeranian whom I adopted 3 years ago from Campbelltown Pound. (Our very own @shmoohelped me with that via Gina Fallon’s Golden Oldies as he was being released only to rescue because of the condition he was in.) Sometime ago, Mezza became incontinent at night and whenever he slept or was just lying around. I was constantly washing bedding, wiping him down and wiping wherever he’d been lying. He became very stained (dark brown like overstewed tea) and if I didn’t wipe him for a day or two, the smell was revolting. I can’t describe it, but not a urine smell. The vet prescribed Propalin saying that incontinence treatments for males dogs aren’t always very successful. It was a bit hit and miss at first and I would celebrate a “dry night”. However it seems to be working really well now and dry nights are the norm and wherever he might have been lying is rarely wet either. So, all good there. However, he has become quite picky with his food, eating smaller and smaller meals. Twice this week, he has done two huge throw-ups containing a lot of undigested food which was very worrying as he hasn’t eaten the amount of food that seemed to be in the mixture. He ate a small chicken meal last night, but when I tried him with a little more later in the evening, he didn’t touch it. Ditto with some of his favourite foods. He hasn’t eaten today and is sleeping a lot. What I am getting to in this long winded way is asking for any experiences with Propalin. There seems to be quite a list of side effects for this drug which are worrying considering Mezza’s age. Vets don’t think this is causing his current problems. My saga was interrupted by the vet ringing with tests results. Everything is good, white blood cells are a bit elevated and the lab is culturing the urine to see if any bacteria are present as initial tests don’t show anything untoward. However, she wanted to give him a couple of long lasting injections: Cerenia and ABs. If no changes by Monday, we will have an ultrasound taken. Just back from there and think I will open a bottle of wine.

Not much worse than having to give meds that hurt or taste really horrible. Hope you can find Annie something that heals and does not hurt.

Champ looks singularly unimpressed by that upstart newcomer

That’s wonderful, @luvmybulldog. Dublin looks a treasure (naughty or not)

Oh you people are just so clever. The trouble shooting gene has missed me by a long shot. Thanks @persephone