A sad time at chez Cammy

[constance]

My dog Flannery is past the "getting older" stage and is now decidedly old; if you've been paying attention, you know that. She's fifteen and a half now, and she's slowly falling apart, the way you do. She's had arthritis for years, and she has trouble standing, and climbing even the few stairs up to my front door is often too much for her and I have to help or carry her up. (We have a routine where she tells me what she needs on a given trip upstairs: she climbs right up, which means she's okay, of course; or she stands with her front paws on the bottom step, which means she needs a boost; or she stands at the bottom of the steps, which means she needs to be carried.) And sometimes she has trouble walking, as in, her feet just come out from under her (a condition which my friend B., the owner of another venerable old dog, calls Slippery-Paw) and she has to lie there until she catches her breath or I can get to her to help her up.

Her bladder is failing her, too; any time I'm gone for more than a couple of hours, now, I come home to accidents on the floor. They are accidents, so cleaning up after her doesn't especially anger me, but it does upset me, especially given a very particular kind of accident she's been having lately: she needs to pee and can't get up and so pees where she lies, on the floor or on her bedding. Sometimes she lies in it for a little while, too, or drags herself to get away from it and kind of spreads it around.

I can't tell you how it breaks my heart to watch this happening, and know it's getting worse and will probably not stop happening. I really can't talk about my feelings on this in any great detail without upsetting myself. It just breaks my heart, is all.

I did some research this weekend and ordered some doggie diapers for her. If this is going to keep happening, I want to try and make it less upsetting for her, and this seems to me like a good way to do that; at least this way when she has accidents she won't have to lie in a puddle for goodness knows how long. But I was wondering if anyone else has experience with dog incontinence and/or debilitating arthritis? Any perspective or advice to offer? I am feeling a little lost here, wanting to help her and wondering if this is the right way to help or not.

Comments

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. :-( Poor Flannery. I don't have any advice to offer having never owned a dog, but I hope the diapers help.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- I hope they do too. :/

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. And I have no comparable experiences, but it's just sad to read about this.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Yeah -- heh, that video you linked to the other day, the dog on the cart, really hit home! She's okay most days, I should say, but she has bad days, too, and they come faster now.

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

Oh, the poor dog? Yeah, that was sad. Will your dog need something similar, do you think? Which probably isn't the most encouraging topic, and if you don't feel like answering it that's fine.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

No, she's not nearly bad enough to need a cart, thank goodness, and I hope she never will be, but I guess you never know. :/

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

This is one of the hardest things to have to deal with. Even the aging of my next-door-neighbors' dog fills me with sadness, because she used to be so bouncy and now she's got Slippery-Paw something fierce and her bark has lost its authoritative boom and, dammit, why does getting old have to be like this?

I will ask my sister about the doggie diapers; she had done some research into that option when her 16-year-old BBD started having major troubles. It certainly sounds to me like a good strategy. Flannery might not appreciate the encumbrance of them, but much younger dogs use a variation when they're in heat, I think, plus I'm sure she'd agree that clean-and-contained is best.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I'd honestly appreciate any advice your sister thinks might be useful. I've seen dogs laid low by age before, dogs I've loved -- but it's different when it's your own dog. In addition to the sadness, you also feel a desperate need to fix everything. And admitting that things can't always be fixed is a hard concession to make. You keep thinking, but surely there's something...

[somniesperus.livejournal.com]

I have no perspective--only many hugs and much love.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Which are always accepted. *cuddles up with you and Flan*