Poppy

[MellowYellow]

Poppy is not doing so great at the moment. She is definitely deteriorating; in addition to her bad front left elbow she now also seems rather lame on her right front leg (physio says as a result of trying to ease the left leg), and her back legs are losing strength and mobility. She still goes on the water treadmill every week, which she enjoys (mostly because of the constant stream of little treats, I suspect), and she is on Previcox for pain relief and as an anti-inflammatory. Today she really did not want to go out, but I encouraged her into the woods for a gentle stroll because I feel she has to keep moving. OH is just out in the garden trying to set up a ramp as there are five steps down into the main part of the garden and she is not keen to use them. She does enjoy the garden once she is down there though, as there are mice and other wildlife around the compost heap and she is kept busy for at least 10 minutes sniffing around there. Otherwise she seems quite happy at home, loves to snuggle with us and be told what a Good Dog she is.

Oh, it is so hard when they get old and stiff. Poppy will be 13 in March; I hope she makes it to springtime.

 

[Anne123]

Yes, it s hard to see they are aging and having pain. Here the same with Finn. His eyesight is also very poor, can’t get in or out of the car due to his eyes, or does it hurt him? We don’t know. Perhaps a tip….Finn is on onsior and gabapentine 2 x 150mg and to have an extra 150mg when needed….It made a lot of difference in managing his pain levels

 

[MellowYellow]

Yes it may be time to talk to the vet about additional pain relief for her.

 

[M.F.]

I’m so sorry to hear about Poppy and Finn. Snowie, too, deteriorating. His 13th birthday is on 12 Jan. Today—as we do almost every Saturday morning—we went to the market. It’s a very vibey place with lots of food stalls and music and tons of people. He always loves it, especially since he gets a bag of fresh young coconut as a treat from the coconut vendor.

But today I felt he didn’t have much fun. It was hot. And he unusually drank—twice!—from the dog bowl at the rooibos store (filled with rooibos tea!). I do wonder if he has Cushings. I’m sorry I didn’t insist on a test. The vet dismissed my concerns, said he doesn’t have the correct symptoms. But he is balding terribly and doesn’t have the zing he used to have. We bumped into a neighbour from down the road and she thought he’d been shaved. At least he looked shaved to her and not moth eaten!

During the night he scratched a hole in the side of his face. Raw. I filled in the holes with white Sudocrem (zinc-based cream) to make him look kinda presentable to take to the market.

It’s just so sad. I guess our dogs will die from something. But somehow I wasn’t prepared for an agonisingly slow deterioration.

Our vet is on holiday. We’ll wait a couple of weeks till he gets back. Hopefully Snowie won’t deteriorate more in this time. I so want him to be happy.

 

[M.F.]

@Anne123 do you have a ramp for your car? I keep a fold-up ramp in the boot. It’s made all the difference. Although today while I was getting it out, Snowie jumped into the car on his own!

 

[kateincornwall]

So sad to read about dear Poppy , I truly hope she finds the strength to see another spring time , much love xxx

 

[Stacia]

@MellowYellow, the vet told me that it was important that they still exercised to ease the joints. Rourke was finally on Ketamine, Librella, gabapentin and paracetamol. I think he could have gone on longer, but the ulcerated hock joint would not heal . I wish for the best for dear Poppy.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Winters hard on old dogs. I definitely would speak to your vet to try some different pain relief and combinations of drugs. Rory's on gabapentin paracetamol and librella. Hes doing really well and has a good quality of life.

 

[Cath]

So sorry about dear Poppy

 

[Anne123]

@Anne123 do you have a ramp for your car? I keep a fold-up ramp in the boot. It’s made all the difference. Although today while I was getting it out, Snowie jumped into the car on his own!

Yes I have! We got one last week. My sister had one for us. We only have to practice it with Finn…

 

[Joy]

I'm sorry that Poppy is not so well. I hope she can enjoy another few months (at least) with you. x

 

[edzbird]

She does enjoy the garden once she is down there though, as there are mice and other wildlife around the compost heap and she is kept busy for at least 10 minutes sniffing around there. Otherwise she seems quite happy at home, loves to snuggle with us and be told what a Good Dog she is.

Sounds like she's still having an amazing time xx

 

[Granca]

She does enjoy the garden once she is down there though, as there are mice and other wildlife around the compost heap and she is kept busy for at least 10 minutes sniffing around there.

There was a fairly recent article about the importance of sniffing fo dogs, so Poppy is probably enjoying that just as much as she enjoyed more active walks. I hope it’s possible to adjust her medication a bit so that she can venture a bit further and keep active, but maybe we miss the walking more than they do.

 

[Jacqui-S]

maybe we miss the walking more than they do

This is very true.

 

[Selina27]

she is kept busy for at least 10 minutes sniffing around there. Otherwise she seems quite happy at home, loves to snuggle with us and be told what a Good Dog she is.

The best life for her xx
So sorry Karen though, it's hard for you but it seems to me you are doing all the right things xx

 

[MellowYellow]

One thing that can be guaranteed to get her going is to suggest that we get the dummies out... That will never change! Of course no retrieving, but we carry a few dummies into the woods (only a five minute walk), and I hide them in the leaf mold and she searches for them, it really means she has to use her nose. She is so happy and concentrated, little tail going nineteen to the dozen, and then she is so proud to carry one of the little dummies home. We do this a couple of times a week, she really gets her sparkle back!

 

[Stacia]

@MellowYellow, that is so lovely to read, they get such pleasure searching, she sounds so happy then.

 

[Lab_adore]

One thing that can be guaranteed to get her going is to suggest that we get the dummies out... That will never change! Of course no retrieving, but we carry a few dummies into the woods (only a five minute walk), and I hide them in the leaf mold and she searches for them, it really means she has to use her nose. She is so happy and concentrated, little tail going nineteen to the dozen, and then she is so proud to carry one of the little dummies home. We do this a couple of times a week, she really gets her sparkle back!

This made me smile so much

I am sorry to read Poppy is not always doing so well, I hope she improves perhaps with a medication adjustment

 

[Cath]

How is Poppy today Karen @MellowYellow

 

[M.F.]

Just thinking about the stiffness, do you ever use heat pads? I put a dish towel in the microwave for 30 seconds, which makes it warm and very comforting when applied to a stiff muscle. And so easy to do.

We also tried a warm foot soak for Snowie. I’ve wanted to do it for a while but he has no patience. Then my husband came up with the idea to do it when he eats. Works a charm, although only for one paw at a time per meal! I guess I could try setting up multiple containers. I put betadine (povidone iodine) in the water (for the yeast overgrowth). But you could use Epsom salts for aches. The water is fairly hot, but he pays no attention to it. I got the idea when I had an infection in my thumb nail (from gardening, something pierced my skin). Earliest doctors appointment was a week away. So I looked up on the Internet what to do, tried soaking. And wow, amazing results. Managed to squeeze a thorn out of another finger, too, with this method. Canceled the doctors appointment!