Meandmy

What a beautiful, heartfelt tribute. I'm sure it was excruciating to have to write, but I appreciate you giving us a window to see into the very special relationship the two of you had. I'm very sorry that you had to say goodbye to Aquitaine. My thoughts are with you.

I've been away so didn't see this until today. My heart breaks for you. Thank you for taking such great care of Tasha, all the way to the end.

Oh nessa, I'm so so sorry for your loss. I'm also sorry it was made worse by someone on GT. Please know that you will always have lots of support here, and lots of people who will try to be of help and comfort.

So sad to be saying goodbye to yet another of my favorite characters on GT. I'm so sorry he had to leave you, Pam, but he clearly left behind some wonderful memories to keep with you.

I'm so sorry, Pam. I, too, know how you feel, as I had to let Tori go a couple of months ago at the age of 14 1/2. She was mentally all there, happy, comfortable, eating like a champ, but her back end failed her and there was nothing to be done. We found temporary relief with a steroid shot, but she soon lost control of her bladder. She wanted to go for walks, but her body couldn't keep up with what she wanted to do. We had given up stairs months earlier and moved all of us to the main floor of the house. She was comfortable, but physically she was getting worse, so I decided to let her go. It was so hard. No matter what, we never have enough time with our animals.

It sounds like you both hit the jackpot the day he wandered into your campsite. So wonderful that you were able to spend 16 years together, but no matter how long you have, it's never long enough. Run free, sweet boy...

I'm so very sorry...

I'll be thinking of you and Huston...

Fabulous name for a very handsome boy Welcome!

I've tried to write this tribute about a dozen times, and I just don't know what to say that can truly describe my little quirky girl and what she meant to me. She was as stubborn as I am, and we sometimes didn't see eye-to-eye, but we eventually came to an understanding and we became incredibly close, especially as she got older. She was a part of our family for almost 8 and a half years, but it seems like the blink of an eye. This is what she looked like when she came to us, just a week shy of her 6th birthday. And here she is when she turned 14. She was always a little bit different And her personality always shined through. Her spirit was willing, but her body was tired. So we let her go to run at the Bridge, where she is whole and happy. Bless you, baby girl.

My dog is having the incontinence issues, but not kidney disease. I did a quick search in the forum (top right of the page) for kidney and incontinence and came up with a ton of links within Health & Medical. I didn't know if I could link my search, but it would be easy for you to do. Hopefully you can find some answers that way.

She looks so happy! Thanks so much for sharing that video - made my day!

As I posted about last week, Tori had a health episode last week where she almost completely lost use of her hind legs. She was also in considerable pain (you can read my previous thread here). She received a cortisone shot and we added gabepentin to the mix, on top of the tramadol she had previously been on. Her response to the steroid has been great. She's clearly feeling much better, although her hind end is still weak. Last night she had two accidents inside the house, including one on her bed. She pees in the house occasionally, and always in the same spot. The bed was definitely a surprise and it upset her. After that she slept through the night without incident. I should note that she is not drinking any more than usual. I got a clean urine catch first thing this morning and brought it in to the vet, in case she had a UTI. There was zero sign of any infection. DH just called as he is the first one home and, not only had she wet the bed again, she is constantly dribbling as she walks around. She doesn't seem to be noticing it. My vet is currently traveling to Chicago and his office is trying to contact him before they close today. They mentioned it being hormonal incontinence, but this seems to be awfully quick and severe to be such a thing. Might it be related to her hind end issues? If so, what in the world do I do about it? We can't have her peeing everywhere she goes all day long. I would appreciate your thoughts and advice. Thanks!

I'm so sorry. Run free, Maya! Go get those kitties!

I believe it was cortisone. I am amazed at the difference it has made. She's like a puppy again! We have to be careful as she doesn't seem to recognize that her hind end is still weak, so she wants to do everything RIGHT NOW! She and I have had several disagreements now as she wants to go for long walks and run around the yard, while I'm trying to keep her quiet so she doesn't overexert.

I'll be thinking of Maya and your family today.

The steroid shot seemed to help a lot! We got home and she slept without moving for about 5 hours, then was up and about. She's moving so much better and it's clear how much more comfortable she is. She's not back to her old self, but she's so much better than she was! She ate both dinner and breakfast and dinner with enthusiasm, not to mention the million treats we've been feeding her She's walking much more easily and can stand a bit longer before her rear starts to sink. The only side effect I've seen is some extra thirst. Baby girl has a bladder of steel, though, and still slept through the night without having to go out. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm so glad we gave her this chance. It's been a pretty happy morning around here

This has been a tough week. My heart has been through the wringer. She's not in pain, her body just won't cooperate. I've finally convinced her to lay down to eat (not an easy feat) and she's eating with gusto. She has to be carried in and out of the house, which she hates, so we're leash walking in the backyard. She won't come to me if she knows I'm going to pick her up. I had a long talk with her this morning and it's clear to me that she's not ready to go. If she was tired and didn't want us to fight for her I'd let her go. But her spirit is still strong - she wanted to go for a walk this morning and was so excited to go for a car ride, even if it was to the vet for a shot. After a tough night, but a much better morning, I spoke with the vet and we decided to try one last thing for Tori before we give up. We gave her a steroid injection to see if that would help. We'll know within 24 hours. If it works we'll be blessed with more time with her. If it doesn't, we'll know we did what we could. DH and I agree that she deserves that much. She and I are hanging out together today. She's getting lots of yummy treats and as many trips outside in the sun as she wants. Please keep your fingers crossed for her.

Quick update - we just got back from the vet. Her hind end was sinking a lot while we were there so I'm glad the vet got to see that. He did a thorough examination and an in-house TBD test. It came back negative but they're sending bloodwork out to a lab as well. He feels that her issue is more pain related than weakness. She still has good awareness of her legs and feet, but he found a couple of reactive spots along her spine. He did an acute cold laser therapy treatment on her and we are adding gabapentin to her medication regimen. We talked about adequan as well, but he didn't want to throw too many things into the mix at once. As long as things stay ok, I'm to check in in two weeks and we'll see if we want to add in the adequan. I'm hopeful that the laser therapy helped a little bit. She just climbed up onto the couch by herself and will snooze away until dinner. Thanks so much for the advice and good wishes. We appreciate them both!

We couldn't get an appointment until 3:00, but I stayed home with Tori and she's doing much better. I'm still taking her in, though. Unfortunately, acupuncture isn't an option for her - we tried it with her and she didn't do well with it. Disappointing as it did wonders for one of my other dogs that had chronic hind end issues. I'm guessing we're going to end up with a wait-and-see, but if there is an update I'll post it.

I'm waiting for the vet to open and get Tori in to see him. In the meantime, I wanted to check in with all of you to get any ideas you might have. Tori is 14+ and has had a somewhat weak hind end for a while now. She can't do stairs anymore, can't jump in and out of the car, occasionally knuckles under, etc. However, it hasn't been bad and she's been pretty comfortable with the help of tramadol and meloxicam. This morning I took her for her morning walk per usual (about 1/2 mile at her pace). I noticed she was limping on her right shoulder a bit, but other than that the walk was fine. No slower than normal, no knuckling under. It's a cool morning. Got home and when she got inside she couldn't stand. The second she stands still her rear starts sinking. She's never done this before. She can walk, but her gait is suddenly very uneven. She doesn't like that she's sitting without wanting to and is getting agitated, so she's moving around a lot. It really doesn't look like she's comfortable at all. It's bad enough that if it had happened overnight I'd take her to the evet. As it is, the regular vet opens shortly and I'll be giving them a call immediately. What I'm wondering is, is there anything we can do that might help her? What treatment options might there be? My poor old lady - her spirit is as strong as ever and it's been hard watching her body slowly give out on her

Run free, sweet girl...

I've tried their wet grain-free food in a few flavors for Tori and she seemed to like them. No digestive distress either. Much more reasonable than some of the other grain-free wet foods out there.

So sorry to read this. I have a very senior girl myself and, although she is overall healthy, her body is starting to fail her. I know she can't stay with us forever, but I certainly wish she could. Run free, Lucy.

Welcome to GT! I am American, but my family is originally from Bad Wimpfen, which looks like it's not too far from you. One of my relatives is the mayor there and my husband and I are planning to visit there next year. I'd love to hear what you think about being an American living in Germany, as my dream is to move there at some point, if I can convince my husband! Welcome to you and Zoey. She is beautiful!