I Hate When They Get Old

[Guest LazyBones]

gumby is an old girl at 13 yrs old, and has some of the issues that go along with old age, many of them minor and easy to deal with. however, she has been acting a bit "off" lately, and i am getting concerned. i'm gonna have to get her in to the vet soon.

 

i can't pinpoint when it began, but lately it seems she has gotten more restless. she will pace around, pant, sometimes hold her tail between her legs, and make attempts to lie down (sometimes in odd spots). gumby is a little jumpy by nature, but sometimes she will jump up suddenly while lying down and run/walk away, and i can't figure out what is spooking her sometimes. in the overnight hours, however, i think she gets more rest. i don't know.

 

at first i though maybe it's her arthritis (for which she does get meds), and that she is having trouble getting comfortable. but i don't know...i am getting worried that maybe it's a combination of that and senility.

[4greyhounds]

[MerlinsMum]

:( I don't have any experience with seniors... but I Gumby! I hope the vet can shed some light on the restlessness. :goodluck

[nyGreys]

Oh Kellie, I know the feeling. I hate seeing them get old. I get teary eyed when I think of it.

Sending hugs & prayers for you & your sweet Gumby.

[Guest Becky__R]

It is so sad. I wish they could tell us what is wrong. Best of luck, Becky

[greysmom]

You should give your vet a call. There is a new drug therapy that can help with canine senility (can't remember the name of course) and it may be something that can help your Gumby.

 

It is hard as they age. I think it's only human nature to want to keep them with us forever, and to be sad as we see that's not going to happen. Give her a hug and a kiss and an extra cookie, and treasure every good moment.

 

greysmom

[Guest SueG201]

My senior almost 10 yrs old paces when she cannot go and lounge on my bed all day.

She cannot get comfortable anymore unless she is on my bed under the covers, but if I pull out the leash she jumps in the air with excitement and air snaps. Gotta love their quirks,

and those precious grey faces, I love to smooch her grey face

[Guest greyaspet]

My girl lived to almost 14 and she came into my life when she was 2. About a year before she died she started to do "strange" things. One day I was watching her and she was circling the cat's bed then tried to lay in it. I did call my vet about the drug but he said as long as she wasn't hurting herself he didn't see any reason to give it to her. If it became a danger to her then we would talk about it. It never did. One minute she was doing strange things then she was herself again. I loved her even more as she got older and want her back so bad that I still cry over loosing her and it was almost 2 years ago. Yes we want to have them around forever. If only.

Sheila

[Guest HeatherDemps]

It is so hard as they get older. After Dempsey died, I looked at some recent pictures of him and I remember saying to him, "Wow Demps, when did you get old? It sure snuck up on us....".

 

Dempsey used to do exactly what you're describing with the jumping up, both before and after his amputation. DH and I had all kinds of things we attributed it to, including gas (kid you not, he jumped up and took off every time he passed gas). I don't think it can hurt to touch base with your vet. I'll keep my fingers crossed that all is okay.

[Guest Greensleeves]

Those strange behaviors might not just be old age--they may be signs that something is physically wrong, and that may be something you can treat. Nelly was only 8, but one of the quirks of her kidney disease was trying to sleep (or, really, hide) in strange places--first our closet, then on an air vent behind a chair, and finally (the last weekend of her life) very far under a pine tree in our back yard. This hiding behavior happened whenever she was seriously physically stressed--when she was pregnant, after an ear surgery, etc. It's worth getting her in to do some bloodwork, just to be sure there's not something you can help out.

[GreyKarma]

This is just a thought... but you might have her anal glands checked. The tucked tail, panting and restlessness are common symptoms.

[Guest KRKWMU]

Hoping that you're able to get Gumby comfortable. It's tough to see them hurting. Sending good thoughts for both of you!

[Guest PiagetsMom]

[ShantisMom]

It is so sad and hard to watch them get old. You know Gumby is one of my favorites.

[Guest LazyBones]

well, i ended up taking her to the e-vet tonight. i didn't know when i'd be able to take her to the regular vet, and because of that and the fact that she is particularly distressed tonight, i couldn't make her wait.

 

they did bloodwork and x-rays. her kidney levels are slightly elevated, but not bad. part of it is due to dehydration, and i haven't seen her drink any water tonight. the vet said this is likely a pain issue, and saw some spots in her spine which could be causing her trouble. he gave her a shot (don't remember what), and prescribed tramadol (sp?).

 

i don't think i'll be getting any sleep tonight. she is really having trouble with her back legs right now, making it extremely difficult to stand, walk, or really relax/get comfortable.

 

this really sucks.

[silverfish]

We had this problem with Jim and we're getting it again to a lesser extent with Jack. Both had/have arthritis, and both were/are on Metacam. With Jim, we did take him to the vet but he had no solutions so we just muddled through. With Jack, a new vet suggested he may have developed stomach problems as a result of the Metacam and prescribed him Zitac (an acid reducer)

 

Now the Zitac helped a lot for about a year, then he started the same thing again. The same vet said he thought Metacam was still the best choice for him, as his bloodwork was OK and he wasn't showing serious gastro-intestinal signs (Jack has always thrown up now and then, and is still doing that, but it's fairly rare and there's never any blood - or diarrhoea) so we began reducing the dose and missing out days when we thought his arthritis would stand it. This means less exercise of course, which Jack isn't happy about, but he is thirteen ...

 

In the last few months we've noticed the same panting, circling, bed-digging, restless behaviour - almost always in the evening. The vet suggested splitting the dose of Metacam instead of the once a day dose, and giving it three days on, three days off. Again, this helped for a while, and he stopped all the odd, stressed behaviours. Now, he's at it again. I saw a different vet with Renie yesterday and he asked about Jack and he's going to prescribe him a different drug to try - Previcox.

 

Acupuncture is really not an option with this dog, sadly, or I'd try that. He's so twitchy about being touched, I can't see him allowing a stranger to stick needles in him, and it would stress him enormously.

 

Of course, there may be another explanation and he may also be getting a little senile, but I don't really see any positive signs of that. His vision IS very poor - a combination of lenticular sclerosis and cholesterol deposits on the cornea - so some of this may be low lighting. We've started to leave a nightlight on for him overnight, because he tried to get into bed with Renie and trod on her. Result, puncture wounds on her legs and a bruised toe from trying to leap up. It's not something she tolerates and it's not something he'd normally try, so I'm fairly sure he simply didn't see her.

 

You might talk to your vet about whether there is a different drug for Gumby to try, or if he thinks she might benefit from something like Zitac to help with the effects of the NSAIDs for her arthritis (if it is an NSAID you're giving her!) and you might try the nightlight.

 

One more thing we've noticed with Jack is that he often can't get comfortable till he finds just the right position to lie in. He now finds this less easy on very soft beds and prefers firmer, flatter ones. Jim used to like a beanbag, which is actually quite hard. Jack prefers a foam or firmly stuffed cushion. Maybe Gumby would like memory foam?

 

If you find a different solution, please do let me know! I love the old ones, but it is SO hard when they age and these problems come up. It can be very hard to find a solution.

 

Sorry - this turned into a book! But I hope it has given you one or two things to think about.

[Guest greybookends]

Tasha is 13 and I worry about her even if she is just a bit off. I understand how you feel. I will place the precious Gumby on my prayer list. Get well soon sweetie.

:hope :hope :hope

[Guest vahoundlover]

I love the old guys and gals so much, knowing something is off always sends my tummy rolling. My thoughts and prayers are with Gumby, she is such a cutie patootie.

[fliggie]

Hugs for you and princess gumby.

[Guest LazyBones]

gumby is not looking good this morning. i stayed up with her all night, and i think she only had about one hour sleep tops. she is having difficulty standing, and is just as restless as she was last night. i am really worried. i called in sick, and am taking gumby in to her regular vet this morning. if they can't do anything for her, i don't know what else to do. i definately don't want to prolong her life if it means she will continue in this shape, and i am afraid she is going to hurt herself. right now i am not feeling too optimistic.

 

so please, keep gumby in your thoughts today.

[Batmom]

Sending lots of prayers for your sweet girlie.

[Guest Spiff]

I totally know how you feel!!

 

Spiff will be 14 in a couple of weeks! Poor old guy THINKS that his body should work just as well as it always has, but alas, his rear legs are failing. We check in with the vet from time to time if Spiff seems to have a particularly bad day and spoil him more than ever. For example, I've started cooking for him - since he doesn't like just plain kibble anymore...

 

Gentle scritches for Gumby and a for you!

[Guest greyhound1]

:hope

[silverfish]

Oh, no ... sending many good thoughts and prayers for sweet little old Gumby! :hope

[PattyE]

Sending prayers for Gumby.