older eskies

[mommysgirl]

May we all be blessed to have such wonderful furkids.  The memories you have shared some good and some hard we thank you for.  We can see through your words that you would not have it any other way.  To all the past present and future furkids on this board.

[delta]

When I get a nice backyard I will start adopting senior eskies to give them a second chance. I love senior eskies.

[Christinn]

Whytepine, the Yucca idea sounds interesting.  Could you ask your friend more about that?

[GoldenSnowflake]

I'll be in my mid 30s by the time snow passes hopefully she's last longer

[INDRAJM]

I have a 15 and 12 yr old eskie. The 15 yr old is starting to have some health problems. Her kidney levels are high and have been high for about a year. I guess eventually she'll go into kidney failure. She just had a dental due to massive infection in her mouth. She came thru it really well and is acting like a puppy and eating like a pig!! She now has a suspicious looking lump on her foot that is being checked on Monday. She also suffers from senality and on bad days poops in the house. She is mostly deaf and has mobility problems. Her hind end is very weak. But, overall she's very happy and still jumps playfully at the other dogs. She also still loves to go on outings and excitedly bites her leash and collar whenever she sees it come out.
Our 12 yr old has a significnant heart murmer and back problems. She still runs agility on a limited basis, because she lives to play agility!! We think it's getting harder for her to see in the dark. 
Overall I'd say they are both doing pretty well.
With Tara, (15 yr old) I know she's in the winter of her life and probably doesn't have a ton of time left.

[Christinn]

Wow...I was just re-reading this post...  I made my original post back in June of 2007 and since then Mandy had to say goodbye to Mister, Fuzzy dogs lost Snowball, Carol lost Maize and I lost Buck.  Kinda sad... 

Shelby is almost 15 now.  She still has her gall bladder and liver problems and is very arthritic but still happy and playful.

[Steve]

Wow...I was just re-reading this post...  I made my original post back in June of 2007 and since then Mandy had to say goodbye to Mister, Fuzzy dogs lost Snowball, Carol lost Maize and I lost Buck.  Kinda sad... 

Yes!  I was reading this and thinking "Hang on, something isn't right here..." and then I looked at the dates - Whytepines Comet is gone too...

[Yukon]

I thought the same thing.  I teared up as I was reading the posts...

[eskilady]

And I still have two seniors - Milo will be 12 next year and Molly will be 11.  There is a big gap between Molly and Mona as Mona will just be 5 in December.

[caroline]

Shiraz will be 12 next month.

[wildcat]

Cherokee is 12 and 3 months now. Outside of his back injury, he is doing well now.

[Eskielvr]

Mine are 9 and still in their prime. And I have Tristen though he's not Eskie, just turned 15 this year and is doing just fine (has mild hip dysplasia and a mild heart condition, but is on wonderful meds for it) as well although he has slowed down some. People always think he's 4 or 5 though and always act surprised when I tell them his age. My siggy pic of them all was taken around this time last year.

[blessed woman]

We have lost a few more senior eskies since this thread was last posted in. I've been sitting here thinking about my pups aging and decided to surf through the Senior Section. Now that I'm more of a full-time student I get to take them for walks a couple of times a day on most days. Getting them up to go outside to the bathroom looks like a comedy routine sometimes. I'm yelling, waving arms, jumping up and down, running back and forth, trying to get them to want to get up, haha. I try to make it a party each time bc they just don't care. They just want to sleep!

But pull the leashes out....I don't need to say a word, move any further or make any gestures. They get up quickly (well, quickly for them) and amble over to the door. The running, sliding, jumping barkfest doesn't happen any more, but they are happy all the same. I am melancholy when I think that I may not have them next summer to do this with. So I enjoy our slow-paced, shorter walks and watch them to see them enjoy them, too. They're getting more social on our walks again. When another dog is on the same block that we are they will stop to see what they are doing and meetings are exciting to them again, not something they ignore.

We've always walked the same areas and they would often lead the way. This week because we are only walking around one block at a time now, I take them around different blocks to give them new things to sniff and explore. They seem a little confused, but it is a joy to see Kia's tail and ears up and alert and the prance in her step when we are out. Poor Kodi just plods along and really only comes to life when he realizes we are back on our street, haha.

I love my babies and hope they can stay healthy and pain-free for a while to come!

[Kathy]

Thanks for sharing!  Although Shasta and Kola are only 9, now that we have a puppy, I can really tell how "mature" they are--and easy! The puppy stuff wears me out, but I do miss when Shasta and Kola used to play together.

[Saint Mom]

Nice post Cindy about your pups. True that older ones are calmer ones. Never thaught I'd say this about eskies. Nuuk is turning 9 this month and Tako in 6 months. But they do have A LOT of energy. Kathy, you mean K&S don't play much anymore? Mine are always on the go. Nuuk less but she is still active.

Now with Kooza who's just 14 months I can see a HUUUUUGE difference. Man I miss the time too when it was "quieter" in the house.  There is certainly not a dull moment at my house anymore. I have more than I have bargained for. hihi

But I'm sure when mine get even older, I'll freak out because it won't just be normal anymore and will miss all that chaos when someone rings the bell, when someone is near our car window, when..., whennn.

We have to really appreciate the time spent with them because it is really short on the planet. Even if some days I'd trade them for free. hihi

[snowballsmom]

Thanks for sharing!  Although Shasta and Kola are only 9, now that we have a puppy, I can really tell how "mature" they are--and easy! The puppy stuff wears me out, but I do miss when Shasta and Kola used to play together.

yeah, having harry, who is a year, reminds me of that too. S & S are 8. sad seeign them get older but glad for the maturity and calm. i dont think i could have a dog under 4 or so again.....

though i caught he and snowball wrestling and chasing this afternoon. seems she has a new bf. of bff. or both.

[katie's mom]

Sadie who is now ten and a half years old (at various vets' best guess) is increasingly reluctant to climb the incredibly steep steps upstairs every night.  She's still super lively on her walks but she just can't deal with the steps (few people can either; they're really treacherous and I've heard grown workmen curse loudly over those steps!).  Sadie's been slipping and losing her footing for some time now, so I guess it's inevitable.  And I can't carry her up because, as I say the steps are viciously steep and I'd probably end up killing both of us!  It was the same with Katie.  Finally I just had to accept the fact that she wouldn't be sleeping in my room with me.  I try to lure Sadie up with low-cal treats but that's less and less succesful.  I've switched her food over to Wellness for Seniors which has Glucosimine Condritin in it, so we'll see if that makes any difference.  Anyway, I've transferred our nightly ritual to downstairs--the toothbrushing and treats and massage and cuddling.  I guess that spending a winter or two on the frozen streets of Detroit must have contributed to her arthritis.  But I do miss having her next to me at night.  And it seems like I just got her....

[Christinn]

Very nice post Cindy.  I can't believe how many more of our babies have gone on to the rainbow bridge since I first posted this.  I just have my youngsters now.  I can't believe that Merlin will be 4 in a couple weeks.  It seems like it was just yesterday that he was a little puppy running around with Buck and Shelby.   Time goes by so quickly so treasure every moment with your babies.

[eskilady]

Yes, I lost Milo to a ruptured tumor but Molly is still hanging in there.  she is now 12.  Mona is 7 and the boys are both 2.

[Paula N.]

I'm one of those who has an "older" Eskie.  The trouble is - I don't know how old she is.  She (Angel) was adopted from the county, and they estimated that she was 5-1/2 years old.  I've had her for 6 years come January of 2012, and she is in very good shape.  Maybe she wasn't 5-1/2 at all - we'll never know.  She was pregnant at the time and needed spaying (a requirement of the county)  The vet said all the fetuses were dead.  Would that indicate that she was too old to be having puppies?

She tends to be overweight, and I struggled mightily for many years to have her shed weight, but it wasn't until I got Sweet Pea and then put Angel on Wellness CORE that she dropped any weight (it's high protein, low carbohydate).  She and Sweet Pea chase each other and wrestle and it's a question whether the increased activity or the CORE got her to lose weight, but she finally slimmed down. 

If she's going to be 11 years old in January, you'd never know it.  She has an annual check-up with "senior blood work" (always great and no problems ever found).  I do think she sometimes is a little shaky getting to her feet, so I give her glucosamine and chondroitin (the Nutri-Vet, one of only a few that got a "trustworthy" rating) and I'm thinking of getting the higher level when I order next time.  101 Eskies:  what is "canine complete joint care formula?" and where do you get it?  Angel has Grade 1 luxating patella on the right hind foot and I want to be sure it does not progress. 

I can't allow myself to even imagine what life without her would be like.  Hope it's a long way off!

[katie's mom]

Paula:

Just by way of some comfort--my last Eskie (a rescue) lived to be 16 1/2 and was rife with health problems: chronic bronchitis, symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy, liver cancer, arthritis, eventual blindness.  But up until the last few months she was happy and loved life.

But also, Paula, can you tell me what you mean by a "trustworthy" rating on glucosomine supplements.  My Sadie at (we think) 10 1/2 is exhibiting signs of problems with arthritis.  So, although I've put her on Wellness for Seniors which has Glucosomine Chondritin in it, I may need to augment that.  So I'd appreciate your advice.

[Paula N.]

When I get a nice backyard I will start adopting senior eskies to give them a second chance. I love senior eskies.

Oh Delta - you are my long-lost sister!  Bless you!

[Paula N.]

Katie's mom:  (and everybody else who is interested)

Back in 2009 (Sept. 21st) under General Health & Wellness, I reported on an article in Dog Fancy which was just shocking:  that most of the supplements for pets (especially glucosamine and chondroitin) contained way less the amount of the supplement than was stated on the label.  This included ome of the real biggies in the field (they didn't actually name names, but I quickly checked because they did say which ones were in the "approved" column and fortunately what I give Angel (the Nutri-Vet) is approved.  I just looked at this again, as I seemed not to have kept the article (unless I scanned it, and it would take me a while to find it) and it seemed to me that the level of each supplement is low, so I think I'll start buying the stronger version.

I must have saved this in some version, so I'm going to start looking today (forecast: 80% chance of rain - good time to stay in the house and search!).  If anyone wants more information, just PM me.  Thanks.

[blessed woman]

Kia is losing her hearing now  But she still loves her walks!

[katie's mom]

My third time on this thread--sorry!  But I have been luring Sadie upstairs with Charlee-Bears.  We began with one at the bottom, one on the landing and two at the top.  But now that she's figured it all out, she comes racing up those stairs like gangbusters for the Charlee-Bears she'll get at the top.  I know some of you poo-poo them, but they only have three calories apiece and Sadie loves them so they work and that's all tha matters to me.  The glucosomine-chondroitin in her food may be helping too but I'm just so pleased to have her sleeping in my room again with me and to see her charging up those stairs like a teenager!