My wonderful dog Chloe, is getting old, and it is starting to show. She is nearly 14 now. If we go by the thought that 1 dog year is equal to 7 human years, she would be close to 98 years old. For the past year or so, we have noticed that she is slowing down and not enjoying the things she use to. But just lately, her age is really become evident. She is having hip problems and stumbles at times. Occasionally her back leg entirely gives out and she falls. She seems surprised when this happens. She has also fallen part way down the stairs because of it. All of these is very sad to watch. It really breaks my heart. This is the dog who hiked miles up mountians with us. Who always went camping and loved it.
The other day we put her outside to do her business in the morning and she disappeared. She was discovered hours later in one of our neighbors' garage. I honestly think that she might have wandered away and not been able to find her way home. I think she has doggy dementia. She will often stand still in one spot and stare at the floor of the wall for long periods of time. Or, the other extreme, wander around the house in circles, like she doesn't know what to do. This restlessness, added with her staggering when her hip gives out, really puts me on edge. To complicate matters she seems to no longer be able to hear much at all. And she has cataracts in both eyes. Old age is the pits, even for dogs.
The medicine the vet gave us for her hips, seems to be making her sick. She has had diarrhea several times this week, only at night, and only when sleeping in the boys room. Thank goodness we have a carpet cleaning vacuum! Chloe has really made sure we got our money's worth this week. So now she is off the new medicine, and we'll see what happens. I am cooking rice and plain chicken for her. The vet said a bland diet. Chloe seems to be a bit picky about it though. She is leaving a lot of the rice behind. I may have to switch to pasta instead. A girl after my own heart!
