Bailey, even at age 11, still acts like a puppy: he loves to play, and will go pick a toy from his basket and drop it in your lap to get you off the couch and running around chasing him. But he has seasonal allergies, not unusual in Labradors. As he has gotten older, the "season" has gotten longer so that it now runs from March until about September. It's also so severe that, unchecked, it will cause him to scratch himself until he's raw and bleeding. Even a cone doesn't seem to help. After experimenting with various diets, vitamins, shampoos and medicines, we finally got him on Claritin and that seems to be doing the trick. Take twice a day with food.
Flash, at 12, has always had plenty of energy. When he started slowing down and eating and drinking less, we attributed it to his getting older. But when he started vomiting every day, I took him to the vet. Several visits, questions, and tests later, we have him on antibiotics for an infection and anti-nausea for his stomach. We're to keep watch on his enlarged prostate (is NO aging male immune?) and take necessary steps if that progresses as well. Two meds, twice a day with food.
Like a caretaker in a doggy nursing home, my mornings go something like this: wrap doggie meds seperately in bread crusts. Dip into some gravy-like substance to add appeal. Insure bread ball/meds have been swallowed. Mix warm water with kibble and serve immediately after meds to insure proper digestion. As soon as all kibble is consumed, walk dogs, preventing them from eating grass as much as possible so that medication stays down. Repeat procedure at dinner time.
Having the kids grow up watching these dynamics helps them to understand the responsibility involved with owning a pet, and caring for them as their needs change. But at the same time, having your kids become more independent at the same time your pets are becoming more dependent is a tricky path to walk. Just as I am starting to enjoy the benefits of having my kids step up around the house and need less of my attention, I have to increase my attentions to the dogs, as well as the time spent cleaning up when they are sick or incontinent in the house. The meds help with symptoms, but the pets are still getting older. Looking toward the future, I know that if it's not one thing, it will eventually be another. It's not easy and, while I'm not exactly a member of the 'sandwich generation'--adults who are caring for their young children and aging parents at the same time--I can kind of relate to the juggling involved and the mixed emotions that go along with it.
I have to sigh when I think of generations past, when an aging pet would suddenly be gone from the home, and the kids told "he went to live on a farm" to spare them the pain of hearing that their pet had died. As sad as it is to think about, though, the alternative seems rather bittersweet: today, through the wonders of medical technology, our pets can stay at home much longer--aging and ailing--because we can bring the 'pharm' to them. If our pets could talk, what would they think of all this?
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