Growing older

[chandracz]

Bailey will be 13 this year. He still acts like a puppy and plays all the time but he is blind in one eye from a cataract and the other eye is aging now. We are hoping another cataract won't form. He's not a candidate for cataract surgery because his retina's are detached. It's sad watching his body start to go when his spirit is still so young! I'm having a hard time! Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated!!! I just needed to vent!

[lillymae]

Awww, no advice on how to handle it . I just wanted to say Love, Love, Love & enjoy each & every moment & take LOTS of pics.

[chandracz]

Originally Posted by lillymae

Awww, no advice on how to handle it . I just wanted to say Love, Love, Love & enjoy each & every moment & take LOTS of pics.

Thank you! I've always taken lots of pics of him but lately I take a ton more!!! He is the king of my castle and so very loved!!!! Thank you for the sweet words. This is really bothering me!

[lillymae]

Originally Posted by chandracz

Thank you! I've always taken lots of pics of him but lately I take a ton more!!! He is the king of my castle and so very loved!!!! Thank you for the sweet words. This is really bothering me!

You need to meditate or something because he can sense your stress & you don't want that to be bothering him for the rest of his life either. I know it's hard but you have to do whatever you can to ease your mind & cause his as little stress as possible.

[chandracz]

Thanks for the reply! I will definitely start to be mindful about that. Great advice!!!

[lillymae]

Sing to him. That probably sounds crazy but I find singing helps sooth my pets & it helps sooth me & takes my mind off of the sad things in my mind. I have 2 with cancer now & I sing all of the time & they love it. Just don't sing the Sunshine song as that one never helps me & then I cry & they want to know why, lol

[lillymae]

Also keep in mind that just because he is loosing his sight that doesn't mean that the end is near. He could still live to be 18 or 19. My aunts yorkie hasn't had sight for 5 or 6 yrs now & she turned 19 last September & had her last dental in November & she's still going pretty strong. We never know how long we'll have these little earth angels with us so we just can't ever take for granted that they will be here next wk. I give all of mine Ester-C to ward off arthritis & take them to see the Chiropractor to keep their circulation at top notch & mine always live way past their prime. I don't know if that's why they live long lives or it's all the good food & lovin they get but I'll just keep doing whatever I can for as long as they want to keep on going & really that's all you can do for any of them. Also I have a better understanding of life & death after all the rescues I have had over the years, young & old, sick & broken down. Love & vet care can only do so much & you have to come to terms with the fact that death is as much a part of life as being born is & sometimes there are much worse things then helping them cross over & it doesn't always have to be ugly. Keep this in mind for when the time comes ( years from now) I always give a tranquilizer at home before we go to the vet so they will be calm & relaxed as I don't want the last things my babies know to be fear and/or pain and that deff makes things better for both of us. I know you probably think I'm getting way ahead of you but these are things I have in my mind always & after working as a vet tech for yrs & being a part of this process WAY too many times, you see things you don't ever want your babies to go through. Anyway these are just things I have learned from my experiences that may help you or someone else someday. Chicken soup for the pet lovers soul, I have read them all & they help too. In fact there is one that talks about just this thing & after I read it & read it again & again, it really opened my eyes on the ageing process & beyond. What about a bucket list ? or keeping a doggy journal. One of my aunts rites letters to her pets & she says it helps, she starts writing them letters way before they are gone, when she starts having feelings like you are having now. I have watched her read them to her Cody & he sits & listens just like a child being read to, just like my pets listen to me sing to them. Anyway come vent whenever you need.

[chandracz]

I sing to him all the time. I'm fairly confident he will be just fine if he goes blind, it's just hard to watch. I REALLY appreciate EVERYONE'S feedback and suggestions. I know i need to get over my feelings!!!

[Cindy_17]

I had a Maltese that went blind, I totally get what you are saying. It is hard knowing they are getting older, my Maltese lived a VERY happy and playful 15 years. He was blind for the last 3 years of his life and adapted well! You learn to do other things with them, he loved to play fetch, but going blind he wasn't able to, so we would play tug of war with toys. Snowball also loved to take our socks off, I would let him pull and tug at my socks as often as he wanted. We adjusted together and cuddled often. Your baby maybe blind in one eye, and a little older, but it is obvious the love you have with your baby and he knows it . Them being blind is heartbreaking but know there is still many fun things you can do together. Most important thing that precious one cares about is his mommy is right there with him. God Bless you and your baby!

[maxdog]

Originally Posted by chandracz

I sing to him all the time. I'm fairly confident he will be just fine if he goes blind, it's just hard to watch. I REALLY appreciate EVERYONE'S feedback and suggestions. I know i need to get over my feelings!!!

When I sing to Max he jumps on me and starts to lick my face as if to say "STOP!"

[Wylie's Mom]

Our Wylie is blind in both eyes now, and has been for some time. But like your baby, he plays like a puppy and has a very young spirit. He gets around amazingly well too! Also, he does still play fetch even though he can't see the ball -- we just have to play fetch on the ceramic tile floor so that he can hear the ball vs seeing it. It's pretty amazing.

Your little one will adjust along w/ his sight, believe me. I know it's tough, bc I feel it too...but it will be okay .

[celstu1]

Oh my boys are 10 now, going on 11 this year. They are both healthy now, but I know their next exam the vet will start senior panels. When they went last year, she called them seniors and I came home very upset by that. Hard to believe its already been 10 years since I got them! I pray hard for another 10 years! HUGS to your baby (and you)!

[gemy]

Vent all you like here! I too have a senior large dog and he is entering into the last 2-3 yrs of his life. And boy that is hard to type!

I think a bucket list is great for you and your pal! Do everything you want with him now. I hope that we get a chance to do another road trip and some hiking when warmer weather comes.

Dogs help us to learn to make time every day for some fun. It could even be just 5 minutes or so.