[BonBon]

Originally Posted by kjc

Great news! Hoping his bloodwork comes back good.

I wanted to mention too that as my Sophie was aging, I developed new routines throughout our days to include anything I could do to help her be more comfortable and to make sure she was eating enough.

I started having to hand feed her, it was easier for her to eat more, quicker, than if I just left it in a bowl for her. Very important to watch their weight. I looked on handfeeding as a special time I got to spend with her and further increase our bond, and I know she appreciated me doing that for her. I think she was having some trouble getting and keeping the food in her mouth, and would get tired of trying and walk away.

When I saw how much more she ate being handfed, I realized the problem was more in the mechanics of eating rather than a loss of appetite, as I had wrongly assumed when it started.

Also we ate pizza alot that summer... her last... as that was her favorite treat.

Originally Posted by lisaly

I also handfed Ashley. I definitely was able to get her to eat more when I handfed her, but also I was using the food to try to hide her medication in it. She knew it was there, just because she could smell it. It also made it easier without the medication for her to get to her food. Probably also because her cataracts were growing fast the last few months of her life, she kept walking into the food and water bowl, and she would flip it many times a day. We had a tray on our bed with her water and food plates. We put chucks or washable pee pads and towels under the tray, since we had to clean up the area several times a day. I actually found it comical with her. She was eating baked ziti and dumplings a lot but also grilled yellow, red, or orange peppers, broccoli, brisket, steak, stuffed cabbage (without cabbage because of her gas pockets). She loved Costco butter crumb pound cake. She was starting to get too skinny, and she was only 4 pound before this, and it helped keep her belly so it wasn't hungry. She was having trouble with the kibble. Her doctor kept saying that she looked great--that her heart and lungs were strong, her belly was doing much better, and that her coat looked great, so he said I must have been getting enough healthy food into her. Her bloods were also good. I also needed to make sure that it was safe for her to eat these things and made sure she wasn't getting things stuck on the roof of her mouth. We spend almost all of our time upstairs in the bedroom because she would not stay downstairs, and the bedroom was where she was and felt safest. It was also easier for her to navigate the bedroom, and we cleared paths so that she wouldn't be knocking into things. When we gave her free reign of the upstairs, we put a gait at the top of the stairs to prevent her from falling or wandering off. It was also better forher to stay in the bedroom because she kept getting lost in corners in the other rooms upstairs. She didn't mind just staying in the bedroom, since that's where we stayed. I bought a sheepskin rug for her to lie on, which worked great for her, especially the times my husband had to be in the hospital. After she did her pacing or wandering, she came to the side of the bed where my husband was sitting to be picked up. When he was unable to right after having back surgery, she would at least lie down on the sheepskin rug. I was able to wash it easily in the washer and dryer, and it came out fluffy. When we started to worry more about Ashley falling off the bed, my husband moved a chair to the other side of the bed where she was sleeping to be close to her. That made her feel safe. I agree about the bonding time being important. The more opportunities you can find where he enjoys bonding, the more you can make him feel safe and also happy. Ashley still loved being outdoors and walked a lot. If I let her, she would walk greater than 2 miles at a time. I limited the walking to 1 mile at a time, usually 2 or more times a day. Sometimes, when Ashley was too tired when we took our morning walks I just carried her, and she absolutely loved those walks, and most times she wanted to kiss my nose while being cuddled close. I think she enjoyed being held close, and it made her feel safe. She rested very peacefully when we went home. I thought the walking would be good for her gas, so I still continued to walk, only with me carrying her with her cradled in my arms.

You all are amazing!! I love reading about the love and concern for these little ones, and the efforts you made to keep them happy and comfortable. I can't talk about a lot of this stuff with my friends and family, because they'd think I was nuts! A bedrail for a dog? A nitelight? You spent HOW much at the vets?!? That's all I'd hear. Except here, where you guys understand just how much Alexander means to me. He's been my baby, my best friend for almost 15 years!! How could I not want to do everything in my power to help him?