We could possibly have the world’s laziest dogs!
Speck
Poor old Speck. He’s going downhill quickly and it makes me so sad to watch. The vet wants to do some x-rays . . he may have tumors in his nasal area. I’ve put it off because even if he does have them, at 16 years old, we’re not going to do any major surgery on him. He needs his teeth cleaned and I hate to put him under anesthesia with the breathing problems he’s having but the vet says sinus issues can be aggravated by his teeth being so bad so . . do we go ahead and clean the teeth and hope that helps the breathing/sneezing/wheezing, or do we spend lots of $$ on x-rays to find out that he has tumors that aren’t going to be fixed? We’ve had lots of years of enjoyment with him but these days are tough. He’s a dog . . lots of people are going through way worse situations so I try to keep it in perspective.
Rita, on the other hand, is a mischievous little rascal. We go for weeks and weeks and weeks with no accidents and then I leave the door open to one of the two bedrooms — the only rooms in this house with carpet, and she runs in there and pees. Give her 10 seconds in a room with carpet and there’s trouble. I told Vince over the weekend that as soon as I’m brave enough to move all the “stuff” out of those two bedrooms, the carpet is coming out. I figured he’d squawk but he said . . do it! My plan is to do it next Fall. It’s already gotten too warm here to want to be moving furniture and cleaning out the closets. Yes, I’m making up excuses to keep from having to do all that work!
So, what would I put down instead of carpet? I don’t want laminate. We have hardwood in the rest of the house except the kitchen and bathrooms and honestly, with dogs and toe nails, I don’t think I want wood. Besides, it’s dark wood and dust . . oh, the dust . . it shows! Tile is cold but we don’t have that much cold, and with a rug or two, it’s ok. Until Rita is 100% trustworthy, Walmart rugs that go into the washer a few times, then get thrown out and replaced are best.
Rita
She loves her bed! I love that she’s not sleeping and shedding directly on the brown slip cover. She has a bed in our room and at night, I put it on top of the covers and bring in her blanket and she sleeps there and doesn’t move. She most often sleeps on her back, just like in the picture. Not very modest, is she?
During the night, I sometimes bump her bed and she never moves. Every now and then, I’ll sit up in bed and reach down to make sure she’s still there. She’s such a good sleeper. I guess that makes up for her other bad habits.
Vickie VanDyken says
Oh man..I get it about older dogs. I am spending $80.00 a month on anti seizure meds that the Vet said would be $30.00. Our 15 yr old had some bad ones. He forgot to go outside to pee. He forgot how to use the dog door and how to go down the steps. He is a good eater and he didn’t forget how to do that. It has been hard on me but worth it! He now goes outside and up and down the deck stairs. He has had no more seizures, that’s great. He is back to his old self….except for the bad back and legs, but hey mine used to work better to 🙂
His teeth need cleaning but I don’t want to put him under to clean them. His hair is thin so we skipped a full haircut. The groomer is good and she cleaned up his face and rear, the rest can wait.
He would like us to move to TX or AZ for his old bones but my husband isn’t going there. I imagine that he wont make it through to many more winters….but he loves the summer time.
He jumps on me and wags his tail when I come in from a trip. He is so happy. I just cant put him to sleep. I know it wont be long but I am dreading it.
I think let his teeth stay a little dirty and just love him a lot…. as I know you do.
I don’t think that his teeth will affect his nasal passages enough to put him under for it. Just my humble opinion…..Me who spends a lot for meds each month….so maybe I’m not the best judge?
Dogs are such an important part of the family. Glad I have a few other ones to keep me company when Toby leaves. For now he is okay ….and still eating well 🙂
Glad you have Rita….even with her little idiosyncrasies 🙂
P.S. We have wood laminate flooring and I love it!! Yes I use Wal Mart rugs in some areas to ….Love them…Love my floors. They look good and are easy to clean if there is an accident……or from greasy truck drivers boots 🙂
Toni Wood says
Such hard decisions to make with older pets. I told my vet to let me know when our sixteen year old cat was having pain. He had a tumor behind the eye. I took Monster in because there was blood in the eye and the vet told me the time has come, he’s in pain. Made the decision so much easier. Still hurt like heck but I would never have wanted him to be in pain.
Teresa says
Look at Marmoleum for flooring. I put it in the laundry room and pantry and wish I would have put it in where I have wood. It is unchanged in 8 years, washes up nicely and is eco-friendly, too. It comes in all kinds of colors. I have purple in my laundry room and blue in the pantry.
Mechelle says
Old dogs are never easy to deal with, my girl is 9 and just starting to show some age, it’s so sad! I vote for tile floors, we have them in almost the whole house, wood is upstairs and I hate it, too hard to keep up…tile is easy! AND they have tile now that looks like wood floors!
Diana G says
Its so hard when the furloved ones get older and start having old age problems. I know its hard and heartbreaking, another story another day as it still brings tears to me.
The flooring store recommended an engineer floor with furkids. He was telling us its the best as their toe nail scratches just kind of blend in (said in layman’s terms as he was speaking in technical terms).
Good luck in whatever you decide !
Theresa says
My beloved beagle is heading into the home stretch, too. Kidney failure and his Cushing’s getting out of hand, the treatments are opposing, so he gets Zantac for the stomach problems caused by the kidney failure, and lots of good things to tempt him to eat. Raw goat’s milk seems to be helping a lot.
I wouldn’t probably bother with Speck’s teeth; I would keep doing what you’re doing, and hopefully we’ll both know when it’s time to let go of our dear furry friends.
Glen in Louisiana says
I still feel the loss of every one of mine. It never gets easier. I know you will do the right thing for him
Erin says
I have laminate wood floors with a dog and his nails don’t do anything to the floors. But you’re right, it’s hard to keep up with them and keep them clean.