Ohhh we have learned a lot from this dog! And it goes on, bless his extraordinary heart and mind, that have blessed us for so long and so well. youtu.be/05y5QvpeLCg Bonny P.S. Youll also see Tilly (15 yrs +, the little terrier mix), and Jerry (Jeremiah, 13 yrs?), and Piper (5-yr?), all rescue dogs. Heres what we wrote on the youtube description: Our 15-yr-old long-haired shepherd Ford sure has taught us a lot. (Here youll see him starting to really enjoy his new wheels -- and greeting his favorite neighbors on a walk around the block and more walks at a local dog park.) Lately Ford has taught us a lot about understanding and caring for an old dog! For example: -- When they get too much tartar or calculus built up on their teeth, their gums hurt, it hurts to chew, and they cant eat. Clean up that problem for them. And you dont need anesthesia! Find a good vet and vet tech, help them if you can, and you can get the job done with minimal stress to your old dog. Three of us, one working on the teeth and two of us holding and reassuring Ford (plus some local anesthetic applied to his gums) got the job done in under 20 minutes, and we pulled some rock hard, razor-sharp pieces that were piercing his gums. OUCH! -- If they suddenly start peeing in their beds when they have never before been incontinent, check for a urinary tract infection. (Especially if blood tests show that everything else is normal!) Those are painful (and smelly), but they are no reason for premature euthanasia. Give a good antibiotic at least a few days to act, and during that time, go get washable diapers and put maxi-pad liners in them! They work beautifully. No more washing bedding daily, no more wet smelly dog. What a find. -- If they have advanced dysplaysia or arthritis, fit them for some DoggonWheels! What a new lease on life for a dog -- to be mobile again. The first time Ford got back to the dog park, he went up to everybody as if to tell them joyfully IM BACK! -- Use your blender to make a nice gumbo of the most nutritious food for them. We watched Ford return to glowing health almost before our eyes, as we fed him liver, beef, milk, eggs, butter, and Missing Link (flaxseed meal-based supplement), all raw and organic. At first, we used a wide-mouthed feeding syringe at the side of his mouth, then in a day or two as he began to feel better with recovering from the UTI and his teeth not hurting, he began to lap at it more and more vigorously, and now he gulps it down! For a few days, all we could get him to show any interest in at all was what we normally consider junk food -- Science Diet a/d cans, which are used for critical care for both dogs and cats. The ingredients were mostly beef and pork liver... hence our turning to organic beef liver as part of our gumbo. -- Let him sleep, feed him little amounts often, keep a water bowl near him, take him for rides in the car like the old days, brush him, and LOVE HIM. And be ready to let him go WHEN hes ready, not when youre beside yourself because YOU havent learned how to handle a few tractable issues... (:--} Our special gratitude goes to a miracle-worker here in southern Louisiana, Stacy Chiasson (Heartland Specialties Farm in Waggaman, LA), who reads animals and knows more about them than almost anyone weve met, and weve been to a lot of experts in the past few years. Even when vets were telling us how to accept the fact that euthanasia can be kind, Stacy was frowning and reminding us that gingivitis and UTIs are enough to make anybody feel like dying, but they arent death sentences! She massaged him, taught us how to use the Wheels, and showed us how much we didnt know about what Ford was feeling and needing. THANK YOU STACY!!!!!! Read and see Fords rescue story here: onwingsofcare.org/index.php/rescues/rescue-tails/60-story-of-ford-one-of-our-own-adopted-rescues.html
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 21:22:43 +0000
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