Healing a Senior Dog

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TGIF!!!! Good morning friends, it is Friday and raining like crazy in San Francisco, we hope it is warmer and dryer where you are.

The past two weeks I have been dealing with Layla and her UTI, she was on one antibiotic which did not help so we switched to another one, which I am praying will have worked. Madam is very smart because in the beginning I tried giving it in a piece of chicken, it worked first day and since then she refuses to eat the chicken. So, it has become a nightmare trying to get her to take the medication.

My new method is to open her mouth, shove it in, make sure she swallows it and then give her something to eat as it must be taken with food. So there is a  method to my madness LOL. I after giving her the pill I give her some chicken and she eats it but then the rest of the day refuses chicken. The antibiotic suppresses her appetite but she needs to eat so it is finding things she will eat. It is costing me an arm and a leg to get her to eat LOL.

So this is the new routine, she gets raw dehydrated chicken patties as treats in her snuffle ball, I have bought her gizzards which one day she eats and the next day is a no, Ground turkey meat which she gobbled up today but who knows if she will eat it tomorrow, a Costco chicken which she kind of eats and my fridge is slowly filling up with containers of food for her but decided yesterday am going to start freezing some.

It is hard work getting the goodies out of the snuffle ball so am taking a break and sleeping on it like a pillow

Her anxiety is through the roof so am looking into getting her a calming dog bed which my vet suggested and hopefully that will help.

One positive thing has changed with her, she is sleeping in her bed again which I am happy about as she was sleeping on a blanket next to the bed and I was afraid I would stand on her.

Head under the bed on the blankets

All snuggled under the blankets on her bed zzzzzzzz

With all this happening I have learned a lot about a UTI and am slowly figuring out how to prevent them and what I have been doing to prevent it happening again is I bought Pet Wipes and each time we come home from her being outdoors to potty, I wipe her down, so she is clean as senior dogs do not clean themselves the way younger ones do.

I also take her for the last time at midnight and we slowly getting to sleep till the morning phew, as I have not had a full nights sleep in over a month and am exhausted here. I have also put her back on the All In Senior Supplement from Vetracyn which has a calming ingredient in it which is calming her down at nights and honest I need something also LOL.

On top of this we did do two adventures which I am chuckling about still, Last Saturday they had in San Francisco free Tulips Day so we went with a friend to get Tulips but I think half of San Francisco was there and most people must have camped out to get in line because by the time we got there the line was long and it was raining, so my friend and I hopped back in her car and went somewhere for coffee instead, no Tulips though LOL. We really laughed over the whole outing.

On Tuesday I went to meet up with some friends for coffee which was great, Madam was in her stroller of course and it was wonderful to sit with people, laugh so much and one friend did a Tarot reading for each one of us but sorry I cannot remember what she told me, oy vey.

Dozing in my stroller all bundled up

Another thing I learned this week is do not post on FB on your personal page if your dog is sick, one woman told me that she was informing me that the antibiotic Layla is on is dangerous, I told her I trusted my vet when it comes to medications so she went on a rampage posting links about the medication etc. as if I was stupid and had not done my research.  The advice that some gave me for a UTI I researched and spoke to my vet about and she said it is all BS, thank goodness I double check with my vet for everything. I also want to thank Terri for all the information you emailed me, it was really appreciated.

So on this rainy night note, Madam is finally sleeping and I am going to try have an early night tonight, I need it,

Have a safe warm weekend!

With a woof and love from Layla

 

9 Replies to “Healing a Senior Dog”

  1. We sure send lots of positive vibes to sweet Layla and hope she feels tons better really soon. Yes, people of FB sure don’t know how to mind their own business. Thanks for joining our Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

    • Thanks Brian and she seems to be a bit better today so am praying we on the right track, I so agree with you FB people always think they know better an it sickens me,
      thank you as always for your Thankful Thursday Blog Hop, I love it and love reading your blog. Have a great weekend

  2. So sorry to hear about Layla. I can definitely relate as feeding my dog is a nightmare too. I have spent so much money and tossed out so much food. Hit and miss. Never know what she will eat. Plus she is very smart as discovering there is a pill inside the treat and as you note, that item becomes something not to be eaten, I thought I had found the answer with a piece of hot dog! Only worked one day. I finally told the vet I could not get the antibiotics into Dingle for her UTI. They suggested one injection instead. Best idea ever and cleared it up. Those chewable antibiotics are bitter tasting apparently. Hoping for the best for you.

    Susan in Victoria, BC

    • Susan thank you for your comment and understanding. I never knew about the injection and if it has not cleared up will discuss it with my vet as giving the pill
      is a nightmare and I am exhausted here. Please stay warm and safe

  3. Poor Layla! UTIs are awful. I know it’s not the first one she had, I hope you find a good preventative so she doesn’t get another one. So awful that the Facebook reader became such a troll – sadly they are everywhere. I hope you blocked her. The tulip story is so funny! You can probably find them at supermarkets for a small cost, you might be better off LOL!!

    • Cathy I am learning and figuring out what to do, it is the first one for her which has lasted too long but hopefully we caught it and killed the bacteria. The Tulip story is hilarious I agree and I know we can buy them it was just the fun of going to an event LOL. Have a safe warm week

  4. I’m happy I could provide a little help for you. The unknown is often the scariest thing. I understand those baby wipes help a lot. I’m also glad that you checked everything out with your vet, which I always knew you would and that’s the best source of info. I’d like to think people mean well, but sometimes you wonder. Please, continue to keep us up-to-date on how she progresses. I’m keeping you both in my thoughts.

    Love the tulip story!

    Oh, and it’s been cold, snowy, and windy here. We’re finally getting your rain, which is turning into flooding. Always something.

    Here’s to Layla kicking the UTI this week!

  5. Sweet miss Layla, I hope you keep feeling better! FB can certainly bring out a bunch of “know-it-alls.” I always trusted my vet as well. And also did plenty of my research, too, just like you. I always say we know what is best for our pets. It is interesting how much info we can start to get on our own once our beloved pet is afflicted with something. Same with my Gibson and Epilepsy, and a few other things over the years that my dogs had. Keep doing what you are doing, you are an amazing dog momma! Anxiety is tough – my boy Wolf had it pretty bad, and it worsened after my other FiveSibes were gone, his pack family. He did not do well without them. Thank goodness for my grandchildren as he adopted them as his new pack. He just loved them so much and it really helped him…but the anxiety was still there. I consulted with my vet on it as well and came up with a combo of holistic and traditional medication that helped, but never really stopped it. Your adventure on tulip made me laugh – I would have gone for the coffee as well! Pinned this to hopefully help others with elderly dogs, too. Hugs to miss Layla!

    • Dorothy I so agree with you there are always those that know better especially when they do not practice what they preach. You were an amazing Mom to your pack and they
      all had such a wonderful life with you. Anxiety is heart breaking and I am trying different products to see what will work with her. Out Tulip adventure has to be
      laughed at and the coffee was good LOL, thanks for pinning and sharing plus please take care

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