Hound dog
Nana's are Beautiful
This whole aging dog thing hoovers, by the way.
I had hoped that Rowdy's over grown nails were the issue with him not moving. Although that didn't seem right because in his 13-14 yrs I had never once had to clip his nails for hm. And this year they were horribly overgrown when I went to give him a good going over to see why he wasn't moving unless with some mighty heavy duty motivation.....sometimes not even then. We got his nails trimmed down really nice, right where they should be. He was a good boy for us.
And I've kept an eye on him. He still wasn't moving. Been noticing that during this heat he won't even get up to get water..........unless I come into the yard and he gets up to greet me. Then it's sort of like Well I'm up, I need a drink. And he'll drink and drink and drink, then plop down again and not move. I thought maybe the heat was playing a role (although honestly heat has never seemed to bother him a bit as long as he can dunk his head in water, he's snow white) due to his age and heavy coat. When I noticed he wasn't drinking unless someone came out.......well he's been being hosed down a LOT to help keep him cool and I've been making more trips into the yard enticing him up onto his feet.
Rowdy has been whine barking when we take the girls for a walk. He's always loved walks. So I had planned to take him soon as Maggie was ready for a morning walk in addition to the evening walk. It's a great way for them to get used to each other without her being in his face when he doesn't want her to be. This morning I sneak Maggie out the back door. (walks are the world to Molly, she gets her nose out of joint if she can't go) and we put Rowdy man on the leash.
My poor boy started out slow, which sent up a major red flag. Even last fall for the first half block he'd pull me like a sled dog in his excitement to walk. Not this morning. He started slow and ended even slower.....like barely moving slow. And he only made it around about half the block......if that. When we finally made it home (because seriously he was SLOW) he just couldn't go any further and so we let him rest at the front porch. I went in for his peanut butter biscuits and the dog brush. Then proceeded to brush him. Once he'd rested a while and had enjoyed some affection....we hosed him down really good. It took forever for him to walk into the back yard so Travis could put him on the lead. Shoot with the way he can't move......he doesn't need the lead except he'd eat the whole garden. We filled up the wash tub for him. It's not "supposed" to be so hot today.......but omg it's sooooooooo muggy, and yeah, already hot. So it's there. Gonna put some 2 liters in the freezer full of water and take them out to him to cuddle up to.
I have to stop by the vet tomorrow. We've already discussed Rowdy once. But due to him being an outside dog and the summer being the way it's been, I hadn't had the full impact of his condition really understood. It's not like the girls where I look at them all day because they're always near me. Makes me feel sort of bad. I'll see if with some encouragement to move, if he'll gradually get better. (the you don't use it you lose it thing....joint movement and muscle function) I'll work with him twice a day on short walks at his own pace without Maggie. If over time he doesn't improve and it continues to look like he's in a great deal of pain........I will take him to the only trip he's ever had to the vet and have him put down. Not being able to move is pretty much zero quality of life.
This really blows. Rowdy is older than Molly by about 2 yrs. He's always been healthy, I mean seriously healthy........even with some pretty severe neglect via Travis when he was considerably younger. (which he bounced back from) He's always been energetic and happy with a huge grin on his face. He's been onary, escaping the yard no matter what barrier we put into place (which is why the lead that extends the whole yard was set up), and always came home within 20 mins. He was out "visiting". He never really played, but he LOVED his walks.
Molly has saved us from several intruders. But Rowdy is my bonafide Hero. I was walking him when I got hit by that truck, I know he was hit too.......although obviously not hurt too badly. I know it had utterly terrified him. We both had PTSD from that accident. He refused for years to cross the road at the corner where we got hit. That truck hit us, throwing us both. The force from that not only yanked the leash from my wrist......but shattered my right shoulder. The impact from the truck itself shattered the left shoulder and gave me a compression fracture of the skull. This terrified dog didn't run away like most dogs would do. He ran HOME. He sat on the porch and barked urgently (think Lassie) and scratched and when husband told Travis to put him in the kennel (thinking I'd come home, put Rowdy in his kennel, and gone to my bffs across the street, which I sometimes did) Rowdy would have no part of it. He fought the lead, he continued to bark and whine and he tried to drag them to where I was lying in the street. It was Nichole who kept yelling at her dad that Rowdy was telling them something was wrong. And then husband went looking for me. Found me in the middle of the street a few blocks away with police and ambulance......yeah. Mr. Rowdy man didn't know someone was going to come and help me, so even scared and hurt himself.........he ran home for help. It's not the first time he saved a person either. Had some crazy a## cat literally attack a elderly neighbor lady (seriously it was awful) right out of the blue..........Rowdy didn't hesitate. He heard that woman screaming and scaled his 6 foot kennel fence in nothing flat and zipped past me as I stood there with my mouth hanging open. He was on that cat like stink on sh*t, until he got it off the woman. Cat ran off a total mess. (Rowdy wasn't playing around) And he sat with the woman until we got to her to help. Took Rowdy years and years before he'd tolerate the presence of a cat after that.
So some positive vibes and maybe a few prayers that this is mainly a case of needing to be built up again. Cuz I've decided that it's probably a good thing I didn't wait until after putting down Molly and Rowdy to get a new pup. I doubt I would have done it. I've relied much more heavily on those two than even I realized for a wide variety of reasons. I just can't imagine them no longer being with me.
I had hoped that Rowdy's over grown nails were the issue with him not moving. Although that didn't seem right because in his 13-14 yrs I had never once had to clip his nails for hm. And this year they were horribly overgrown when I went to give him a good going over to see why he wasn't moving unless with some mighty heavy duty motivation.....sometimes not even then. We got his nails trimmed down really nice, right where they should be. He was a good boy for us.
And I've kept an eye on him. He still wasn't moving. Been noticing that during this heat he won't even get up to get water..........unless I come into the yard and he gets up to greet me. Then it's sort of like Well I'm up, I need a drink. And he'll drink and drink and drink, then plop down again and not move. I thought maybe the heat was playing a role (although honestly heat has never seemed to bother him a bit as long as he can dunk his head in water, he's snow white) due to his age and heavy coat. When I noticed he wasn't drinking unless someone came out.......well he's been being hosed down a LOT to help keep him cool and I've been making more trips into the yard enticing him up onto his feet.
Rowdy has been whine barking when we take the girls for a walk. He's always loved walks. So I had planned to take him soon as Maggie was ready for a morning walk in addition to the evening walk. It's a great way for them to get used to each other without her being in his face when he doesn't want her to be. This morning I sneak Maggie out the back door. (walks are the world to Molly, she gets her nose out of joint if she can't go) and we put Rowdy man on the leash.
My poor boy started out slow, which sent up a major red flag. Even last fall for the first half block he'd pull me like a sled dog in his excitement to walk. Not this morning. He started slow and ended even slower.....like barely moving slow. And he only made it around about half the block......if that. When we finally made it home (because seriously he was SLOW) he just couldn't go any further and so we let him rest at the front porch. I went in for his peanut butter biscuits and the dog brush. Then proceeded to brush him. Once he'd rested a while and had enjoyed some affection....we hosed him down really good. It took forever for him to walk into the back yard so Travis could put him on the lead. Shoot with the way he can't move......he doesn't need the lead except he'd eat the whole garden. We filled up the wash tub for him. It's not "supposed" to be so hot today.......but omg it's sooooooooo muggy, and yeah, already hot. So it's there. Gonna put some 2 liters in the freezer full of water and take them out to him to cuddle up to.
I have to stop by the vet tomorrow. We've already discussed Rowdy once. But due to him being an outside dog and the summer being the way it's been, I hadn't had the full impact of his condition really understood. It's not like the girls where I look at them all day because they're always near me. Makes me feel sort of bad. I'll see if with some encouragement to move, if he'll gradually get better. (the you don't use it you lose it thing....joint movement and muscle function) I'll work with him twice a day on short walks at his own pace without Maggie. If over time he doesn't improve and it continues to look like he's in a great deal of pain........I will take him to the only trip he's ever had to the vet and have him put down. Not being able to move is pretty much zero quality of life.
This really blows. Rowdy is older than Molly by about 2 yrs. He's always been healthy, I mean seriously healthy........even with some pretty severe neglect via Travis when he was considerably younger. (which he bounced back from) He's always been energetic and happy with a huge grin on his face. He's been onary, escaping the yard no matter what barrier we put into place (which is why the lead that extends the whole yard was set up), and always came home within 20 mins. He was out "visiting". He never really played, but he LOVED his walks.
Molly has saved us from several intruders. But Rowdy is my bonafide Hero. I was walking him when I got hit by that truck, I know he was hit too.......although obviously not hurt too badly. I know it had utterly terrified him. We both had PTSD from that accident. He refused for years to cross the road at the corner where we got hit. That truck hit us, throwing us both. The force from that not only yanked the leash from my wrist......but shattered my right shoulder. The impact from the truck itself shattered the left shoulder and gave me a compression fracture of the skull. This terrified dog didn't run away like most dogs would do. He ran HOME. He sat on the porch and barked urgently (think Lassie) and scratched and when husband told Travis to put him in the kennel (thinking I'd come home, put Rowdy in his kennel, and gone to my bffs across the street, which I sometimes did) Rowdy would have no part of it. He fought the lead, he continued to bark and whine and he tried to drag them to where I was lying in the street. It was Nichole who kept yelling at her dad that Rowdy was telling them something was wrong. And then husband went looking for me. Found me in the middle of the street a few blocks away with police and ambulance......yeah. Mr. Rowdy man didn't know someone was going to come and help me, so even scared and hurt himself.........he ran home for help. It's not the first time he saved a person either. Had some crazy a## cat literally attack a elderly neighbor lady (seriously it was awful) right out of the blue..........Rowdy didn't hesitate. He heard that woman screaming and scaled his 6 foot kennel fence in nothing flat and zipped past me as I stood there with my mouth hanging open. He was on that cat like stink on sh*t, until he got it off the woman. Cat ran off a total mess. (Rowdy wasn't playing around) And he sat with the woman until we got to her to help. Took Rowdy years and years before he'd tolerate the presence of a cat after that.
So some positive vibes and maybe a few prayers that this is mainly a case of needing to be built up again. Cuz I've decided that it's probably a good thing I didn't wait until after putting down Molly and Rowdy to get a new pup. I doubt I would have done it. I've relied much more heavily on those two than even I realized for a wide variety of reasons. I just can't imagine them no longer being with me.
