I do usually get my share but only IF the food is not going to be a problem for us doggies. You know how hoomans can eat really unhealthy foods, right?
Usually daddy is my partner-in-crime, he quietly slips those foods to me when mom's not looking BOL... which is why I only use my staring power with him!!
This was 27 Dec 2017 when I could still be in this position to chew my bones:
Now I've yet to be able to sit this way. It made chewing my bones a little difficult, somehow.
The last 2 times mom gave me air-dried veal ribs this past week, I almost choked! Luckily mom was fast enough to dig at my throat. The first time, she managed to take out that last bit of rib and threw it away. The second time, however, I refused to let go of that last bite after mom dislodged it from my throat. I bit hard, not opening my mouth and clamping my teeth real tight...which meant mom's fingers were also caught inside my mouth. Oh boy! She screamed in pain but luckily no puncture or anything. She managed to get her fingers out still attached and I finished that last bit of ribs.
I have been displaying signs of being aged in the Golden Age (a much better term just to fool myself BOL):
Eyes (Cataract)
First diagnosed at the end of 2011. Vet said 'mild' cataract but mom could not even see anything then. She could finally see opaque-y thingy in my eyes like 1, 2 years back.
This last few months, the cataract in my right eye suddenly looked much worse.
Can you see the whitish thingy on my right eye? It looks worse off-camera
Mom thinks it is 99% (if not 100%) blind. Because, I am oblivious to any movements on my right side. We don't need any dogtor to confirm it. Given the recent 'scare' of the dental-anaesthesia, cataract surgery is NOT an option.
Just the other day, she accidentally put down my food bowl from my right side and I was still looking at her waiting for my food! I also did run into the room knocking my right side of my body onto the wardrobe, etc :'(
Mom's giving me this holistic eyedrops that supposedly help to prevent the cataract from becoming worse. Anything other than surgery is worth trying now!
Hearing
I used to be very alert and reactive to noises at my doorstep. Now? A burglar can come in with keys jingling and I can sleep my way through (ok, maybe not through but halfway) :P
Playing
Not playing with my stuffies anymore, let alone fetch. My stuffy-buddies are now collecting dust in a drawer.
Dog Dementia
Mom is worried I might be having doggy dementia and is watching out for symptoms :'(
Just like humans, dogs can suffer from many of the these symptoms:
Sleep-wake cycle disturbances - I have been sleeping much more during the day & quite the same for the night.
Generalized anxiety - I have been an anxious pup since young.
Lower threshold for aggression - Still pretty much the same (only dislike my butt area being kissed).
Decreased activity levels - This is a resounding 'YES'!
Inappropriate vocalization (howling, barking or whining) - Yes, mom says my whining is quite unbearable nowadays, especially when I have no share in their foods!! BOL
Repetitive behaviors (pacing) - quite a bit of pacing though mom's not sure cos' I could be just taking a stroll.
Elimination disorders - another 'YES'! I have been peeing everywhere in the house (hallway, living room, balcony, NEAR-to-peetray) but I still do it correctly at my pee tray at times. Recently mom has put on the diapers for me at night otherwise she'd have to wipe clean the floor middle of the night.
Staring at walls - staring at the floor yes, walls no.
Disorientation (getting “lost” in the house) - I still know where my water bowl and toilet are.
Another classic sign is getting stuck in tight spaces. This happened once just the other day. I walked into the narrow lane between hoomans' bed and window ledge. Then I just stood frozen at the end without knowing how to reverse my way out. But then that was also coincidentally during the period my legs were 'acting up' (this was in my last post) so we cannot be 100% sure that this incident was due to dementia or legs problem.
The last day of 2017 did not end that well for us.
Suddenly that day, I was just walking weird. Walked like a drunken chicken, I could not balance well and was wobbly. First day 2018 still like that. Second day same! Mom was worried sick and started imagining the worst of what was happening with me -- I was stumbling when I walked and fell hard on my face a few times!!!
This was how I was walking Dec 31, 2017 - Jan 3, 2018:
No video or photo of me falling (collapsing might be a more proper term!) mom says it's scary and she was heartbroken!! :'(
January 3, mom quickly made a dogtor appointment and we went down. I was made to stand on that scary metal table and touched all over! My legs were manoeuvred and then I was made to "catwalk" on the floor. Then I was 'dognapped' into a scary room full of weird machine where the dogtor could see the insides of my body! Holy Sh#@!
Some 5-10 minutes later, I was returned to mom and dad. Dogtor told them the insides of my body show that:
1. Hind knees are arthritic (right knee being worse);
No wonder I was unwilling/unable to "squat" properly and unable to stand too long. Have trouble standing up too nowadays. When I sit down, my bum would hit the floor hard instead of lowering it gently...
See how my hind legs are not fully extended?
2. Degenerative signs on the lumbar (lower back) section of my spinal discs (X-Ray unable to show whether the discs are herniated ie. slipped discs; only a CT Scan can);
I have been arching my back like a camel. Dogstor thinks perhaps due to my spinal nerves being 'pinched' and in pain. But I am not dragging my feet which is a good sign.
3. Heart is enlarged and pressing on my trachea
I had been diagnosed with heart murmur in 2011. No coughing till recently it happens more frequently. Not a good sign. I can have heart failure anytime when it gets worse and worse. Will have to consider giving heart medication, or not.
For now I've been prescribed pain relief med for 2 weeks and anti-inflammatory med for 4 days. Follow-up check in 2 weeks.
January 4 and 5:
Slightly better than last few days.
January 6: slight improvement over 4th and 5th.
That was not quite bad compared to the before med!!
Today, January 7: even better than the 6th. Behaviour wise, last few days I was rather quiet (no mood for anything) didn't even whine when hoomans were eating (whining for my share of foods has been an ongoing behaviour nowadays). Today I was back to my usual whining BOL and more awake.
So hopefully the medication works its magic, making me pain free able to walk properly and happy again! Please send me some POTP mom says i need 'em. Thank you All.
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