From commentor Ron L, mid-December 2010:
I share my home with the Shepherd sisters, Troi and Crusher. They are pushing 14. I also have Pearl, our diabetic, geriatric cat. Our youngest dog is Felony, the pit-bull, who is a spry 10 year old. In June, Felony was diagnosed with lymphoma. She is doing very well but her future is uncertain. She wasn’t able to tolerate chemo and we almost lost her in August. Every day since then has been a blessing and a pleasure. My goal for Felony is that she never has another bad day and I think that I can manage that. We have her on doggy hospice care.
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My days revolve around the needs of my aging pets. Medications, seperate walks for every dog, twice daily injections of insulin for Pearl. Crusher, the larger shepherd girl, no longer climbs stairs so if we linger too long in the morning we are treated to the “I’m lonely” barks. Frequently, we are awakened by barks to go in or out. She also barks if she’s silly enough to fall asleep on the hardwood floor instead of the multiple dog beds and carpet runners provided for her. She has trouble rising up from the hardwood and we have to go downstairs and grab her butt and help her up. She sometimes looks a little apologetic about this but mostly she just looks entitled.
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Troi and Crusher were acquired from the Lewis and Clark Humane society when they were about 4 months old. Pearl was the sickliest kitten in a litter found in a trailer park. Felony, the pit-bull, was a gift. When the dogs were younger, we did foster work for pit-bull rescue. We fostered seven puppies. All of whom went to good homes. There has always been a certain randomness to the acquisition of these pets. We did not plan on getting two puppies when we went to the shelter. I did not intend to bring home a pit-bull. Pearl was incredibly sickly and I didn’t want my son to choose her because I thought she was a heartbreak waiting to happen. She’s 17 or so now.
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Some days I feel like I’m living on the geriatric/oncology ward so I’ve decided to take on another specialty, pediatrics. I’m already up during the night. I have a petsitter who sits with the dogs while they await their walks. I have a dog centric life, I may as well bring in a new beginning to a house full of endings. Our puppy is two weeks old today and will come home at the end of January.
Seanly
Dogs rock. People suck. That is all.
Hillary Rettig
such a moving piece reminds me of this:
isaleshko.com/Portfolio.cfm?nK=13552
Ron, thanks for being such a compassionate caretaker, and a model for us all.
Odie Hugh Manatee
A pet is for life and man, Ron walks the walk. As a caretaker for our special needs cat, I only have a small taste of what you deal with to keep your family happy and cared for.
Kudos to you for your commitment to your family! Our pets trust us to care for them and the love we get in return makes it worth it.
stuckinred
It’s strange when you reach the point in life where you begin wonder how many dogs you have left in you.
Southern Beale
So sorry to hear about Felony. Our Zelda got lymphoma; I used to think she was a mutt but when I got Riley, our pitbull, I realized Zelda was mostly pitbull. She also could not tolerate the chemo and my biggest regret was even trying it on her. She had green gook coming out both ends. Two trips to the animal ER and many thousands of dollars later I wish I’d never even done the chemo. But it gave us another year. When she went, she went fast.
JPL
@stuckinred: So true. Moxie has separation anxiety so travel without her is difficult. She would not last overnight in a kennel and it’s difficult to have family and friends care for her for any length of time since she cries and howls. Best guess is she’s thirteen so only has a few more years. Warts and all, I can’t imagine life without her.
Mary G
Bless you and yours, Ron. I am in awe of your dedication and amazing attitude. Troi, Crusher, Pearl and Felony won the pet owner lottery, for sure. What a great story for a Monday.
Is the puppy coming in January 7 months from now or did you write this last winter? Please send us pictures when he or she arrives.
Sophie my 20-year-old plus senior kitty is running down. She refuses to clean herself anymore or let me near her with the Furminator so she is a walking ball of mats. I need to get her into the vet to be knocked out and combed out, but I am dreading it because she hates it so much.
She is also now not getting all the way into her litter box, she climbs in but only about half way, so when she squats to pee her ass is hanging over the edge and I end up mopping up a big puddle on the bathroom floor five times a day. Saving a lot on litter though.
Southern Beale
Oh and meant to add, I can sympathize with the geriatric ward feelings. Since we had to put Sylvie, our 17-year-old cat, down last week we’re pretty much back to a traditional pet situation. Cleo, our oldest dog, is about 13 now. She still has a good couple years left in her but she’s our last senior citizen.
But man, for a while there we were losing a cat or dog every 6 mos.
JPL
The news out of Joplin, MO is devastating. My thoughts are with all those who have suffered loss.
ChrisS
@JPL: The health and safety officer on our construction site lives there. I haven’t talked to him today yet. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how I could cope with that kind of destruction and be 1200 miles away.
Put my problems into perspective real fast this morning.
Phyllis
Thanks for all you do to make their dear lives comfortable. The sweet and beautiful long-haired orange kitty featured on the local news this morning from the shelter was given up by her family because..she shed so much. Yeah, people totally suck.
mzrad
Ha ha. I just heard a rather depressed Cokie Roberts discussing the loss of Daniels and the announcement of Pawlenty for the GOP nomination. Unless some sort of miracle happens, this set of uninspiring choices appears to be what today’s GOP is able or willing to produce. As she acknowledged that now “we see the field” of nominees, her very unenthused voice plodded through mentions of Romney and Pawlenty as most likely to run. Ha ha, Cokie.
Carnacki
What beautiful dogs and cat. You’re a good man, Ron
Nemesis
We have a mutt who has been part of the family for 15+ years. He has a very difficult time standing. His hind quarters dont work well any more. He freaks out completely when bad weather arrives, which happens often in the mid west this spring. He is always seems under foot and once he arrives in the kitchen, he cant seem to find an agreeable way out. In other words, he a real pain in the ass that I secretly love to death. He wont be with us much longer and the day he leaves will be the worst.
kindness
I have a 16 year old mutt of distinction that also can’t get up off the hardwood floors so well any longer. We help her out as we can and she isn’t in pain, but you can tell her hips aren’t what they once were. It’s difficult knowing that her days in particular are numbered but until she is in pain and can’t get about, we will keep her as happy as we can and part of the pack.
Elizabelle
Lovely pets. Old dogs and senior cats remind us it’s a gift to have each day.
They are lucky to have you as their person, Ron.
Thad
Every one of our pets has been a rescue, and all ended up with large unexpected medical needs… but we wouldn’t change a thing.
Nikki
Ron, if it’s at all possible, I would love to have an update on the status of your pets and to see a pic of the new puppy!
Bubba Dave
WRT Pearl, I was able to get my older cat’s diabetes under control with a change of diet– she went from needing insulin twice a day to insulin-free. Ask your vet about m/d canned cat food.
Kelly in Louisville
So lucky on the lymphoma. One of my border collies, River, was diagnosed with lymphoma on Saturday January 8 of this year. She died that following Thursday so awful was the cancer. I miss her so much and can’t believe that she is gone. I rescued her at age 2 from a very bad home and I had 8 wonderful years with her.
pinksnapdragon
@Mary G: Putting a puppy pad partially underneath the litter pan could make your life a lot easier.
Josie
I can totally relate to the comfy beds in the pictures and the description of older dogs’ difficulty with wood floors. My older big dog (140 lbs) goes into the kitchen to hide from thunderstorms, then gets stuck because she can’t get traction on the linoleum floor. I have to bring one of her mats and inch it underneath her and then push and pull to get her up and moving again. Oh well, keeps me strong.
asiangrrlMN
Ron, you are doing such a good thing. All your animals are simply beautiful.
kindness
@Kelly in Louisville: And she had 8 beautiful years with you too. It works both ways.
ruemara
Bless you, Ron, those are some happy pets, although Pearl is giving you the laser sight stare of doom for taking pics at her unflattering angle. You’re great for being a great present.
@Kelly in Louisville:
Cancer is harsh, but she loved you and knows you loved her. {hugs}.
Bex
@Mary G: Use what are called underpads, available in the incontinence sections of Target, K-Mart, etc. They are available in large sizes and are less expensive than puppy pads.
Pink Snapdragon
@Bex: Thanks for that tip. I have a 12 year old shepherd/rottweiler mix with Cushings Disease. We are going through 10-12 extra large puppy pads a day and Petsmart has apparently decided to stop carrying them. I will check out your suggestions tomorrow.