We Want the Best for Our Dogs as They Age
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Our dog, Charlie, is getting old. He will be 12 in December. He is still all there with his mind. Unfortunately for him, his back legs are starting to give out. It sucks.
When Charlie was a young pup he used to jump everywhere. He would jump into bed with us, jump into recliners or love seats or couches, jump into the car for rides, hell, he even jumped gates while being trained. He had hops as my son would say. He also liked to chase squirrels when we would let him roam in the backyard. The moment he caught a glimpse of one, he was off like a bolt. He would try to chase them down to no avail. As he was getting a little older his chases got shorter or he would just jump a few times a day so he could cuddle up on a pillow. But now, his jumping days are behind him. He had a herniated disc in his back that made it very hard for him to jump. He also walks with a little swing in his gait. His back legs tend to sway side to side when he walks now. He still hops down the one step to get in the backyard, but no more bounding out there to get squirrels. We have taken him to a few different vets, and he has an appointment scheduled with a neurological vet later this month. We have gotten the same feedback from all of them so far. The herniated disc makes it difficult for him to jump. He has shown no signs of pain, we tried to put him on strict crate rest for six weeks, and he barely got better. I'm sure the neuro vet will tell us much of the same, but I don't think we will do surgery unless he starts to show some kind of real discomfort.
All of that is to say, it is wild to watch this dog age in real time. I have knee and foot issues, but they haven't gotten so bad that I cannot do the physical things I am used to doing. Sure, I don’t play competitive rec league basketball anymore, but I still coach the game. I can still trail and distance run. I still hike. I still do yard work. I can still do these things because I listen to my body, understand when I need to take breaks and do the important things to assure I can still be physical as long as possible. Charlie doesn't really have that option. We can crate rest him, but the moment he gets put he wants to move. We can limit his jumping, but if we don't watch him like a hawk he will try it sometimes. We can limit his movement, but I want him to still have some kind of freedom. But it has to be a real mind screw for him to not be able to do all the things he used to do with ease. It bums me out.
Right now I am writing on the love seat, and while I'm sure he'd like to be up here with me, he has decided to lay down on the floor. When I get my son up for the day, after he has left I usually have an hour to kill before my daughter has to get moving. Sometimes I like to lay on the couch and look at my phone. Charlie would usually join me. Now, he waits for me to pick him up or he just goes and lays in his dog bed. The vet has pretty much ruled out a walk that lasts past one block, and he is not happy with that. He wants more but we were told that could further his injury. But he doesn't get it. He is confused. We used to let him run down the steps when friends or family would come over. Now we have to hold him for fear that he wouldn’t make it back up the steps. It is a downer to see him go through this. He used to run all day along. He used to jump and play for hours. But now he cannot physically do this and you can tell he is frustrated.
We all get pets and grow to love them immensely. But deep down we know that they will be long gone before we are. We know this is coming yet we still do it. And we will continue to do it. But it is a real bummer to watch my dog going through this now and knowing this is how it is going to be for the rest of his life. I'm going to try and make it as fun as possible for him moving forward. Maybe the neuro vet will give me some pointers. But seeing his lack of mobility in person is truly upsetting. I want him to feel better, and again, he has shown no signs of real pain, but I don't think his back legs will work like they used to ever again. We got him a ramp to get into bed with us, but he is not the biggest fan. Maybe it is time for some wheels for his back legs to see if that will perk him up. The legs are still functional, so that is a future decision to make. So we got that going for us. But, for the time being, if he wants cuddles I'll gladly pick him up and let him rest next to me, hoping one day that he may just jump up here again. Till then, we will do what is best for the Charlie boy.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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