Aw, Dan. That's a little disturbing. The slowing down for food part is probably fairly normal and it's probably going to become just an occasional "I'm just not hungry right now" event. The stairs episode scares me, though.
Wes, try to contain that excitement until you're down the stairs! No need to get your Dad's heart in trouble too!
Have you tried Pill Pockets Dan? My Mom has had good luck with them for her senior (13 years old this October) who recently started to refuse his thyroid medication. Pill Pockets
Hope Wesley perks back up and it's just a post-kennel "hangover" slowing him down.
Have you tried Liverwurst? We wrap Windsor's meds in it and he never refuses them! In fact, he always asks for them! That may not be a good sign in some respects but as the vet expected him to be in doggy heaven by now it is a great sign!
I just drop Fanny's pain meds into her food and she laps them up!
Cataracts -- Hadn't thought of that. I blamed the fall on the darkness. It's getting dark again in the mornings, and I'm thinking ((HOPING)) that his back wheels just got ahead of his front wheels today.
Kennel -- He was there for a week. He's been going to this kennel for years, now. And he loves it and they love him. Win-win. This year, it was hotter than hades, so I attributed some of his behavior to recovery from the heat. But it has taken him longer this time than any other to bounce back. Will need to re-think the kennel for future vacations.
Prayers and good thoughts for Wes, and hugs for you, Dan. Hope he's just mad at you for leaving him, and the fall down the stairs did not result in any problems.
Has his eyes been formally checked by an ophthalmologist? A few years ago you mentioned he was having problems going to dark places, going up the stairs at night, etc. Those are all symptoms of PRA. Problems with stairs is one of them.
Liverwurst is a good choice, or when I worked for the vet, we sometimes used Gerber baby Meat Food. Came in Beef, Chicken, Veal, Ham. That sometimes worked too.
Oh gosh Dan. I still relive the horror when 15 year old Boomer fell down all 15 of the basement stairs and just laid there for a few minutes. *shudders*
9½ is NOT old for the average Lab, but unfortunately Wes is not average and is dealing with a major disease. I pray it's just a stage he's going through at the moment.
Oh Dan. I'm so sorry. I can feel your frustration.
OK, this only comes to mind because there have been a flurry of emails going around the dog club distro on this last week, but...have you considered the possibility of a tick-borne illness?
A lot of the symptoms, IIRC, sound like what Wes is experiencing. Decreased energy, decreased interest in food, etc. Several of the people in the dog club have had dogs diagnosed with TBIs, and are absolutely fanatical about having dogs checked who begin to just "not act right."
One of them specifically said, "If your dog starts to act "old" for no reason, please have him checked."
It would be something to rule out, anyway. If you'd like more info I can find the emails they sent and get you some links.
Poor Wes. I know also that being at a kennel can "take the stuffin's" out of them for a few days. Hoping that's all it is. Give the big galoot a kiss from me.
Thx Connie. He did test positive for Lyme -- I dunno -- six months ago or so. Was treated for it (antibiotic, IIRC) and bounced back. He's got none of the symptoms now that he had then (limping!). But it's all grist for the mill and worth looking into.....
Frustrating? Yes. And a little heartbreaking, if I'm to be totally honest.
I think the hurt to his pride was the worst. When he picked himself up out of a tangle at the bottom of the steps, he shot me a look that said "Jesus. What the eff was THAT?!?!?!"
Poor Wes and poor you! What a startling way to start the morning, we will be keeping fingers and paws crossed that Wes bounces back to his ol' self real soon!
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