Please Touch Me . . . I Don't Hear As I Used To

[lorna anne]

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I have learnt how vitally important it is to make a habit of TOUCHING your whippets as MUCH AS YOU CAN as they get older. They often suffer from a partial or complete loss of hearing as they get on in years, (the degree of which we are not always aware of) therefore the bond one has with them through one's voice is diminished. I have found that it becomes even MORE important to groom, massage, or just simple pet or stroke them. In a multidog household, the youngsters often demand attention and it is all too easy to forget about the special needs of the "oldies" because they are not demanding. As they become frail they tend to avoid the boisterousness of the youngsters and it is all too easy for them to slip into the twilight world of the aged.

This sounds like plain common sense, and of course it is . . . but in today's increasingly busy world one sometimes needs to just take some time out to remind our precious "oldies" that they are just that - PRECIOUS.

 

[jinnyfizz]

How true. Thank you

 

[Hula]

Yes I find that having 3 oldies in various stages of deafness . I touch them and cuddle them as it's the only way I have to communicate with them .

I often think they must wonder why nobody talks to them anymore

 

[~Annie~]

This is so true. When our oldie Digby went deaf we used to speak to him with our mouths right against the side of his head/ear so even if he couldn't hear us talking he could feel us talking. Since then I sometimes do this with the younger dogs too as another form of communication ... Finn loves it and puts his head up to my mouth quite deliberately sometimes but Tyg just turns and looks at me as if I'm mad when I do it.

 

[Nicola]

What a thoughtful post.

Fred is very hard of hearing now, and I have to hand signal and touch him for attention. I have to be a bit careful when he's asleep though as he gets a terrible fright if I touch him to say hello, if I've just got back in the house and he hasn't heard me come in.

He's definitely more clingy too in his old age and follows me around much more and wants to be near me in the same room.

 

[TillynPip]

That's a lovely post and well worth remembering.

 

[sue burton]

SO VERY TRUE

 

[lorna anne]

Can ayone suggest SOME MORE WAYS in which we can increase the quality of life of our dogs as they get older? Any tips on how we can make them feel loved, cared and special?

o Gentle appropriate exercise - sometimes just on their own, away from the youngsters,

o Trips in the car into town so they can just view the scenery,

o Monitoring the inevitable aches and pains of old age and seeking treatment,

o Raising food and water bowls to make it easier for stiff joints to reach,

o Slippery floors are a nightmare for doddery limbs,

o Incontinence can be treated successfully with meds, don't let tyhem lose their dignity in this respect

o Etc

o Etc

o Etc

o Please add to this list

 

[Hula]

On a nice sunny day my oldies have 2 blankets out on the grass , one in the sunshine and one in the shade .

They wear warm coats on cold dry days and waterproof ones when it's raining . They also have lightweight fleece ones for wearing at night when it's very cold ( for the ones who don't sleep in my bed under the duvet )

Cover them with a fleece blanket in the evening when we are watching TV

Lift them in and out of the car

Give them more treats than previously

When they are very old their diet may have to change and I give them pretty much whatever they want .

They do love to go out with the other dogs so at least one walk per day with the others . This walk will have to be to suit them ie short walk , not too much uphill etc.

 

[Nicola]

Gentle appropriate exercise - sometimes just on their own, away from the youngsters,

o Trips in the car into town so they can just view the scenery,

o Monitoring the inevitable aches and pains of old age and seeking treatment,

o Raising food and water bowls to make it easier for stiff joints to reach,

o Slippery floors are a nightmare for doddery limbs,

o Incontinence can be treated successfully with meds, don't let tyhem lose their dignity in this respect

o Lift them in and out of the car

o keep them warm, coats when out and about and it's chilly, fleece blankets, jumpers indoors

o Switch to senior diets, lots of treats are fine

o Shorter walks, one to ones where necessary, avoid hilly walks.

o keep an eye on their teeth.

Added a few to the above from Hula's list. I pretty much agreed with all her comments. Fred can't even jump in the car now after a walk, and he can't manage my mum's laminate floor so well anymore either for jumping on and off settees etc (when visiting). Fortunately we are carpeted throughout at home. I put his bowl on the bottom step of the stairs as we would definitely struggle at ground level.

 

[lorna anne]

Some more tips especially for the "golden oldies" I forgot to mention:

o If they start drooling and eating gingerly, CHECK THOSE MOLARS. I have had a dog who had a slab fracture of a tooth, and once it was removed he was totally rejuvenated. I felt SO guilty that I hadn't known about it sooner

o Some of my older dogs have struggled a bit with CONSTIPATION. So I try and check that they have regular bowel movements and watch that they aren't straining

o As they move less, those NAILS sure grow at a pace, don't they?! Especially if they are doddery, they need all the help one can give them to keep their footing

o We can't give them Zimmerframes of wheelchairs to help them get around, so we have to take special care of those joints and bones. I have found that regular supplements of GLUCOSAMINE, CHONDROITIN AND MSM are very helpful in this regard.

o Although I haven't found that build up of WAX in the ears is really a problem with whippets, it is something I check before just saying "Oh, she's just hard of hearing"

 

[Suerose]

Can ayone suggest SOME MORE WAYS in which we can increase the quality of life of our dogs as they get older? Any tips on how we can make them feel loved, cared and special?
o Gentle appropriate exercise - sometimes just on their own, away from the youngsters,

o Trips in the car into town so they can just view the scenery,

o Monitoring the inevitable aches and pains of old age and seeking treatment,

o Raising food and water bowls to make it easier for stiff joints to reach,

o Slippery floors are a nightmare for doddery limbs,

o Incontinence can be treated successfully with meds, don't let tyhem lose their dignity in this respect

o Etc

o Etc

o Etc

o Please add to this list

When my lovely Taff was old and beginning to be incontinent regular acupuncture worked wonders - the meds didn't agree with him at all - as did gentle massage around his achy bits with some chinese medicated oil. Lovely post, thank you for starting this topic. I found Taff got more and more precious as he got older, and I was aware that we didn't have a lot longer together.

 

[Suerose]

Another thought - bear in mind that they may need a softer bed as they get older and the bones ache. Not that this is such an issue with whippets because they insist on soft beds from day one!! :lol:

 

[lorna anne]

Can ayone suggest SOME MORE WAYS in which we can increase the quality of life of our dogs as they get older? Any tips on how we can make them feel loved, cared and special?
o Gentle appropriate exercise - sometimes just on their own, away from the youngsters,

o Trips in the car into town so they can just view the scenery,

o Monitoring the inevitable aches and pains of old age and seeking treatment,

o Raising food and water bowls to make it easier for stiff joints to reach,

o Slippery floors are a nightmare for doddery limbs,

o Incontinence can be treated successfully with meds, don't let tyhem lose their dignity in this respect

o Etc

o Etc

o Etc

o Please add to this list

When my lovely Taff was old and beginning to be incontinent regular acupuncture worked wonders - the meds didn't agree with him at all - as did gentle massage around his achy bits with some chinese medicated oil. Lovely post, thank you for starting this topic. I found Taff got more and more precious as he got older, and I was aware that we didn't have a lot longer together.

I have also found MASSAGE wonderful for easing the "achy bits". Sometimes on the mornings when they take longer than the youngsters to get up and about, I put them on my bed and give them a 5 minute massage. WOW, you should see the difference!! They get up, eyes, bright and shining, shake themselves, and despite the doddery limbs try and hop around like a spring chicken and are ready to tackle the day. Aaah the miracle of TOUCH!!

On really bad days, when I can see they are struggling and are just generally very achy, I fill the bath with WARM WATER, put in some AROMATHERAPY oil and gentle put them in there for a lovely soak . . . . Then I rub them nice and dry with a towel and put them in a warm spot - needless to say, usually my bed! Within seconds they are snoozing like a pup. -_- -_-

 

[fallenangel]

my 2 old guys here have good hearing still but there sights going. we have found we can move some furniture if we spray it with a strong sent like lavender or something that makes them stop and sniff my faves patuly oil as well all the other dogs have bells on there collars so the old guys can here were the palls are. when walking them there better in pairs so Milo always walks with Cally and Boris with Minnnie they walk and a 2 way lead shoulder to shoulder and they leard to follow the sighted dogs movements that well they can happily plod about one gentle walks confidently. take the other dog way and its a different story.

 

[Stripey]

My oldies wear a Bioflow collar - this is supposed to relieve muscular discomfort.

 

[lorna anne]

Another thought - bear in mind that they may need a softer bed as they get older and the bones ache. Not that this is such an issue with whippets because they insist on soft beds from day one!! :lol:

Indeed, I think as their MUSCLE MASS DECREASES with age, the old bones are less cushioned (unless they get a bit porky, of course) and that extra soft bed becomes, not a luxury, but essential. -_- -_-