Monday Dog Blog: Health and Happiness

New 'Dos

It was a big week at the GREATs. 

Everyone went to the groomer on Monday for fresh new haircuts. We can see Gershwin's eyes now! :) I'm a little sad to see the longer traditional Lowchen cut on his face go, but I also like his new 'do a lot. 

Healthy and Happy

The boys had their annual check-ups with their buddy (and my buddy), Jennifer, and everyone else they adore at the veterinary hospital. 

Asher and his Buddy, Jennifer

We were able to have a serious heart to heart with Jennifer about our Asher Dasher. He's been getting very specialized care at the major referral hospital in town, but we are feeling that we do not want to continue with so much intervention at this point. 

Our goal is to keep him as comfortable as possible and give him as much happiness as we can while he is with us. But we will not intervene with more surgery.

The most difficult part of the process of Asher's aging is 1. his anxiety, 2. his desire to play with Gershwin, and 3. his desire to be on 'alert' and therefore risking injuring himself every time he tries to get to the door too quickly. It's difficult to tell if Asher's increasing anxiety is due to the fact that he is more painful, that going back and forth between Dad and Abbie's and our house stresses him out, or that he is simply experiencing age-related anxiety.

We've tried just about everything we can imagine for his anxiety over the years.

The good news is that Asher's shoulder and limp is better than it was before the interventions we chose to do. But it's also still very prone to injury. He could easily fall while rushing to the door or getting up too quickly and tear the tendon or bicep.

The other good news is that he is otherwise pretty healthy for an old guy.

I have a new compassion for people who are struggling to keep an old dog at home in their family. When Asher is here we are constantly struggling with his anxiety level and keeping him and Gershwin apart. 

None of us are ready to put Asher down, and it's clear that Asher is not ready to leave this world. He still has good days when he prances down the street on his five minute walk and begs like crazy for his food. He sleeps and resst soundly.

So, he will continue to spend short periods of time with us. I'll go visit him at Dad and Abbie's. But most of the time he will stay with them, in their quiet home, where he gets to hang out with Dad all day long 'helping' him in his office. They live on a quiet street with very few passers by and not too many visitors, so it's ideal for our Asher.

Asher seems to feel comfortable and safe at Dad and Abbie's (and he's spoiled rotten there). I'm incredibly thankful for this gift of generosity from Dad and Abbie. It really goes above and beyond the call of duty. Asher has been going to Dad and Abbie's for stays for his entire life, so he knows the ropes there.

Matt, Jennifer, Gershwin and Mom. Matt is the Phenomenal Tech.

Gershwin is, as we would hope and expect, a healthy and happy boy who now weighs in at 16.6 pounds! He's a big guy for a Lowchen but an ideal weight for his body farme. 

Fuzzy Companions for Bath Time

The week was so tiring that this is what I found on Friday evening when I went to take a nice long bath--the two the puppies in the bathroom konked out. What was so sweet about this moment was that Tovah went and laid next to Gershwin--something that she rarely wants to do. She's usually quite possessive of 'her space', and her little brother is always getting in the way of it!

Napping in the Shower? Perfect.

Gershwin was still tired out today, I guess. Mom found him in the bathroom napping in the shower. Sometimes he reminds me so much of his big brother, it feels as if he's carrying Asher's light to the next generation. When Asher was a puppy we often found him in this shower eating soap or sticking his head in the shower to check on Mom. 

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Emily