Gavin's dotage

As someone with my own 15 1/2 year-old senior, nothing would make me happier than this thread going on for years. Every day is a blessing and a challenge that we wouldn’t trade for anything, and having others who understand to share that journey with is invaluable.
 
Ann said:
As someone with my own 15 1/2 year-old senior, nothing would make me happier than this thread going on for years. Every day is a blessing and a challenge that we wouldn’t trade for anything, and having others who understand to share that journey with is invaluable.
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Your so right Ann! I too wish there’d been a place like this when my mom’s Corgi cross was 16 1/2…we probably would’ve tried to keep her going longer with all the support and ideas everyone has!
 
To be fair, I had no idea how long Gavin would stay with me when I started this and it was mean as an homage before he passed.
So many of Gavin's contemporaries are no longer with us :(

I have had a few really long threads. there was the cancer/radiation thread (I had no idea what to expect with his treatment and would have loved to have had something to refer to) , the wheelchair thread (there are facebook groups that help with this now but most are geared to IVDD/DM), and this one which will probably go on until he passes.
I do talk a lot about what would be considered 'normal' senior care as a dog ages and has the associated issues.. hence it is in senior health.
 
So Gavin pee'd on himself this morning :( He went outside to potty at 7AM (he didn't ask either I just opened the door to see if he needed to go for a quick morning pee). I figured he would pee cause that he can do on his own no problems but he pooped, and then he ended up on his bum (I'm sure he twisted around until he tripped himself up). I helped him up and went inside to get a poop bag. In the time it took for me to grab a bag from inside the door, he went up the ramp to the deck, collapsed, and pee'd on himself. It was odd in that if he really had to go he could have stayed down in the yard and pee'd but he came up on his own. Anyway, I hosed the deck and his bum down. Poor guy was so embarassed. I take him outside to pee every night before bed, and often time he doesn't go. I'll need to be more insistent on it although I don't know how to make a dog pee unless I express his bladder :(

I am thinking his potty cues are getting more subtle. He hasn't whined to go out in years when he used to stand by the head of my bed and whine to wake me from sleep when he needed to go. Now he just stands by the door if I am awake or walks around to try and wake me if I am asleep. No peeing in the house or anything, this is a one off.
 
So today was a good day... an independent living day (as opposed to an assisted living day). Gavin went pee on his own this morning and tonite :)
the paw is looking good. You can see how it has granulated in almost to the top, so it will start contracting soon. Nice and pick and gooey under the bandaid/gauze/vet wrap/sock combo. obviously we want it to heal faster, but as long as it is healing and looking good we are gonna wait. It makes sense it would take a bit longer in such an old guy.


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ghggp said:
We will take any good day we can get!
Just curious…
Do you keep the bandage off from time to time? Like when you are just hanging out relaxing together? I always heard letting the air flow around the wound helps in healing.
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Old wives tale....Totally wrong! Been shown many times that moist wound healing is significantly faster (if there is no infection present). Moist is especially helpful for granulation. When Gavin had his surgery on his hip mast cell tumor and his stitches popped, they used wet bandages and actually had to stitch them on. at a certain point when wound was smallish, we did let a scab form but that is because of convenience more than anything else.
 
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