my darling emma

[linnie]

I just wanted to post a recent pic of emma ( in her 18th year)
she is really losing muscle tone in her hind quarters. I have taken to making her do some excersise just to help keep her muscles.

Do you think I am mean?
I just dont want her to wither away and she has such good health except for this problem. Oh and the senility and the new stubborn streak

ps. The vinyl is there for emma as she thinks its easier to pee on my wood floor than go out in the cold

[poodlesmom]

Sweet, sweet Emma! Linnie, noone could ever accuse you, of all people, of being mean to your furpals. If she didn't feel up to doing the exercises I am sure with her stubborn streak (which at 18 yo she has definitely earned) she wouldn't do them.

[calgal]

That isn't cruel at all.........that's out of love. My Chi is 13 and blind and refuses to walk on the leash since she lost her last eye, so I put her breakfast bowl down in the living room where it's carpeted (she can't walk on slick floors because of her bad front paws) then call her to eat. She walks all over that room quite a few times before she accidently runs into her food. It's the ONLY time I can get that girl to walk. So, if anything is really cruel, it isn't you........it's me.

[flyndog]

Most all geriatric patients protest exercise (and would have you believe you are being mean)! But the more you can give her a just a little bit, the longer she will be able to use those muscles to get up by herself. She looks good for 18! I hope I look that good when I'm that old (relatively speaking ).

[Cassiepeia]

She's still a beauty, Linnie. Jesse is losing muscle tone too (and gaining a little senility and stubboness as well, I guess that's the trade off, eh?), but I still make him go up and down stairs and he rarely gets carried if I can help it.
So if you're mean, then so am I.

Cass.

[Fuzz Puppy]

That isn't cruel. I'd do the same thing.

[JAE]

18...WOW! She looks FANTASTIC! Heck no thats not mean...exercise is nothing but good.

[Carrie]

A-w-w-w...what about a little swimming exercise, where you hold her though and she just paddles her legs. Would that scare her too much? It's good to keep working her legs a bit. That's what kept my Lab going for longer than she might have. She always had lots of exercise. Good luck with her. She's a sweetie!

[Raised By Wolves]

Yes. Swimming or some type of hot tub, (not too hot, please!), where she could even keep her feet on the bottom to take some of the weight off would be helpful. At the feed stores, they have a lot of different "tubs" for watering animals. You might look into one of those, since they come in all shapes and sizes. A lot of my "horse" training friends, tend to jump into them on hot days just to cool off!

An older dog would need nice, warm water. Not too hot or cold. The warmth would make her feel good and help relax her muscles, too. Be sure to dry her completely and keep her warm when she gets out.

You can even get in and help her move around a bit or just enjoy the warm water with her.

I lost my old gal, Mia, last September...sure wish dogs lived longer...

[Bambi]

No Linnie, you are not mean. My neighbors think I am mean because I make Shae go up the stairs by himself even though he has trouble getting started. They sit there and say "awww Lee, pick him up and take him up the stairs" and I tell them No. He needs to use those muscles. By picking him up, I'm not helping him.

So Linnie, you are doing the right thing. You would never be a mean mommy

[Fuzz Puppy]

Your doing the right thing. Just keep doing it.

[chloe's mom]

Wow! 18years old, she looks really good for her age. She looks very sweet and loving to me also. I have three Chi's and I no they have a really long life span also. I hope so. They are my spoiled babies!

chloesmom

[dollface]

From the pic her nails look very long, if they are you do want to clip them as it will make walking alot easier. When they are long it causes them to walk more on the back part of their feet and causes great pain... I found a big relief with Taz once I was able to clip his nails, he hated having them done and it took me a year for him to allow me to trim them all at one time. When he lived outside he kept them down but since being indoors and his age has taken a toll on him he doesn't walk around as much do to HD and arthritis....

Wow 18 years is a very long time, hope you have her around for some more years, she looks so dear. Also messaging her legs helps as well as moving them like you are doing, that is great and also keeps them from atrefeeing (sp).

Bambi,
Actually climbing stairs are harder on them as they get older and can hurt them. If you are able to lift your dog then please do so. Walking your dog around is better for him then making him climb stairs or go down them.... Taz is 11 years old and have explained above what he has, I do not let him sleep in my daughters room any more because the stairs are way to hard on him and he was hurting himself when he climbed them and went down them and I was scared incase he fell.... He does have to go down my back steps to go outside to do his business and even that hurts him, I cringe everytime he has to go out and he doesn't like to... We are hoping to make a two teer deck this summer mainly so Taz can go up and down easier. If I could I would be carrying him up and down right now but at 158 - 162 pounds that is way way to heavy for me to lift. I do make sure he does a lil walking in a day, right now all he can do is maybe a block or two anymore then that he is dragging his back foot and walking sideways.... If those stairs are hard for him to climb please be kind and carry your dog in his old age... Even young dogs with HD should avoid climbing stairs since it is hard on their bones/joints and cause great pain.