Thursday, December 14, 2017

Chance update and Snow

We finally got a little snow.  It has been snowing off and on since Sunday night.  We have about three inches total. 

We are a Nusing Facility for an aging Boder Collie.  He is still weak after his bout with pancreatitis.  His diet is slowly being increased from just water to rice and boiled hamburger…and pumpkin.  He likes cooked carrots so some of them have been added to his food also.  He is REALLY hungry and he thinks we are starving him to death.  He wears his harness coming down the steps as his back legs are weak especially the right leg.  He is a pain in the neck when he wants food.  Far Guy made him some more homemade pumpkin treats with egg, rice flour and pumpkin…he likes them and knows they are kept in the fridge…and will lead you there.

 Chance Dec 12

He is still eating snow.  He is improving..and those of us who are older know that it takes a little while to snap back.  He is going to the mailbox with Far Guy again…he refused to go for a few days.  So there is improvement.

His anal tumor seems to be better…it disappears…and then appears.  Go figure.  It doesn’t seem to be painful for him…it probably hurts me more than it hurts him…cause I am delegated to keep his butt clean.

We have a good friend who is a retired Veterinarian…he says we are doing all the right things.

I worry about Chance taking off to the woods to hide and die alone.  We had another dog that was close to death and she kept trying to hide in the yard and refused to come in the house.  So I am glad there is snow so at least we can track him.

Chance is over 13 years old.  He has been a good friend.  No doubt he will rebound this time but realistically we know the day when we say goodbye is coming closer every day.  So we will enjoy him while we have him.

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28 comments:

Rita said...

I was reading and all I could say was no-no-no! :(
I'm glad you are seeing improvements and I hope they increase.
Hugs!

Cathie said...

Hope Chance gets better! It's tough. Is his anal tumor an anal fistula?

marlu said...

Sending good thoughts for Chance and for you Guys! He's getting excellent care...

Pauline Persing said...

I know you are giving Chance lots of gentle hugs and that is good medicine, too.

linda m said...

Give Chance a big hug for me. Happy to hear he is improving, even if it is slowly. I know you and Far Guy are taking excellent care of him.

DJan said...

It breaks my heart to think of Chance not being here any more, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of our wonderful blogging doggie. Sending lots of love to you all.

Tired Teacher said...

Bless you for giving Chance such gentle care and for letting his extended cyber family know he his struggling.

Lynda said...

It hurts my heart for you all when the final good-bye comes because he has been an exceptional dog and has brought pleasure to many. That is a legitimate worry about him wandering off. In our 41 years of marriage, we have had a couple of cats do that. Losing their lives is hard but not knowing the final outcome is more difficult.
Prayers for you all during this time of his recuperation as well as his decline. He is blessed to have his own personal chefs.

Mac n' Janet said...

So hard when our pets get older, I worry all the time, but like you I try to enjoy our fur baby and hope she lasts a long time.

Terry and Linda said...

Oh. Sigh! I so understand this process. You are such good fur parents! Everything I say will sound trite, but suffice it to say I know. We have progress to Hospice..a hideous place, but one that is welcome to make Sammy comfortable. Which has become even harder and harder. He too is always hungry, but the tumor in his throat won't let him eat much, nor his jaw that is slowly being pushed to the other side. Still he wants to go outside. Yells until I let him...I watch him carefully out there and bring him back in when he seems to tire. Sammy is 17...ancient so getting through this time is minute by minute.
My heart goes out to all of you...please give Chance a hug for me I've been following your blog and Chan's life for a long-long time now.

Shirley said...

That will be a very sad day... I went through losing Reba this year and it really affected my spirit. I wanted to spend every possible moment with her. But thanks to my blog and Facebook, I have lots of lovely photos of her and they always make me smile. I have my photos as my screensaver on my desktip computer, ans once in a while her photo pops up- I am thankful for all those memories.
I hope Chance has more time with you, he's a lovely dog and I am one of his loyal fans.

Cynthia said...

It's so hard when they get old and uncomfortable. I know you do the very best for Chance, even baking hm special Christmas cookies! He's such a beautiful dog and so unusual. I don't know any other blogging border collies!

Country Gal said...

Awe poor old guy. Miggs is only 8 and has slowed down a lot already now as she has been developing bone spurs in her toes and has Arthritis in her shoulders and left hip , our walks have to be shortened more often now and she cant do the mad dog running about playing anymore . I hope Chance has more time with you .

Shirley H. said...

I am so sad that Chance is declining. I love him although have never met him. I hope he can eat a lot of the pumpkin mix Far guy makes for him. I hope he can have more foods added to his diet. I know that you and Far Guy give him the best life a dog could have. It breaks my heart to know that he doesn't feel well.

Red said...

It's a difficult time when a well loved pet is coming to the end of his time.

Andrea said...

I made homemade dog food for 8 years, for our two Standard Poodles who had hereditary pancreatitis. My vet said I'd never get their liver enzymes within normal range and my response was "Watch me!". Here was my recipe, in case you want to try it sometime.

Combine:

2 pieces Ezekiel bread (that's the name of it, at the health food store or some grocery stores carry it), broken up by hand and put into a bowl.

2 Gardenburger-brand veggie burger patties, toasted til warm in a toaster & broken up and put on top of the Ezekiel bread.

a generous amt. of boiled, boneless & skinless turkey breasts (you can use chicken breasts if you can't find the turkey ones), cut up and added to the bowl.

Add enough warm water to this mixture to make it moist and easy to eat.

We'd serve this mix to our Standards 4x per day. Within 3 months both their liver enzymes were perfectly normal. They still had pancreatitis but that's how we managed it. Yes, they were thin! But they were healthy (as healthy as a dog can get, with hereditary pancreatitis). If still hungry, I'd put an extra piece of Ezekiel bread and Gardenburger pattie in the mix. They also like certain raw fruits and veggies so I'd give them those for a snack. But the mixture I speak of seemed to be in good balance and kept their bodies in good shape. Our vet was astounded and requested the recipe.

Good luck and blessings upon you all. xxx

Anonymous said...

So sorry about Chance but thankful he is making improvement this time. Many of your blog friends know the heartache of losing a long time pet. You guys were so kind to us when we lost Harriet. Kaboodle is 15 and it's been a hard year for her/us. Saying a prayer for you guys and pls know that your blog friends love Chance too.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Thank you for sharing your recipe! :)

Far Side of Fifty said...

One Vet said it was a hemmeroid and the other called it an anal tumor.

Granny Marigold said...

So hard to see Chance getting old and infirm. At this point you can only do what you're already doing and hope for the best.

Dreaming said...

So sorry to hear about Chance and his issues. Old age is tough... it's so hard to watch our loved furry friends struggle. Best wishes to all of you!

Linda Reeder said...

We all love Chance, and want him around as long as possible. :-)

Karen said...

It makes me sad to read this post :-( We all hope Chance is around a long time yet. If he is suffering from arthritis, you may want to consider Golden Paste made with turmeric. It has coconut oil in it which does not require pancreatic enzymes to digest, so is the best oil to use with pancreatitis. There is the Turmeric User Group on Facebook with over 250,000 members. The administrators are great in that group, and there have been some amazing stories about stiff and sore dogs that now seem more like puppies, and lots of humans have had great results too. It is a food, not a drug, and like many things may not have the same results for everyone, but I would say it is worth a try. The group was started by a vet that is doing research into the uses of turmeric and came up with the recipe to get the best absorption of the turmeric in the body. We both take it several times daily as do the dogs, more as a maintenance thing, hoping to hold off on the body eventually failing us ;-)

Terra said...

Chance is such a handsome dog and you are doing everything you can to nurse him back to health. It is good he is going to the mailbox again, a sign he is feeling better.

L. D. said...

It is tough when the dog is not doing well. We went from a severe condition to the point that we thought he would be gone to now he is just an old dog who doesn't see well. The time does go by fast even if it has been 15 years for us with Barney. We just keep giving him the best we can and somedays wish he would talk to make things clearer about his needs. Get well soon, Chance.

Linda said...

My heart goes out to you, it’s not an easy thing watching the progression of age....especially when they are such a huge part of our lives.

vickit43 said...

I am sorry to hear Chance is not feeling well. I hope he makes a full recovery. It is so hard to lose a fur baby.

Sam I Am...... said...

So sorry to hear Chance hasn't been well. I'm like you...Nitty spends more and more time outside and doesn't want to come in....I had the same feelings....like she wanted to be alone....to die and that scares me. Her arthritis is in her left back leg and it has given out several times going up or down the steps. I have no idea what I am going to do but each day is a gift and I cherish it. I might try that recipe and look into the Turmeric too....anything to make her more comfortable and pain free. Give Chance a big hug and I will say a prayer that he feels better.