Eli turns 11

I’m a tad belated in announcing that Eli, my German shepherd, turned 11 this past Monday February 12th.  She’s in pretty good shape for her age, and I don’t see a lot of difference in her from when she turned 10 years old last year.  She’s grown more deaf, but that’s been mostly a blessing because it means she’s less terrified of fireworks and thunderstorms.  I still speak to her as if she can hear, but I think she follows most commands because she knows the expected routine.  She can also understand some hand gestures.  She still enjoys chasing a ball in the yard, but doesn’t run around acting goofy without a good reason (she’ll still bark without a good reason).  Rimadyl has done a fine job of helping her arthritis pain - I’m assuming this because since she started Rimadyl, she’s stopped the “nervous habits” she used to keep up—things like licking the floor aimlessly.

She’s due for her annual physical, a pricey proposition because it includes x-rays and blood work.  Last year it cost about $400.  I’m curious to see if we’ve been able to stop the progression of her hip arthritis, though, as I’ve really increased her glucosamine/chondroitin.  She also has some vertebrae which are fusing, and if I could stop these problems from getting worse, I’ll feel assured that she’s staying comfortable.  The biggest problem with the vet visit is just getting her into the car, because she doesn’t have a lot of strength in her back legs.  Last year we bought a ramp for her, but she’s not very good at using it, and she still tries to jump out of the car without the ramp (it’s hard to stop a 100 lb. deaf dog from doing something she insists on doing).  I’ll plan for the checkup soon, though.

In other vet news, Missy Mae is scheduled to have a dental cleaning at the end of the month.  We knew she needed dental work when we took her in last year, but I had no idea just how bad her teeth were until I took a look myself.  Yuck!  Her gums don’t look terrible, but her teeth are caked with hard, crusty tartar—tartar that’s incredibly thick!  I’ve never seen anything like it before.  Maybe a good dental cleaning will cheer her up.

Today is Valentine’s Day.  We don’t have any plans, although I’d like to pick up Eli’s prescription refills if we can get up at a decent hour.  It’s almost 5am, so things aren’t looking good :p We can also pick up Miles’ ashes from the pet cemetary today.  We took him in last week to be cremated, and he’ll come back to us in a nice little box.  I sure wish he was still around for so many reasons, but one big one is because Madison has started playing.  She’s still a bit wobbly on her feet, but just loves rolling around, swatting at things with her paws, and grabbing my fingers (her teeth just appeared 48 hours ago).  I wish she had a playmate her own size.  We’ve sent TJ in to visit with her, and TJ thinks Madison is great… to sit on.  It’s like some bad WWE event when he goes in to see her, wraps his paws around her neck, and then sits down on her.  I’m glad he’s still fairly small himself.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 02/14 at 04:33 AM

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  1. Kenya Dog went to the Vet Monday herself. She’s doing damn good for 16.  However, we’re doing the Adiquan injection series again, because I think she needs it. And she’s gotten to the point where she has trouble holding urine all night, so when I gotta go, I make her go. She’s been on tramadol and glucosamine for a long time, as her hip dysplasia was diagnosed at age 4.

    Posted by Georg  on  02/14  at  06:46 AM

  2. A belated yappy birthday to your woofie. Thanks for the chuckle about TJ and Madison. Have a nice, quiet Valentine’s Day!

    Posted by Victor Tabbycat's Mom  on  02/14  at  11:10 AM

  3. A very happy birthday to Eli. GSDs are just so fabulous and so aggrevating at the same time. Yet adore them, we do. I really hope all you’ve been doing for her arthritis shows at her exam.

    Now I wish more than ever that I could scoop up TJ. He sounds like the funnest cat. He’d give Mad-Kitty a run for her money, not to mention Molly.

    We did nothing for Valentine’s Day, either. We’ve hopes for a nice dinner this weekend, but both kids are sick, so probably not.

    Posted by Diana  on  02/15  at  05:59 AM

  4. Happy Birthday Eli.  Wishing you many many more.

    Posted by Coll  on  02/16  at  10:55 AM
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