Re: [pyrnet] Pumpkin

["Amy Bailey" <ambailey@mediaone.net>]

Hi All,

It's good to hear that other pyrs are getting to be senior citizens too!
Jascha is nearly 10 and sometimes shows every day of it.  He has nasty
arthritis in his back and hips.  The vet x-rayed him nearly three  years ago
and said at that point if the x-ray were of him, he wouldn't be walking
anymore!  Jascha has two Cosequin DS capsules sprinklered on his food twice
a day to help with the joints.  I don't know if he is any better but he is
certainly not any worse.  He has trouble jumping up (unless it is to get
bread off the kitchen counter) and gave up stairs four years ago when he got
caught in the baby gate.

As for the intestines, I am going to try the pumpkin.  Jascha has always had
a "delicate constitution".  By the time he was three he had had endoscopy to
try to discover the cause.  (A couple of polyps but no major reason).  He
seems to get some sort of bacteria infection (the vet does a slide, but I
can tell by the smell)   It is very Dis-stink-tive!! and seems to be
uncontrollable, it happens while he walks and he is very upset about it.  He
usually goes on a round of Cephalexin to get rid of it along with high fiber
dog food, Metamucil cookies (won't touch food if I sprinkle the powder kind
on it)  and yougurt.  Now at his age he is on a maintenance dose of  1/8 tsp
Tylan and yougurt along with half high fiber and half regular dog food and
so far for about nine months, no more problems.

His mind seems clear, his hearing is acute but his vision is not great.
Strangely enough he is doing much better at coming when he is called than he
did when he was younger, I wonder if sometimes he is not sure which way to
go by sight but hears my voice and comes to that.  The yard is fenced so he
can't get out into traffic or have anyone else bother him so he gets to
spend some time outside exploring on his own.  When he is in the house he
sleeps most of the time.

We had three big dogs (not all pyrs) but over the last five years each has
died of old age complications (liver/lung cancer at 13 for one, a brain
tumor at 12 for the other).  Jascha was in mourning when Elinor died a year
ago, but he seemed to old to put up with a puppy or even a new middle aged
dog, so he has time time alone with us now.

Amy