How to Care for an Aging Pet

I have dogs. I have four dogs. I have four dogs in New York City.

In my defense, it happened by accident. See, I had two and my husband had two, so we Brady Bunch-ed them when we got married. I love them equally but this piece will focus on the eldest, Gixer, who’s 10½. (I may refer to him here by one of his many nicknames: Jiggy, JigPig, Gixy, Jiggy Pie, Jiggus McPiggus, Jiggus M. Piggus Attorney at Dog, Bird, Turd, Bubba. He might have a couple more by the time I finish writing.)

A few weeks ago, I was in the park with Gixer when a man and his young daughter walked by. “That dog looks so old,” the man said as he passed. I felt a pang in my chest. Despite my best efforts to freeze time, my boy is aging and it shows: his beard and eyebrows have gone white, he moves with arthritic stiffness, he’s got a bum knee that causes him to limp sometimes. His eyes are a bit cloudy, though his vision is still good, and he has a few fatty lumps just below the skin — benign lipomas that come with age. His anxiety, especially at nighttime, has increased, and his unpredictable grumpiness is directed at everything from skateboards to shopping bags.

Gixer, otherwise, is in good health. In all likelihood, we’ll have several more years together, which still doesn’t feel like long enough — not even close. But I’ll get to enjoy his pre-dawn snuggles under the covers, and his gentle licks on my hands and nose as we fall asleep. I’ll get to watch his hilarious bursts of energy, reserved for “walk,” “eat” and “I’m gonna get you,” a game in which the outcome is belly scratches (inevitably, he lets me get him). He’ll surely follow me to the bathroom every time I shower or bathe, sitting on the tub’s edge to watch over me. We’ll share many more special treats, like rotisserie chicken, pizza crust and ice cream, and we’ll take lots of car rides so he can hang his head out the window and let his tongue flap in the breeze. We’ll walk to his favorite baseball field, and he’ll sniff every blade of grass as he has a thousand times before. He’ll lie on my chest for plenty of afternoon naps, and I’ll make up songs to sing him to sleep, replacing popular lyrics with his name and all the things he likes.

We’ve learned how to best manage Gixer’s mental and physical ailments: special freeze-dried food, a daily dose of CBD oil (more on that later), weighted blankets and Thundershirts, steps so he can access the bed, regular exercise at his pace, massages, a heating pad and routine checkups.

Source: The New York Times

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Keywords:

New York City • The Brady Bunch • Flowers in the Dirt • Dog • Bird • Feces • Human • That Dog • Man • Beard • Eyebrow • White people • Arthritis • Joint stiffness • Buttocks • Knee • Human eye • Visual perception • Adipose tissue • Swelling (medical) • Skin • Benignity • Lipoma • Ageing • Anxiety • Under the Covers (Ninja Sex Party album) • I'm Gonna Get You (Bizarre Inc song) • Rotisserie • Pizza • Bread • Ice cream • Tongue • Flap consonant • Wind • Freeze-drying • Cannabidiol • Heating pad •