Loving Your Senior Dog The Compassionate Way

I am amazed every single day that our Parker is still with us. He has an inoperable tumor on his liver and cysts that continue to grow, causing him to lose an incredible amount of weight. He won't eat kibble from a bowl anymore, but he'll happily eat hand-fed wet food twice a day along with plenty of treats ... and keep 'em comin'!

We have no idea how much longer he has, but we're doing our best to make his time as happy as possible. With the loss of Molly a few weeks ago and the addition of our 3-month-old dachshund Cooper, life has been pretty hectic, but there are several adjustments we've made to make Parker comfortable and able to enjoy his home as long as possible.

Parker has free roaming privileges in the house; the puppy does not. If Parker wants to get away from him for a while, go to the blankets in the back of the house, or just be separated on the other side of the couch, he's able to do that whenever he wants. Cooper's spaces have a gate and he's crated while we're gone, so he doesn't have to share his energy all the time when Parker's not feeling up to it. This is so important for an older dog who's not used to fast-paced energy.

We make sure that Parker has one-on-one attention, but only when he wants it and for just as long as he wants it. We've learned to read the signals - when he moves closer, relaxes when we touch him, and stays close when we stop petting him, we know he's open to affection. If he freezes a little, looks away, or has no response, he's just tolerating us. But if he turns away, gets up and moves, or just sighs and groans, we know he's not in the mood. And then we respect whatever his decision is at that moment.

He definitely doesn't have to go outside - or even move from room to room - unless he wants to. We've started asking him to go outside like always but respecting his wishes if he doesn't always want to get up. Diesel and Cooper go every time, and Parker will perk up when it's time for treats, though! It's fun to see his ears go up when he hears the treat package open.

Routine seems to be very important to Parker right now, as we have always been pretty scheduled from day to day. He gets agitated when we're doing or not doing things in the right order, so we try to be as predictable as possible. The side benefit is that keeping a routine is helping train Cooper how to be well-structured puppy at the same time.

He loves to smell things even though he's not walking very far right now. My favorite times are when Danny and I take all three dogs out together. He'll take the other two and Parker and I can just sit there together. It makes me happy to see him happy, just smelling the smells. Even if he doesn't do anything, just sits there, he still gets all the good boy treats.

Having an older dog doesn't mean the joy and good times stop. Yes, it's emotional and yes, some days are incredibly painful, but there's something amazing about giving him times of connection and love. These days are difficult, but they're also priceless and precious. If you have an aging dog, too, my hope is that you'll find those moments of joy that will brighten both of your days.

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