Hi everyone. I joined a long time ago but this is my first post. My boy is almost 15 years old and I wondered if anyone else was doing with their senior Havs
My Mia is 11 years and 3 months old. She is Havanese/Papillion. She is doing great. How is your dog doing? Mia is still very energetic. I thought she would have slowed down a bit more by now.
Hello everyone. Thanks for responding. Roman's hearing and vision are deteriorating but his sense of smell is still fine.He has had Cushings disease for about 4 years and takes daily meds for that. He isn't so interested in other dogs, preferring to be close to his people now. He has days where he sleeps a LOT but still has some moments where he will do the "run-like-crazy" puppy moves. In the last year or so, he has become anxious when left alone and barks a lot which is distressing; the vet says it's probably doggy dementia.
Sounds like Roman has a few challenges but still has a great quality of life, and most importantly he has a wonderful mom to take care of him in his golden years!
Thank you for this post. It is a reminder for us to take a moment to appreciate our senior loveys. I was thinking about Roman and your description of his anxiety and barking when left alone. Given his attenuated senses of vision and hearing, it is probably distressing for him to not be able to perceive his environment as he once did especially when left alone. The senior years are difficult, but in my opinion, those years carry the most opportunity for the greatest bond of love. For me, the last years of my hav could be described as spiritual- meaning we knew each other soul to soul and recognized the beauty in that experience. My last have could not be left alone for more than an hour in his last six months. He became very anxious and I think it was because he knew how vulnerable he became. He would not let me out of his sight in the last few years. I consider the caretaking of a senior furbaby one of the most important roles we fulfill. There is so much love to experience just by being present, in tune, and navigating their final chapter. With your attentiveness, sounds like Roman has plenty of good days ahead and 15 years is already a blessing. Enjoy the relationship that has taken a decade and a half to develop- there is so much to appreciate in that love <3.
nwhavmom -- Your post regarding caring for senior dogs was beautifully put. I've been through that with my last dog. She was a corgi and she was very dependent and vulnerable. Her very life was dependent upon me. It was very difficult to go through but also very rewarding and our bond was so strong.
Your descriptions of senior doggy caregiving are all so perfect. He does need more reassurance and the communication has evolved. He has developed some new noises as a result, a kind of purring when I scratch his ears and when we talk to him up close in a soft voice, he senses the vibrations and makes a contented sigh.
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