August 22, 2006
Thank you to FOB (Friends of Beau)
Beau, right, and Pierre at Betty Hyatt Park in Washington Hill, Baltimore.
Little Beau, our ancient sheltie, has zoomed past the 16-year mark, in fact, he's made it past 16-1/2 years now.
When he was a puppy, he was dubbed the Mayor of Ann Street for his charisma. That youthful energy I am convinced shot him into his longevity -- he had so much life and fire, that even now with congestive heart failure and kidney failure, he still enjoys barking at ceiling fans and snapping at beggin' strips.
Now many people are once again being exceptionally kind to him. We have some neighbors generally on the wrong side of the law, with whom I rarely see eye to eye, but they have been very solicitious of our geriatric canine as he makes his turtle-paced walk up and down one block of East Pratt Street. The mother of a notorious local juvenile criminal inquired about Beau and then told me about her mother's ancient pit bull and its medical problems.
Then there were the four Hispanic kids who kidnapped him for a half-hour at Soccerdome in Jessup last Wednesday. I told them angels were watching them and given them merit points for being nice to an elderly animal. The touching experience reminds me of the benefits of taking an older pet out on exciting little trips.
The staff at Essex Dog and Cat, especially Dr. Nesbitt, take good care of Beau. "Beau, you are just going to live forever," said Dr. Nesbitt two visits ago, marveling at his easy-going endurance.
Last Friday, Diane and Barb at Fells Point Pet Center combined to gently groom our little bug-bear so that he never snapped in discomfort. Before his visit, we discussed how sensitive Beau has gotten to being groomed.
Diane recommended getting him some Dr. Bach's Rescue Remedy from Whole Foods and giving Beau one-quarter of an eye dropper to relieve the stress of grooming. It seemed to work well.
I think he knows he looks wonderful.
Finally, thanks to Lamont for occasionally carrying Beau on his walk when he gets tired in the heat, his dog friends Pierre and Sipsey who give him kisses some times, and Olivia, our young cat who shoulders up to him and curls her tail under his chin, while he stands placidly still.
All are accumulating thousands of karma points as FOB -- Friends of Beau.
Tips on feeding an older dog
Beau's appetite isn't the best so let me quickly share some tricks to feeding an older dog. Over time, we have made the following changes to revive his flagging appetite:
- Switching from dry food to wet canned food.
- Gently warming the wet food in the microwave.
- Going back to cold food, and offering him flavored yoghurt (a favorite, with a lot of taste, much as senior humans like ice cream).
- When he shows no interest in voluntarily eating food: Pureeing canned food with water, loading this into a catheter syringe (got some free from our vet), and slowly injecting this into his mouth in numerous squirts.
- Following this with yoghurt, which he will eat voluntarily, and a late-evening snack of beggin' strips.
The other important thing is daily tooth brushing with an electric toothbrush and pet toothpaste, focusing on the top molar on either side, which can be prone to tartar. This keeps his breath nice and his teeth shiny white.
- posted by jbelliveau at 7:12 PM in The Neighborhood
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