Rockman
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Hi, I used to come on the forum frequently but haven't been on in a while however I remembered the amazing advice I used to see and receive and thought I'd turn to you guys for some help on this one.
So a bit of background, around 3 or 4 months ago my dog (9 years old) got very very ill very quickly it turned out he has diabetes. This took a long time to get anywhere near under control but thanks to a lot of vet visits and now injecting him twice daily and strictly monitoring his food he seems to be maintaining some condition. When he was ill he lost a dramatic amount of weight which he has struggled to put back on but the vet said he isn't dangerously thin anymore. He hasn't responded greatly to treatment and has had a lot of tests and scans done to try and find another underlying cause but nothing has been found.
Anyway just as we thought we had got the diabetes under control my dog has gone blind in both eyes gradually over the last couple of months. At first he was coping fine and still what I would say was enjoying his life. However over the last 3 weeks he has turned into the complete opposite of the dog he used to be, he is clingy to the point he doesn't want to leave your side at all which makes going to work hard. He has high levels of anxiety and is very reluctant to move around the house and gets very stressed. He is very jumpy which I realise is because he can't see and doesn't know what's around and he is constantly crashing into things. Even though we have kept everything in the house completely the same he still has no idea where he is and often gets confused and panicky. I have tried to read up on how to help him and we talk to him constantly to let him know where we are and where he is. He is also now losing some bladder control and he often has very cold feet, tongue, ears and lips so now where's a little jumper which he is happy in.
He is still under vet care so I'm not asking for vet advice but more quality of life advice. He used to be so playful and now he will pick up a toy to play but gets so tired so quickly. He used to be an independent dog who would come to the farm with me and go off wandering while I sorted the horses and then he'd come along for the ride. Now he can rarely go off the lead as he gets lost and panics and he seems so old, tired and sad and he can't even enjoy a bone from the butchers anymore due to his strict diet. I finding it hard as I feel like all the enjoyment has been taken out of his life and everything he used to do can no longer be done.
I guess what I'm asking is, is this just part of him getting old and his lifestyle changing and he'll get used to it all or is this him telling me that he's tired and he's ready to go onto the next chapter? (I'm in tears writing this!) he still was his tail and is happy to see me and looks forward to his food and cuddling up on the sofa but I just don't know if I'm doing this for me or for him anymore.
Sorry for the waffling guys I've had him since he was 8 weeks old and this is probably one of the hardest stages of my life!
So a bit of background, around 3 or 4 months ago my dog (9 years old) got very very ill very quickly it turned out he has diabetes. This took a long time to get anywhere near under control but thanks to a lot of vet visits and now injecting him twice daily and strictly monitoring his food he seems to be maintaining some condition. When he was ill he lost a dramatic amount of weight which he has struggled to put back on but the vet said he isn't dangerously thin anymore. He hasn't responded greatly to treatment and has had a lot of tests and scans done to try and find another underlying cause but nothing has been found.
Anyway just as we thought we had got the diabetes under control my dog has gone blind in both eyes gradually over the last couple of months. At first he was coping fine and still what I would say was enjoying his life. However over the last 3 weeks he has turned into the complete opposite of the dog he used to be, he is clingy to the point he doesn't want to leave your side at all which makes going to work hard. He has high levels of anxiety and is very reluctant to move around the house and gets very stressed. He is very jumpy which I realise is because he can't see and doesn't know what's around and he is constantly crashing into things. Even though we have kept everything in the house completely the same he still has no idea where he is and often gets confused and panicky. I have tried to read up on how to help him and we talk to him constantly to let him know where we are and where he is. He is also now losing some bladder control and he often has very cold feet, tongue, ears and lips so now where's a little jumper which he is happy in.
He is still under vet care so I'm not asking for vet advice but more quality of life advice. He used to be so playful and now he will pick up a toy to play but gets so tired so quickly. He used to be an independent dog who would come to the farm with me and go off wandering while I sorted the horses and then he'd come along for the ride. Now he can rarely go off the lead as he gets lost and panics and he seems so old, tired and sad and he can't even enjoy a bone from the butchers anymore due to his strict diet. I finding it hard as I feel like all the enjoyment has been taken out of his life and everything he used to do can no longer be done.
I guess what I'm asking is, is this just part of him getting old and his lifestyle changing and he'll get used to it all or is this him telling me that he's tired and he's ready to go onto the next chapter? (I'm in tears writing this!) he still was his tail and is happy to see me and looks forward to his food and cuddling up on the sofa but I just don't know if I'm doing this for me or for him anymore.
Sorry for the waffling guys I've had him since he was 8 weeks old and this is probably one of the hardest stages of my life!
