SadKen
Well-Known Member
Thought I’d complain about this here since I can’t anywhere else!
Had to go away with work for 2 days. I’m the primary dog carer in the day, working mostly from home. As I’m away and OH has his own business meaning he will be out all day, he asks his mum and dad to pop in to let our two out for a wee. They’ve done this for us many times before.
I’m back now, and my poor 11yo GSD is absolutely crippled. He is arthritic, on pardale and metacam and on limited exercise which he really enjoys and will happily trot for 20 mins and have a sniff etc, but retired from long or strenuous walks and absolutely not ever involved in chasing anything or running. He will run if given something to chase. So we don’t let him.
I think my oH has failed to remind his dad not to throw toys for him in the garden. I have told FIL this several times but he thinks he is doing the dog a favour. All he needed to do is let them out for a wee and watch telly with them for half an hour. From the state of this dog my guess is that he has spent an hour or more on both days playing fetch; I found a new tennis ball in the garden which I imagine was brought as a treat and thrown over and over - you know how they bounce and the dog swerves to get them…mind doesn’t care if he dies as long as he gets the ball. ‘he loves it’ yes he does, now he’s in agony. He can’t lie on his favourite side and he is well below par, too stiff to walk more then 5 mins when he usually trots 20, sad face.
I’m really cross with OH for letting this happen as we have previously discussed it after it happened last time, OH could see how sore the old boy was then, and it was a year ago. My FIL is not cognitively compromised, he just thinks he’s doing something nice for the dog. I can’t be grumpy about it with OH or FIL as his dad has done us a favour in coming to let them out for a wee; it’s just heartbreaking to see the dog so sore when I have repeatedly told him (and OH is very aware of this from last time) that there is to be no throwing anything, no playing, NOTHING.
Yes, I could pay a pro and I think I will have to in future, because it’s the second time and it took me 20 times and uncomfortably strong words to stop FIL throwing sticks when mine were young dogs. But honestly how hard is it to grasp that an arthritic old dog with high drive doesn’t benefit from having his legs run off for hours!! How hard is it to just let him out for a wee and then pat him for a bit and go home! FIL is 85 (he’s perfectly well, just stubborn) and he absolutely understands the condition in his wife, but clearly not at all in dogs. I don’t know any good pro dog sitters locally, I’ll have to find and interview and provide keys to my house etc, then trust them with my dogs all because OH has let the old boy down and FIL can’t not run the dog ragged after being told not to!
Rant over I guess, feel better for writing it down, hopefully old boy will be feeling better soon. FFS.
Had to go away with work for 2 days. I’m the primary dog carer in the day, working mostly from home. As I’m away and OH has his own business meaning he will be out all day, he asks his mum and dad to pop in to let our two out for a wee. They’ve done this for us many times before.
I’m back now, and my poor 11yo GSD is absolutely crippled. He is arthritic, on pardale and metacam and on limited exercise which he really enjoys and will happily trot for 20 mins and have a sniff etc, but retired from long or strenuous walks and absolutely not ever involved in chasing anything or running. He will run if given something to chase. So we don’t let him.
I think my oH has failed to remind his dad not to throw toys for him in the garden. I have told FIL this several times but he thinks he is doing the dog a favour. All he needed to do is let them out for a wee and watch telly with them for half an hour. From the state of this dog my guess is that he has spent an hour or more on both days playing fetch; I found a new tennis ball in the garden which I imagine was brought as a treat and thrown over and over - you know how they bounce and the dog swerves to get them…mind doesn’t care if he dies as long as he gets the ball. ‘he loves it’ yes he does, now he’s in agony. He can’t lie on his favourite side and he is well below par, too stiff to walk more then 5 mins when he usually trots 20, sad face.
I’m really cross with OH for letting this happen as we have previously discussed it after it happened last time, OH could see how sore the old boy was then, and it was a year ago. My FIL is not cognitively compromised, he just thinks he’s doing something nice for the dog. I can’t be grumpy about it with OH or FIL as his dad has done us a favour in coming to let them out for a wee; it’s just heartbreaking to see the dog so sore when I have repeatedly told him (and OH is very aware of this from last time) that there is to be no throwing anything, no playing, NOTHING.
Yes, I could pay a pro and I think I will have to in future, because it’s the second time and it took me 20 times and uncomfortably strong words to stop FIL throwing sticks when mine were young dogs. But honestly how hard is it to grasp that an arthritic old dog with high drive doesn’t benefit from having his legs run off for hours!! How hard is it to just let him out for a wee and then pat him for a bit and go home! FIL is 85 (he’s perfectly well, just stubborn) and he absolutely understands the condition in his wife, but clearly not at all in dogs. I don’t know any good pro dog sitters locally, I’ll have to find and interview and provide keys to my house etc, then trust them with my dogs all because OH has let the old boy down and FIL can’t not run the dog ragged after being told not to!
Rant over I guess, feel better for writing it down, hopefully old boy will be feeling better soon. FFS.
