I can’t find the thread from before so this is an update on Kato my 15 yr old Siberian husky.

He went in for his 6 month check up and has lost 20 lb since May. His muscles are atrophying from inactivity. He has been on a special Glucosamine and chondroitin mix for dogs 3 months now and it has only helped marginally. At the vet this weekend they put him on 50 mg of tramadol (same $hit I have on the fridge for me).

I fear he won’t make it through the winter and it will be a hard loss for me. I remember bringing him home as a pup 6 weeks old. There always comes a time when you have to say goodbye to an old friend.

He has had a great life for a dog, I didn’t get him fixed till he was 8 so he’s run and hit the rut a few times in his younger years. Certainly fulfillment enough for him…

PF’s to ya all,

Roland. :)

Dammit, Roland, I hate that they grow old so fast.

Puts me in mind of my old yellow Lab, Tabac.  Great old fellow--I haven't had the heart to get another dog since.  It's been better than ten years.

Best wishes,

George

Well Kato seems to be much more motivated to get up and move since he started the tramidol. On the other hand he likes the G/C tablets that are chewable, they must have an enticement added to make them yummy. The tramidol meets a locked jaw every time. If I could tell him in a way he would understand, the tramidol would be gone by now and G/C tabs would be collecting dust. I worry that 50 mg X 2 per day is a lot of tramidol. I know if I take a lot of it (3) in 12 hrs I get repertory problems, and the vet gave no warnings so I will have to wait and see.

Roland.

These critters have such a sneaky way of working into our lives and hearts, don't they?

They arrive as little fur balls with their cute puppy breath, squeaky little noises, helpless looks in their eyes and follow us around like we are the greatest things on earth.  I swear there is a manual that they read titled, "How To Sucker Humans in Two Days Or Less".

I don't know about anyone else here but I have learned to stay away from puppies or dogs needing homes.  I just can't resist.  Had four dogs at one time and although I almost lost my mind, it was great.

I want to know why our canine friends don't have a life span of 50 years or more.  Some parrots live for decades so why can't dogs do the same?   They come into our lives like freaking hurricanes and leave way too soon.  Just doesn't seem fair, does it?

I wish you the best with Kato and am so happy to know that he has a good Dad that is taking care of him.

Cyn couldn't have put it better. In the last 2 years I lost my golden to the same thing you are going through and fell in love with a brand new puppy. She is sleeping at my feet, less than 2 years old. It is so unfair that they can't live longer. I'm so sorry you have to go through this.

Charlotte

aw man, i'm so sorry to here about kato. a dear friend of mine had a husky. he had one brown eye and one blue eye. when he looked at you it was like he was looking into your soul. what a majestic creature he was. seldom ever barked, very well behaved, and extremely smart. one time friend wrecked his car on some ice. he and the dog got out ok. while he was standing there  scratching his head, the dog walked away, stopped, looked back as if to say "well i'll see you when you get home". that was a good 12 miles away. sure enough when they pulled in the driveway with the wrecker there he sat on the porch. one he was acting strange and uneasy and my friend hadn't been home all night. finally the sheriff called his mother and to tell her that her son was found deadin a car crash. it was almost like he knew  before anybody else did. damn what a good dog he was

Sorry to hear about your Kato Roland, hope he feels better... [smiley=hug.gif]

I'm with you on the dog-love. I get choked up even thinking about the baby Scoots departing. One thing I might look at is dinovite.com. No one I know has actually tried it but the format for canine health is somewhat convincing and I'd be hard pressed not to give it a whirl since it does offer some hope.

sorry to hear about the doggie problems. i know my world is not the same without my sweet girl Greta (passed this summer). My wife believes that she was the childhood dog I never got as a kid.

My cat Bonkie started projectile vomiting about 3 months ago.  He's almost 13 yrs old now and that is "old age" for a cat.

He hasn't been able to jump up on the table on the porch where he eats for a long time now, so I put a chair next to the table for him to climb up on.

I cook all of my Beagles food (chicken, rice or barley or sweet potatoes, a green veggie) because she has allergies.  I decided to give this diet to Bonkie to see if he could hold it down..........he gets excited now when it's time to eat........he jumps from the floor to the table top, his coat has improved and he's losing his extra weight.  

I believe that commercial food is poisioning our pets.

My sisters Lab mix Miki has cancer for 2 years ....has had chemo........and has been in remission since my sister started cooking my recipies for Mikie.

Roland, why not give it a try?

Commercial dog and cat foods have Melamine in them  and horrible preservitives.

I am so sorry that your beloved friend is not well.

Yea Donna, when I refer to Kato in front of others I usually say he’s just a dog. In my mind I say but he's my dog and friend that has outlasted 1 marriage and 6 relocates. I never would have expected him to hang around so long. He is doing better on the tramadol, just the way he looks in the eyes tells me he feels 5 years younger even if his eyes are a lying a bit to please me.

His diet is 50/50 table scraps and dry food. I’m laid off right now so $ is tight. I’m just hoping the heating bill will be kind the next few months.

Our old vet had a grey tabby that was 19 yrs old. I went in one day for some “fatty” cat food and it was on the counter. I thought it was a plaster figure until Kato made a move for the counter and it scared me when it jumped away. That cat didn’t move a whisker for over 10 min so I was stunned to see it move.

Thanks ya all for your concern!!! [smiley=engel017.gif]

Roland.[smiley=wave.gif]

Sure hoping your pooch improves.  It sucks big time when they leave us.  They are such a huge part of our lives.

Much Love,
Jackie

I sure hope your pal improves!  They are the best friends and it is so hard to loose them.

Jeannie

Well, he figured out the cheese trick! Won’t eat it for nothing… Back to prying the jaw open again. I don’t under stand how he can tell the tramidol is buried in the dam cheese! ::)

wrote on Dec 10^th, 2008 at 10:44am:

Well, he figured out the cheese trick! Won’t eat it for nothing… Back to prying the jaw open again. I don’t under stand how he can tell the tramidol is buried in the dam cheese! ::)

Cuz he's smarter than you.

          Kinder gentler Potter

Potter wrote on Dec 10^th, 2008 at 10:53am:

Cuz he's smarter than you.     Kinder gentler Potter

I don’t know about smarter, but he’s gets an A in defiance… ;D

wrote on Dec 10^th, 2008 at 10:44am:

Well, he figured out the cheese trick! Won’t eat it for nothing… Back to prying the jaw open again. I don’t under stand how he can tell the tramidol is buried in the dam cheese! ::)

Same way they can sniff out a joint, wrapped in saran wrap, stuck inside a shoe, placed in a plastic bag and then buried inside someone's suitcase....

seasonalboomer wrote on Dec 10^th, 2008 at 11:03am:

Same way they can sniff out a joint, wrapped in saran wrap, stuck inside a shoe, placed in a plastic bag and then buried inside someone's suitcase....

Ya, I’m sure you’re right Scott… The things you go through to help a 15 yr old geriatric patient with fur! >:(

Add; Sometimes I think he’s toying with me because he managed to get a rabbit a week ago. He can move his ass when he really wants to!

I hope Kato does well.

The furry critters don't live long enough. It's ain't fair. I've been there too.

Charlie