Home Hospice

we are in home hospice 

with our first born 

our dog Liam

also my first dog

Poop logs and pee puddles in the house

circling

dragging one leg

temp loss of use of legs

I mop up the pee with wee wee pads...no, he does not use them to do his pee, we use them to soak it up

the instructions should add that as a use

on top, instead of underneath

I pick up the poop in our usual doggie waste bags

easier than searching the yard

one stop shopping for all Liam's elimination output

and I never berate

or get impatient 

I say "Liam, good output today" 

I sense he mourns the loss of his ability to negotiate the side porch stairs to do his business

projecting? maybe

but he does look longingly at the side door exit

then turns to  find his new indoor bathrooms

the following collage shows

the look of home hospice relaxation

thinking of the verb tenses

lie, lay lain

all present here in these photos

lots of prone positions for our senior boy

Hospice care focuses on the care, comfort, and quality of life of a person with a serious illness who is approaching the end of life. At some point, it may not be possible to cure a serious illness, or a patient may choose not to undergo certain treatments

substitute dog for person

 

 

I hold him

talk to him

lift him up

get his pills in 

bring his food bowls and water bowls to him if his legs are not working

hand feed him if he cannot get his snout in the bowls 

He has more good days than bad

eats a lot

drinks lots of water

                                                                      asks for affection

watches football

pays attention to us

is not in pain

 if any of those activities

change will re-evaluate

when we adopted Liam on January 1, 2008

People told me his death would be devastating

I have been preparing for it since that day

CURRENT LIAM

grateful my first dog has had such a long life

his tiny nodule of thyroid cancer is stable

his weak legs strengthened by 

Dasuquin  chews

for joint and muscle weakness

Denamarin tablets 

to lower high liver values

Gabapentin gels

control high blood pressure and anxiety

see his pills in photo

getting the pills in him has provided me with unique challenges; every day he tricks me by spitting out the pills once I think they are in...I then try a new food

 I then trick him back-keeps me and kept my creativity juices at solutions evolving

so far examples of what we have tried

peanut butter, cream cheese, croissants, American cheese (yellow) 

currently working is Starbucks's iced lemon cake, cut in tiny wedges...pills inserted into the moist fluffy cake bits, hand fed

 Liam takes fewer pills than his parents

has better quality sleep than his mommy

is peripatetic in his sleeping places 

thereby showing us he is alive whenever we look for him

and he still sits up occasionally with pride

Happy Half Birthday Liam

sixteen and a half

February 1, 2024

BTW all prior blog stories can be viewed and read by scrolling down

woof, woof