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
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
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
