Another Year in the Life of Buffy.

It's been an exceptionally busy year in the family, with new ventures and schools to wrap into the routine. And Buffy? Well let me tell you about her eventful year;

Last Christmas (2019) I discovered that she had a mammary tumour that was growing very quickly. Our Vet told us the success of removing the entire tumour was small as tendrils often weave into stomach and lung tissue and it would be a difficult operation for a 13 yr old dog. The tendrils would be difficult if not impossible to remove.

The forecast was that this operation would probably give Buffy another 8 to 10 months of life (with medication and Veterinary support). After some debate, we thought that this was worth it to give her the chance for more life and time with us. So it was an easy decision in the end, albeit an expensive one.

It was a very anxious few hours while we waited to see if she would survive the surgery. The house was quiet and pensive, everyone went to their own spaces and waited. I was concerned that she may not survive the long operation, but kept my fears to myself. 

When we eventually got the call that she was not only alive but thriving there were tears of happiness and we couldn't wait to get her home. The Polish Specialist Surgeon who was called in to do the operation did an amazing job removing all the cancerous tumour and most of the tendrils. Thank you, is never enough in situations like this, nor is a big box of chocolates but everyone in that Vets Surgery knows Buffy and knows how grateful we are for the work they do.

Buffy quickly settled back into the family routine, but only a couple of months later the cancer was back. Not as vigorous, but now spread through-out her system. We were warned that this may get into her brain and spine.

We thought that at one of her monthly appointments in July of 2019 that the Vet we saw was going to insist that we let her go (our normal Vet was on Holiday). He finally understood having read her record that Buffy was no ordinary dog and still had lots of life and spirit in her. He adjusted her medication and said gravely she would probably pass away naturally by September 2019.

Fast forward to Feb 2020 Buffy is still here and sleeping by my feet as I write this. She is still eating like she always has. Any Border Terrier owner will tell you the first sign their dog is unwell is when they don't want to eat or drink. Buffy will soon let you know if you're late putting her food down! She eats heartily and her routines are normal. She has decided she will not go out for walks anymore although she is happy ranging around our garden, sniffing out and checking the hedgerows.. 

Buffy sleeps (and occasionally snores) 20 out of every 24 hours, waking only to eat, check out the garden and have her medication. She is coming up to her 14th Birthday on 3rd March 2020 and although she is frailer than she was, she still wants to be part of our family and we love her.

With the help of our Vet (who loves her as much as we do) she is enjoying her twilight time sleeping in the sunshine (she has always loved lying in the sunshine).

Her sight is failing as is her hearing, but her spirit is still strong.

Thank you for following my stories of life with our Border Terrier(s). If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Buffy waiting for "Mum" to come in from
the car, one sunny day in Sept 2019.

Summer Life

Since my last post we've been very busy travelling (sometimes with our dogs and sometimes without). 
The June heatwave has finished and yesterdays temperature of 34' C (93'F) has been replaced with a comparatively rather chilly 18'C (64'F). It's overcast and grey outside and rain showers are forecast; so it's back to a usual West Country Summer (the Glastonbury Festival has started so it's bound to rain this weekend even if it's not forecast).

My dogs are not too bothered by the heat and Buffy will often sit outside on a patio chair in the sunshine and after a while come inside and sit on the stairs. In the summer typically all our outside doors are open and the dogs can come and go as they please.

Bobbie (pictured below on Tuesday and who will be seventeen in September) alternates between lying on her soft memory foam bed and the tiled kitchen floor. I change their water on average three times a day during very hot weather.

Bobbie watching children dance

Bobbies arthritis continues to cause her mobility problems and she is on regular medication and supplements that help her (see my previous posts), but even so some days are worse than others and she struggles to lift her front paws high enough to get in the back door. Yet on a good day she will break into a run when she's out on our walks. She has become hard of hearing (I hesitate to say deaf) and so all walks are now on her long extender lead. Even though she is obviously stiff, if she sights (or scents) a rabbit, or an unwitting bird gets too close she will give chase and have every intention of trying to catch it. Border Terriers never lose the "chase" instinct however old they get.

Her intelligence spirit and character have not diminished with age and she is still a very loving attentive dog. I now count the days that we have left with her. I shouldn't, I know I shouldn't, but she is such a special dog and we all love her so dearly that I can't help fearing the day that we will lose her. I think as we lost Buster unexpectedly on 6th Jan 2016 to a stroke; which was very poignant as I'm a stroke survivor. It has made me even more aware of the fragility of life and we treasure every moment with our dogs and with each other. 

As a special treat Bobbie now sleeps at the end of our bed and hardly moves all night long. She has to be carried upstairs and carried back again downstairs. When the time for bed comes, she sits at the bottom of the stairs waiting without even attempting the climb. It's worth mentioning that if you carry your dog occasionally, you must always support their back legs. If you carry your dog with it's back legs unsupported you risk causing a back injury (especially in older dogs). 

Whilst it may read as if I'm overly fearful of losing her; I want to reassure you that the situation is that I'm a realist and that my focus is on appreciating her life and making sure she enjoys the rest of her days with us and us with her. 

Life is for living and a little pampering doesn't hurt.

Thanks for spending some time with me and my dogs. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Cheers


Mike

Ageing Border Terriers & Supplements

As I write Storm "Angus" is battering Britain, it's a cold and dark morning. It is raining hard and has done so all night. Both my Border Terriers are reluctant to go out and are happily dozing and snoring in their comfy bed. I often wonder what they dream about as their legs twitch and their lips curl; maybe they are dreaming of their last leafy walk through our local woods sniffing and exploring? 

Bobby is nearly entirely deaf now and suffering from the early onset of arthritic hips and she has stiff back legs and she sees the Vet regularly. She is still a happy and cheerful Border Terrier and will still chase birds and rabbits if she see's them but she is slower and tires quicker. She is sixteen years old and I think doing great! I wanted to tell you all partly why I think that is in this update.

Sometime ago my Vet recommended the doggie version of Glucosamine Sulphate with additives, it's a YuMove product. Now I buy this one from YuMove on Amazon as it's a lot cheaper than getting the same one from the Vet (her idea because they have to add overheads and I am a monthly visitor). When I first started Bobby on them the difference was noticeable in just four days as she became more willing to move about and she was able to jump up onto her place on our Sofa. Now over a year later she is still a bit stiff in the morning but during the day she is virtually free of stiffness.

I can thoroughly recommend YuMove! One tablet a day keeps her fit and active and at just 22p a day, (prices correct for November 2016). You get two months supply of 60 tablets for £12.91 with free delivery. They make Bobby more mobile and able to still do the things she likes to do (chasing birds and exploring through the woods); and I think it is absolutely worth it. I believe every dog over twelve years old should be taking one of these a day. 

If this sounds like a promotion you are absolutely right; anything that makes my best friends life better and more enjoyable is worth telling the world about. If you have an old dog that suffers with stiff legs and joints and is becoming arthritic this product will help keep them mobile. My Bobby is living proof :)

I don't take her out on wet cold days anymore and she only gets a long walk in the woods once a week with short walks in between and that seems to suit her well. 

When you have an old dog you do value the time with them a lot more than when you have a young dog pestering you all the time.  You know the clock is ticking and an era is drawing to a close. That is why I do everything I can to make her golden years happier and more comfortable. I love her and having lost Buster unexpectedly in January this year it's made me more attentive to Bobby and Buffy. 

Thank you for reading my updates about my Border Terriers. I hope you and your dog(s) have a great day. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Best wishes.

Mike

#dogs #BorderTerriers #dogcare #ilovemydog #dogsupplements

Ageing Border Terriers & Supplements

It's a bright cold morning and it's still below zero outside. The lawn is crisp and white and the bushes and trees in my garden are dusted with sparkling silvery white frost that glints in the low sunshine. 

Both my Border Terriers are reluctant to go out and are happily dozing and snoring in their comfy bed. I often wonder what they dream about as their legs twitch and their lips curl; maybe they are dreaming of their last walk through our local woods sniffing and exploring? 

Bobby is nearly entirely deaf now and suffering from the early onset of arthritic hips and she has stiff back legs and she sees the Vet regularly. She is still a happy and cheerful Border Terrier and will still chase birds and rabbits if she see's them but she is slower and tires quicker. She is sixteen years old and I think doing great! I wanted to tell you all partly why I think that is in this update.

Sometime ago my Vet recommended the doggie version of Glucosamine Sulphate with additives, it's a YuMove product. Now I buy this one from YuMove on Amazon as it's a lot cheaper than getting the same one from the Vet (her idea because they have to add overheads and I am a monthly visitor). When I first started Bobby on them the difference was noticeable in just four days as she became more willing to move about and she was able to jump up onto her place on our Sofa. Now over a year later she is still a bit stiff in the morning but during the day she is virtually free of stiffness.

I can thoroughly recommend YuMove! One tablet a day keeps her fit and active and at just 22p a day, (prices correct for November 2016). You get two months supply of 60 tablets for £12.91 with free delivery. They make Bobby more mobile and able to still do the things she likes to do (chasing birds and exploring through the woods); and I think it is absolutely worth it. I believe every dog over twelve years old should be taking one of these a day. 

If this sounds like a promotion you are absolutely right; anything that makes my best friends life better and more enjoyable is worth telling the world about. If you have an old dog that suffers with stiff legs and joints and is becoming arthritic this product will help keep them mobile. My Bobby is living proof :)

I don't take her out on wet cold days anymore and she only gets a long walk in the woods once a week with short walks in between and that seems to suit her well. 

When you have an old dog you do value the time with them a lot more than when you have a young dog pestering you all the time.  You know the clock is ticking and an era is drawing to a close. That is why I do everything I can to make her golden years happier and more comfortable. I love her and having lost Buster unexpectedly in January this year it's made me more attentive to Bobby and Buffy. 

Thank you for reading my updates about my Border Terriers. I hope you and your dog(s) have a great day. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Best wishes.

Mike

(updated January 2017).

#dogs #BorderTerriers #dogcare #ilovemydog #dogsupplements

Ageing Border Terriers & Supplements

As I write Storm "Angus" is battering Britain, it's a cold and dark morning. It is raining hard and has done so all night. Both my Border Terriers are reluctant to go out and are happily dozing and snoring in their comfy bed. I often wonder what they dream about as their legs twitch and their lips curl; maybe they are dreaming of their last leafy walk through our local woods sniffing and exploring? 

Bobby is nearly entirely deaf now and suffering from the early onset of arthritic hips and she has stiff back legs and she sees the Vet regularly. She is still a happy and cheerful Border Terrier and will still chase birds and rabbits if she see's them but she is slower and tires quicker. She is sixteen years old and I think doing great! I wanted to tell you all partly why I think that is in this update.

Sometime ago my Vet recommended the doggie version of Glucosamine Sulphate with additives, it's a YuMove product. Now I buy this one from YuMove on Amazon as it's a lot cheaper than getting the same one from the Vet (her idea because they have to add overheads and I am a monthly visitor). When I first started Bobby on them the difference was noticeable in just four days as she became more willing to move about and she was able to jump up onto her place on our Sofa. Now over a year later she is still a bit stiff in the morning but during the day she is virtually free of stiffness.

I can thoroughly recommend YuMove! One tablet a day keeps her fit and active and at just 22p a day, (prices correct for November 2016). You get two months supply of 60 tablets for £12.91 with free delivery. They make Bobby more mobile and able to still do the things she likes to do (chasing birds and exploring through the woods); and I think it is absolutely worth it. I believe every dog over twelve years old should be taking one of these a day. 

If this sounds like a promotion you are absolutely right; anything that makes my best friends life better and more enjoyable is worth telling the world about. If you have an old dog that suffers with stiff legs and joints and is becoming arthritic this product will help keep them mobile. My Bobby is living proof :)

I don't take her out on wet cold days anymore and she only gets a long walk in the woods once a week with short walks in between and that seems to suit her well. 

When you have an old dog you do value the time with them a lot more than when you have a young dog pestering you all the time.  You know the clock is ticking and an era is drawing to a close. That is why I do everything I can to make her golden years happier and more comfortable. I love her and having lost Buster unexpectedly in January this year it's made me more attentive to Bobby and Buffy. 

Thank you for reading my updates about my Border Terriers. I hope you and your dog(s) have a great day. 

Best wishes.

Mike

#dogs #BorderTerriers #dogcare #ilovemydog #dogsupplements