Owners of senior pets should be extra vigilant | Entertainment/Life

I draw a lot of the inspiration for this column through my own experiences. With 14-year-old and 17-year-old dogs, senior pet care is top of mind for me and the life I live daily. Just last week, we had a morning trip for Romeo to get his allergy shot and then an unplanned evening trip the same day to the emergency vet with Stewie for blood in his urine.

Now that they are up in age, I am vigilant and hyper-aware of how both of my dogs are acting. Are they eating? Are they having normal bathroom behaviors? Do they seem sluggish? Both are going blind and deaf, both wear diapers most of the time, and both are giving me lots of content to write about.

I may not have even noticed the blood in Stewie’s urine if not for the diapers. Thankfully, it seems just to be an infection, and he is doing much better now that he has antibiotics and pain meds.

He is about 17 years old this month, and this is my first go-round with a dog this old. Overall, he is pretty healthy for a dog his age. I adopted him from ARNO 15 years ago. I am thankful for every day I have with Stewie, but I am also mindful to make sure he is still living his best life every day.

We no longer take him on long walks; it is too much for him. Instead, we make sure to give him time to lounge outside and roll in the grass, as he loves to be outdoors. He also wears an air tag, in addition to a collar with tags and being microchipped, since he is still quite spry, can run fast when he wants to and has been known to take an unattended neighborhood stroll. The problem now is, he can no longer hear when I call him to come back.

Romeo still loves his walks if the ground is dry and the walk is not too far. He hates being outside in general, likely because he is allergic to the world, but we cater to each of their needs to ensure both dogs get to spend time doing what they enjoy.

I have also been grooming the dogs myself for a while now, since going to the groomer has become too stressful for Stewie. There are many other things I would rather be doing for five hours on my weekend, but I have to do what is best for Stewie. I think I am getting better at it each time. No one is winning a beauty contest, but hygiene needs are being met.

My point is, as our pets age, we need to pay extra attention to the little things. We no longer travel without our pets because I am not confident someone other than myself would notice if one of them was not acting right. Senior pets are a lot like babies in that way. Just as they need extra care when they are puppies, they need that same level of attentiveness and care in their golden years, too. Maybe even more so.

Events

Sept. 12: From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Yappy Hour for Animal Rescue New Orleans takes place at the Rusty Nail, 1100 Constance St., New Orleans. The Rusty Nail will donate 20% of bar sales. There will be adoptable dogs on-site and info on volunteering and fostering. For more info, [email protected]

Race registration: Discount registration is open for the NOLA Dogs Race to the Rescue 5K Run/Walk on Oct. 13. Run through Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans and raise money for animal rescue organizations including Animal Rescue New Orleans, Take Paws, Trampled Rose Rescue, Zeus’ Rescues and The Inner Pup — Education and Prevention Services. Learn more and register at nolagirl.org/events. 

Traci D. Howerton is the volunteer manager for Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO), a nonprofit, volunteer-based, no-kill shelter. For more information on ARNO, visit www.animalrescueneworleans.org.