Just a week in the life of a little old lady

After a very rough start to this week, I am happy to say that the remainder of our week has gone pretty well.  We seem to have found a meal routine that is working well for Maddie now and she is generally excited to eat her meals every day.  While she isn't eating as much as I would like her to and she is still finnicky about many things, at least for the time being, we have a meal plan that is working and that makes me happy.  Yesterday was her best day of eating all week, as I slowly increased the amount I was feeding each meal, and she ate each of her meals with enthusiasm.  I hope that we can keep her eating as well as she has been because that will ensure that I continue to share some quality moments with her.  I know it won't last forever, but I'll take as long as I can get.  In general, I'm feeling positive about how things are going for her at this moment.

At this point in time we are using a special food made by Dr. Harvey which is a dehydrated mixture that I rehydrate and add to an appropriate protein.  The consistency reminds me of oatmeal and can be mixed well with any protein so she can get all of the nutrients she needs.  As for our protein choices, well that has been tricky.   Initially chicken was a favorite, but then after I made a whole crockpot full to shred and feed her throughout the week, she decided chicken was her mortal enemy and absolutely refused to even look at a piece of chicken.  I purchased a small amount of center cut pork chops to see if she would like them, and they were a hit, but I only had enough for a couple of meals.  What I have discovered works the best for Maddie currently is freshly cooked ground beef.  I mix a small amount of the Dr. Harvey's food and while it is soaking up all of the water, I cook a couple of ounces of high fat(73/27) ground beef then mix and let it cool enough for her to eat.  I think the consistency and the ability to mix the meat really well with the rest of the food make it most appetizing for her.  She really seems to enjoy it.

Friday, as suddenly as she had started hating chicken, she decided that chicken was an amazing snack.  I discovered this as I was getting some chicken together to add to Peaches' dinner and a piece fell to the ground and Maddie swooped in to gobble it up...and then stood there waiting for more.  I'm wary of how long this will last, so I have been carefully feeding her only small amounts of the chicken to keep it fresh.  I'll be trying to add ground turkey to the mix next, and I also bought a small amount of tilapia to try some fish too as it is recommended to change proteins regularly to keep things interesting.  I fed her the fish last night, and she seemed to enjoy it, so I'm happy to have some additional protein options for now. 

My fear in changing proteins is that she'll then decide not to eat the food again, but I also fear she'll grow tired of the ground beef and we'll be at a point where she won't eat anymore.  But we'll just keep plugging along and doing what we can to keep her eating.  As a treat, I have been feeding her a couple of tablespoons of plain greek yogurt every day and she seems to enjoy that too.  After a lifetime of eating a variety of veggies as treats, she has now decided that she doesn't want to eat most vegetables-even if they are roasted and right off my plate.  She still gets excited about zucchini though, so she gets a few pieces of zucchini every day too.  

Because she is eating regularly again, I am able to give her the medications she needs to control some of her arthritis pain.  While she seems to be getting around better than she was a few days ago because of this, she is by no means agile, but at least she can stand up without a huge struggle and can walk for short distances. She's really been enjoying spending time outside just wandering around the yard too.  But giving her the pills has become a whole other adventure in my daily life with Maddie.   

Gone are the days when I could just throw the pills in her food dish and she would take them right along with her food, and disguising them inside of a food item doesn't work either.  She is a smart girl and knows that I am trying to trick her.  Even when I have found something, like the garlic knots from my dinner last week, where I could hide a pill and successfully get her to take them, eventually that ends when she discovers my trickery and then refuses to eat that food ever again.  Spray cheese, garlic knots, and so many other items are now on Maddie's "refuse to eat" list because of the discovery of hidden pills.  Even her beloved peanut butter is no longer acceptable.  But peanut butter has been the best way I have found to force her to take the pills.  So every day, I get out the pills, surround them with peanut butter and stick them to the roof of her mouth where she is forced to lick the peanut butter and swallow the pills.  Until yesterday, this was working, although the daily struggle had become worse and worse.  She may be old, but she fights like a champ...and while I know she'd not hurt me on purpose, I know sticking my fingers in her mouth while she is fighting me off could end up with a good bite to my fingers.  So I have to be extra careful.  But yesterday, that little stinker found a way to lick all of the peanut butter without swallowing the pills, then ran down the hall to the office and spit them out in the corner.  So now I've been forced to use less peanut butter and throw the pills in her mouth and hold it shut until she swallows...if only she could understand I'm just trying to help her.  It breaks my heart to fight with her like this on a daily basis, but she really needs these pills for a good quality of life.  Thankfully she has always been a pretty forgiving girl and doesn't seem too mad at me once the ordeal is done.   

While sometimes it seems like life becomes the daily grind of just trying to get an old dog to eat, thankfully, we have also been able to enjoy some of our beautiful Spring weather too.  It has stayed cool enough most of this week that I have still been able to take the girls for some nice car rides to allow Peaches to get our for some adventures around town.  It's the delicate balancing act I need to preform to keep Peaches happy while also tending to Maddie's needs.  With the mild temperatures, Peaches and I can enjoy a nice walk while Maddie waits in the car.  Maddie enjoys her car ride and Peaches loves to explore some different areas.  It is a win-win.  I know that the weather will change soon, and the temperatures will get too hot for us to do this any more, but we're going to take advantage of the it while we can.

Earlier in the week, we made a quick trip to campus for a walk.  It is my favorite time of year on campus with all of the flowering trees and spring flowers in bloom and the leaves slowly starting to unfurl in all of the trees.  It is a beautiful place for a walk and I was happy to enjoy the scenery while Peaches enjoyed all of the new smells. Despite the fact that there were way too many people on campus for my enjoyment and that Peaches was attacked by a French Bulldog with completely clueless owners(thankfully the dog was too small to do any damage and Peaches was oblivious to what was happening because she saw a squirrel), we still enjoyed most of our time there.  

After a quick walk with Peaches, I was happy that Maddie wanted to get out of the car to sniff around a bit.  So I decided to let Peaches wait for us in the car while I allowed Maddie to meander and lead the way.  While we were out of the car for less than 10 minutes, all of the new things to smell made for a very happy Maddie and I truly enjoy these slow strolls that make me really slow down and stay in the moment.  That is one of the greatest gifts of having an old dog.  

With warmer temperatures on Wednesday, I made the decision to stay home and enjoy a walk through the neighborhood with Peaches.  Maddie had had a vet appointment for laser therapy for her arthritis earlier in the day, so she'd had a good adventure and was sound asleep when I left the house with Peaches for our walk.  It was a beautiful day and Peaches and I enjoyed a quick 2 1/4 mile walk only to arrive at home to find Maddie wandering the house searching for us.  

At that point, I made the decision to get Maddie out for a walk too so I pulled out her stroller, loaded her up, and headed out to see how far we could go.  She settled down nicely, and with the exception of a couple of moments when she was a little restless on some bumpy parts of the sidewalk, she stayed calm and relaxed for over 2 miles.  I thoroughly enjoyed that one on one time with her and was happy that I was able to get her out of the house even if she couldn't walk the entire way.  I think we'll make good use of that stroller as Summer approaches and the temperatures continue to get warmer.  She really seemed to enjoy her time outside and slept soundly the rest of the night.  

A rainy Thursday led to a shortened walk with Peaches, but I took her to a trail that we don't frequent often, so it was a pretty exciting day for her.  With a light drizzle we quickly got in 2 miles before heading back to the car where Maddie was waiting happily.  I got her out for a quick potty break and her now average 1/4 mile walk, and then we headed home for dinner.   

Finally Friday arrived and I promised Peaches a little longer adventure.  After my work day ended, we loaded up the car and headed to Mt. Hope Park for a nice walk.  It was windy, but sunny, and a nice day to be outside.  While this is an unwooded area with a paved path, it isn't somewhere I take Peaches much, so I knew she'd really like her time here.  We even made a little friend along the way.

Peaches had the best time out on our walk and was acting like a completely crazy fool, but eventually I was able to get her to sit still for a picture.  Although you can't tell here, she wasn't very happy that I made her stop!

When we got back to the car, I wanted Maddie to join us for her walk too, so out she came to slowly hobble along with us.  The slow walk with Maddie is good for working with Peaches on her patience, but sometimes she just has to let some of her crazy out...and she loves to roll in the grass!

After our short circle around the parking lot with Maddie, we headed back to load up the car, but I had to get a picture of the girls together first.

And once she stopped, a very stubborn Maddie wasn't sure she wanted to move again,  With a little coaxing and the promise of a bite of my dinner, I got her up and moving toward the car finally.

We finally arrived back at the car and I loaded the girls up, picked up some carry-out for dinner, and then headed home to enjoy a quiet Friday evening. 

While in some ways it has been a very trying week, I was happy to see things improving as the week went on and I am happy to see my old girl feeling a little better and still enjoying life.  I do know that her time left here with me is limited, but just how long that means no one knows and to see her eat with gusto, enjoy a good car ride and a nice walk, and to know she is happy in this moment right now-that is really all that matters.  And that's what we'll keep focusing on because she still has some adventures left in her!

With our North Country Trail challenges complete and plenty to do around the house and yard, the next couple of weekends will most likely be spent right here at home enjoying a quiet Saturday morning snuggle and then some time outside working in the yard-weeding, mulching, and beginning to prepare for another exciting year in the garden.  While I love our weekend adventures, it is also nice to enjoy some quiet weekends at home, and we'll be doing just that for a bit.  Thanks for joining us, no matter where our adventures take us!

Now to get out and enjoy our beautiful, sunny Sunday!