The Senior Among Us

I mentioned recently that we celebrated Roxy's 11th birthday this year.  Chronic ankle and elbow issues have plagued her for as long as I've known her, but over the past two years she has been slowing down a noticeable amount. She still wants to play (A LOT!) but can no longer do the long walks and hikes we used to.  And the walks we do go on are at a much slower pace.  She'll often ask for (demand) breaks.  We'll be walking and she'll just lie down and refuse to move.

She gets a stubborn look in her eye and goes dead weight.  I try to give her as many breaks as she needs (even though it means our walks take forever now).  It doesn't hurt that one place we often walk has the best view of the city so I'm happy to take a break on a nice day. 

Rainy days are not so much fun.  And there was that one time where a couple was literally having sex outside and as I tried to rush by Roxy decided to demand a break and go dead weight.  An awkward few minutes followed...

I'm finding it to be a difficult balance to strike.  Roxy wants to play and to go for walks but if we push her too far, she's lame for the next couple of days.  It is also difficult on days where we are busy because Kinsey (and we) need(s) more exercise and Roxy wants to take a long slow walk.   So either Roxy gets shorted or Kinsey doesn't get enough exercise.

We keep her pretty drugged up in order to keep her pain levels down.

Wrapped in this kind of cheese is the only way she'll take the pills willingly.  We've tried lots of other ways to hide them - bread, peanut butter, pill pockets - she will spit everything else out.  Weeks where we forget the "Roxy cheese" are not pleasant since we have to shove the pills down her throat.  We try to always have Roxy cheese on hand.


A recent pet death in the family has made me pretty conscious of making the most of our time with her.  While I hope she is with us for many more years, there is no denying that she is a senior.  Lots of rawhide bones, swimming, and frisbee (her favorite things) are in her future this summer.