Ponder this:

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Poodle boyz also aging gratefully

The poodle boyz went for haircuts yesterday. Kim had told me that, in the middle of Max's last two grooms, he had suddenly burst into full cry, and had quite dramatic bladder and bowel events . . . on the grooming table . . . while he spun in circles, apparently horrified at his own behavior. So when I made this appointment, Kim and I discussed at length how best to handle Max's "do" for his maximum comfort in the short and long terms. 
We decided that this time she would avoid the hairdryer since that seemed to be the factor that set him off. It could be his hearing . . . I know it's failing . . . maybe there's a tone in the hairdryer motor that hurts his ears or something. So Max got a very close shave all over, except for his puffy little ears, so that he could air dry. He will be wearing his turtleneck sweater for the next several months, poor thing. But he didn't pee and poop all over the grooming table, and he came home much calmer than he has from the last few appointments. 
We live in a winter environment suitable for Samoyeds, and here I have these two little poodles, one of whom looks now like a creature made out of popsicle sticks, with all his little old man age spots showing through his thin little fuzz.
Max's kidneys have been not good for years and they aren't getting any better. One of the things that happens, the vets says, with "bad kidneys" dogs is that they begin to use up their muscle tissue. I expect Max will grow increasingly thin unto near-transparency as time goes by. But in the meantime, he's eating and drinking (oh boy! is he drinking!) and enjoying his life, so onward we go.


When I went to pick up the dogs, Kim was indoors. I went into her shop, clipped her check to the grooming table so she'd find it easily, and got Max out of his crate. I set him on the floor. I reached for the latch on the crate that held Angus, and heard Kim come in. I turned around to say hi and heard a crash. Angus had jumped out of the crate, the floor of which is about at the level of my collarbone . . . and had landed on the floor. He broke a plastic bin as he passed it in his descent of five times his height to a tile-over-cement floor, but he was none the worse for wear. No limp, no bruising, no cuts. Kim and I both watched him closely for a few minutes but he was gamboling and strutting in his usual fashion. I can't believe it. I think he might be indedoggystructible. Knock wood. 


Husband thinks that the weaker Max grows, the more energy Angus sucks up.

11 comments:

georgia little pea said...

I'm glad you found a solution to Max's grooming issues. I guess he'll just have to wear a thicker sweater over winter. Drinking lots of water sounds very familiar to me. Rufus had the same problem :(

Lucky Angus!

I don't remember ever seeing your dogs (which is not to say I haven't. The memory cells aren't what they used to be.) Do you have a post with pictures?

threecollie said...

Wonderful little doggies! They add a dimension to life, which would be as flat as spent soda without them.

esbboston said...

After caring for my one dog, I can't imagine having two dogs and my sanity at the same time. After caring for my one dog, I can't imagine having two dogs and my sanity at the same time.

DJan said...

I can almost see Max from the description you have here. Poor thing! Old age spots? I have them too! Glad to hear that Angus wasn't hurt. You are very fortunate to have them, and they to have YOU. :-)

Carolynn Anctil said...

Our girls run and hide as soon as we bring out the vacuum cleaner, although they'll sit through a smoke alarm siren. I've often wondered if there was a sound that the vacuum made that hurt their ears. We shut them in rooms we're not cleaning, to lessen the trauma for them.

Re: Max's condition, I'm sure you and your vet have it well in hand. I was wondering if your vet has ever run a test for diabetes? Just wondering because the loss of weight and the copious drinking are both signs of that disease.

Blessings,
Carolynn

Linda Myers said...

A creature made of popsicle sticks! LOL.

Freda said...

I wonder if Max enjoys choosing a sweater to wear over the winter. I've been a bit bothered about our little Misty - think she needs some indoor clothes as well as an extra coat for outside.

Rubye Jack said...

Angus says when it is time to go, it is now. :) I'm glad he was okay.

#1Nana said...

Now I've got an image of a skinny little dog in a holiday sweater stuck in my head.

Barb said...

I know I'm "supposed" to be on break, but who can resist a story about the boyz? I sometimes react as Max does at the groomer's when I'm at the Cardiologist. Luckily, I've averted disaster so far. I do hightail it out of there like Angus, though. Nerves, I guess (though the Doc is very cute - so maybe that, too).

June said...

Georgia, post with photos scheduled for tomorrow morning. :-)

threecollie, these two sure add several dimensions to my life...as well as some dementia.

esbboston, see above. See above.

DJan, sometimes I think two of us are more fortunate than the third one. :-\

Carolynn, oh yeah. We're sure this is "kidney." He was diagnosed with kidney malfunction a long, long time ago. He had a bad bout of pancreatitis years ago and I gather that might have precipitated the kidney issues.

Linda, you'll see I'm right when you look at the photos tomorrow. Popsicle sticks.

Freda, Max gets a choice of gray or red. Or, on really cold days, a very thickly knitted tweedy blue with a belt. They're all leftovers from forerunner poodle BeauBear, who was, if you can believe it, actually spoiled. ;-)

Rubye, thanks. I was pretty glad too! I don't know how he didn't crack his head or his back!

Nana, the photos tomorrow will do nothing to dispel that image.

Barb, I feel quite flattered that you are coming out of hiatus to comment here! Thanks! I'm awfully glad you haven't pulled a complete Max in the doctor's office! :-o