Summer Daze & Denial
Mon Jul 12 2004

Much to his chagrin, I dragged #1 out of the house with me this morning to make a run to Wally World. He had some kind of bee in his bonnet earlier this morning and couldn’t leave his brothers alone. This behavior qualified as volunteering behavior for him to leave the house!

SIL clued me into coupons in yesterday’s paper for canning jars and lids, so after having Hubby bring home the paper (we normally don’t take it) I headed out to Wal-mart with coupons in hand. Now, a smidge more than an hour later, we are now back home with jars, lids and caps in hand. They didn’t have all of what we had coupons for, so I bought what I could with a resolve to put up preserves.

I will be heading down to Bro’s house Sunday, where SIL and I will play domesticated while Bro takes the kids out to shoot rockets, or whatever the day suggests they do. The kids LOVE doing this with Bro. Like many teenage boys, any chance to blow shit up is too good to pass up! We will be heading down there after our obligatory weekly run to the airport. Since Hubby is here today, I think I will be dropping him off then. Of course, he may be going somewhere in the next couple days and coming back then, I’m not sure and need to check the calendar.

One thing going on lately, that I’ve been doing my best to stay in denial about, is Indigo. She is 7, which for a Great Dane is getting up there in years. I watch her every day and have noticed more and more the degree of difficulty she is having just standing up after a nap. Despite how her old bones feel, she still manages to get up onto my bed to bask in the morning sun that comes through the window between 8 and 10. She only gets off the bed grudgingly later in the day when encouraged to get down so she can go outside. If she only walks a short distance she is ok, but any further than from the bedroom to the living room has her limping. Despite this she still goes nuts when she sees the leash. Pain is not enough to deter her from going for a walk, and possibly terrorizing all the squirrels in the neighborhood. Her eyesight is also beginning to deteriorate. While still bright, there is the hint of milkiness, and her behavior suggests that she is not seeing as well as she used to. She still looks OK physically, but it is her motions that tell me she is feeling her age. I know she is uncomfortable, and feeling pain more and more, but her quality of life is still good. She still has fun, and is showered by love which she generously returns ten fold. I know there is coming a day in which I will have to weigh whether or not to put an end to her pain, I don’t want to think about that today though. I just want to keep playing the part of Cleopatra, Queen of Denial.

16 Comments
  • From:
    Monstergue (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Jul 12 2004
    Call your vet and have a chat about your concerns. There are a lot of things that can be done these days to ease the passage of time in our furry friends. Glucosamine and Condroitan (sp) being among the possibilities. It is definately worth the call.
  • From:
    Enchantedbutterfly (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Jul 12 2004
    "Like many teenage boys, any chance to blow shit up is too good to pass up!"

    Thats why so many of them join the military! LOL

  • From:
    Yetzirah (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Jul 12 2004
    My cousins used to have a Great Dane. We have a picture of all of us hanging all over her. Her name was Penny.
    She was as gentle as a lamb.
  • From:
    Monstergue (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Jul 12 2004
    Hers a purty baby
  • From:
    Yetzirah (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Jul 12 2004
    As my granny used to say, that dog is one "tall drink of water" !
  • From:
    MagicWhiskey (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Jul 12 2004
    You have the world's cutest dog! Actually the second cutest 'cause mine is the top dog. Seen Good Boy?
  • From:
    AnneOakley (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    Indigo is so beautiful!!!

    Hugs, ao
  • From:
    Pragmatist (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    Indigo is a beautiful dog. I understand how reluctant you are to put her down. I had to do that to two cats within the last year. It hurts! But eventually you have to do what's best for the pet.

    Seven seems pretty young to me to be going thru what you've described. Do big dogs age faster than smaller ones?

    Shalom
  • From:
    PixieKitten (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    wow, thats one heapin hunk of puppy love you got there! shes beautiful.

    good luck with the loan thing, keepin fingers crossed for ya.

    -pk-
  • From:
    Sugardancer1007 (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    I have to say that Indigo is probably one of the prettiest dogs I have ever seen. Her color is gorgeous! I didn't realize some of the things large breeds have to endure. We have been discussing getting a pet (the kids want a dog)but I have been resisting because I know that it will fall to me for its total care eventually. Which means that I will be horribly attached. We live on a busy street and we are concerned with that more than the issues of dealing with a pet.

    Thomas has been suggesting a small dog so that we can keep it inside however your recommendation of great danes has me wondering.

    Thanks Allie, you've just muddied the waters a bit more. LOL!!

    Have a great day!
  • From:
    ImNotLisa (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    Rick and his step-mother were talking about dogs in general a few days ago, and she mentioned Great Danes. He told me she said many of the same things you've written here, and we both acknowledged that while Maisie is, well, Maisie, a Great Dane could have been an interesting option if only we'd known. I hope Indigo does well for a long time to come.
  • From:
    Pinkspiritlady (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    Remember when she was injured and you guys did not take her in? Maybe it is just due to the old injury. There are new dog foods that help old dogs with arthritis and energy. It might be time to switch her to one with more of the nutrients that help older dogs. I have heard of big dogs living 15 to 20 years so it might not really be an age thing. Just a nutrition thing.
  • From:
    TraumaMama (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    Nutro makes a great senior dog food, Sage is on it. But you are right, Danes, along with St. Bernards, just don't have long life spans. She is a beautiful dog.
  • From:
    Pragmatist (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    Interesting update on Great Danes. Thanks. It's nice to know they don't give doggy kisses. I imagine one lick from a tongue that size is pretty much like the wag of the tail.

    Indigo sounds like a charmer.

    Have you tried Monstergue's suggestion about Glucosamine Chondroitin? It really could help with the joint pain.

    Well, give Indigo a hug for me.

    Shalom
  • From:
    Enchantedbutterfly (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Jul 13 2004
    I love large breed dogs. Indigo is beautiful. My Roxi is still a puppy but she is gonna be big! At 5 months she is already 50 lbs. You can tell though that she doesnt have a single ounce of Great Dane in her, because I always get a total drooley St. Bernard style bath when I give her a hug! LOL ;-)

  • From:
    Toxicepiphany (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Jul 14 2004
    Indigo looks like a lovely dog. I love Great Danes without their ears cropped.