ASEAN HIVE COMMUNITY

Nadi's eyesight is fading and her appetite is diminishing as well

For those of you just joining us, Nadi is my beloved Shih-Tzu mix dog who has been in my life for 11 years. She is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and also the largest inconvenience because it isn't easy to have a dog and also be an expat in various countries where your future capabilities to so much as stay there are not very clear and could be taken away at any time.

I do everything I can to ensure that she is happy and comfortable and going on at least 2 walks a day is a definitive priority in my life. Even when I was feeling as though I was on my deathbed a few weeks ago, I still managed to put on some clothes and go on a 20 minute walk with her, because that is her favorite thing.

I started to notice earlier in this year that my lovely little Nadi, isn't seeing things as well as she used to.

When I take her to public places she gets a lot of attention initially, but normally her objective is just to find a higher place like a chair, and chill out where other creatures are less likely to bother her.

In the past she would be on high alert in these lookouts and would bark like mad at any approaching dog or cat that dared to get near her area. These days though, I don't think she can sense they are getting near at all.

You can kind of see the glaze in her eyes from this angle and it really isn't that bad...yet. I have seen this before though and I know it is going to progress.

Her hearing is going as well. It used to be that any loud sound and especially thunder would get her seriously worked up but these days in the cooler months I leave the windows open and I don't think she can even hear the construction slamming noises that are so ubiquitous that I don't even pay attention to them anymore.

Something happened yesterday that made me know that her hearing is definitely fading. All of her life she has responded almost violently to anyone knocking at my door but the maintenance guy had a scheduled appointment to come and fix some plumbing and he knocked like you would expect a maintenance guy to (pretty loud) and Nadi didn't so much as move her cute little head. She didn't respond at all and acted kind of confused when I went to go and open the door.

As is often the case with aging dogs she spends most of her day somewhere that she is very familiar with and very comfortable in and this windowside lie-down area of hers is where all of her toys are kept as well. She doesn't really want to play with them all that much anymore and I guess that kind of makes me sad. Some days I will coax her into a game of fetch but I think she is just going through the motions to entertain me, not the other way around.

Think about that though: Do dogs really want to chase the thing, or do they just like to make you happy and they think that YOU really want to do it?

Unfortunately I know that things are only going to get worse from here on out and I am prepared for it. Thankfully she can still go on walks and absolutely loves doing so. My big worry now when we do walk around is when we encounter a larger or younger dog on our way. She is pretty frail and I worry about another dog accidentally hurting her. I don't think that really happens all that much though. Dogs don't really want to hurt other dogs I think.

We spend our days lying around and if she is in the mood, she gets treats very often, even if she doesn't do anything deserving of said treats.

Today is one of those days where she refused her kibbles and I tried to sweeten the pot with some chicken treats...which she also didn't want. This is quite normal and will usually pass in a couple of days. Maybe her little tummy hurts.

If it goes beyond 48 hours or so that is when we go to the vet.

It is Thursday, which for me is pizza day, and if she has no interest in that, I will know for sure that there is a real problem.

But I always stay hopeful. She has been a strong and resilient animal for nearly 13 years and that is 91 years of age for a human!

Comments · 7

@kbv.animalwelf(78)· 3h
her eyes actually look pretty good for her age. I'm not trying to be patronizing but it might not be a terrible idea for you to cut back the hair around her eyes a bit if you can. It seems overgrown and maybe she could see better if that wasn't in the way.

it's worth a shot!
@jack.russelle(78)· 5h
A close friend of mine's Shit-Zoo lived to be 19 years old, so you might have a lot more time left than you think! I have seen a few older small dogs here with glazed over eyes and they just trot down the road behind their owners, they work it out somehow, probably by sound or smell. I do find it very endearing when I see these human/dog duos... they won't give up on one another and are a very cute team.
@cryptoandcoffee(85)· 8h
Growing old gracefully and at least you recognize this fact because it is important to make sure she is well. It could be nothing and lets hope so that it is just a tummy bug or even sore teeth because that could also prevent eating normally.
@bozz(83)· 18h
Ah, I hope it ends up just being a short phase or something and she gets a bit back to normal for you soon. It would be so much easier if they could just tell you what is wrong. I'll be thinking of you two over the next few days.
@erikah(83)· 23h

Some days I will coax her into a game of fetch but I think she is just going through the motions to entertain me, not the other way around.

This, I think changes with age. When they are young, then need the activity and attention, but at Nadi's age, I think she needs rest more and she's doing it because that's what you two used to do.

Reading your post made me sad. Brought back really painful memories when my grandmother's dog passed away. We saw it coming, there were signs. She lost her eyesight, her smell, her hearing and when she couldn't keep her head up, you didn't see that sharp readiness to react, you knew there's not much lefy. I cried for two days and was sick for a week, even though I only saw her occasionally.

It's going to be tough for you too but I hope she'll be ok and the vet can do something. Fingers crossed 🤞.
@rebet(71)· 1d
that part about playing fetch just to make you happy really got to me. dogs really are too good for us. I hope she comes around and eats her pizza on thursday.
@kellyane(73)· 1d
That's one of the hardest parts of having a dog, especially when you've grown so attached to them. They become part of the family, almost like a person, so losing them can be incredibly painful. Even seeing them get sick and suffer is heartbreaking.

I remember my cousin had a Shih Tzu about three years ago. He loved that dog so much, and when it passed away, he became depressed. After that experience, he decided not to have another dog.

At least in your case, you're already preparing yourself emotionally for that possibility.