{"id":37848,"date":"2017-10-19T23:58:19","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T03:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=37848"},"modified":"2019-05-19T14:36:30","modified_gmt":"2019-05-19T18:36:30","slug":"throwback-thursday-gigi-the-dog-is-sweet-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/throwback-thursday-gigi-the-dog-is-sweet-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Throwback Thursday: Gigi the Dog Is Sweet 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gigi the dog turned sweet 16 this month! We’re not sure exactly what day her birthday is — we got her in February 2003 as a rescue when she was 18 months old — but October 18 keeps popping up in my mind, so let’s pretend she turned 16 yesterday. Naturally, we celebrated with a fine, vintage Champagne.<\/p>\n

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I’m kidding. Gigi has never been a big drinker. We opened that bottle for for the hell of it last month — because why not<\/a>? — and Gigi wandered over to see if the kitchen action meant she was going to get a bite of bison. That’s what we’ve been giving her to distract her while she gets subcutaneous fluids three times a week to manage kidney disease.\u00a0 As Bette Davis (reportedly) said, “Old age is no place for sissies.”<\/p>\n

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This weekend, I’m going to look for a cute dog cake or cookie for her. I’m not sure how much longer she can enjoy a good quality of life in her condition, so she gets all the treats. The kidney issues are no problem. She and I can both deal with the fluids and diapers. (She wears size 2 Huggies for babies. I cut out a hole for her tail.) But no medication or supplement has helped with her dementia. Hers is not as severe as Henry the dog’s dementia was<\/a>, but it’s still pretty bad. <\/p>\n

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My favorite photo of Gigi and Henry, taken by Jennine Jacob in 2011.<\/p><\/div>\n

Dogs with dementia get worse at night — it’s called sundowning<\/a> — just like people with dementia do. I haven’t gotten more than two or three hours of sleep at a time for weeks now, and I hate seeing her anxious and lost. I took this little video tonight for anyone who might be puzzled by seeing this behavior in his or her senior dog.<\/p>\n

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Poor Gigi. Don't worry, I got her out of the corner right away. Just wanted to show people what canine dementia looks like. She never even goes in that bathroom! I looked for her everywhere else first. #seniordog #rescuedog #pekingese #pekesofig #peke #tibetanspaniel #caninecognitivedisorder<\/a><\/p>\n

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