Senior Dog Life | Palliative Care Stage | Golden Retriever Care

Caring for our aging pupper, sadly, we are now in the palliative care stage. One day at a time, we’ll continue to love our sweet girl with all we have until it’s time for her body to rest.

It's difficult to say the least. It's gut-wrenching, actually. I've been crying for days. And then, I bust out laughing at Libby's silliness that she still has.

But the harsh reality is, she's not going to get better. We'll have good days, and bad days.

The crazy thing is, her mobility is the toughest issue. Then there's the chronic UTI's that are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. That's a scary one. Cushing's and osteoarthritis are destroying her "frame", but her "inner-workings" are - still working. She still has some quality of life. She loves eating, snuggling, "high-fiving" and occassional sock time. She loves to bark at anyone within at least 100 ft of her home.

She would love to chase bunnies & cats again - but her body won't let her. So, she watches (and barks at them). We do that a lot together (we watch, she barks).

We’ve been told it is like a hospice for dogs. We’ve been encouraged to start making a plan as we watch for a top 4-5 joys - and how long depends on how and when she no longer finds them joyful.

If you look back at even a few short months ago, you can see how fast Libby has seemingly raced towards this new stage.

As Christians, we believe in the Resurrection, ironically, Easter is next week, but the day when we will all be united again - pets too - is coming. There’s several passages of Scripture that support this, and this channel isn’t about that so much but it is our hope to be reunited with our loved ones in the Faith again; even our pets. God loves animals y’all! The Ark ring a bell? :-)

As Christians, we also believe we are God-given stewards of the animals. We are to be merciful, humble, justice oriented, and kind.

Our girl is incredibly precious to us and even though we won’t be traveling with her, as we had hoped, we will continue to enjoy every moment we have here with her.

This was a good day. I’m glad I recorded it. I just started a daily vlog for her too.

Blessings to you and all your loved ones - no matter how many legs they have! Seize the moments!

Karah, Jay & Libby

Recording: iPhone 11
Editing: Videoleap pro
Audio: Videoleap pro tracks:
1) Sun For Miles
2) Smile Again

I write too: https://journalofawarriorsjourney.com/