# And then there were two dogs (in my apartment)



## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

Maybe your Dad will slip you some money to help out. Don't take her back.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Well, after several hours of soaking, picking and cutting all the crust off of Sophie's eyes, I think she has an infection in at least her right eye because she has ***** gooey (apparently go0py is a swear on this forum hahaha) greenish stuff coming out of it. Or it could be a response to the amount if irritation that was probably being caused by looking through a thick veil of crust every day, although the fact that one eye was much worse than the other makes me think infection. That'll have to be looked at tomorrow.

At least she can see now!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

You are Sophie's hero!!! You did what had to be done and with so much love it brought tears to my eyes. She needs you, and I hope she can somehow stay with you....... I too am hoping your Dad will help financially!


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## Beaches (Jan 25, 2014)

You are an angel for poor dear Sophie. She's obviously content being with you and Ari. Might be hard on her to have to go back.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

You are doing a wonderful thing for Sophie ! She is much better off with you and Ari !


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

It is as if you are the parent and your mom and dad are the irresponsible children ignoring their pet. You are truly a hero and I am glad to virtually know you.

PS - I never thought of putting the cone of shame upside down. I wil remember that.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Thank you for helping the old girl and taking her into your life and home. I'm sure she is overjoyed at being there with you guys! Anything you can do for her is much better than she would have received! 

As for the eyes, she could have dry eye (KCS) which is causing the thick discharge.


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

Bless you for rescuing Sophie. Tugging on my heart strings, since she looks like my beloved Pepper in her senior years.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Bless your heart for taking in your dear friend Sophie. :angel:

I had tears in my eyes reading how she was being neglected. Our old kids need and deserve all the love they can get and I have no doubt she will get it from you and Ari.

I also think your landlords are a blessing to welcome her in as well. What sweet people.

I hope you have some very good time left with dear Sophie....you both deserve it.

Check out baby or toddler socks at Target or Walmart. Some fit my Iris quite well and they have the little rubber treads on the bottom for traction and non-slip. Inexpensive too. I used them when we had a paw injury to heal.

Viking Queen

P.S. Iris, my girl is a senior as well and I can sure relate to a lot of Sophie's issues, but we are working through them. ((((HUGS))))


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

What a wonderful person you are.!Your folks may have issues, but somehow they managed to raise you, so they can't be all bad ?


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Aww, this is a wonderful way for me to log in to Poodle Forum. Thank you for giving Sophie a great retirement life. 

*sigh* You're a little bit awesome.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

happy for sophie and for you. no way she should go back to your parents'.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Sophie is blessed for having you to watch over her, and this is a wonderful chance for you to make her last years/months happier and easier. I'm so sorry for the family issues, and offer full support and wishes for your internal peace and comfort.

Once you know what is going on with Sophie, please share with us here. I hope it can all be managed for her greatest comfort and your ease as well, Sophie Anne.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophie looks so relaxed and happy, and it is heart warming to hear how kind your neighbours/landlord are being. Let us know how she does - she may surprise you with a whole new lease of life!


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

Awww, your story brought tears to my eyes! Bless you so much. You are Sophie's Godsend, and she deserves the chance to continue to live. I hope everything works out. What a beautiful precious little girl.


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## Zhuhaibill (Jul 10, 2015)

I really enjoy reading your posts and looking at your photos. Lucky Sophie. I hope you all have a lovely Spring and Summer.


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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

Happy content Sophie! Ari has company! You are a rescue angel!


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Thanks for all of your support. It really means a lot, because this is not an easy situation with my parents.

Sophie's got an appointment for 12:25p today with Ari's vet and Ari is also going to get her stitches checked while we're there because she's VERY itchy.

Has anyone ever had a dental done on an elderly dog? What would we be talking, in a very rough ballpark, on cost and benefit to the dog? Is there any way to do some work without putting a very-well-behaved and trusting dog under anesthesia?

Ari got a post-spay care package from my coworkers today. They heard last-minute yesterday that Sophie had moved in with me so Sophie got a little bone in the bag too :biggrin: I love my job!!


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

In this area if the are over 5 years old and need to be put to sleep they want all blood work done first. A cleaning her runs about 200.00 my bills are usually 245 to 285 per dog, if an extractions are needed. But bad teeth can really cause health problems in dogs


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

MiniPoo said:


> It is as if you are the parent and your mom and dad are the irresponsible children ignoring their pet. You are truly a hero and I am glad to virtually know you.
> 
> PS - I never thought of putting the cone of shame upside down. I wil remember that.


It's a very difficult dynamic because if I say or do anything about how they treat Sophie I'm upsetting the pecking order of the family. At the same time my mom holds it over my head that Sophie is "my dog" which is why I've slowly become responsible for all of her grooming and health care needs despite the fact that she wouldn't let me bring her to my apartment... so frustrating. But hopefully now we're starting a new chapter for Sophie.

Regarding the cone: Ari has a soft cone that can flex back. She's figured out how to pop it back like it is in the picture, which she prefers when she's lounging around or eating. She still can't reach her stitches with it back like that but she is more apt to trip on the lower part of the cone if she's walking around much. You can do that with a plastic cone too but you have to strap it on backwards rather than just rolling it back. This is Ari's cone: KVP EZ Soft Pet Cloth Recovery Collar


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

glorybeecosta said:


> In this area if the are over 5 years old and need to be put to sleep they want all blood work done first. A cleaning her runs about 200.00 my bills are usually 245 to 285 per dog, if an extractions are needed. But bad teeth can really cause health problems in dogs


Wow glorybee, that is much less expensive than I would have guessed, especially for a dental with extractions. Are they putting your dogs under for the cleaning?

For context, I just paid $550 for Ari's spay. This is on the high end for Maine but it's a pretty good/meticulous vet in a rather affluent part of the state.

If it was less than $500 for the dental (especially if they pulled some teeth and got her feeling much better) that would be soooo worth it!

Sophie's teeth are so black, slimy rotten and foul I couldn't stand to look at them for more than a few minutes last night. I can't imagine trying to eat with them. I bet everything tastes bad and that it hurts to chew.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I'm so glad you "rescued" Sophie! One of the reasons I'm afraid to move out is that my dad is well meaning, but he doesn't take the same level of care I do or my mom did of his dogs.


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## blueroan (Dec 28, 2015)

So glad Sophie is with you now! Ewwww on her teeth. 

Even though she is an older girl, I wouldn't worry too much about doing a dental. I've done them myself. They don't take too long to do, and it isn't major surgery, like a spay. If there are extractions to be done, recovery/healing time is pretty minimal. And she'll feel lots better afterward, once she's healed! And hopefully there aren't too many extractions so she can still chew on something to keep up the cleanness  

Good luck!  Keep us posted!


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

You are a very impressive young woman, and you certainly have my respect. I'm so happy for Sophie, I can imagine she's been longing and dreaming of the day that you came for her. You made her dream come true yesterday.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

blueroan said:


> So glad Sophie is with you now! Ewwww on her teeth.
> 
> Even though she is an older girl, I wouldn't worry too much about doing a dental. I've done them myself. They don't take too long to do, and it isn't major surgery, like a spay. If there are extractions to be done, recovery/healing time is pretty minimal. And she'll feel lots better afterward, once she's healed! And hopefully there aren't too many extractions so she can still chew on something to keep up the cleanness
> 
> Good luck!  Keep us posted!


I've read that some people use an electric toothbrush with extra soft bristles on their dogs, which I might try. Even if Sophie weren't inclined to chew I could keep her mouth clean; the problem with giving her things to chew is that she has power jaws and snaps through huge bones quickly, minimizing the dental benefit and maximizing the digestive upset if I don't grab the bits away from her.

I don't mind brushing Sophie's teeth once they're a little less slimy (I brush Ari's teeth, but only with those little finger cover thingies). I think if I were to put a brush in there right now it would be immediately gooped up. Even if the vet thinks she's too weak for a full dental, I expect he'd be able to help get the horrible gunk out so I can start a brushing regimen.

Sophie is SO well behaved for everything I think she might let the vet do tooth extractions while she stood on the exam table (she would definitely let me do it lol). Not that it's a good idea at all... but a hugely good thing for Sophie is that she stands for exams and grooming very, very well.

I'll let you know what I find out at the appointment! I am truly, deeply hoping that this is just an oral health issue and not a symptom of a systemic problem like kidney or liver problems.

It's too bad that my parents never got insurance for Sophie, because all of this would be much cheaper! GET INSURANCE ON YOUR DOGS, PEOPLE! :wink:


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Caddy said:


> ]I can imagine she's been longing and dreaming of the day that you came for her. You made her dream come true yesterday.


I feel so bad that I didn't do it sooner. :crying:


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## blueroan (Dec 28, 2015)

I have used an electric toothbrush on my previous dog. It went pretty well...only trouble was he was a tpoo lol. But it worked much better than a regular toothbrush (and I wasn't in there as long!). Once Sophie's teeth are cleaned up some (or a LOT  ) it'll be much easier for both of you! :becky:


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

sophie anne said:


> Wow glorybee, that is much less expensive than I would have guessed, especially for a dental with extractions. Are they putting your dogs under for the cleaning?
> 
> For context, I just paid $550 for Ari's spay. This is on the high end for Maine but it's a pretty good/meticulous vet in a rather affluent part of the state.
> 
> ...


My 8 year old Bella only has 6 teeth left and she has no problem eating, I do soften her kibles. She runs and play like a spring chicken. I have them cleaned once a year on both. I only allow the owner of the practice to work on my dogs. To spade a female it is 155 and to do a male is 195 or vice-versa I cannot remember. 2 of my friends was going to a vet in St. Michaels he charge 695 for a male, so they changed to my vet 14 miles away


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

It made me sad to read that Sophie was being neglected in her golden years. I am praying very hard that your Dad will help you with some of the costs of her care, especially the dental.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

sophie anne said:


> I'll let you know what I find out at the appointment! I am truly, deeply hoping that this is just an oral health issue and not a symptom of a systemic problem like kidney or liver problems.


Severe dental issues can cause kidney and liver issues, once the teeth are taken care of dogs/cats seem to rebound. At least Flower and Cappi did, both had a mouthful of rotten teeth when I got them. My old Tom Cat, was 17 when he had most of his teeth removed and lived on to 24.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

The vet visit went very well. First, the vet checked Ari's itchy stitches and recommended some hot salt compresses to help with the itching—but there's no apparent infection so that is wonderful! He thinks the extra irritation is probably due to the unusually large size of her incision, which he had to do because of her mysterious bleeding.

This vet has owned standard poodles all of his life and is something of an expert in geriatric poodle care, as it turns out, so Sophie is in great hands! He has an old black standard right now and he got a slight tremor in his voice when he talked about the prospect of reaching "the end" with his dog.

He gave Sophie a thorough exam, feeling all of her joints and lumps and bumps, checked her heart and her breathing, and gave her teeth a pretty close inspection.

In his opinion, Sophie's teeth don't warrant surgical intervention right now and he wants to see if I can make some progress with the electric toothbrush. If that brings to light other issues or isn't working, he thinks that she could be safely anesthetized for a dental but he'd prefer to try the less invasive route first (which gets him no profit! did I mention I like this vet???).

He helped me pick and exfoliate some of Sophie's skin lesions that had crusted over in her fur, so now I'll be able to clip her more easily. As far as her eyes, she's got a skin tag on one that's responsible for the green pus coming out, but the eye itself is fine and doesn't look infected to him. Recommendation there is to shave as closely and carefully as possible around her face area to minimize the amount of hair for the goop to stick to, and to wipe her eyes 2x a day with a clean cloth or cotton ball, being careful not to go back and forth between eyes.

Sophie's old vet (in my parents' hometown) diagnosed her with degenerative myelopathy last year when I took her in. She's got a hunched back and holds her feet apart when she walks due do loss of muscle tone in her hind legs, but I actually have thought for a while that it was more due to arthritis than to myelopathy. She has glucosamine supplements but my parents are bad about giving them to her, so who knows how much those could've helped.

Anyway, her new vet agrees that at least some of the stiffness may be related to arthritis, so he gave me some Carprofen to help with the inflammation/pain that makes her not WANT to move, and she's going to actually be getting her daily dose of glucosamine chondroitin now to help make moving easier. In addition to that, I'm going to have her start walking on uneven surfaces more often and gradually increase her activity to see if she starts to get some of her coordination back.

She was sleeping from 5a to 5p on the couch at my parents' house because they work, so even normal daily life with Ari and I will be more active than what she is used to. Sophie ~may~ also end up coming to work, although it's a little trickier with a bigger dog so that's not solidified yet. Worst case, I'll let her out at lunch most days and then some days she'll go from 9a to 5p while I'm at work.

I had him draw some blood for a few tests to determine liver and kidney function etc. to make sure that everything else is normal, and I'm waiting on the results before I give her the carprofen since it's an NSAID.

After I get out of work today I'm going to run to the local dog store and get Sophie a harness, some kibble (my parents have been feeding her nothing but "human food" for an undetermined amount of time...) and some booties to help with walking on my slippery apartment floors.

This lovely ol' poodle gal is going to be feeling great in no time!!

Also, my landlord's cat really likes Sophie! He hates Ari. I was kind of surprised to see him run up to Sophie and little miss kitty-loving Ari was greeeen with envy! I think he prefers mature dogs.
:kiss2:


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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

Wow, what a good vet visit you had. Sophie is already perking up, it seems, with a lot more attention, some animal friends, good grooming, and a loving care.

Once she gets moving a bit more, and feels better in her skin, she will no doubt be several years younger! I so hope you have some good time to enjoy each others' company.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I am over the moon happy for such a good report on Sophie!!!! You MUST keep us in the know with her! I have a very special soft spot for golden oldies!!!!


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Glad that she had a decent check up
As far as dentals go (I know that for know you guys aren't doing one for her but for future ref) they can vary so wildly in costs from area to area. Around here for my 9 pound poodle with no bloodwork before hand and no extractions I'm lucky to get out without paying more than 800.
My mom's 16 year old 20 pound dog (that had a dental done a year and a half ago) just got his teeth done again because they were just nasty. With pre-bloodwork and 13 extractions (!!) it came to 1300.
But I hear of other area of the world where a dental with 3 extractions is like 200.
As far as doing it on elderly dogs, yes there was a risk, but I couldn't imagine our 16 year old living with those disgusting bleeding teeth for another year or 2.


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

I'm so happy to hear about Sophie! Sounds like she's doing well and will no doubt flourish now with you and Ari. 

I understand the difficult family dynamics. 12 yr old Cannelle lives with my parents, although we had serious conversations with them in the past about taking her because we truly love her. My dad cares a lot about her, but I think for my mom taking care of an aging tpoo is more burden than she really wanted. You've encouraged me to reopen conversations about whether they're really willing to continue with her care, knowing that she could live for several more years.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You truly are Sophie's angel!:angel::angel::angel::angel::angel:


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## Beaches (Jan 25, 2014)

Catherine nailed it. You are simply the best!


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

lily cd re said:


> You truly are Sophie's angel!:angel::angel::angel::angel::angel:


:amen: what a blessing you are to this dear old girl, who reminds me so much of my girl. And you both really scored finding that veterinarian who clearly knows his stuff and is a poodle person to boot! Matches made in heaven.

(((HUGS))). Cathy


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

What a great vet you have! A Poodle owner with an older dog too. What are the chances of that? Life is going to be so much better for her now.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Your vet is a gem and a real partner . I'm sure he understands the pressures you're under with treatment choices, and love he wants to start out this way. Great visit!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Bless you for taking her on! It's a challenge but a labor of love.

I know you're going to tackle the teeth on your own first, but I wanted to mention my experience. We had a Borzoi who in her elder years had awful teeth. Finally had her anesthetized for a thorough cleaning and had the worst of them removed. As soon as she recovered, she was like a new dog! She really did have a new lease on life, seemed happier, livelier. I'm convinced it bought her a couple more years of happy life, and I feel bad that I let them go for so long. We had just put off and put off the anesthesia because sighthounds can be sensitive to it...but it was worth the risk.

Hugs for Sophie--and for you!

--Q


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I was grinning reading your post!! I can't wait to hear how her progress comes along! :angel2::angel2::angel2:


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## shell (Jul 10, 2015)

I think you are amazing for taking over her care and I can't wait to hear more about how she is doing


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I know Sophie gulps down big bones but consider giving her raw turkey neck. It is more dense so hard to eat quickly and raw bones are wonderful for helping get teeth clean. Also since Sophie is so well behaved try tooth scraping.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tough night.

Sophie threw up 3 times, a mixture of mucus and bile and a little dinner.

_The good news:_ The puke was the smell of her bad breath, magnified x10,000, so now I know what is causing the breath! She's still pooping normally, too, so I'm counting my blessings!!!!!!

_The bad news:_ Now my whole apartment smells like corpse breath and I got basically no sleep. I have no washing machine so I had to put the blankets and towels she barfed on outside to try to get some breathable air. It's too cold to open windows.

After the 3rd time she puked I gave her a famotidine tablet per the advice of the vet who thought that her breath might be at least partly due to reflux. That seemed to help and she curled up and went to sleep for the rest of the night.

She ate breakfast this morning, so hopefully the famotidine is going to do the trick. I hadn't given her one yet because I wanted to wait a week to let her adjust to the new setting, but it looks like she's going to need some medicinal help to do so. How nice would it be if the famotidine clears up both the puking and the bad breath!!?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Oh let's hope that works! I am sorry you had a rough night, but as you yourself said she needs some time to adjust.

Your vet sounds a lot like mine. My vet is also a poodle person and is not quick to throw a lot of over the top interventions (and therefore $$$) at a problem. One of my cats was a Persian with asthma. She was not a good anesthesia candidate later in life. He used to pick the tartar off her teeth with his thumbnail. Needless to say he loves our dogs (Peeves included). He has often remarked that we are like super dog owners and wishes that more of his client owners would do even half what we do to make the dogs help make visits easy. It sounds like your vet will do great things to make sure that Sophie has easy senior years.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> Oh let's hope that works! I am sorry you had a rough night, but as you yourself said she needs some time to adjust.
> 
> Your vet sounds a lot like mine. My vet is also a poodle person and is not quick to throw a lot of over the top interventions (and therefore $$$) at a problem. One of my cats was a Persian with asthma. She was not a good anesthesia candidate later in life. He used to pick the tartar off her teeth with his thumbnail. Needless to say he loves our dogs (Peeves included). He has often remarked that we are like super dog owners and wishes that more of his client owners would do even half what we do to make the dogs help make visits easy. It sounds like your vet will do great things to make sure that Sophie has easy senior years.



Blessed are those who have found a Vet that they can trust!


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I am so sorry that you had such a rough night. When I go to sleep at night I never know if Phoenix will get up in the middle of the night and poop. As an older dog especially taking medication, it can happen no matter how many times I take her outside before bed. One night she pooped in her bed (which is next to our bed). I had to get up and change all the bedding on her bed, light several scented candles and throw all the bedding into the washer. Finally we all went back to sleep.

I forgot that many apartments do not come with washers and dryers. That is a major drawback when you are caring for sick animals. You have my sympathy.

I hope that the new medication works to keep Sophie's food in her stomach and she doesn't throw up like that again. 

Maybe it was incidents like this that made your parents not want to take care of her anymore. It does take a strong stomach to weather the smells and messes of a sick animal. Sophie is very very lucky to have you.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

You have my sympathies on your rough night.

Since you have mentioned that Sophie was getting people food at your parent's home, and goodness knows how much or what it was, that could also have been part of the corpse breath problem....an unhappy tummy due to improper food. Lets hope that this all settles down with proper food at regular intervals, and of course the Fomatadine. 

A few weeks ago I had to change how and what I fed Iris as she, in her old age wisdom, just quit eating. . . For days. I have always free fed her. So I cooked chicken and rice, and fed her four small meals of that. It seemed to perk up her appetite. Then I started adding her kibble, in small amounts, to the chick,/rice. I have gradually increased the kibble to rice ratio and still feed 4 small meals per day. Of course, it helps that I am home and retired. She is doing much better. I think it helps to always have some food in the tummy for a kiddo who is elderly like ours.

Your vet sounds a lot like mine, lots of common sense and a really big heart.

You are lucky to have found him as Sophie is so lucky to have you.

Hope you are through the worst and that you have an uneventful night tonight.

Cathy


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

I got some dehydrated Honest Kitchen Verve formula on the vet's recommendation for Sophie. It is lower protein and fat, which is good for dogs with reflux, but still fairly high calorie so it should help her maintain a good weight. It's surprisingly cheap ($25 for 16 lb of food when reconstituted) so I figured it was worth a try.

I made it according to the directions and then added 1/3 more water at Sophie's request so that she could drink it like soup. She seems to like it better than the chicken/rice/kibble mix I've been giving her, and would be more of a long term solution since it's a complete and balanced formula. Fingers crossed!

Ari also seems pretty fascinated by the Verve formula so I might switch her over to it if it works for Sophie. It would be convenient to have them eating the same thing to minimize the "grass is greener" situation where they both want to eat out of the other's bowl! lol


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

The only downside to letting them share is it may be a good time to be monitoring Sophie's intake to be sure she's getting a good amount for her. When my last dog grew elderly and fell into the not eating enough stage, I changed a lot of things to try and interest her in food and it went pretty well, but not all the time. Had she shared food, I wouldn't have known when she was not eating.

Not being critical, just sort of remembering out loud (and missing my girl), if you'll forgive the interference . Sophie is so very fortunate to have you. The famotodine sounds like a very good plan; it's a great product and was one of the histamine blockers they gave me in hospital after a reaction to a prescription medicine, so it's multi-talented.

ETA: looks like I may have misread and you aren't thinking of having them share the bowl, just share the product, each in her own bowl


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

You are so good with Sophie, she's so lucky to have you ! I really hope her breath improves very wuick, you deserve it, really !


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Streetcar said:


> ETA: looks like I may have misread and you aren't thinking of having them share the bowl, just share the product, each in her own bowl


Streetcar, no need to apologize for your very insightful tidbit regarding shared bowls. I appreciate that any of you are reading along with me through this, it is very wonderful to have a support group/resource for advice because even my (very very nice) coworkers can't quite understand why I would go to these lengths for Sophie when she's so old, although they definitely applaud me for it, if that makes sense.

Yes, they each have their own bowl and I do _not_ like them to cross over and eat from each other's bowl for just the reasons you gave. If I have to I'll start feeding them while Ari is in her playpen or crate. Right now, each is so convinced that the other's food is soooo much better that Ari will scream if she can see Sophie eating and Sophie will refuse to eat if she sees that Ari has food. Ugh! I think that a few experiences of "sneaking" a bite from the other's bowl and having it be the same stuff as always will quickly curb the problem, but that strategy only works if both bowls are actually the same!

With respect to medical things, Sophie's blood test results came back resoundingly normal because she is clearly very genetically gifted! 

The only slight abnormality was that she had elevated globulin, which her vet said is most likely due to her periodontal disease. So it looks like her teeth are going to be the next thing to deal with once she is fully settled in to life with Ari and I. He quoted me $800 for the level of work he thinks she needs (including anesthesia), though, so I might need to have him do one tooth at a time or something... :afraid:

We took a short (<1/4 mile) walk this afternoon down to the end of my driveway and back. Sophie is feeling REALLY limber and looked to be having a great time bouncing around getting the lay of the land.

For a while (like the past 6 months, when I've been at my parents' house to groom her) I have been thinking that Sophie was going deaf, because she didn't seem to be responding at all to words or doing much but looking down towards the floor. She didn't perk up her ears at her name, or even raise her eyebrows. I also thought that she might have dementia.

I talk to her and Ari a lot (as you might be able to guess haha) and Sophie is starting to perk up her ears even when I'm just quietly chattering about how good she is, or whether she likes her dinner, etc. I even got a tail wag (!!!!! she hasn't done that in months!!!) today when she came in from going potty outside and I asked her if she deserved a treat! Her happy response was just a little glimmer of self pride: "Yesmaybe I deserve a treat?"

She is not at all deaf... she was just VERY checked out of the world and not listening. How tragic is that? :crying: The jury is still out on whether she's got ALL her marbles, but honestly, at her age, it might be better not to have to carry around all of that extra baggage!

Maybe we will get to the point of re-learning her cues like sit, down, and come or maybe she will just spend her time listening to me saying nice things about her. :in-love:

Some pictures from our walk (notice how Sophie is looking AT me, not just towards me!!!)

















ETA: yummy food! nomnomnom
[click image for video]
Yum!


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

Oh gosh, you are such a GOOD person for caring for sweet Sophie. She deserves it and it truly warms my heart to read that she is responding so well to your loving care. You are awesome!!


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

She really looks good, and I'll say it again, she is so very lucky to have you!

Ari is looking pretty perky too. I am guessing having Sophie there has made Ari less focused on her own surgery recovery, at least a little bit.

Hugs and have a peaceful night.

VQ


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I can't believe how good Sophie looks for her age! You are right....she must have some really good genetics!
So happy to hear the lightbulb is on and getting brighter!


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

You are SO Sophie's angel, Sophie Anne!!! Sophie will continue to come along, I am certain.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think a few months of good food, regular exercise, and tlc is going to work wonders, and if you can somehow manage to improve the state of her teeth that will be the big breakthrough. Poor love has probably been spending much of her time in considerable discomfort from reflux etc - having had a few bouts myself I have to say I didn't feel much like wagging my tail! What a lucky dog to have you - and how lovely for you that you are able to help her. It could have been so different with another landlord...


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Sophie pooped in her bed 3x last night and threw up once. Fortunately, I was prepared with my "Vomit catcher 3000" (a tupperware bowl) and my soon-to-be-patented layered blanket technology, so I just peeled off the top layer of towels/blankets when they were soiled, got the worst of the mess off, and sealed them in a plastic bag for cleaning later. Sophie is a very cooperative angel so she aimed and puked right into the tupperware when I asked her to so the throwing up required nothing more than a flush of the toilet!

Each wake-up only lasted 10 minutes and then we were all back to sleep. So even if she keeps doing this, we will be able to manage it without me having to go to work completely sleep-deprived. It's just like having a little puppy all over again!

Clearly Sophie's stomach is pretty upset, which isn't too surprising considering the big transition she's going through. She's getting famotidine 2x daily and that has _definitely_ helped: she only threw up once last night, and it was a more normal-smelling (still pretty foul though lol), yellow bile stuff. She doesn't have diarrhea. I think she's just off schedule and a little discombobulated.

She wagged her tail while I made her Honest Kitchen soup today and ate it alllll up! I'm giving her 1/2 the recommended amount while her tummy calms down, and then I'll start increasing her intake again. She weighs 47 pounds and averaged 42-50 throughout her entire life when she had MUCH more muscle tone than she does now, so she's got some fat to spare during this transition.

:angel:


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

Oh bless your soul, Sophie is so lucky to have you. I'm sure some of the stomach upset is due to stress, but if she wasn't eating a balanced diet at your parents' house, she also might be trying to adapt to HK. 

We went through a streak where Riley was throwing up in bed. The middle of the night clean-ups aren't fun, but it sounds like you have a good system. We finally figured out Riley's cause - after his dinner, he can't have any treats. Not even one. We call him a gremlin, but instead of "no food after midnight" it is more like "no food after 7pm". If he gets even a crumb of something, he throws up bile in the middle of the night. 

I loved the pictures of Sophie, and the tail wags! Those little moments of joy make everything worth it, don't they?


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

TeamPoodle said:


> We went through a streak where Riley was throwing up in bed. The middle of the night clean-ups aren't fun, but it sounds like you have a good system. We finally figured out Riley's cause - after his dinner, he can't have any treats. Not even one. We call him a gremlin, but instead of "no food after midnight" it is more like "no food after 7pm". If he gets even a crumb of something, he throws up bile in the middle of the night.
> 
> I loved the pictures of Sophie, and the tail wags! Those little moments of joy make everything worth it, don't they?


I'll have to try limiting her treats before bed. I've been really loading her up with the constant praise and probably a little too much food spread throughout the day, but seriously, how could I resist :act-up:

It's pretty amazing, because one would think that having a 2nd dog with health issues and the associated stresses (financially and emotionally) would make me feel drained and exhausted. Having Sophie finally with me has had just the opposite effect; I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders knowing she's being cared for and loved. I didn't realize how stressed and anxious I was about Sophie living there until I brought her home with me! It was truly eating at my soul and now I can sleep so much more easily even with her messes.

Here she is watching the seagulls at low tide this morning. The socks are grippy toddler socks to help with my slippery floors and the shirt keeps Ari from licking off her Frontline. I wish the t-shirt was tie-dyed :bounce:


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I learn so much from you, Sophie Anne, like the baby grip socks. And your little jokes brighten my day. I wished we lived closer so that our minis could play together (probably Ari would send Dakota running at first).

I am so glad both Sophie and Ari have you to look after them.

And not least of all, your pictures are fantastic!


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

sophie anne said:


> I'll have to try limiting her treats before bed. I've been really loading her up with the constant praise and probably a little too much food spread throughout the day, but seriously, how could I resist :act-up:


For Riley, we figured out that when he was fed treats at night, his body would overproduce bile, thinking he was getting more food. And then when there wasn't any more food, he had an excess of bile in his stomach and he'd throw it up (usually around 3am). Once we made his dinner the cut-off time for food, we stopped having issues. 

During the day, though, we can feed him random treats at various hours and he doesn't have a problem. It was only treats before bed.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

TeamPoodle said:


> For Riley, we figured out that when he was fed treats at night, his body would overproduce bile, thinking he was getting more food. And then when there wasn't any more food, he had an excess of bile in his stomach and he'd throw it up (usually around 3am). Once we made his dinner the cut-off time for food, we stopped having issues.
> 
> 
> 
> During the day, though, we can feed him random treats at various hours and he doesn't have a problem. It was only treats before bed.



That is an interesting assessment of it - I usually think that spitting up bile means that they need more food. Timi has to have dinner late, or she will get sick during the night.


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

TeamPoodle said:


> For Riley, we figured out that when he was fed treats at night, his body would overproduce bile, thinking he was getting more food. And then when there wasn't any more food, he had an excess of bile in his stomach and he'd throw it up (usually around 3am). Once we made his dinner the cut-off time for food, we stopped having issues.
> 
> During the day, though, we can feed him random treats at various hours and he doesn't have a problem. It was only treats before bed.




I had never heard of that before. Good to know. I'm glad you got it figured out
though. 

I had always given a couple of treats at bedtime, right after they came back in for the last time. I remember Tuffy throwing up some liquid flem during the night every once in awhile ( not every night), and I never could figure out why. Now after reading what you said, it makes sense.


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## elem8886 (Sep 19, 2012)

Riley's issues make sense too but my spoo's problems were like Timi's - she threw up bile because she needed to eat.

Tika would often wake up at night coughing and throwing up bile until I started feeding three small meals a day with the last feeding about an hour before going to bed. The three meals a day worked a bit but moving the last feeding closer to bed time is what finally stopped the reflux issues.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

elem8886 said:


> Riley's issues make sense too but my spoo's problems were like Timi's - she threw up bile because she needed to eat.
> 
> Tika would often wake up at night coughing and throwing up bile until I started feeding three small meals a day with the last feeding about an hour before going to bed. The three meals a day worked a bit but moving the last feeding closer to bed time is what finally stopped the reflux issues.



Yes, Tangee was also notorious for that - she could not go more than six hours without it without getting sick. If I could not get her to eat right before bed, no doubt we were in trouble! Timi is good if she eats around 10:00 PM.


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

TeamPoodle said:


> Oh bless your soul, Sophie is so lucky to have you. I'm sure some of the stomach upset is due to stress, but if she wasn't eating a balanced diet at your parents' house, she also might be trying to adapt to HK.
> 
> We went through a streak where Riley was throwing up in bed. The middle of the night clean-ups aren't fun, but it sounds like you have a good system. We finally figured out Riley's cause - after his dinner, he can't have any treats. Not even one. We call him a gremlin, but instead of "no food after midnight" it is more like "no food after 7pm". If he gets even a crumb of something, he throws up bile in the middle of the night.
> 
> I loved the pictures of Sophie, and the tail wags! Those little moments of joy make everything worth it, don't they?


It seems to me that, overall, it makes sense not to feed after maybe 7:00 to 8:00 at night. Our dinner time for the dogs were right around 7 pm, and then out to potty 30 minutes after that, and again at bedtime. Just a couple of treats for each dog sometime before bed.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Iris has always free fed and often would have the largest portion of her meal between 8-9 PM... Her choice. On the rare occasion that her food was eaten much earlier in the day she would have to have a "snack" before bed or her tummy would be upset in the night.... Although this rarely happened.

VQ


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Sophie is doing much better! Not sure what has helped, exactly—she's had a combination of time to settle in and get used to the new food, and she's been getting famotidine for her reflux.

No accidents or vomiting since Tuesday night! She ate her full recommended amount of the Honest Kitchen for the first time today because I've been scaling her up to it to avoid a major bout of diarrhea.

Ari's stitches came out this morning from her spay. The incision healed really well and the cone is OFF! Ari is so happy! I'm still keeping her relatively quiet for the next week at least, but it is so nice to see her bouncing around normally because the cone really cramped her style.

In celebration of Sophie's newfound zest for life and Ari's de-coning, we took a trip to the beach this afternoon. I haven't been giving Sophie her painkillers yet, because I want to see what she is up to without anything in her system so I know when to tell her to stop when she's had medication. Sophie had a great time even without pharmaceutical enhancements! I popped her half a dose after we got back so that she won't get too stiff overnight.

Sophie got down the uneven rocky stairs to the beach without a problem and had a total blast sniffing around the beach for treasures and chasing floating sticks and seaweed in the shallows.

Feelin' fabulous!








"Relatively quiet, my PAW!" —Ari









I _knew_ Sophie was an angel!









Videos:
[click images for video]
Wading in the shallows

"AARP" (American Association of Retired Pups) Meeting between Sophie and my landlord's dog. Sophie was tired from the beach and being kind of aloof here lol
Brief AARP Meeting

Right now Ari is waving her rope toy in Sophie's face. She is determined to get Sophie to play tug with her. No luck yet, but Ari is a good trainer so I have high hopes :act-up:


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

So good to see them both loving life and having fun, sounds like a great day for everyone.


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## Zhuhaibill (Jul 10, 2015)

So nice to hear that Sophie is doing well. It is great to hear news like this first thing in the morning.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Lovely news to start the day. She looks like a dog for whom the sun is once more beginning to shine!


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Awesome news! What a lovely day for you all.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Beach!!! can I come too!!
Gracie


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## Coco86 (Oct 23, 2014)

elem8886 said:


> Riley's issues make sense too but my spoo's problems were like Timi's - she threw up bile because she needed to eat.
> 
> Tika would often wake up at night coughing and throwing up bile until I started feeding three small meals a day with the last feeding about an hour before going to bed. The three meals a day worked a bit but moving the last feeding closer to bed time is what finally stopped the reflux issues.


We do the same thing with our four poodles because Sadie will get sick if she goes too long without eating.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Fabulous to see!


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

sophie anne said:


> Sophie is doing much better! Not sure what has helped, exactly—


If you really want to know, it was you. An older animal can mentally "retire" if not actively engaged. I have in the past taken in my fair share of senior kitties, basically if you act and treat them like they are on their way out of this "mortal plane" that is the direction they can head. But if you make an effort to include an older pet in every day activies, of course at their pace, they do so much better.

So Kudos to you


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## shell (Jul 10, 2015)

Oh I'm so jelly! I wish we were close to a beach!


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

So great to see and hear how well she is blossoming in your care!!


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Such wonderful news and great photos, Sophie Anne ! Twyla's eloquent post is so true. You are the biggest part of her improvement, and what lovely news to read how Sophie coming home to you has healed you as well.


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## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

Sophie is so lucky to be with you now and to have such loving care! There must be something special about dogs named Sophie.  I know your Sophie is so grateful to you for making her golden years so much happier!


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

twyla said:


> If you really want to know, it was you. An older animal can mentally "retire" if not actively engaged. I have in the past taken in my fair share of senior kitties, basically if you act and treat them like they are on their way out of this "mortal plane" that is the direction they can head. But if you make an effort to include an older pet in every day activies, of course at their pace, they do so much better.
> 
> So Kudos to you


This made me cry happy tears, Twyla. I think you are right that Sophie had stopped caring about her life because she was bored and depressed. I'm so confused and upset that my parents would let that happen to her :weep:



BeckyM said:


> Sophie is so lucky to be with you now and to have such loving care! There must be something special about dogs named Sophie.  I know your Sophie is so grateful to you for making her golden years so much happier!


I think that there is certainly something special about Sophies! I loved reading about your Sophie's arrival to your family. She seems so sweet and quiet :angel:

I guess I'll use this thread to keep adding pictures and videos of Sophie's (hopefully) increasing happiness and health, at least until we get a separate "Golden Oldies" forum.

I groomed her really thoroughly over the weekend, including 2 baths and a blow dry with a force dryer. I then clipped her all over to even everything out. Last time I was home to groom her, she was really not feeling good for some reason and had trouble standing through even one bath, which was largely why her groom looked SO bad before (lots of uneven cuts and untrimmed paws). This time Sophie was happy and alert through the whole thing so I was able to give her a really thorough scrubbin'!

Ari was being exciting off to the right (you can see her leg lol) but this shows Sophie's new 'do! :act-up:









The length of our walks is slowly increasing, and I'm adding in some quick periods of jogging. When we increase the amount we walk, Sophie gets 1/2 dose of her anti-inflammatory/pain med to keep her from getting sore. Otherwise, she seems totally comfortable and doesn't need much help.
Excuse my babbling to Sophie in the video, lol, she seems to enjoy it at least :lol:
[click image for video]
Benjamin Button Poodle

I think she's aged backwards about 3 years in the last week! No more vomiting or pooping in my apartment, either!

Now she and Ari are curled up together on the couch. I've been relegated to the floor! :act-up:









The one thing Sophie does that has me worried is this weird thing where she "freezes" and looks off into space, sometimes accompanied by a momentary loss of balance where she'll start to teeter off of her feet. She's never done this when we're outside, and it seems to only happen when she is 'bored' / otherwise unoccupied, but standing up. At first I thought it correlated with eating, but now I'm pretty sure that it can/will happen any time she's tuned out and standing, which just happens to occur more often when she's eating because she's always been an "eat to live" kinda gal.

She always catches herself, but it looks pretty neurological and worrisome. I'm hoping it's just idiopathic vestibular syndrome and not something more serious (I have no money for further testing right now). She doesn't seem unhappy afterwards, though, so I don't think she's in pain. Any ideas about what that might be are welcome!

Possibly the best news of all is that I found an apartment owned by two professors down by my grad school that is wonderful, safe, functional (it has a stainless steel kitchen!!) and has a million-dollar-view of the state capitol building.... and.... drumroll... the landlords will happily allow both Sophie and Ari. It's in a very quiet neighborhood so I think that Sophie will be able to make the transition happily and I'll just be careful to limit her exposure to the potentially stressful bustle of more downtown areas. It's only a 5-minute walk from campus, so it'll be incredibly easy to pop back to let Sophie out in the middle of the day (Ari will probably come to school with me). I am no longer dreading the move from my waterfront apartment QUITE so much!


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## Beaches (Jan 25, 2014)

So happy for you, Ari and Sophie. Her groom is wonderful and she does look considerably younger. Great news about your new place.... It's all coming together.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

How wonderfully everything is working out for you! I think it must be Sophie's and your Guardian Angels are working together!


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## Nicofreako (Aug 19, 2013)

It seems the blessings you are giving Sophie are coming back to you ten-fold! Cheers for your lovely new start in a perfect apt!


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Sophie's been sort of looking interested in the various toys on the floor for the last day or so. She would stare at them from her bed and then walk over to them to sniff and then walk back to her bed without touching them or picking them up. I got her a water buffalo horn which she thought was interesting in the store but she wouldn't chew it when we got home so Ari has been playing with it for the past few days while Sophie watched from her bed or the couch.

Well, I was sitting on the couch and Sophie was on her bed and she stood up to go look at the toys again except this time she picked up the horn, carried it back to her bed and has been chewing it since (20 minutes and counting)!!!

I'm SO happy that she's actually _interested in the world around her_ even when I'm not personally showing it to her now! And chewing will help her teeth so much (although tooth brushing has improved her breath 99% already)!

Poodle people—Sophie is BACK!!! :biggrin:


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

So happy for you and Sophie! (And of course Ari)


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

Your reports on Sophie's progress gladden my heart! Just seeing the video of her all fluffed up and trotting along was really encouraging and just shows what a difference you have made for her. 

And now! She is actually chewing her toy - I think you are right, Sophie is back!!!


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

Caring people always make me feel good, and you are making Sophie feel good..


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I love the idea of her "aging backwards" - she looks so happy and relaxed. And that is wonderful news on finding the perfect appartment. Being close enough to nip back to check on her will be a great comfort to both of you.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Sophie is still doing well!

I weaned her off the famotidine and her nasty burps came back so she's on a half dose possibly permanently to keep that at bay. Big appetite and better breath when she's taking the antacid!

I saw this post on insta today: https://www.instagram.com/p/BEHSd3hjLt_/?taken-by=sassyandsila and realized that I had all the pictures to make an Ari and Sophie edition:








Sophie is a filthy beggar because my dad always fed her from the table. Ari is, tragically, very good at learning by imitation. :alberteinstein:


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Great news that they are both doing so well. And those pictures could not be any cuter.

You are doing such a wonderful parenting job!

VQ


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

The photo example of "Burglary" is a crack up. Little Miss Ari's pose is completely cute.


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