Ike is now 11 1/2 years old. Over the last year, or so, he has really started to slow down. Today when I let him out he seemed to "lock-up" and I thought I would have to go get him. I think the problem is his hips, which for a Lab is pretty typical.
Ike always was in whatever room we were in, but over the last six months or so, he has started to stay in the same place. He will still come up stairs, but tends to stay there once he comes up. I think the steps are getting hard for him.
Still, sometime he jumps, runs and acts perfectly fine. I suspect arthritis or the start of hip dysplasia, but we will see.
Over the last year I have thought about that day when Ike will leave us. Ike came into our family when our last dog, Tylor (the dog, not the kid) was getting older. He was the puppy that was going to learn from the old dog while we still had him. It was this same thinking that led me to think about a second dog last summer, which resulted in our adoption of Rogue. Ike is the first dog for Grace, Alex and Tyler (kid not dog) and the first that Brianna clearly remembers. The day he leaves will be a very tough day.
My mission is to delay that day as long as possible. After spending part of the day researching, I ordered Glucosamine liquid. Reading reviews from people online, this seems to be a miracle supplement for many dogs. So, I ordered some on Amazon and we are finishing our first bottle (about a month). So far, so good. No "lock-ups" since we started, though Ike is still not excited to go upstairs at night and would prefer to stay in the living room.
Here is a video of Rogue working on commands this summer with Grace. Ike needed some camera time too.
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