Parker update

As an old dog just a week past his 14th birthday, Parker has his ups and downs. Today was a bit of a down.

A little before 3 am he pooped on the floor, which is annoying but not the worst thing he regularly does, but then he couldn't stand up. He woke me up when he belly-flopped into the pile. He seemed very sad about this, but he did get a walk more or less immediately plus some very gentle pats on the head after I cleaned up.

He's not in pain, and he's a dog so dignity in these matters isn't quite what it would be for a human. But he has been declining noticeably since last fall.

I hope he stays healthy through the summer so we can celebrate his Gotcha Day in September. Beyond that...I just don't know.

My heart goes out to you, having been through this twice with our beloved cats. A variety of pills for thyroid problems, kidney failure and arthritis from our wonderful vet helped to ease the pains of growing old, and they both lived to almost 20 years, which is a pretty good age for a cat, but it still broke our hearts when we had to make that final trip to the vet.