Campy Update - the final chapter

 

If you know me, you probably know Campy. 
Campy has been my loyal best friend for almost 16 years. We do everything together.

For me and Karel, our life has included Campy in almost everything that we have done.    

In April, Campy turned 17 (I didn't realize this as I had his birthday wrong for all these years and just learned that when we adopted him, he was 18 months old and not a year old). We recently had a belated birthday bash with dog-friendly muffins (I used this recipe).

At Campy's recent vet visit (end of May), Campy got a clean bill of health. His body is working well. It's his brain that is declining. 

Campy gradually went blind and deaf over the last two years. He has also been suffering from Canine Cognitive Decline (CCD = dog dementia). It has been so hard to see him change into a different dog. We miss our spunky, energetic, opinionated dog. He requires a lot of care but we are honored to be there for him however he needs us. 

Ella loves Campy so much. 

Karel cut a hole in a shoebox for his water bowl so that he doesn't step into his water. You can also see the many pillows that we have lined around his large "enclosure" in our main room so he doesn't hurt himself or get stuck anywhere. 

Campy has a very specific routine of going on short walks, being held, eating and sleeping (not necessarily in that order). When he is not doing any of these, he is confused, bumping into things, circling or staring in space. We've questioned his quality of life many times over the past few months and earlier this week, we thought it was the end. This was the hardest week of our life with Campy. We cried so much it was hard to focus. We booked "the appointment" and 24 hours later, Campy told us it was not the end. We recently started him on a new medication, Selegiline (Anipryl) a few weeks ago because I heard great things about it for dogs with CCD but we don't think it was working well for Campy as it made him very wobbly (almost drunk-like), weak, tired and out of it. We weaned him off and he seems to be much better. He is also on Phenobarbital twice a day for seizures (since 2015) and we give him a Senilife pill in the evening (which we feel has been helping for the past year). 

 

It's been a bumpy road over the past few months and we know the end is coming soon. But for now, we are making sure that his final few days, weeks or months are the best for him. We are constantly taking note of what brings him joy and right now, he is still eating great, drinking great and peeing and pooping regularly. Although sometimes it takes him a little bit to fall asleep in the evening, he is sleeping great and he loves his naps. He also continues to enjoy his short walks (he walks up to a mile a day total) and he will smell the grass and mailbox posts (which we feel means he is still interested in his walks). He enjoys being held and sometimes he will give us kisses. And when he sees his friend Ruby on a walk, his tail will wag. He still recognizes his favorite people when he gives them a sniff. Although he is sometimes wobbly, he is still moving around great and doesn't appear to be in any pain or discomfort. 

 

In case you missed it, this is our newest addition Mia (~2.5-3 years old). She was in our neighborhood for several months this winter and I couldn't take it anymore. Now she has a home.
I'll blog about her story soon. 

We are also managing the health of our senior cat Madison who has been battling Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy since Feb 2022. After a last ditch effort by our vet to do a double lung tap on Madison, he didn't think she would make it a few more months. But here she is, still going strong over 2 years later. However, around two weeks ago, she gave us a scare when she stopped eating and we noticed she was breathing heavy again. We rushed her to our local vet and after labs and Xrays they told us she had fluid around her lungs and heart (not inside like last time) so we have new medication for her. She is a very strong cat but we do worry about her condition worsening as she is beating the odds right now. 

Campy has been with us through the good times and bad. He has given us unconditional love for almost 16 years. He has been my therapy, my support, my everything. It's going to be incredibly difficult to say good bye. Campy enjoys us for being us. Every day of his life has been a lottery winning day. No one loves us like Campy loves us. Campy makes us believe that every day we are the most wonderful thing that ever happened to him but it's actually the other way around. Adopting him in October of 2008 was the best thing that ever happened for us. 

I came across this post on a website and it was too good not to share....

"Dogs offer us companionship if not actual friendship. This may be because our furry friends are not capable of understanding the complexities of being a human being, but that really doesn’t come to mind when, after a long day of getting caught up in thoughts of how horrible we are, we come home to them so happily running to meet us by the door. Through the trials and tribulations of life, there’s a certain comfort in knowing that there are creatures who always see us in the best light, as their affection for us remains unconditional and their gaze non-judgemental, even considering all of our shortcomings.

Dogs exemplify loyalty. Beyond companionship, dogs are also fiercely loyal to their humans. It’s almost as if, not only do we humans take on the labels of fur parents, but dogs treat us as family as well. They stay by our side and, in their own way, care about us. It’s a bond that gives us a sense of belonging and ground us when we feel out of place, out of our comfort zone, or out of our depth.

Dogs protect us. Building on the loyalty they exhibit, it comes as no surprise that, once the bond is forged, they usually also become protective of us. And it just so happens that, thanks to their sharp senses, they are extremely good at it. They do so in a variety of ways, from the dogs that help keep our homes safe by warning us of danger through barking and growling, especially at night, to highly-trained canines that perform crucial roles in search-and-rescue operations and in sniffing out the bad guys.

Dogs support us in keeping track of and maintaining our well-being. As creatures that rely on routine, dogs are perfect pets to nudge us into doing things that are good for us more often, be it walking them and in the process getting some exercise in and taking in some fresh air to going to the park and engaging in some social interaction with other dog-owners gathered there."

Some pictures of Campy's amazing life.......