Cody was born in Nov. 1989. He will be 19 sometime next month.My wife got him before we were married .I adopted him when we got married in "94. He has been with us through 3 children.He is loyal,smart, affectionate,and protective. He has also been a loud barking,heavy shedding,garbage can knocking over pain in the but,but we love him.
I am amazed that this dog continues to live. He was hit by a car 2 times in his life and has been treated for Lyme disease twice.At this time he is completely deaf,has arthrititis,can't climb stairs,and sometimes needs help getting up from the floor.He has been drinking alot of water and peeing alot for well over a year now,so I have to carry him out to the yard to take care of bussiness a few times a day and then carry him back up the porch steps.On the positive side, once on his feet he gets around fine, his eyesight and sense of smell seem to be fine,he still wags his tail a little when we get home,and he still loves food more than anything.He still begs and tries to get into garbage cans.
Cody is nutured and raised on regular commercial dog food.How unusual is is it for any dog to live to 19? The chart for dog/ human age equivalents, that I saw at the vets ,ended at age 15 for dogs. I figure he is like a 100 year old man give or take a few.All I know is that he is pretty amazing.We have struggled with when it is time to let him go.I had a talk with him told him to somehow let me know when it's time. So far, he seems to keep on wanting to live.
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Cody. My 19 Year Old Norwegian Elkhound
Replies (4)
Some dogs do live this long. You are right to be watching carefully. Things to watch for include not being able to walk, losing all desire to eat, or showing signs of pain that the veteriarian can't relieve.
The time is probably near. You will know that you gave him a good long life. Bless you.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47
Sounds like Cody is an incredible dog and he's probably nearing the end of it, but no one needs to tell him that. He'll let you know when he is ready to go. All of my pets have done so in their own way. It's wonderful he's done so well over the years. I can only pray mine live that long as well. Give him a good scratch from me. It's nice to hear about these old guys.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas
Amazing!!! Very few dogs ever make it to 19. And after all he's been through, especially. Good luck with him, enjoy the time you have left with him, and I hope he makes it into his 20's!
staffordmom
What a terrific post and really quite remarkable to have a 19yr old dog. Cody seems for his age anyway to be getting on pretty well for himself. It sounds like he has had led an eventful and loving life and here's hoping he has a few years left.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
