My sweet old man Toffee. His 11 years of age is starting to take it’s toll and it’s heart breaking to watch because all I can do is make him comfortable and happy; I can’t fix him. He doesn’t actually have a lot of problems but one of them is his mobility.  Since his stroke earlier this year he has weakness on his left side. A month or so ago he kept falling over especially when cornering. I put him on a pain plan and it has worked, he can now manage to corner and get about without falling over, however he still looks to have a wobble.  To help him feel more comfortable I gave him a mattress which he loves and uses as he sees fit.

He does sleep a lot nowadays and sometimes in very scary positions where you actually think he’s passed on.

When Toffee has free run of the shed, occasionally he can get himself in a bit of a mess.

I quickly helped him out and he was totally not bothered. If  it’s cleaning day he knows his mattress will be out somewhere and he always finds it.

Lately, he is starting to back off his food and consequently is losing a little weight. I have had to start feeding him separately as Poppy is eating all the food due to Toffee being very slow with his meals. His fur is becoming a little more unkempt even though he still has his grooming twice a week. He is a lot more bony than he used to be due to muscle wastage so grooming time has to be a very careful job, he does not appreciate you catching a bone with the comb. When he’s at rest or sat up you can see how his position has changed, his back feet are much further to the front of him than should be, this is probably due to the muscle wastage and the spine is probably curving more too. Last year he was diagnosed with mild arthritis so that is bound to have got worse by now. I know where all this is leading but I hope he can have a good, happy summer with his beloved Poppy who takes such good care of him. I shall leave you with the scariest photo of all.

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