Wow, great story, good thing you noticed the problems when you did. I have a question...Is it possible for you to get a raised water bowl, she might do better at this than one directly on the floor.
14 and half = good owner, no doubt about it! The proof is in the pudding

Mazer, you read too fast :) --- I did elevate her bowl, but it didn't make a difference. It's just so odd that she eats her food just fine, but doesn't drink her water well. I am fortunate that I feed raw though - lots of water in her food, so I know that certainly helped her prior to my realizing there was a problem.

Here is a pic of her -- it's old, but isn't she pretty? :)

A bunch more pics at the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: clicky

Hi Weed,
Thanks for the heads up, that is the kind of story that I will remember in case I ever need to know it. I had forgotten that you have had Maggie since she was a puppy. I always have loved her snowdog pics and the ones of her hiding under the sink - poor girl. It is nice to see Taco again, too. I remember how hard it was trying to figure out what was going on before she died. Sometimes being a dog momma is really hard. How is Lucky (or was it Lucy?)doing? I remember your comment in a thread that indicates that you did keep her.

Heya Nancy! Always good to "hear" from you. I am LOL re: "Lucky". Her name is Daisy, and she is D*MNED LUCKY! Lucky she is so cute, because I'd have packed her bags long ago. She is a real challenge - I will NEVER get another beagle. I keep telling her that she won the doggie lottery when I adopted her, but she doesn't seem to appreciate it. Here is her album.

How are your babes?

Weed, I wonder if your dog might have some sort of sensitivity in her teeth or gums that makes it painful for her to drink cold or room temp water. You might try offering her warm water and see if she will drink that more normally.

Laurie

Laurie,
Thanks - but that doesn't seem to be it. Sometimes when I am in a rush she gets her food straight from the fridge, and doesn't mind a bit. I really think it is simply dementia. She is pooping in the house on occasion, and she has been perfectly housebroken for 14 years. She also has suddenly decided that she no longer likes french fries, which has always been one of her favorite foods. That is also very weird! She still loves pizza and ice cream though :)

The stooling in the house probably is not dementia, but loss of control. Many dogs (people too) loose the muscle tone in the spincter- resulting in dropping turds around. Especially when she would get up from a lying down position. You might find them in different places, because she was resting in that area and then got up...
Also- considering her age, could she have had a TIA? (mini stroke)? She may not have the fine motor skill of her tongue anymore. Eating is not as difficult, but the fine motor needed to lap could be affected.

Hi Weed! Thanks for letting us know about this. I'm glad she's doing better now.

ilmbg, never thought of that. So far, no poop from where she lays. She also seems to have forgotten how to tell me she needs to go out -- used to be a paw on my leg or a whimper. However I can see how she wouldn't know how to time it properly anymore since she probably can't hold it as effectively.

The one issue she did have in the past 6 months was Vestibular disease. She recovered extremely well, just a bit of residual head tilt, but perhaps this might have contributed to her uncoordinated drinking. Unfortunately, I didn't write down when the drinking problem started, (hehe, that sounds funny), so can't say for certain that the Vestibular disease was the trigger.

HEYA Gina! How's Odo? Give him a belly skritch from Aunt Weed!

Just another thought... but being an older dog... how is her eyesight? She might be eating normal as she can smell the food where as she wouldn't smell water. Dogs can do very well with low eyesight where an owner may not know there is a problem until the dog starts bumping into things.

Weed, thanks for the info ...

Your Maggie looks similar to my Lily. I see you shaved Maggie? I was thinking of shaving Lily next spring since she loves to swim in the pond, but takes forever to dry. Why did you shave Maggie?

{{!gwi}}

Shboom - her eyesight is good, certainly not as sharp I'm sure, but she still spots and chases squirrels :)

Pam - they do resemble each other! I shaved Maggie a few times for summer because all of her life she has been a 'hot' dog. I still keep the house very cool at night so she can sleep. I haven't shaved her in about 4 years - by the time I decided maybe I should again, she seemed too old to put her through the stress.

The first time I had her shaved, I went to pick her up and didn't even recognize her!

Thanks Weed ... as you can see Lily is a "hot" dog too.

I probably won't recognize Lily either ... she has sooo much hair. Here she is after swimming, she looks so thin compared to normal.

{{!gwi}}