31 May 2012 ~ Libby very sadly deteriorated over the last few days and she left us this morning. Our thoughts are with her foster family who took such great care of her for us and ensured she had a wonderful retirement with them. Sleep tight lovely Libby.
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Update April 2012
Libby has had a lovely time at the seaside! Her foster Mum tells the story:-
Sunday 22 April 2012 saw a beautiful day on the south coast which prompted us to treat the dogs to a trip to the seaside. It was Libby’s first excursion to the seaside since we have been her foster parents, and although we live just 10 minutes drive from Southsea seafront, we have never taken her there due to the stones which she would not cope with. Instead, we jumped in the car and went tothe sandy West Wittering beach. Libby was very excited and followed her foster brother and sister into the sea for a paddle followed by a gentle meander along the beach. All had a wonderful time and spent the afternoon snoozing. Happy days.
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Libby is a sweet medium sized crossbreed girl who came into Oldies Club foster care in 2011, at the age of 16. She had lived with the same couple all her life, but sadly with the arrival of a baby and a new dog, they felt Libby was too old to cope with the much busier household she found herself living in.
Following a vet check once in Oldies Club care, Libby was found to have a slight heart murmur and signs of CDRM, which affects the movement of her back legs, causing them to be out of sync with her front legs. This means that she falls over easily and sometimes has difficulty in placing her foot properly. Unfortunately the condition has worsened over time and it now takes Libby some time to get going, especially when she has been sleeping, and she requires help to keep her back end up and to get moving.
Oldies Club decided that with these health worries, Libby should become a sponsor dog, which means she remains in her lovely foster home on a permanent basis, with the charity covering her vet bills for the rest of her life.
Poor Libby has also become incontinent and while medication is helping with her urinary problem, there is little to be done for the lack of feeling around her bottom. She is also going deaf and blind.
On a more positive note, Libby is enjoying life in her foster home, which she shares with Tucker, a nine year old Irish mongrel and Sadie, a 9 year old Springer Spaniel, and the three dogs will often be found curled up together enjoying a snooze in front of the radiator in the lounge.
Libby’s foster family tells us that she loves going out on walks and takes no notice of the looks she receives from passers by, who wonder why she walks in such a strange way. Libby is a very social dog and always enjoys saying hello to other dogs and their owners.
Libby is around 17 years of age now and her foster family says it would have been lovely to have known Libby in her younger days as sometimes they see glimpses of what would possibly have been her more youthful character; having a good bark at the front door, her social skills with other dogs and the affection she displays to her new family.
Oldies Club is very grateful to Libby’s foster family for taking care of her in her old age and her family are proud to be caring for such a lovely girl. They take each day as it comes and feel glad to be sharing this stage of her life with her.
If you would like to help us care for Libby or another sponsor dog, please consider taking part in our sponsor scheme.