Tyler - Our Sweet Boy

by Deb
(North Fort Myers, FL)

Tyler is an absolute joy! When people meet him for the first time, they ask me if he's' "human"! Simply because he is so smart, funny and loveable.

We have 5 grandchildren that he grew up with. Though he gets very excited when they first arrive, he's learned that his ears will be pulled (1 year old granddaughter) and he'll be hugged and picked up a hundred times by the others. He learned quickly to escape them and come to sit with me to be saved :).

Tyler is the love of our lives. He will be 17 (yes, 17) in November and he is struggling with a few issues. He had a splenectomy 2 years ago, he's loosing his eye sight, has heart disease and most recently has arthritis in both his hind legs.

We've made many adjustments to help him through his health issues and administer medication, daily. He can no longer jump up/off the couch, so we bought him "stairs", but he wanted nothing to do with them! He wants Mommy/Daddy to pick him up instead. I can't blame him :). He can't seem to see the water in his water bowl, so I guide him to the bowl and point to it, so he will drink, multiple times a day.

I guess I wanted to share the struggles our Boy is facing and wonder if anyone has experienced these same health issues and can provide any guidance.

Sincerely,
Tyler's Mom