My Sparky Dog

Taking a break in the blog to share my dog updates!

My older Cavalier King Charles Spaniel / (Chihuahua mix?) dog, Sparky, has many health issues. He is now on 2 heart medicines, is on prescription kidney diet food, has hock-joint wobbly issues, has very few teeth to speak of, and a collapsing esophagus that makes him cough. 

I am just trying to make Sparky’s last days / months / years as comfortable for him as possible. When I got him in December, 2021, I didn’t think he would last more than 2-3 months. It’s now been about 15 months and he began to thrive in about December,  2022 and January, 2023. 

His fur coat was very poor when I first got him, but it’s grown to a beautiful full coat of fur now. He has the lovely feathers that are a feature of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and just a luxurious coat of fur. Also, he has been loving his cuddle time - wanting to be on my lap for the first time since I’ve had him. He loves to have more and more snuggles these days. It’s wonderful to see him feel happy and safe and appreciated!

In late January, he has started to become tricky to feed and give medicines to, again. I started to give him his medicines in cream cheese instead of pill pockets, and he liked that just fine, plus it was cheaper on my wallet. (He has become an expensive dog - with the prescription medicines, prescription food, and vet visits for heart issues recently.) 

Well, in February, he stopped eating the medicine in the cream cheese. And now he won’t eat his prescription wet food, either. He just wants to have my Cocker Spaniel’s food - Iams. 

I have learned that prescription food for kidney issues has extra things in it like more water, and vegetables and fillers, to help the kidney have an easier time regulating the water in the system. 

So I have been giving him the Iams food, and adding in things like tiny chopped carrots and blueberries cut in half. I have also given him the fat from the dog food and some water too. It is helping him to keep eating instead of refusing it. He was even refusing treats! But he is better again, now. 

I did have to switch from the cream cheese to the pill pockets again, because he started to refuse his medicine in the cream cheese. Now he has stopped eating the medicines in the pill pockets, so I am currently “hiding” them in the wet food. I have to watch him while he eats, and make sure he eats the 2 medicines, and doesn’t spit them out. It’s working for now. 

Someone suggested putting the medicines in a piece of rolled up bread, and put whipped cream on top. If I need to do that, I will for sure do that. 

My next post, I’ll tell you about my black American Cocker Spaniel, Jasper.