Based on Bertie's thread from the Four Paws Forum and covers the daily entries made by Julie Williams (his foster mum) up to the day he went to his 'long term' foster home.
Repetitions have been noted but as this is a patchwork of the many notes made about Bertie, please don't bite me!
Bertie is a very old black, tan and white JRT and has possibly had at least one stroke. He can barely support himself on his back legs. He definitely has little hearing and sight – but he’s not completely blind as I can see as he's managing to work is way around the garden and downstairs rooms. The steps up to the garden are a bit much for the old fella, so he may need to go him out the front door where there's only one step down to the grass. I'll see how he goes.
He needs a good grooming and has very long claws but I tried a soft brush while giving him some of KC's dried cat food (nice and small) and he was fine with that.
I've sat there calling Albert, Bertie and Al but without any reaction - but that may be just him. I showed him his bed and he sniffed and then went off for another wander.
Definitely a deafness there but not sure how much. He seems to be OK one minute and the next goes round in circles, so you have to rescue him and give him a different direction. He seems to be finding his own way around house and garden but then is surprised by any step up or down. He's also bumped into Mac a few times so I'm not sure about his eyesight as they do adapt very easily. He flinches if you go to stroke his head and shakes as well - that shows at least some vision - and I've been putting my hand down and waiting for him to move to it. He definitely likes his ears scratched.
Occasionally he'll hold one leg in the air, but he does walk on it. Alas though he totters and falls so arthritis or an injury could be an issue ... not sure!
Bertie had a good night and slept on the bed in the hall. I came down around 6 am and took him up the steps into the garden where he performed his 'ablutions'. He can't hear much, if anything, as there was a loud bang next door and he didn't flinch whereas the cats and Mac, who were also outside, reacted. The cats ran and Mac barked!
I've put a piece of wood across the steps up to the garden now. He tried to go up on his own once and fell, so now he only goes up there if I'm there to keep an eye on him. He can cope with the lower step from the back door to the terrace OK.
The poor thing keeps going round and round in circles! He circles either the dining room table or living room coffee table and he flinches if your hand suddenly appears anywhere near him. I now believe he has sight in only one eye. The best way to stop his circling is to go near to him and then walk slowly out of the room then he follows you. But a little later on he's at it again and you go through the same process.
He can't seem to find his own way out of his circling once he starts.
He's turned his nose up at a He’s turned his nose up of a tin of soft food and seems to like a mixture of Mac's dry food and Go Cat - he really loves Go Cat! There was a cat in his previous home, so perhaps that's what he ate there.
Well, Bertie's had a wander around the garden, tried to follow KC, who went into the flower beds, so I had to go and rescue him from the bumpy ground as he kept loosing his balance ... poor soul!
He's had something to eat and has now curled up in the dining room for a kip. I just feel so sorry for the poor lad as he just doesn't know what's happening to him or why.
I was just putting the lead on Mac and deciding whether I could carry Bertie down to Pugh's (garden Centre) when my mum and dad walked in. So we all got in the car and went. Mum and dad took Mac to the field and I took the old fella to the pet shop. He's now sporting a rather nice red collar, had a number of small marrow bones and gravy bones from Rachel (in the shop) and thoroughly enjoyed them all.
He was also sent home with more gravy bones, courtesy of Rachel, who thoroughly spoiled him! Oh, and he had a lovely cuddle from the other young girl that was helping in the shop too!
Well we went for a saunter around the park today. When I say 'saunter', I mean 'snails pace'!
The advantage was that Mac covered a much greater distance as he had to keep coming back to check where we were. He even broke into a trot on one or two occasions when we'd gone out of view.
Bertie's been coming on in leaps and bounds over the past week .. he likes having a good walk .. it may take us an hour and a half rather than the usual half hour, but he does like going out and about. Today we went down the trail from Morganstown to Radyr. As I type he is wandering around downstairs watching the cats eat.
He likes having a cuddle while I'm watching the TV and follows either Mac or I around the house while I'm doing things. He has worked out how to get over the front door step and now even launches himself off the back door step, managing to land on his paws every time
Because Bertie knows that pavements and kerb stones are different colours he now does a kind of bunny hop off and onto them. Around here, there are so many areas where they have used narrow white kerb stones to line the driveways. That means he has to stop before each one and do his bunny hop over each one, even though they are the same height! Mac's being as good as gold with Bertie. On lead walks he knows Bertie is going to be slow so, every so often, he plonks his bum down on the floor and waits for us to catch up with him. Bertie has been off lead up in the field and thoroughly enjoys having a good sniff around. I often end up putting him back on the lead just to get him to speed up a bit as every leaf and blade of grass has to be sniffed from every angle
Below you will find Bertie's last photo's as my foster.
As from today – Saturday 7th May - Bertie will be going into long term foster so he will be safely looked after by Four Paws until it is his turn to cross The Bridge and run free!
Submitted by Julie William [Julieann]
George :p
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