Two Years of Frank: What Our Super Senior Has Taught Us
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Two years ago, on August 19th, a tiny 17-year-old Pom/Poodle mix came to live with us.
We had never owned a dog this small. At just 10 pounds, Frank was a completely different experience from the dogs we were used to. We had also never had a dog who needed regular professional grooming, and we certainly had never welcomed a dog into our home at an age when every day already felt a little like bonus time.
We honestly did not know how much time we would have with him.
Two years later, Frank is 19 years old, still keeping us on our toes, still making us laugh, and still doing a surprising amount of "Frankin' around."
Living With a Super Senior
There are challenges that come with caring for a dog this old, and some of them have changed quite a bit over the last two years.
Frank's eyesight has gotten noticeably worse over the past few months. Because of that, we try to keep his paths through the house as clear and predictable as possible. His water stays in the same place, his beds stay in familiar spots, and we will not be rearranging furniture anytime soon.
At this stage of his life, familiar surroundings are incredibly important.
One of Frank's favorite places to sleep used to be our bed. As his eyesight declined, he started having some close calls with the edge. We were lucky enough to catch him a few times, including one memorable save when he had already halfway down.
That was enough for us.
Now he has three beds and his own little house to choose from. He has adjusted just fine, although I will admit that sometimes it makes me a little sad to see such a tiny dog sleeping alone on one of those beds.
Frank, however, does not appear nearly as concerned about it as I am.
Our Summer Scare
In July, Frank was not acting quite like himself.
He was still drinking, but he was not eating very well, and then he developed a cough. After hearing him cough this way I completely understood why he didn't want to eat, as his throat had to have been really hurting. Pneumonia immediately crossed my mind.
So off to the vet we went.
Thankfully, his X-rays did not show pneumonia. What they did show was an enlarged heart. Our vet (Dr. Morckel at Animal Hospital North) felt that the enlargement was most likely putting pressure on his bronchial area and contributing to the coughing.
We started him on a low-dose steroid and antihistamine combination, along with an antibiotic. The antibiotic was intended to help reduce the bacterial burden associated with his advanced dental disease so his body, and especially his heart, had a little less to deal with.
The good news was that his cough stopped within about 24 hours.
The downside was that the steroid made him pee much more frequently. Because Frank only has one functioning kidney, we prefer to avoid steroids whenever there is another reasonable option.
After a little more than a week, he still did not seem quite like himself, so we went back to talk with Dr. Morckel about what else we could do.
That is when we started heart medication.
The difference has been wonderful to see. He perked back up, became more interested in what was happening around him, and started acting much more like Frank again.
At 19, we are not looking for perfection. We are looking for comfortable, interested, engaged, and happy.
Right now, he is all of those things.
The 4:30 A.M. Wake-Up Call
One of the less glamorous parts of living with a 19-year-old dog is that Frank gets up somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00 (sometimes 3:30am eesh) every morning to go outside.
Scott and I are not really at the stage of life where we expected to be doing newborn-style overnight duty again, but apparently Frank had other plans.
The funny part is that he almost never barks.
In two years, we have heard him bark maybe once or twice, so there is no dramatic announcement that he needs to go outside. If we do not hear him get up or notice him moving around, he simply makes his own decision about where the bathroom is.
We keep a belly band on him as backup.
And truly, it is fine.
He is 19 years old. If the occasional accident is part of the deal, we can live with that.
Medication Has Become a Competitive Sport
Frank hates taking pills.
Not mildly dislikes them. Hates them. Rabid racoon level of hate.
If he knows you have medication to give him he moves a lot quicker than you would think possible at his age.
Over the past two years, we have become increasingly creative about hiding medication. We have tried warming food, mixing things into his meals, using stronger-smelling toppers, and bringing out the kinds of foods we would not normally use unless there were a good reason.
Sometimes tripe works. Sometimes broth works. Sometimes ground beef drippings, squeeze cheese, bacon grease, or even a little potted meat gets the job done.
When a 19-year-old dog needs medication with food, you stop worrying quite so much about nutrition and balanced anything.
The goal is to get the medicine into Frank without turning every meal into a battle. He has literally lost 2 teeth fighting us about meds.
Picky Has a Whole New Meaning
Frank also does not believe that liking a food yesterday means he should have to like it today.
He is usually happy eating something once or twice in a row. Offer it too many times, and suddenly he has standards.
We have warmed meals, mixed toppers into them, changed proteins, and occasionally picked up a perfectly good bowl of food and put it back in the refrigerator until the next meal.
More than once, Frank has reconsidered his previous dining decision once he became hungry enough.
We also give him A LOT of time to eat. The girls (other 2 dogs) have to stay in other places to give Frank at least 30 minutes to smell, test, "Frank around", eat, repeat.
Living with him has been a good reminder that feeding older dogs sometimes requires flexibility. Appetite can change, preferences can change, and the goal is not to win an argument with a 10-pound senior citizen.
The goal is to keep him eating well while also paying attention to whether a change in appetite might mean something more.
All Groomers Are Definitely Not the Same
Owning Frank also introduced us to professional grooming.
That has been an education all by itself.
We have had experiences that were disappointing, including one groomer who actually cut his ear. When you have a tiny, elderly dog, you quickly realize how important it is to find someone who understands that grooming a senior pet requires patience, gentleness, and a little extra care.
We were incredibly fortunate to find Sierra at Fast & Furriest off Old Shelby Road.
She is wonderful with Frank, and she genuinely loves him. Knowing that someone is going to handle your elderly dog carefully and treat him like he matters makes an enormous difference.
At this stage of life, that trust is priceless. She makes many adjustments for Frank. For example, she knows he likes to wipe his face over and over after his bath so she will cover the floor with towels and let him wipe his face while she cleans up the tub.
Then There Is the Joy
The challenges are real, but they are not what we think about most when we think about Frank.
One of my favorite things he does is walk up to us and nose our ankles. Then he jumps backward into something that looks almost like a play bow and starts bouncing around.
For a dog who is 19 years old, he can still be surprisingly silly.
He also makes coming home feel like an event.
No matter how long we have been gone, Frank greets us like we are the biggest celebrities in the world. His tail starts wagging, he jumps up on us, bounces around our feet, and makes sure we understand just how happy he is that we came back.
For a 19-year-old dog, he still has a remarkable amount of enthusiasm when his people walk through the door. It is one of those little things that never gets old, and it makes even the most ordinary trip out of the house feel like a very important homecoming.
In the evenings, especially after dinner, he will wander around the house checking things out and pacing from room to room.
Our pet sitter gave this activity the perfect name.
Frankin' around.
There really is no better description for it.
Frank also likes going for rides, although he usually seems mildly disappointed when we actually arrive somewhere. Apparently, the journey is much more appealing than the destination.
Then there is his name.
We still have no idea why a dog who spent the first 17 years of his life with another name decided he was Frank.
He would not respond to his old name when he came to us.
Call out "Frank!" from another room, though, and he starts looking everywhere for you.
At some point, he simply made the decision for all of us.
Frank it was. Thanks to Conner for helping Frank find his name.
Every Day Is a Bonus Day
When Frank came to live with us two years ago, we did not expect to still have him today.
We weren't being pessimistic, just realistic. He was already 17 years old.
Yet here he is at 19, feeling better than he did when he first arrived, keeping us awake before sunrise, refusing perfectly acceptable meals, demanding creative medication delivery, and wandering around the house Frankin' around whenever the mood strikes.
We know he will not live forever.
That is one of the realities of loving a super senior.
We also pay very close attention to his quality of life. Our decisions have always been based on what is right for our pets in front of us, even when what is right for them may eventually be difficult for us.
For now, Frank is comfortable. He is eating. He is interested in us. He still enjoys his rides, his beds, his meals when they meet his approval, and his evening tours around the house.
Most importantly, he still has joy.
So we keep his pathways clear.
We keep his water where he knows to find it.
We get up at 4:30 in the morning.
We hide pills in whatever works.
We do not move the furniture.
And every time that little 10-pound dog noses our ankles, jumps backward, or celebrates our return like we have been gone for years, we are reminded just how lucky we are that Frank decided to spend these bonus years with us.
Happy two-year Frankiversary, little man.
Keep Frankin' around.
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