Daily Awww: This Old Dog's Story Will Melt Your Heart

BY | September 11 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY
Daily Awww: This Old Dog's Story Will Melt Your Heart

Abbie, the 17 year old

Chocolate Lab

of Ken and Trisha Gowins, is a good dog. How good? You tell me.After Trisha?s mother passed away in February 2010, her father was grieving and lonely. While Trisha wanted to be there for her dad, she had to leave for four months to finish her Tech School for the Air Force.Not wanting to leave her father all alone, Trisha left him?with Abbie, hoping that they would keep each other company. As it happens, the pair became fast friends. 14 years old at the time, both Abbie and Trisha?s father had

more in common than they realized...
Abbie-2
Nap time with grandpa

Abbie was adopted when she was 9 weeks?old, and even at that young age, it was clear that she was especially empathetic. During her puppy training classes, Abbie would lay down so as to make herself smaller and less threatening to the

smaller breed dogs.Abbie gets along with everyone -- people and pets alike. Because of her heightened amicability, she has earned herself the loving nickname of ?Ms. Congeniality.?But Abbie is much more than friendly face -- she also has a bit of a wild streak! She has been known to play head games in order to get her way, pretending to be preoccupied when asked to do something she doesn?t enjoy -- like getting her nails clipped

.She also has a penchant for

people food as well, loving everything from spaghetti and meatballs to salad. In fact, the only thing she turns her nose up at is celery!Abbie-3

Abbie loves to go swimming, enjoys camping, and has even been known to rock out on a white water raft! However, now a remarkable 17 years of age, her radical activity days are in the past.As also happens with advancing age, Abbie eventually started to show signs of sickness. Trisha first noticed something was wrong when Abbie started losing hair and gaining weight, even though nothing had changed with her diet. After a trip to the vet, she was diagnosed with

hypothyroidism

. Now taking

Soloxine

to manage her low thyroid, Abbie has returned to a healthy weight and is keeping her hair where it belongs.Beside the Soloxine, Abbie also takes

Glyco Flex III

, a joint supplement that helps her regain some of her mobility. As is often the case, when dogs get older, their joints start to hurt and make moving difficult. Supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin (like Glyco Flex III or

Dasuquin

) are a great, over-the-counter way to help your dog move free of pain.

Abbie-4

As long as Abbie gets her medications and supplements, she is a happy pooch. But for Trisha, the cost of these meds is a real factor -- which is why she

signed up for PetPlus

. ?PetPlus allows me to get [Abbie?s] Soloxine, along with her flea and tick preventative, heartworm preventative, and Glyco Flex III, at a fraction of the cost.?Beyond the savings, PetPlus helps take the work out of getting your pets medications. ?I know when my supplies are running low all I have to do is order it on [PetPlus.com] and it is shipped directly to me.?

PetPlus

can save you money, make your life simpler, and help keep your pet healthy -- it?s a win, win, WIN! ?I don?t have to worry about paying full price, I get the convenience of ordering online, and it saves me time -- it is a tremendous freedom!?

WHETHER YOUR PET IS FIT AS A FIDDLE OR DEALING WITH A SERIOUS CONDITION,?PETPLUS IS A GREAT WAY TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND PROTECTED WHILE SAVING A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY ALONG THE WAY.

Was this article helpful?