A Muffled World.

When vacuuming,
no matter what kind of vacuum you use,
it will make more or less noise.

How a beloved dog reacts to that sound
varies by individual (dog),
but my dog Milk always goes to one of the family members
to seek affection.

No.
Now, it has become the past tense of
“used to go”.

A dog's hearing

For several months, she hadn't noticed when family members returned,
so her hearing had been getting worse,
but ever since she developed a fever and felt unwell about two months ago,
she finally stopped reacting to the sound of the vacuum cleaner as well.

Surely in the past,
for Milk,
the sound of the vacuum cleaner was a sound
that made her feel so anxious she immediately wanted to rely on her family.

Now, even when I am vacuuming,
she might be sleeping soundly in her cage.

Being able to sleep is a good thing, but
this clearly shows that
it has become harder for her to hear sounds.

Hearing loss in old age
also seems to be influenced by brain decline.

Things for people around them to be careful about

Because she cannot hear,
her ability to sense presence also declines,
so approaching quietly from behind is a no-go.
The dog will be startled by the suddenness.

When approaching a beloved dog who has difficulty hearing,
first enter their field of vision
before approaching or touching them.

Also, during walks,
be very careful of bicycles and cars.
When walking on the road, be very careful,
and try to have the old dog walk on the wall side, away from the road.

Imagining a muffled world...

When I imagine
how much she can judge right now...
honestly, I am filled with a sense of sadness.

Whether it's a person or a dog,
the day when you can no longer do what you could do before
is like this... I feel like I am being taught that it will eventually come.

If you say that the noise that was too loud has calmed down,
it feels like a merit,
but for a dog for whom a world with too much sound was the norm,
the fact that it has become difficult to judge the situation
is not a happy thing.

Even so,
there are still many things she can do now.

So that I can deliver love even in a muffled world,
I spend my days trying to be mindful,
smiling and being gentle,
letting her smell the usual scents,
and trying to help her live as peacefully as possible.

And, as Milk has grown old like this,
I have learned something.

Give them what they want to eat when they can eat,
pet them when they want to be touched,
take them for walks when they are in a good mood,
and let them sleep quietly when they want to sleep

Unless it is something serious,
it has become a time when I can just... spoil her as much as I possibly can.

Even if words cannot be understood,
even if it is hard to hear,
searching for possible communication,
I am keeping my antenna up again today.

Thank you for reading until the end.
See you later.

[Reference Source]
Honmoku-dori Animal Hospital 'Dog's Hearing'