Celebrating Senior Pets: Jack’s Happy Tail
November 6th, 2024
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
November is National Senior Pet Month, and to honor our gray-muzzled friends, we’re sharing 13-year-old Jack’s Happy Tail. When he desperately needed dental care, this little old man was lucky to have his 78-year-old mom Therese looking out for him, and an On-Call Angel looking out for them both.
Jack was already nine years old when Therese adopted him from the shelter. Wherever he had come from before, he now struggled with separation anxiety. Helping him through it would only bring him closer to his new family.
“Jack means the world to us. My daughters went with me for the meet-and-greet at the shelter and then to pick Jack up when my application was approved. They both stepped up and started working with Jack on walking better on the leash and one daughter started having Jack stay over at her house on weekends so that I could get my grocery shopping and other errands done. He has really become the family dog.”
Signs of old age can be seen in a dog’s eyes, on their coat, and often in their mouth. Jack’s teeth showed his age, and one was repeatedly becoming infected. The first time it happened he was treated with antibiotics that seemed to clear up the infection. The second time brought fever, terrible breath, and an understandable refusal to have his face touched. The veterinarian did blood work and sent Therese home with more antibiotics and pain medication for Jack. A week later, it happened for the third time. Jack woke up in the morning with a big lump on his face, and his discomfort was so great that he had to be sedated for the veterinarian to look in his mouth. What they found was an abscessed tooth that needed to be removed at the root to clear out the infection.
Therese lived alone and on a fixed income that made living well with Jack and Bentley the cat, a fellow senior, a daily struggle. Her pets were her priority though: Jack took probiotics and immune support supplements, and Bentley needed insulin shots for diabetes. They both ate special diets. All of it was worth it to Therese, and so would be the hours she spent applying for help with Jack’s dental care. For every denial, she searched for two more opportunities. Finally, the veterinarian recommended she apply for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant. An On-Call Angel was waiting and ready to help once she did.
Jack received his dental care with the help of an Urgent Care grant and not a moment too soon: several loose teeth needed to be pulled in addition to the abscessed tooth. The veterinarian was pleased with his healing progress, and Therese was happy to rediscover just how sweet her little old man could be.
“Normally Jack’s a big hugger but he has been adding in kisses again. It’s so sweet. Thank you so much for the assistance with his surgery and all that you do to help pets in need. We couldn’t have done it without your help. Thank you again, we just can’t say it enough.”
Every Happy Tail like Therese and Jack’s is a celebration of our bonds with our pets, and in this case, our senior pets with whom we can never have enough time. Thank you for the compassion and kindness that keeps families together through crisis!
