I have two Cairn Terriers. They are half brothers and we got them at a pet shop in 1991. They are both 17 now. One turned 17 in May and the other in June. Does anyone else have Cairns that old or older? How much older?

Good for you! My Cairn just turned 14. He's lost some vision & hearing & sleeps more. But he has wonderful bursts of energy and playfulness and is in good health and good spirits.

How are yours at 17?... Vision? Hearing? Mobility, etc? Did they decline very much or are they relatively OK? I'd love to know! I'd also appreciate reading about senior Cairns on this site.

My first Cairn, Missy, also was from a pet store lived to be 17. She passed away Nov, 2004

give your two baby's a big hug from me. More healthy years for the both of them.

Both dogs in the past few months have had expansive blood work and all their tests came back VERY good.

My Cairn, Bingo, always the active family dog, has recently developed dementia. He's still pretty happy and needs a lot more care and attention now. He had a bout of pancreatitis when he was 13 so he has been on a fat free diet since then.

Joey, I inherited from my dad, who passed away last November. Joey has always had skin and ear issues but they are well under control and he's doing great. He's had cataracs for a long time, and hasn't had good hearing for a long time, but he gets around just fine.

He had a bout with hepatitis and also had to have his gallbladder removed shy of two years ago at the age of 15. As he was my very ill father's best companion, the option of surgery was a no-brainer for me. I am so glad that I opted for the surgery, even at Joey's age!

Anyway, these two seniors really keep me jumping, but they have a good quality of life.

So, I take it that 17 IS very old for Cairns???

I have heard the odd report here and there of Cairns in the 18-20 range.....

Wow. Thanks!

cairns aren't the most common dogs, so it is hard to meet them of any age, not to mention truly old ones. but i remember a professor of mine in college had one who was 20 and would sit on his haunches to beg ors d'oeuvres.

A chap I meet when I walk Holly has 2 other young dogs plus a Cairn that is 18! I have not met this one as she does not go out walking but apparently she sleeps a lot, and just pops into garden.

My first cairn terrier, Arlo, was born on 5/28/82 and died on 8/22/01, when he was nineteen years and almost three months old. He was still going for daily walks until eight days before he died.

Love, love, love to read about senior Cairns. I hope to have Gidget with me for a very long time, and this is great encouragement. All our previous dogs have lived between 12-14 years; none was a Cairn. Thanks for sharing.

Missy was 17 when she passed away November 9th 2004 I too hope my Kramer can do just as good or better

My cairn Chelsea, who I adopted from a high kill shelter when she was 13, died two months shy of her 19th birthday.

I'm currently providing hospice care to Rosa, a cairn-chihuahua mix who will be 20 on Valentine's Day.

And Buck, the dog who was my inspiration for starting the Cairn Rescue League 8+ years ago, was 17 when I adopted him - http://www.cairnrescueleague.com/remembrances.html. He was with me and Cubby for 10 months.

And Buck, the dog who was my inspiration for starting the Cairn Rescue League 8+ years ago, was 17 when I adopted him - http://www.cairnrescueleague.com/remembrances.html. He was with me and Cubby for 10 months.

You know that I've read the story of Buck several times now, and it never fails that the story makes me cry!

That story about Buck is lovely - it also made me cry too!

Buck's story made me cry too. Thank you for everything you do! This is where we need Paul Harvey "The rest of the story" .. Was Buck really a show dog? Were you able to find out his registered name and show records? etc etc Does he have any descendants?

Never able to find out any more about Buck, but it sure seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing in the ring. He really did seem so proud!

Nice to hear about the 17+ year old Cairns. I lost Brandi at 13 (leukemia). Tia is 13-1/2 now and going strong. All is well except hear hearing!!! (Hmmmmm.....dog has lost hearing; husband has lost hearing....imagine my househould!!!).

She sleeps more than my new "pup" (who is now a year old) but I am sure she realized added years by my adding a pup a year ago.....they have become best buds.

Hi

We have a cairn, Heather, who is currently 18 and will be 19 in Oct. of 2009. She is healthy, active, very hard of hearing, and has cataracts so has poor vision. She walks fine but no longer runs. She eats like a horse. She naps frequently and holds her own when the younger two cairnes try to compete for goodies. We are just amazed at how well she is doing. We have had many cairns - but Heather is by far longest lived cairn we have experienced. She is now barking for supper.... off we go!

This thread was so good! It's so good to hear about the old cairns out there. Cosette's just about eleven years old and in really good health. I still get a little nervous thinking about how she's an old lady now. Then, I read the story about Buck and started crying. I think I need to go cuddle up with my Cosy right now!

Yes, I must say after reading Bucks story, I wish I was at home to cuddle Brandy. I was so thrilled to hear the age that some of your Cairns have lived to. Although Brandy will only be 3 in a week, I can't imagine life without her. I have 4 dogs, but only one Cairn, and Brandy is my best friend. It's hard to explain, but I had alot of health issues for a few years and she helped me in so many ways. The biggest issue I went through was not being able to have another child, with only having 1 boy who is almost 15, actually him and Brandy share the same birthday. I had always wished for more, when I finally realized that wasn't possible, it hit me hard and I would just burst into tears, alot at that time, she was still just a pup, but knew that mommy needed her and stayed by my side cheering me up. Now 2 years later we have such a bond. Even when she has her little temper tantrums with the other dogs, my heart still belongs to her.

Hugs,

Tracy

Our Holdsworth lived well into his eighteenth year. I'm not sure what his quality of

live was like, then. He was certainly well-loved by us and most of

the neighborhood children. He still showed up for breakfast and dinner up

'til the last day.

I prefer not to dwell on that; our three live Cairns are still relatively young.

They need us and we need them.

Affectionately,

Tara, Mom of the Wilk Pack

P.S. - he was the only Pet Store Cairn we adopted. Shadow didn't quite make it to 15.

Edited July 20, 200915 yr by tlwtheq

I started this post a year ago. Bingo passed away November 11, 2008. His half brother Joey is still with us. He celebrated his 18th birthday in June and is still happy. It's so great to see so many Cairns that have such long, loving, happy lives!

Good bless your older babies! Maybe Brad could start a Senior Cairn Picture. I think it would be wonderful to have the older Cairns pictured with the name and age. We all love the puppy pictures and sometimes forget the blessings the older ones bring. They do teach us how to live with grace and love up to the last days!

Good idea Liz: filed away for future deployment. Our club's scrapbooking artiste created a "Veteran Calendar" one year and it was a thing of beauty on every level.

Hi everyone,

Just discovered the forum and joined right away.

My guy turned 19 in Sept ('09). Sleeps alot, cataracts, some hearing loss, muscle loss, etc, but still toodles around the house. Continues to instill fear in my 5 yo, 100 lb Bouvier kid! Biggest challenge is constipation ("fibre is our friend"!)

Look forward to chatting with other 'parents' of this super breed.