What a mealtime looks like in our house currently

Misty's hind leg strengh has been on a slow steady decline for several years, but last summer it took a huge dip for the worse. She found it harder and harder to get up and down and to stay on her feet for an extended period on her own. This led to difficulty even during mealtime and she started to refuse getting up to eat, even with the most tantalizing treats awaiting in her bowl. When bribing failed, we resorted to a lot of pushing and tugging on her harness to nudge her up, but even when we she did manage to get upright, she couldn't eat very restfully because her hind legs kept slipping all over. We tried assisting her by holding up the harness handles, but she did not like that very much. I can't blame her for wanting to eat in peace without us looming over her and putting pressure on her belly by pulling on her harness. So, after a few weeks of frustrations, we finally gave in and started to let her eat in a semi-seated/lying position. And, that's been our new mealtime routine since about August of last year.

Initially, we worried about her digestion eating while lying down, but after several days of no issues, we started to relax. She is so much more comfortable this way, and our backs are happier not to be struggling with her to get up.  Her appetite has been great and we can tell that she really enjoys her mealtimes. Initially, we did have to help her a bit by scooping up the food with a spoon, but now she's pretty much mastered the art of "recumbent eating" and licks her bowl clean every time.

Just one of the few adjustments we're learning to make in life with senior dogs...☺️