They call our friend's mother Big Mama.  It's one of those ironies that I can't figure out.  Big Mama is about 5'5" in heels and has never weighed in at more than 120 lbs.  Nevertheless, she's called Big Mama and she's now in her 90s.

In the past several weeks, I've watched from the sidelines as Big Mama has fallen into some serious health issues, and it reminded me of what I experienced with my own aging mother and our little toy fox terrier, Emmie Lou.  They got elderly together.  And their symptoms seemed to run parallel.

While it's on my mind, I want to pass on some things to you that will be helpful as you deal with aging parents, relatives and friends, and your pets.  They are what happened to Big Mama.

Frequently the mental mechanism that tells us we're thirsty and need to drink water starts to wane as we get older.  At first we continue drinking out of habit rather than a feeling of need, so no one is the wiser.  But before long, we are drinking little or no water at all.  That causes a decline in appetite, and frequently we stop eating altogether.

With the onset of dehydration comes some delirium and often a behavior that to a layman looks like a stroke. And then there's the accompanying bladder infection that results in incontinence.   "Oh, my God, she's losing it!  She's going down so fast!"  Hold on, that's not exactly true .

None of that should have happened, and wouldn't have happened had the person's or pet's liquid intake been monitored.  Get them re-hydrated, preferably intravenously, and you will see a mini miracle.

Another thing that often occurs is that the thyroid gland begins to no longer produce the proper amount of thyroid.  Thyroid regulates our hormones, and hormones are what, among other things, give us our feeling of well-being.  This can and often changes rapidly.  Remind the doctor to check the thyroid output with every blood test.  Sometimes, even though the output tests normal, a light dose of Syndroid or one of the other thyroid supplements once a day will dramatically help an elderly person's outlook and daily health.

Big Mama's been in the hospital for the past few days, and she's showing a remarkable recovery.  Most of the problems would have never happened had she drank enough water.

Finally, pets frequently follow this same course.  Water and thyroid supplements are the keys.