Has The Time Come?

[amick]

I had to walk away twice before startng this, so here goes and apologies if its in the wrong section.

My old bitch is 19 in november. She is a wolfhound x kelpie x three other things I reckon. She has always been around 43 kilos, I do my best.

Its a lot longer than I thought it would be the life of this dog.

She has top eyesight, top hearing, everythings good except going in the back legs as yuo would expect. There is as you know no cure, just treatment and that is pretty much useless at this age.

The problem is she gets up and goes out to check things out 100 times a day, gets on and off the couch and does her best to run outside. So no matter how calm I may keep her when I am at home, I cant stop her nature.

I have had one dog go in the back legs in the middle of the night, never again can I handle that experience, so I want to avoid it for both of us.

She can only walk about 100 metres now without slowing to a crawl, which in a dog equals pain.

So when is it time to do the right thing. Do I wait until she cant walk 40 metres, 10? Is it best to go out on top of your game? Does she have another two or three years left in her? One thing I noticed that is interesting is that now when you scratch any part of her chest or tummy, the bad leg does the auto scratch thing, so I guess its all nerve related?

When I got her she had obviously been mistreated. She did not trust me for about 5 years, now she sneaks onto the bed as soon as we are asleep, had to get bigger bed 10 years ago.

She knows I am typing this, she is watching me and just rolled onto her back. She tskes up a 7 ft couch and as I glance across, the tail wags, she knows. Its not an easy thing to discuss but I have done my best, over to you if you have any advice.

Edited August 29, 2014 by amick

[hankdog]

I went through this with my Hank two years ago. I sort of knew it was close and then came home one day to back legs gone. He was only about 12, everything else was in top working order. Given you are really thinking about it I would be writing down three times a day her pain score, by your estimate, out of ten. Look at it after a week and see if the answer is there.

[persephone]

Dear old thing :)

if she is tail wagging ..climbing on the bed etc - it's not time , IMO.

While she is still enjoying life - and is able to relate well to you - then she will be happy :)

I certainly am not advising leaving her until she is immobile ... and you wouldn't anyhow :) .Just watch her lovingly as you are doing . if she cannot get on the bed/couch ..is missing out on walks because of discomfort ..then some thinking needs doing ...

Someone here may well have advice on the hind end weakness - I think it has been mentioned before ...

make sure you get lots of photos/videos ..and start planning now for when the time comes - have the practicalities clear - so whenever the day is , you will be confident that all is planned .

you have done SO well :)

[Brandiandwe]

I'm so sorry.

This is a post from another forum which might help the decision.

"When Considering Euthanasia ask yourself these questions: (Written by a vet)

1) Is the dog free of distress, pain or discomfort, and could the pain be controlled?

2) Can the dog walk and balance fairly well?

3) Can the dog eat and drink without vomiting?

4) Is the dog free of inoperable tumours which are painful?

5) Can the dog breathe without difficulty?

6) Can the dog urinate or defecate without difficulty or incontinence?

7) Does the dog have an owner who is able to cope physically and

mentally with any nursing that may be needed?

If treatment is not possible then answering 'No' to any of those questions means there is no blame in having the dog put to sleep.

Next, ask yourself if it was yourself in your dog’s situation, would you actually wish to continue living? Better a day too soon than a day of misery too late.

Then ask your vet if they think it is time to consider letting the dog go. If not then how long and what to watch out for in the quality of life equation."

There aren't any right answers here, and you know your dog. You need to make the call for her as an individual.

Thinking of you.

[Brandiandwe]

Edited for double post.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Brandiandwe

[brightstar123]

So sorry to hear of your situation. Some great advice here already and you will best know when she's really ready. I found with my last dog that I was thinking about how enjoyable and pain-free each day was for her - was she still enjoying her dinner, was she still comfortable snoozing in the sun or on her bed, could she still occasionally walk around the yard sniffing etc. When the bad outweighed the good was when I made my decision. Having said that it is a very difficult decision and it's not even easy for a vet to make sometimes. Things aren't always black and white.

My only real advice is that when you decide to go ahead, make sure you take as much time as you need to say goodbye. With my last elderly cat I knew it was time as she was having problems breathing and not eating - clinically it was straight forward. However it all went ahead very quickly and I found myself wishing I'd just taken five more minutes to say a proper goodbye. Selfish maybe but so important. Often getting your vet to come to your home can be more relaxed for your dog too. Thinking of you :)

[Guest donatella]

Our 16 year old family dog had similar issues that where managed well with monthly injections. The time came when her sight and hearing went and she spent most the day sleeping, her quality of life just wasn't there anymore. Sounds like yours still enjoys life. What treatment is she getting from the vet? Is it doable to continue for you all? Wow 19!!

[Aleksandra 157]

I'm so very sorry....it never gets easier.I'm sure you will know when the day comes,...I have no more advice,just want to send my thoughts to you.I went through it 2months ago and I know how you're feeling.

[Gallomph]

It sounds to me as though she still has good quality of life - getting up and down off furniture, going out to investigate things, interacting with you.......

What treatment is she getting? Has the vet told you what they think is causing the weakness / slowing down? If it's arthritis, many people have had very good results with catrophen injections monthly, plus feed supplements (eg glucosamine). Have a look in the Health forum for lots of discussion on these.

[Steph M]

Perhaps a stair or two onto the bed and couch?

[raineth]

Oh can we have a photo of this grand old Dame? She sounds so very special :)

It is such a hard decision to make, because you don't want to leave it too late.

I would definitely be taking notice of her enjoyment. What are the things she always enjoyed, how many of them does she still enjoy, and how much does she still enjoy them.

Does she seem content?

[Staffyluv]

I had to walk away twice before startng this, so here goes and apologies if its in the wrong section.

My old bitch is 19 in november. She is a wolfhound x kelpie x three other things I reckon. She has always been around 43 kilos, I do my best.

Its a lot longer than I thought it would be the life of this dog.

She has top eyesight, top hearing, everythings good except going in the back legs as yuo would expect. There is as you know no cure, just treatment and that is pretty much useless at this age.

The problem is she gets up and goes out to check things out 100 times a day, gets on and off the couch and does her best to run outside. So no matter how calm I may keep her when I am at home, I cant stop her nature.

I have had one dog go in the back legs in the middle of the night, never again can I handle that experience, so I want to avoid it for both of us.

She can only walk about 100 metres now without slowing to a crawl, which in a dog equals pain.

So when is it time to do the right thing. Do I wait until she cant walk 40 metres, 10? Is it best to go out on top of your game? Does she have another two or three years left in her? One thing I noticed that is interesting is that now when you scratch any part of her chest or tummy, the bad leg does the auto scratch thing, so I guess its all nerve related?

When I got her she had obviously been mistreated. She did not trust me for about 5 years, now she sneaks onto the bed as soon as we are asleep, had to get bigger bed 10 years ago.

She knows I am typing this, she is watching me and just rolled onto her back. She tskes up a 7 ft couch and as I glance across, the tail wags, she knows. Its not an easy thing to discuss but I have done my best, over to you if you have any advice.

It is a decision so many of us have had to make for our beloved pups..

Believe me when I say to you 'you will know when it is time'..

My old SBT had mast cell tumours and was originally given only 12-18 months to live..

Six years later after, we got up in the morning, went for our usual 100m walk that took near half an hour (he loved it and I would have done it over 2 hours if it took that long). That morning he played under the sprinklers, barked at the other dogs and he had fun (he always did in a very old slow way).

I had to go out to clients and when I got home in the afternoon my son said that Ollie wasn't well..

I went into him and the way he looked at me, I just knew it was his time. He was 14.5 but battling MCT for so long had finally taken its toll and he was tired.

He made no attempt to wag his tail or get up - he just lay there and I just knew.

So I called the vets and our wonderful vet made some time - he offered to put Ollie on a drip but agreed that we would be back here in a few days or so and it would just be buying him time and making him pain free.

I never wanted to drag it out - I wanted him to go out on a high and he had a great morning before he went down hill.

So we said goodbye. My dripping tears all over his beautiful face and him giving me one last kiss..

I am sorry you are at that time when you realise the time is near - wishing you loads of strength when you need it most.

[Loving my Oldies]

Dear old thing :)

if she is tail wagging ..climbing on the bed etc - it's not time , IMO.

While she is still enjoying life - and is able to relate well to you - then she will be happy :)

I certainly am not advising leaving her until she is immobile ... and you wouldn't anyhow :) .Just watch her lovingly as you are doing . if she cannot get on the bed/couch ..is missing out on walks because of discomfort ..then some thinking needs doing ...

Someone here may well have advice on the hind end weakness - I think it has been mentioned before ...

make sure you get lots of photos/videos ..and start planning now for when the time comes - have the practicalities clear - so whenever the day is , you will be confident that all is planned .

you have done SO well :)

It is amazing how much we agree on, Persephone and I, considering our lives couldn't be much different LOL.

As soon as you wrote that her tail was wagging when you looked across at her, amick, I thought the same as Persephone. I follow a horse rescue on FB and they, as you would imagine, get a lot of horses with dreadful lameness and leg problems. They have wonderful results from Rose Hip, but I will go back to their FB site to see what it is they are actually giving the horses.

I agree that we need photographs of this wonderful old dame.

ETA: It is called Rosehip Vital and it is produced for dogs as well (humans too :) ).

Edited August 30, 2014 by Dame Danny's Darling

[MadWoofter]

Your girl reminds me so much of my Tess. She was a wolfie x too, was on average 48 kgs. She was given her wings two months ago but it was a cancerous tumour that got her in the end.

she had a lot of problems with her back legs which sounds similar to your girl - she couldn't walk far, had difficulty getting on the sofa or bed. The vet gave her a course of injections which helped immensely. While ever she was eating and wagging her tail I knew it wasn't time yet. I also told myself that when the pain time was equal to the good time it was time to think about that call.

just continue what you are doing. So long as she's still happy in herself. You will know when it's time.

Sending hugs. It's a stressful time, knowing it's coming but not knowing when, and not wanting to leave it too late.

[amick]

Well reading the replies has perked me up no end. I think we pass the test listed with flying colors. I am of course sorry for the sad stories.

Its not my first time at this game but it doesnt get easier. Ive been lucky to have long living dogs. When I was a kid 8 was old for a dog, you might find an old Lab about 14 but that was it, they all lived outside and got chased all day, went to bed wet.

We are going to the vet soon, the nails worry me as she is not as agile, so we are getting them fixdd up this week, the vet does it, its easier, believe me, if a girl does it shes fine, a boy, no way. I think her tail was damaged and she was held down and the end cut off. I think she was a failed hunting dog because she had some old scars when I got her 13 years ago or so. She was on death row for the third time when I got her. I never had a problem, she didt like me much for the first few years but she came around.

I have been watching her defecate, the front right leg has a tremor in it but the back ones seem to be fine and strong in that regard. Its hard to tell with a bitch as she always splayes her legs wide when she pees anyway.

Its just arthritis, she still has good muscle tone for her age according to the vet. General soreness. Just part of getting old, like I said, no cure only treatment. It would just be nice to wake up and find her cold than the trauma of putting her down, but at the end of the day, its part of the responsibility I suppose.

Here is a recent pic, just after a huge chicken carcass, big fat guts on her.

[amick]

Well reading the replies has perked me up no end. I think we pass the test listed with flying colors. I am of course sorry for the sad stories.

Its not my first time at this game but it doesnt get easier. Ive been lucky to have long living dogs. When I was a kid 8 was old for a dog, you might find an old Lab about 14 but that was it, they all lived outside and got chased all day, went to bed wet.

We are going to the vet soon, the nails worry me as she is not as agile, so we are getting them fixdd up this week, the vet does it, its easier, believe me, if a girl does it shes fine, a boy, no way. I think her tail was damaged and she was held down and the end cut off. I think she was a failed hunting dog because she had some old scars when I got her 13 years ago or so. She was on death row for the third time when I got her. I never had a problem, she didnt like me much for the first few years but she came around.

I have been watching her defecate, the front right leg has a tremor in it but the back ones seem to be fine and strong in that regard. Its hard to tell with a bitch as she always splayes her legs wide when she pees anyway.

Its just arthritis, she still has good muscle tone for her age according to the vet. General soreness. Just part of getting old, like I said, no cure only treatment. It would just be nice to wake up and find her cold than the trauma of putting her down, but at the end of the day, its part of the responsibility I suppose.

Thanks to all for the replies, advice and experiences. This is a recnt pic, excuse the big fat guts, just ate a huge chicken carcass.

[Loving my Oldies]

She looks in great condition, sleek and shiny. I hope you have many more happy times together.

[persephone]

She looks very content and happy :)

[raineth]

Awww she is beautiful! She looks really well and very happy :)

[amick]

Thanks, I think happy is the right word. She loves her boyfriend of 10 years or so, I think having two dogs make them live longer. Im working on a video.