Think my old man may be getting close to that time:(

[kookicat]

My oldest dog seems to have got old over night. :( I'm getting a feeling that it might almost be time for me to let him go. I've owned him since he was a pup- almost 12 years, and it's ripping the heart out of me to think of getting up on a morning and not seeing him. Or walking in the door after a long day at work, and him not being there.

It's just so hard and so unfair. They live such short lives. I guess all I can do is give him a hug and a kiss and make the phone call.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g244/klm_lou/beach032.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g244/klm_lou/074-1.jpg

[betsyk]

A friend says, the reason they have such short lives compared to ours is so we can get to know more of them...

When it was time for my dog, we took one last ride in the car to Mcdonald's, got a bag full of cheeseburgers (his favorite from puppy school days!) and went for one last sniff (it wasn't really a walk by then) before my wonderful horse vet came to the house and put him to sleep in his own bed by the woodstove. He was in a lot of pain and I like to think his last couple hours were as good as they could be under the circumstances. Maybe you can think of something like that for your dog and you.

[Blinkers On]

I'm not far behind you.
It seems to me that I would hate myself foreve for doing it "too soon," but I would hate myself just as much for doing it too late." Hugs.

[arabhorse2]

What an adorable face.

My Great Dane will be 6 y/o in October, and I'm dreading the day she tells me it's time to let her go.

Kooki, big hugs and prayers of peace for you. As Willem said, This it be right. :sadsmile:

Thank you for thinking about your boy, and not yourself.

[chai]

Kookicat, I am so very sorry but I admire you for accepting the reality and staying proactive. Your dear little dog is so cute, I can understand why that face makes you smile every day.
Having lost our dog, Molly, and our elderly Qh, Cinnamon this past year, I really feel for you.

I think your dog will let you know when he's had enough. Best wishes during this difficult time.

[BuddyRoo]

I'm sorry. (((hugs)))

[CB/TB]

Chai said it- Your dog will tell you when it's time. We sometimes don't listen, but they do know. Our old girl held on for 6 months after her lifetime buddy left us. They were 6 months apart in age and I'll never intentionally do that again. It's too heartbreaking. She helped the new girl ( 7 month old when she arrived) settle in, showed her the ropes and taught her how to behave with the horses and goats. Once she felt the pup was ready, she said it was time . We had one last romp in the pasture, checked the perimeter and the next day she crossed the Bridge. She was ready- We were not we never are. We now have another oldie that we adopted from a shelter to keep the young one company. She's arthritic and hardly has a tooth in her head, but she has a home with us for as long as she has. The two have bonded and are inseperable. Hugs to you .

[shea'smom]

I've been looking at my old eventer, 27 this year. I think we are getting there too. It is a hard call. Dang it.

[sunridge1]

I'll make one suggestion from experience. My old GSD had terrible allergies her entire life, once she reached about 10 I decided it would be okay to administer a steroid for some relief. ( Always worried about the side effects.) As she began to slow down I thought Rimadyl would be better so I weaned her off the steroids over about a 2 week period.

OMG the dog aged 10 years. I took her to the vet...his suggestion keep her on the steroid. She regained some of her youthfulness for a couple more years until she had a series of strokes.

So maybe some old dog meds like Rymadyl or Duralactin would be appropriate for your dog. It worked for one of my old dear cats also for the latter years of her life(Duralactin).

So sorry, I will be facing it soon also. Ugh! I hate it.

[jetsmom]

My brother's dog (that was mine, but he inherited, although I still groom/walk/take to vet) isn't doing well. We found him at the end of Sept 1993 as part of a litter of 5 newborns that were dumped in a Uhaul blanket by the railroad tracks in the desert. My friend and I raised them and found homes for all, except I kept Fats. He looks like he is part German Shep/Husky/red heeler mix. Smartest dog I've ever seen. He will actually toss a frisbee back to you by flipping it with his nose if you say "closer". Or he'll kick a ball back to you when you say "closer".

He was diagnosed with Cushings about 6 mo ago, but was doing well until 3 days ago. Up until a couple of weeks ago, he'd still playy Frisbee, but just not jump. Two days ago he started falling and having a hard time getting up. Vet put him on Rimadyl. Xrays showed spinal degeneration. Can't do steroids because of the Cushings.

I am/was hoping he'd make it to his 16th birthday, but I don't think he will.

[kookicat]

Thanks everyone.

Well, I got up this morning kinda expecting him to be dead, and he's back to his usual self, annoying the other boys by wanting to play constantly. Very strange! He's off to the vets for a check up tomorrow.

I'm so sorry for everyone who has lost pets, or has a pet drawing close to that time. {{hugs}}

[Wayside]

He is absolutely adorable.

It's so hard watching them age :sadsmile:

[jetsmom]

Kookie- If he isn't already on NSAIDS, talk to your vet about them. Can make a lot of difference in their quality of life.

[scrtwh]

He'll let you know. My old Lab was very active with arthritis in her spine for a long time, she was on steroids and joint supps ... one day she didn't want to get up, at all, It was time.

Hang in there, and always think of the quality of life for your four-legged friends. When they have more bad days than good ...

[Tazzie]

I'm am so so sorry for you.

[kookicat]

He's still with us. He's on Metacam, which is a NSAID, and has perked up quite a lot. He eats, he barks at the rabbits, he even plays with the other dogs, so I think he's happy at the moment.

[andylover]

sending jingles. it is always a hard decision no matter what the circumstances. we actually lost three dogs in a short period of time, two from old age and one from Coonhound paralysis. Left one GSD mix that has never recovered. back up to a total of three dogs, but sadly have made the decision these are my last dogs. it is just too hard.. and loosing my GSD will probably rip out whatever remaining heart i have.

[NSF]

I highly recommend Body Sore. We first got it for a horse (powder) but we found out from our small animal vet that it comes in little pills for small animals. It's made a huge difference in my mom's 10 year old newfie. He also gets monthly adequan and weekly acupuncture, which definitely help. But there was an unbelievable improvement once he'd been on the Body Sore for a few weeks.

[SharonA]

Well, once you've put them down, you can't bring them back. Definitely be sure you're both ready. I regret putting down our family dog, who was worth her 100 times her weight in diamonds and stardust, a few months ago. Her world was shrinking and her kidneys were failing, but I think she would rather have stayed with us, being part of the family as best she could, for awhile longer. Things were getting crazy with kids and work and summer activities (and of course my very wonderful horse), and plus I could see that my dog was slowly shutting down and I didn't want to come home one day and find that she'd died alone while I was off doing something else. Regardless, I don't think I will ever forgive myself for what now seems an incredibly selfish thing to have done to the most giving creature in the world. If I had it to do over again, I personally would have my trainer take over riding my horse for two weeks and throw the kids in more daycare, to give me time to think things through better and listen more to her.

[NSF]

When my mom's newfie was having trouble in April/May she was planning to put him down before our annual family vacation in June because she didn't think he would do okay at home without her. In previous years he'd get depressed and itchy enough to need a steroid shot. She decided he wasn't ready to go and so she brought him with us. She had our regular vet arrange ahead of time for his acupuncture treatments where we were vacationing. It was that vet that told us the Body Sore came in a the tiny pill form. That's when he got started on it again.

My mom just knew he wasn't ready. She kept telling our horse vet (who would adjust him every so often) that mentally and emotionally she knew he was still with her and wasn't ready. I know there were people who thought she was wrong-- she wasn't.

[Arcadien]

It's so hard to decide "when" isn't it? Glad he perked up, and that you may be able to enjoy a little more time.

But I sure understand - right now, my oldest GSD is on about the max of painkillers for his hip dysplasia, I know I'm looking at numbered months.

But in then end it's got to be your decision, and know you'll be the best one to know when it's time - and we'll be here with more cyberhugs when that time comes!

[CB/TB]

It's so hard to know just "when" especially when they can't "tell" us what hurts and how they really feel. I think they will themselves to keep going for our sake. When we had our old GSP euthanized her vet said she was probably much sicker( in pain- even on meds) than she let on. A very stoic dog, and a lot of them are. It's never easy , but you can't second guess yourself once the decision is made or you'll drive yourself nuts. Hugs to you.

[Daydream Believer]

This is a familiar and sad subject with me. We lost two old friends this year. My 16 year old soul mate dog, Darby, and an old kitty who we lost to liver failure a few weeks ago. I still feel a sense of guilt over both of them although when I play it back over in my head, there was nothing else to do at that time that made sense. Both were much loved old family members and both left the world with dignity and love...and I think that is as much as even we people can hope for.

{{{hugs}}} to you and I hope you can find some peace and make the best decision for you and your dog.