Aging dog issues....

DragonSlayer

DragonSlayer

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My dog is 12 years old now and has been through the wars somewhat, in that she has a slipped disc, been savaged a couple of times by other dogs resulting in staples and stitches, but the worst thing was....she fell out with the truck and ended up with her tail broken at the base and also the base of her spine.

The vet's worry was she wouldn't be able to go to the loo and wouldn't be able to lift her tail out of the way. Luckily she can but can't lift it as high as she used to, but it wags!

She's on medication to help her joints etc but I've noticed recently when she's standing up, she's losing her balance on the back end. It's getting more and more frequent although she's fine once she gets going.

I'm going to take her to the vets for a check-up but was hoping for opinions of others....I've seen friends dogs struggle for years, swaying and falling over all over the place, but I don't want my girl to suffer.

What's the prognosis likely to be? Will drugs help or prolong? I can't bear the thought of her suffering like I've seen others do.

:(
 
It's so sad.
Poor girl has been in the wars obviously you need to protect her and try to manage her so she can't fall etc.
My lab is nearly fourteen she can still jump in the Range Rover if it's parked downhill I have to be very careful with her trying to jump .
She medicated for arthritis as well and on heart pills .
She a lovely old girl and happy ATM but I know the time is coming .
There's easy rules to follow but I have been through this many times and for me you suddenly just know they are ready .
Pamper her get her over this period of mishaps the better weather is coming and oldies often perk up when it warms up.
Nothing ever makes this easier every loss is burned into my soul and never forgotten just enjoy these last golden times with her .
 
Goldenstar has said it all really - I am also in the same situation, my oldest greyhound Islay will be 14 in July and she is getting increasingly unsteady on her back end. I am really taking each day as it comes - some days she can jump into the car, other days I have to lift her in. I have adapted her walks so they are a bit shorter and are on firm ground (she struggles in deep mud), and I make sure the other greyhounds can't knock into her when they are bounding around (especially Hoover, who is 35kg with the spatial awareness of a doughnut :D )

She isn't on any medication and got the complete all-clear at her recent vaccination visit, but I know she won't be around forever - after speaking to the vet I tried a course of Metacam for her to see if it made her steadier, but to be honest it made no difference.

At the end of the day, I love her more than anything in the world and her health and well being is always my first priority; I would rather make the decision a week too early than a day too late, and experience has taught me that I will know when that decision needs to be made.
 
I had my lurcher Pts the day her hinds went for the third time. Being a long dog, when they went it resulted in screaming and panic, it was more than I felt she deserved.
 
I think sadly old age is inevitable, and medication is limited.
Most importantly are they still happy? I think we all know when the spark is gone from their eyes or they start panicking or being upset about their physical limitations. I've not had old age in a dog as sadly my first was 5 when he got aggressive cancer. It was the perfect day to have him PTS at home, as we had a last weekend with a potter around the farm and then the next morning there was a puddle on the floor- he had never had Ann accident and would of hated it. The vet came to our house thy day. He had had enough.

I currently have the predicament with my horse, he is 19 and was a race horse for 7 years so has well worn joints! He is stiff and arthritic, but currently still has a zest for life and occasionally picks up speed! The moment he looks too tired and the spark goes I know I need to be strong and say good bye. I hate seeing crippled old horses hobbling around for years of painful retirement
 
Thanks folks.

I'll keep monitoring her over the next couple of weeks, it's the holidays in a couple of weeks so I'll make an appointment at the vet's and take her to get checked out then, see what they say.

:(
 
Stand her square as she'll go. Turn her back toes over. If she doesn't right them very quickly, that could be a sign of neurological weakness (learnt this from the oncology specialist at the RVC). My old boy, rising 14, takes a while to right himself and regularly dips. He hasn't been able to jump in the car for a couple of years, but will gallop round if allowed. It's not pretty the day after, so he's now on lead walks only. He was at the vet's this week for a check up and is now on anti-inflammatories.

I think this is the worst part of dog ownership, watching them begin to fail and wondering how long you'll still have them.
 
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