scats
Well-Known Member
With JD’s advancing age, we always keep in mind that we may need to make that decision at any point. Chatting with my mum before, we said how we desperately don’t want to get into a situation where we have left it too late. To me that is unacceptable. But where do you find that point before then?
When she is out walking, you’d look at her in disbelief- walking happily, occasional jog. She’s at the door twice a day every day for her walks. She has a big appetite- loves her food and treats. She moves around the house easily, she gets up and down the stairs multiple times a day (albeit it is slow and a bit of a struggle- We would put a baby gate back on the bottom to stop her coming up, but she gets noticeably distressed when she can’t be up there with whoever it is she wants).
Every vet comments on her heart health- she has the strong and healthy heart of a dog much younger. Perhaps this is a curse as much as a blessing.
But her backend has wasted away noticeably now- she has arthritis in her hips and back legs and is limited in what she can have for it as she is prone to pancreatitis. She seems to cope well on paracetamol, but equally she is a dog who never shows pain, so how much discomfort is she in without us knowing?
She is slow to lie down, where her hind end struggles (but she gets up fast with no problems). She has gone from a very secure dog who was never needy, to one who constantly follows us around and wants to be with someone all the time. She wants someone permanently sat somewhere with her, but this just isn’t possible with busy lives, so she ends up following one or all of us around. This is quite distressing to witness as she was such a secure dog when she was younger.
Other things- she does struggle to clean herself properly now due to not being able to fully reach, so we have to occasionally give her a wipe if she’s had a loose poo. She doesn’t seem distressed by this at all, but I know it’s not ideal. I spoke to the vet about this recently when it started and they said not to worry and it’s common with larger older dogs and just to give her a clean every so often.
She is a little deaf, too, though not fully.
I groom a lot of elderly dogs in my job and I always come away looking at JD in astonishment because she is streets ahead of dogs even younger than her in terms of mobility and cognitive function (I groom a few with obvious dementia). I always said that the day she doesn’t want to walk, or the day those back legs wobble, the decision is made… but I don’t think it’s going to be that clear cut and I swear that dog will still try and go for her walks on her death bed.
Anyone who has been in a similar position, how and why did you come to the decision? Particularly interested in experiences where there has been no major factor (sudden illness or collapse, for instance). We do regularly see the vet for checks and on the last visit, they were not concerned at all and said for her age she is incredible, but I imagine they probably see a lot of dogs in a much worse state (my time as a groomer has shown me that some people allow dogs to fester on far too long…)
When she is out walking, you’d look at her in disbelief- walking happily, occasional jog. She’s at the door twice a day every day for her walks. She has a big appetite- loves her food and treats. She moves around the house easily, she gets up and down the stairs multiple times a day (albeit it is slow and a bit of a struggle- We would put a baby gate back on the bottom to stop her coming up, but she gets noticeably distressed when she can’t be up there with whoever it is she wants).
Every vet comments on her heart health- she has the strong and healthy heart of a dog much younger. Perhaps this is a curse as much as a blessing.
But her backend has wasted away noticeably now- she has arthritis in her hips and back legs and is limited in what she can have for it as she is prone to pancreatitis. She seems to cope well on paracetamol, but equally she is a dog who never shows pain, so how much discomfort is she in without us knowing?
She is slow to lie down, where her hind end struggles (but she gets up fast with no problems). She has gone from a very secure dog who was never needy, to one who constantly follows us around and wants to be with someone all the time. She wants someone permanently sat somewhere with her, but this just isn’t possible with busy lives, so she ends up following one or all of us around. This is quite distressing to witness as she was such a secure dog when she was younger.
Other things- she does struggle to clean herself properly now due to not being able to fully reach, so we have to occasionally give her a wipe if she’s had a loose poo. She doesn’t seem distressed by this at all, but I know it’s not ideal. I spoke to the vet about this recently when it started and they said not to worry and it’s common with larger older dogs and just to give her a clean every so often.
She is a little deaf, too, though not fully.
I groom a lot of elderly dogs in my job and I always come away looking at JD in astonishment because she is streets ahead of dogs even younger than her in terms of mobility and cognitive function (I groom a few with obvious dementia). I always said that the day she doesn’t want to walk, or the day those back legs wobble, the decision is made… but I don’t think it’s going to be that clear cut and I swear that dog will still try and go for her walks on her death bed.
Anyone who has been in a similar position, how and why did you come to the decision? Particularly interested in experiences where there has been no major factor (sudden illness or collapse, for instance). We do regularly see the vet for checks and on the last visit, they were not concerned at all and said for her age she is incredible, but I imagine they probably see a lot of dogs in a much worse state (my time as a groomer has shown me that some people allow dogs to fester on far too long…)
