Those with old dogs - stories/advice pls

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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For a start why does all my common vet nurse sense go out the window when it's my own dog :( my little whippet x is now 14yrs old approx, she has always been very nervy and sensitive (rescue dog - had her since she was 3yrs), she has always been very funny about food ie often won't eat, never really worried about this until now as she really can't cope with loosing any weight. She has always been on dry food until approx four months ago when I changed it to applaws tinned food and natures menu, she still is very fussy and sometimes won't eat at all (like today - not eaten anything and now has a very gurgly tummy!!), have also tried loads of other nice yummy stuff but it doesn't matter what it is, if she doesn't want to eat she won't.

She also now is being funny about walking, she still will run around the park like a puppy if you throw her fake stick and she can run around the field at the stables but to and from the park she is very very slow and will keep stopping. We have no garden so do need to get to and from park 4 times a day.

She has had all the usual healthchecks etc etc and painkillers make no difference. My gut feeling is it's a old dog senility problem, she is more confused now and looses us alot in the flat.

Pls just reassure me it's a oldie thing, I certainly don't feel it's time to do the deed as she does have a reasonable quality of life xx
 
Agree with FF. You will know when the time is right.
If she doesn't appear to be in pain, very confused to the point where she is upset, or suffering, so I would not be too hard on yourself.
 
Check her eyesight and hearing especially as she's struggling in your flat. Poor eyesight could also make her more worried about walking on the pavement, especially if car lights dazzle her at dusk/after dark, or if the sun is too strong for her (e.g. cataracts). She may just feel more confident on the park with less to bump into. Try using commands such as up, kerb, and crossover, or other suitable words to help her on your walks.

On the food front, consider topping up with tuna, rice pudding (if her stomach will take it) and other yummies, especially on bad days. Get her teeth checked, and consider feeding softer/easier digested food.

I now have the opposite problem, an absolute pig of a dog who's in the bin for food if she gets a chance and scavenges on the street for dropped takeaways.
 
ditto the others... she sounds like she is still having a lovely life with you. I have a 14 1/2 year old lab whom i have posted about on here... he doesnt go for actual walks anymore as he gets very breathless and 'roary'. His back end is weak as he has had 3 strokes. His sight and hearing isnt great. He has gone through a really senile stage and seemed to jump when we went in the room and be confused about where the door was. We also put newspaper down his room now as he often goes outside, then needs to poo after he has come back in. All that said however, he has picked up a lot since his last bad spell. He still enjoys running in the garden, he has an acre to roam about in and his sight seems to be slightly better now in that he see's me and knows its dinner time and comes trotting across, grinning, tail wagging...... I know he is still happy. I just lost my 18 month old young dog a couple of weeks ago, I had to make the decision to have her pts after illness and surgery and it seriously broke my heart. However, having had to do that for her... I am now certain I am doing the right thing by my lab in keeping him going. She was facing an uncomfortable and miserable future - whereas although he is old, a bit confused and creaky, I know my lab is still happy. I hope this helps you.
 
yep agree with the above posts. We have a 16 year old lab cross with heart failure and is deaf. We are keeping a close eye on the quality of his life. Although he has slowed down greatly and gets confused at times, he stlll enjoys the occassional walk, loves his food, loves lying by the fire, barkng at the door and seeng people visit the house. He follows us round the house just as he always did. I think our younger dogs have given hima new lease of life! I think they tell you when they've had enough.
 
My old lurcher lady was exactly as you describe yours. Towards the end, she still liked doing stimulating things but I litteraly had to drag her there and back. She aged very quickly, aged 12 or so.

For the past 5 years, she had been taking herself for a walk around the farm when I poo picked... She'd just slink off and go about her business, always via the pond for a dip and the barn where the cat food was :D Then, she would come back to the paddock to get me and we'd walk back to the car together.

Then one day earlier this year, she didn't come to pick me up at the end of her wander and I found her waiting by the car in the yard instead, and this became her routine. About a month later, she stopped accompanying me to the paddock altogether and mooched around the yard before going to the pond and returning to the car to wait for me. A few weeks later, I found her by the car - dry... she had skipped the pond dipping, her favourite activity. Then I became aware of her simply lying by the car and not even bothering stealing the cat food.

And one day in August, she couldn't get out of her bed... :(

You know your dog better than anyone. You will know when life is no longer worth living for her. In the meantime, enjoy every little bit of joy she gives you x
 
Echo the above, you know her best and you will know when she is telling you enough is enough. Sounds like she still has a good quality of life for an old lady and a caring, considerate owner. My ESS Rosie is almost 14 (Feb), I have a 10 yr old IWS and a pup who is now almost 1. Rosie still maintains her place as top dog with a very dignified air, she is certainly slower than before and her hearing is going (until you open a packet of biscuits :) ), she still walks out with the others twice a day, we have a 20 acre field to walk in and she walks slowly whilst the pup charges about, she will still jump in the river given half a chance and can still get up the stairs to bed and on to the sofa. I do take her to the vets for a check up every 3 months as she has so many lumps and bumps on her and I am paranoid about not letting her suffer. He assures me that they are all either cysts or fatty lumps and that she is in no pain (I trust him completely), he tells it like it is, my kind of vet! My hope is that one day she will just quietly let me know and I can do the right thing for her. Im quite sure that you will be the same when the time comes, hopefully not for a while yet.
 
Thankyou for all your replies and stories, really has helped. She definately isn't ready to go yet and I'm not ready for her to go either.

I do think the walking problem could be her eyesight and the light from cars hurting them as she is worse in the dark. Wish we had a garden!
 
Our dog is 16. He deaf, but in no pain or suffering, Admittedly his legs aren't amazing. He can still walk, but has trouble getting up stairs / on the sofas. He has good days where you could mistake him for a puppy, and some bad days, it's not time for him yet and the old mans still got some fight left in him,
I thoroughly believe, you and I, will know when the time is right. x
 
My little terrier was very similar, she enjoyed the field part of the walk but getting there and back was just too difficult so I got her a doggie pram! She just loved it and sat there like a queen, got to the park and she would toddle about and have the occasional blast then back in the pram for her ride home. A lot of people thought I was just a dotty old bat at first but soon realised I was doing it for for the dog's sake. In the house I had to be very tidy so she didn't bump into things but she still got lost occasionally, I do think that part was more disturbing for me than her though.
 
I think this must be an old dog thing! Ours is 13 and still pretty lively really, likes dipping in ponds, rivers etc and gets excited about going out for walks etc but he also can do the 'boredom' look if he's going on the same field walk to do his business (ie at lunch etc). He too is fussy when it comes to food - a real pain he can be! He will look at it as if it's poison and then (almost as if he gives a sigh first) will tuck into it if that's ALL he's going to get!! Lol

He does however love tuna fish (he gets given the odd empty tin when my dad has tuna) and sardines when we give as a treat on occasion. He also LOVES these small tins of cat food you can get - chicken and cheese is one of the varieties (odd! Lol). My sister got a load as some promotional thing a few years back, the cat wasn't that bothered but the dog? Well, he thought they were fantastic. He got very sick at one stage and the only way we could get him to eat anything was to feed the (very expensive) cat food!!!

I would try some alternatives for your dog - a few exciting 'treats' as part of her food.
 
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