very old rottie

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wildwest

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so my beloved rottie is fast approaching 13 yrs, hes a big dog (well he was )
and hes so falling to pieces before my eyes :{
he has cronic arthritus for which he has medication, takes him a while to lay down.
hes lost alot of weight, vet said is good in a way for his joints
also on his last vet visit 2 weeks ago a large growth was found
which i said will remain un treated as to operate is too risky at his age
my main worry is his head control when he lays flat out he just thumps it down
with a blood curdling crack, do they lose control of neck mussles ?
i bred this dog and hes my best friend , he still goes out for a 5 min walk daily
but when is it unfair on him ?
he used to be a strapping 12 stone boy....now hes a lame old man :{
sorry for rambling :{
 
It's horrible when they slow down :(
Have you queried CDRM? That's a condition that starts in the back end and then comes forwards, it disrupts the messages the brain is sending to the muscles to move - it's commonly confused with hip dysplasia because it attacks the back legs first and this may be what is causing him to collapse his head like that.
However I am not a vet and only they can advise.

It's up to you and you know him best, they have a way of telling you when it's time to go, for me, when my old girl was 14, and a large, weightbearing breed who had already broken a leg in puppyhood, when she was struggling to get up and down, we made the call. But like I say, you can often see it in their eyes.
Best of luck whatever happens, it's a rotten time x
 
13 yrs is a good age for a rottie. i think the answer will come in an eye contact moment between you and him ( and they have such expressive eyes). never an easy decision, but do look to him for the answers. quality of life versus quantity. drugging him up to ease the pain is only a human thing. if he is ready to go please dont keep him going for your own sake. its really hard to watch them fade. put yourself in his shoes. sorry dont mean to be blunt
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
13 yrs is a good age for a rottie. i think the answer will come in an eye contact moment between you and him ( and they have such expressive eyes). never an easy decision, but do look to him for the answers. quality of life versus quantity. drugging him up to ease the pain is only a human thing. if he is ready to go please dont keep him going for your own sake. its really hard to watch them fade. put yourself in his shoes. sorry dont mean to be blunt
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Blimey tears in eyes here,i agree with above statement,had to get our one put to sleep,but was an easy desision as he had cancer at 4 1/2 yrs,easy as in i had no choice,not easy in my heart.13 is very good for a rott,like has been said when the quality of life has gone,then do it,you will know but please dont keep him for your own sake,when the time comes prepare,talk to your vet,ask if they do home visits,an let him slip away with the owners he loves around him.If you need anyone to chat to after,feel free to message me,any questions however silly they seem feel free,take care,an remember when the time comes its the last act of kindness you can do for a loyal friend and companion.
 
hes not drugged up to the eyeballs hes on devils claw only,
yes cdrm may be a possibility as he potters on back legs wen trying to lay down
as if they are not doing what he wants them to do.
like i said he went to vets recently for vaccs booster , and to my surprise they didnt mention anythink about letting him go.
i know what you mean about his eyes they are almost human :{
and all i see at the mo is love
he still loves his little walk ,he doesnt yelp in pain .........hes just an "old man"
and it breaks my heart :{
thanks for all messages ,hes close i think but not just yet
but believe me i will never let my best friend suffer, we even moved to spain so his arthritus would ease with the weather , and he came all the way in the car and loved his adventure , :}
 
I kinda know what you mean - I was at the vets with my old JRT today, just for a 2nd opinion really as she has faded the same way as your dog has.

Speaking to a vet I trust helped, he suggested I make a list of the things that matter in her life ie food, squirrels :), being top dog and her place on the sofa and when she can no longer enjoy some/all of those things it's time to let her go. We also agreed that she will go on permanent metacam for her arthritic hips, s*d the potential damage to liver and kidneys, at nearly 20 years old her comfort is the most important thing.

IMHO, while your dog is content in his little world, he's doing ok. I firmly believe that we know when enough is enough, it's just being brave enough to act on it!
 
wow nearly 20yrs wat a fab age :}
yes its heartbeaking isnt it..........
your right whilst they still can enjoy certain things we should let them.
we wouldnt put our grandad to sleep because hes slow getting out the chair !!!!!!!1
 
It's the curse of old animals, isn't it?

You're so aware that you don't want them to suffer but at the same time you really don't want to lose them..

I have to admit that I was sitting in the vets waiting room thinking that I may be coming out of the consultation and making an appointment for them to come and pts at home today and was very relieved that I didn't have to!

I also know that it won't be too far in the future that I will be making that call but until then we'll enjoy every day.

((((Hugs))) to your boy, if he's anything like my rott, he 's milking the cuddles and attention to the max.
 
yes i half expected my vet to say dont bother with vaccs and frontline.....but she didnt.
thanks for the hugs although he is milking it as you say lol :}
he likes to wait at the car boot as he cant jump in anymore , he did try but failed miserably
but sits there to be lifted in ...no easy feat hes still 10 stone, and loves a ride out in the car, ha the things we do for our best friends.
if he slips ijn the wet his back legs just part and he looks at me as if to say
"come on woman help me up " which i promptly do and away we go again
bless he does make me worry but he also makes me smile everyday :}
i have a jr too lol shes only 4yrs old
 
If he has arthritis it might be worth asking your vet about putting him on metacam or similar instead of just giving devils claw. As cbmcts says, when they got old it makes sense to keep them comfortable and not worry about long term effects.
 
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