Very old and very wobbly

[EasyToEatTiger]

We lost a dog in 2013, when he was nearly 14 or so. It was very sudden and the vet was brilliant. The loss was devastating. Our first dog is still with us after 15 years. We adopted her when the home thought she was 2 or 3. So she's probably about 17, give or take. She is becoming increasingly wobbly, still eating, still interested, still life-affirming things. Today I took out the younger dogs without her because her legs have not been carrying her for the past couple of days. I have never not taken her out. We are keeping a close eye. She may recover some strenght after a rest, but I am wondering if she will improve or go downhill fast???? She's not incontinent or in distress. She's bimbling around, and eating and drinking. Is there more we can do?

[averylongtimeago]

With such an old lady every day is a bonus. I would let the vet give her an "mot", our really oldie lived untill 16, a great age for a Goldie, and metacam then rymadil kept her going. Towards the end she needed help to stand and I used a scarf under her tum as a kind of sling to help her totter outside. She was still happy, eating and interested in life, even if I did have to help her. A few days before she died she spent the whole afternoon reducing a newspaper to a heap of confetti, she always loved shredding paper!
You will know when the time comes, when life is no longer happy. Dogs don't live long enough.

[EasyToEatTiger]

No, dogs don't live long enough! Dh took her out today with the younger 2 and she was fine. I don't think she can go for a walk every day, but she has been happy to bimble about for a good hour outside with the other 2. We have tried her on one of the anti inflamitories for arthritis, but she seems better without it, so she's not on any medication, although she has had the cartrophen injections, not recently. She's not falling over all the time, but her back legs give up on her. She was diagnosed with crap hips soon after she came to live with us so we anticipated arthritis a long, long time ago.

[averylongtimeago]

Short walks and lots of fuss then....our oldie used to like the idea of a walk, manage an increasingly short bimble then back home for a snooze while the younger ones went for a good run.