To ask a possibly upsetting question?

[Cherrysoup]

If you had a dog and it has now died, how old was it and what did it die of? I lost one of mine during the summer and it looks like his brother is going the same way at 11, I’m absolutely devastated. The first one had cancer, his brother also has a tumour, diagnosed today. Isn’t 11 quite young for a medium sized dog? I lost one at 16, same breed (spaniel) so was hoping I’d have the others for longer. 😢

@Etinoxaurus : My elderly border terrier had sleeping incontinence for about 12 months before she died.
I don't know if it would help in your situation, but we used reusable dog nappies lined with a sanitary towel which helped to contain most of the wee.
She was very amenable to having one put on and it didn't seem to trouble her.

My old boy was 20 which is pretty unusual i know.

I've had a few dogs, all PTS ranging from 11-13 years old, the only one who wasn't was my mum's gorgeous little schnauzer who was 18 months old when he died. Mum had been on holiday and he'd been in a boarding kennel, he'd had all of his vaccinations including the one for kennel cough but he got kennel cough anyway and wasn't recovering, he had surgery to try and help him but died on the operating table, turned out he'd had an undiagnosed heart issue poor little guy.

I’ve had two dogs. One was run over at three years old which was devastating. The other we had put to sleep at 16 years old after overall deterioration in her health. We miss them both.

Labrador pts age 16. My heart still hurts 10 yrs later. She survived a stroke but for her last 3 yrs was having steroids for arthritis and blood thinners which kept her pain free and happy. She became unable to control her bowels due to the arthritis which wasn't as bad as it sounds as she was on dry food but she looked so ashamed and sad after each accident and she gradually became sleepier and sleepier until it was time to say goodbye. Currently have 2 spaniel type dogs who are just approaching their 9th birthday and both still think they're puppies.

I'm so sorry for all of your heartbreak Having a dog is the best thing in the word and the worst, when they leave you.
I lost my dear dog suddenly earlier this year. She was off colour one day and pts the next, she had cancer but showed no sign of being ill. I miss her so much still, my heart hurts.

Ddog was a real mix of Staffie and Labrador that we knew of. She also had a ruff of fur around her neck which we found out was because she was part Alsatian when she developed a particularly aggressive cancer that only German Shepherds get.

She was 14.5 years old and from starting to be ill to her dying it was 2 weeks.

Up to the day before she got ill she was running around and playing with her doggy pals. Then the next morning she just refused to get up for a walk
It was a huge shock that she could go down hill so quickly

I should say I took her to the vets and they did tests and took x rays and when they were giving me the devastating news she looked nothing like a dog that had aggressive cancer and had only days to live.

Thank you @Wingedharpy
She sleeps a lot, always has done!

I’m so sorry for your losses, and for everyone here who has lost a beloved dog. It is heartbreaking.
We lost our beautiful boy , an irish wolfhound at 9 years and 9 months in September 2019. Those years and months were filled with love and mischief and that love goes on and on. We won’t forget him , he was my hairy baby and my heart aches for him every day, but I treasure the time we had with him.

Weimaraner - 6, she was fitting and had to be PTS as she was getting aggressive.
Labrador - 5. Twisted stomach, heart breaking.
GSD - 9. He was deaf and slowing down, we made the decision that if anything happened to him, we would let him go with dignity. Had a problem that would have required invasive surgery so we said goodbye.

The short answer for all is too soon.

My girl was 13, she had cancer and liver failure. A complete warrior until the very end. My collie is 16, I don’t know what I’d do without her but thankfully she’s in good health. Our current oldest is 18…she won’t go quietly that’s for sure.

Life expectancy for dogs is decreasing all the time, particularly purebreds. Average now for a mid-size dog is 10 yrs old.

Irish Setter pts at 14 , his arthritis and eyesight just got too bad. It was 35 years ago. Still miss him.

Labrador- family dog age 18, no cause as such, severe arthritis ended up unable to stand one morning. Was put to sleep at home by her favourite farm vet after spending the morning on the grass where we carried her to eating sausages

Border collie - my first dog that was really my own. We learnt the ins and outs of sheep farming together. Died aged 16 from a brain tumour who's effects came on suddenly. One morning I woke up and he was a bit quiet, couple of hours later he was falling over. Again put to sleep by farm vet laying on the hay next to his flock being cuddled

Current two dogs are young and hoping they live full, happy lives and die at an old age with me by their side

My gs was 21 could never replace him

My cousins dog was 10. He had some weird abscess growing which even the vets didn’t know what it was. He became weaker and stopped eating very much. You could tell he wasn’t well and panting more. It was heart breaking to see. He died when my cousins went out, he had waited until they had left to go. He was ill for about a couple of months I think.

I’ve recently got a puppy. The average life expectancy for a dog is about 10-13 yrs. I am amazed at those having dogs for 16 years! I’m expecting to have him for roughly 10 yrs but who knows. I will be prepared as I know dogs will not live for very long and I’ve had a young family member die in their early 30s suddenly.

We are on our first family dog and he’s an 11 yo patterdale x about 15/16 kg so medium sized , he has a few medical issues but is very fit . My sister has had 4 dogs - a mastiff x ridgeback who died at 11 ( gastric bleed) , a whippet x died at 13 ( lung cancer ) , a JRT x border who died at 17 ( renal failure) and she currently still has his sister who is 19 and is blind , deaf and demented , if she were mine she’d have been PTS about a yr ago but my sister is convinced she has a decent quality of life . I think the way to look at it is that for animals it’s mainly quality of life over quantity that matters . Sorry for your loss(es) @Cherrysoup

Way back in 1970, we had a rescue dog,a Jack russell terrier, not sure how old he was when we got him,, but we had him for many years, and then later in the 70's, we as family all went to live in the USA for three years, and late Husband parents took over his care at their house, They knew our dog well, and he was happy with them.

Sometimes my Husband had to return to the Uk,for meetings and things,whilst me and the children stayed in America. on one such visit, my Husband went to his parents, and our dog went crazy seeing my Husband again.. My husband called to see them again, a few days later, before flying back to the Usa,, and this time our dog seemed a bit off colour, and just before leaving his parents, our dog just died, maybe a heart attack,.he hadn't been ailing at all.. I think our dog was about 13 or 14,

My Husband buried our dog, in his parents garden, just before leaving for the airport.

My first dog, a collie, died at 8 from cancer.

The next collie x was 14 and had dementia. I made the decision to put her to sleep when she stopped recognising me.

Another one, my grandma’s Shih tzu x, that I took in, died at 19 from multiple organ failure. She was just really old and her body gave up.

My current collie x is 13.5 and still pretty healthy and active, apart from a bit of arthritis and failing eyesight. I’m hoping for another year or two based on how she is.

had never heard of a Dogue de Bordeaux - had to google, they look lovely.

My sisters weimerarners both died at 9 or 10 - one or both died of bloat.
Her staffie cross (a rescue, we were never quite sure crossed with what) I think was 11 or 12.

Sorry for you lost pup…

Ours was a hound/Rottweiler mix ~70lbs. She went young at about 8 years. Cancer on her liver, we did surgery to remove the mass (10 cm) + her gallbladder. And she had another good 6 months (we were hoping for a year or 2).

@Phoenix76 you’ve got me in tears, thank you for being so sweet. He had cuddles all night and is on my knee now. My weekend plans are lots of dog cuddles.

I had a small dog who was only 7 when she died of bloat quite unusual for small dogs to take bloat, but she had seizures and we think the gasping during one of her seizures led to it. She was grey and had needed surgery on her eye and her knee previously. Some dogs, like people, seem to get old before their time.