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. 😢

A rescue we didn't ever know the exact age, somewhere between 12 - 15 years. She was pts after her kidneys failed, and she had intermittent loss of her hind legs.

14 years, pts due to cancer.

14 years pts after reduced mobility, sleep incontinence and old age (breed average is 10 years) we were so in tune, one day he looked at me and I knew he'd had enough. He was the most incredible dog, and I do miss and still ache for the others but this one was special. Also it was just months after my son passed.

My Westie died at 14. She had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis but I don’t think that was her cause of death, I just found her one morning in the middle of the floor. I suspect she had a heart attack in the middle of the night but I’ll never know. Kills me that I wasn’t with her in her final moments. My DD is desperate for a dog but I just can’t imagine going through that again.

My mam’s spaniel died last year from a heart condition at only 9 although I do think that’s about average for his breed (king Charles).

@Lilyargin

16 - a Cairn terrier - had her from when I was 6 to 22. 18 - a gorgeous mongrel rescue dog. I don’t get why anyone gets a breed; mongrels are so much healthier. Sorry for your loss, it’s so awful when they die.

To be fair, it does depend on the breed to a extent. German Shepherds in this country have been pretty much wrecked though. They were supposed to have a slight slope to the spine and loping gait and its been gradually exaggerated to absurdity. Even the PDSA warns about it now.

My dogs:

Elkhound, died only 6 years old. She had trouble with her hips and it made her snappy. I felt terrible about the decision for a long time afterwards.

Australian Shepherd, 12 1/2 years old. He lived the average life expectancy of his breed. Died with cancer and generally was reaching the end of his life. He nearly died age 8 but had an large (and very expensive) operation that saved his life.

Australian Shepherd, 8 years. Aggressive cancer suddenly found and too late to try to operate. I feel angry about this one. He should have lived another four years.

From my experiences, when dogs reach about 8 years old, from then on I am grateful for all the time we have left.

16 is incredibly old for a spaniel. 11 - 12 would be far more common. Doesn't make it any easier though. Sorry for your loss