I hope someone can offer advice.
We have three dogs - all from a rescue. A female lurcher aged 7, a German Shepherd aged 8 and a male lurcher aged 15.
We live in the country so dogs have a happy life lounging around and being out with us when we are in the yard with our horses etc. Two kids (10,13) love dogs.
For about a year the lurcher male has been going downhill - he has got very thin, his back is sore, finds it hard to lie down and get up (struggles as his hips are sore I'd say). The worst part is that he has lost his ability to poo outside - forgets and poo's inside, randomly, in his bed, on the floor ( even after being brought out) He cannot remember. It happens 3-5 times a day. I am starting to resent him.
He is also deaf so you cannot shout at him to alert him when he starts. He will also urinate randomly but less often than poo.
My friend is a vet and has said that his incontinence will not improve is is nerve damage related and age. She tried him on an arthritis drug to see if it would help with activity but no real difference. She is very straight up - 'lots of people would have put him to sleep by now/ would not tolerate the mess' and 'We are perfectly entitled to put him to sleep, he is not in a lot of pain but is low grade' I've avoided it to this stage because he goes out for short walks, sleeps a lot and hangs about. Now though I'm really thinking I should just have him put to sleep. Neither myself or my wife like constantly cleaning, washing beds, mopping floors a few times a day. If he is in the living room he can be lying in front of TV and just poo whilst asleep. Its awful and I think I've had enough.
Can anyone offer perspective? What would you do?
I thought he would have deteriorated by now to the point where we had to put him to sleep but it has not happened.