So...... Will he tell me when its "time"

[Signet2012]

Bit of back ground: Got a border collie springer cross, bought from a petshop (I know, I know... I couldnt leave him there) Aggression and after researching I believe nervous aggression through puppy years not helped by him being the first dog I had anything to do with and me being in a less than healthy relationship which compounded his fear of men and shouting. Kicked man out, kept dog. 8 Happy (although trying at times) years of long walks, snuggles etc.

Love my dog.,

Last year we had some issues around bleeding out of bum and being sick blood, diagnosed colitis?! on and off vomiting since, eats grass when not closely watched resulting in vomiting which then results in no meals being eaten etc.

has had a strange lump on undercarriage at the tip of his rib cage, vet says not to worry although its massive and now bald and red. Noticed lately smaller lumps in gap between thighs and under front legs. Doesnt seem to cause any pain or discomfort prodding (until he realises Im fussing then gets annoyed)

Sleeping alot, off food on and off ( still begs for my food and enjoys his biscuits on a night) generally seems old and tired but is only 8.

Still acts like a puppy when on the beach, but limps after a good run cant walk more than 2 miles now without laying down all the way home but fine if running on the beach.

Ive had "the talk" with myself about when the time comes etc. Normally I am fine with death - close family dealt with without fuss, normally totally unemotional and generally very matter of fact. So why am I nearly in tears typing this?!

Im not expecting him to be on deaths door anytime soon no immediate concerns just a realisation that my puppy, isnt a puppy any more and our good times may be starting to come to an end.

In your experience will I know when its time? Will he help me make that decision or make it for me? And what the flying F do I do when even the thought of it breaks my heart?

I think you need to take him either back to the vet, or to a different vet. Why hasn't your vet done anything about this?

Not normal for an 8 year old collie to be knackered after 2 mins.

Please get it looked at.

I'm sorry you're having these worries about your dog. It sounds like you need to sound out your vet about your concerns. 8 is still young for a dog and there's lots that can be done to ease aches and pains. Being off food is a worry I know, but try not to jump to conclusions. Do you have someone in RL to support you in whatever decisions you have to make?

There are several issues here which need to be resolved. It is NOT normal for a healthy collie to be knackered after a short 2 mile walk, for most collies this would barely be a warm up. If he's previously had colitis, then you really need a good hard look at his diet. There have been lots of threads on here about sensitive tums, try looking at raw or BARF diets. One of our dogs had a very severe bout of colitis, but hasn't looked back since switching to a raw diet and now I wish we'd done it ages ago.

The lumps need to be resolved - could be several things including allergy (to hsi bed? to carpet? to fleas?) or fatty lumps which many dogs get as they age. These are harmless unless they interfere with muscle movement, but this needs to be seen/diagnosed/check by a vet.

The sleeping a lot sounds normal for any dog but the on/off food is probably a function of his poorly tum. Intermittent limping could be any one of a number of things.

I would go back to your vet and ask for a review of his flea/parasite treatments, a review of his colitis/diet, discuss the need for some investigative blood tests, a thorough review of the lumps/skin condition, a check on heart/lung capacity. If you don't feel you can discuss all this with your vet and have your concerns taken seriously, then I would give some thought to changing practice. Much of what you describe could be resolved very easily or could be more serious - only a vet would be able to say and it sounds like your lovely dog needs to get these issues resolved.

Here's hoping they are straightforward and you can have many more happy years together. I'd be expecting a healthy dog of this type to be able to live till their early teens quite easily. At eight they should be in their prime.

good luck. [hsmile]

Thanks everyone.

The colitis he was prescribed gaviscon for, firstly a liquid form then after he ate the syringe, spat it everywhere and hid under anything he could when he saw us get the bottle out, the vet gave us permission to buy regular gaviscon tablets which worked wonders. Was not expecting this as I didnt think gaviscon would fix colitis?

He said the lumps are just fatty lumps but Im going to make another appointment because he seems to be getting more, DP thinks that its actually because he is getting a good run on the beach each night, not eating as much food resulting in weight loss which means he feels more bumpy now as opposed to fat, which in fairness he was.

The walking thing confuses me, we have a lot of beach where I live and I can walk him one end to the other he chases stones, runs in the waves etc although he is a bit limpy when he gets back he manages it fine. Yet a walk along the pavements after two miles he is literally knackered. Not panting just wanting to sit down. Vet said his back end is healthy when I asked if it could be related to hip problems with him being collie.

The vet I see is highly recommended and very nice. My dog tolerates him which is nice. He did say they could do further tests on his lumps but advised due to his nervousness he would need to be sedated for this, which brings its own risks and advised me that these lumps are quite common and nothing to worry about.

I dont know, maybe Im worrying too much.

Ill definately look up that diet though because I think that would benefit him.

He knows how to play me completely too so Im not always convinced he is "off" his food, or whether he is just waiting out to see what else I will offer him if he doesnt eat it. This happened after a dog breeder told me to give him chicken and rice when his stomach was poorly, then he wouldnt eat when his stomach had settled unless I made him chicken. When I mentioned this to the vet he asked me "would you eat salad if you knew if you waited a bit you would get a chinese??"

DP is support but just says he is fine but he has never been a healthy dog since I got him and I dont think we will see the normal life span from him just worries me.

thanks for the replies everyone.

I might be wrong but isn't colitis a symptom of something else rather than a condition on its own? My dog had terrible colitis for about six months - bloody poo, liquid poo, the lot - and the vet did a series of tests for various worms, bugs, giardia, etc, before concluding that it was a kind of doggy IBS. I found a food that didn't set off the irritation, and (touch wood) he seems to have grown out of it. Gaviscon should settle the occasional gurgling morning tum that most dogs get now and again, but if it's a regular occurrence it might be worth getting some tests done to find out what's causing it at source?

And 8 does seem young for a collie cross to be slowing down. I'd go in for some more tests, even if you do feel a bit PFDog about asking again. (I'm fairly sure there's a big star against my name at the vet's; would not be surprised if they call me Mrs Pumphrey and both dogs, Tricky Woo and Tricky Woo Jnr.)

hehe When he was neutured as a pup they said I could call later to see when he was ready. So I phoned and said can you tell me how Jack Signet2012 is please and they said who is it? And I answered "his mum" I heard a long drawn out "rrriiiiiiiiggggggghhhhhhttttttt" before they went off to find out how he was! Completely stupid I was bright red What an idiot?!

What wailedfig said.

IME vets often use the "It's a touch of Colitis" line to mean "We're not sure what it is".

It seems to be the equivalent of a GP saying "It's a virus".

Colitis is caused by something. It isn't a condition on its own.

Our collie had colitis for quite some time, liquid poo, cramping pains (well, panting as if in pain) for quite some time. We were prescribed Diaorsanyl (sp?) which helped. Eventually he had his teeth cleaned and the colitis never returned. Newly qualified vet said it was something connected to bacteria in his mouth.