Think our 13yo dog is dying...

[TheStorySoFar]

But I'm too scared to take him to the vet. Worried they'll want us to put him down. He's a Lab/Collie cross & though doesn't seem to be in pain/is eating & drinking normally, he's lost control of his bowels a little & has a bit of a cough. He just doesn't seem to realise that he's not finished his poo & wanders off, dropping bits behind him. DH found poo in his kennel today. Don't think he'd do that unless something was badly wrong. :-(
Any experience with old dogs anyone?If he was in pain, I'd act immediately, but he appears fine. Tail wagging in the mornings, as energetic as a 13yo dog tends to be...

They won't want to put him down if he's not in pain, miserable and you don't want it, they really won't.

I'm afraid the hard choice will only be made by you, not your vet and they will support you. Just do what you think is right for you all, he might just need some antibiotics.

Cyberhugs

My old JRT (15) has been doing this for ages now.
The vet thinks she has a slow growing brain tumour, as she shows signs of dementia, eats more than our Labrador, but is steadily losing weight.

We make sure she is shut outside until we know she has finished pooing, otherwise we end up with poo in the house.

Ask the vet about the cough, I believe this can indicate a problem with the heart (which is most likely treatable).

If the dog is eating and drinking, and seems happy, I'd say there's still life left in him :)

Our lab is 14 and has done the walk of still pooing for about the last 4 months. We've also noticed he needs to be let out quite quickly in the mornings now. The vet says he is losing the sensation in his extremities - he sometimes leaves one leg 'behind' when comes to a stop (if that makes sense). However he still eats everything as if he may never see food again, thumps the floor if he's not been cuddled enough and brings a tennis ball for a play. Nobody has suggested anything other than shorter walks to allow for his arthritis.

Man up, and take him to the vet. If you own an old dog, you should be on top of health issues as they can often take longer to bounce back/recover, and there is no way I'd want any of my oldies to have unnecessary or untreated health issues. By leaving it, you are in fact making it more likely that something may worsen and be untreatable. I'd also say that dogs are remarkably stoical, and are often good at masking pain/discomfort, so please take him to the vet. A good vet will work with you to explain any health issues, prognosis, likely outcomes and what you are both looking for in terms of realistic expectations (management, cure, palliative care etc.)

FWIW, I've known lots of older dogs have that slight loss of control but have lived very happy and fulfilled lives - by itself, that's no reason to PTS. But your vet really needs to advise/understand what is the reason behind it.

You do need to take him to the vet, they really won't force you to do anything
Trust me

Thx all…will take him & hopefully it's just 'old age' bothering him. xx

Hope you got on alright. We have an oldie who's at least 16. We lost another last year at 13. Really there's no telling.
If he's ok in himself and doing all his usual things, hopefully all is well. Best MN wishes.

Our old girl had a retching style cough because she had a heart murmur, but with medication she was fine. In her final few months she became faecally incontinent-her hips were too weak for her to squat, and you could see her muscles involuntarily making her poo when she was lying down :( she didn't notice, and it wasn't her fault, it was just gruelling for us to have to do emergency clean ups in the middle of the night.
Puppy training pads were handy to put under her when she was lying down.
This sounds awful, but she was actually still happy, interested in food, wanted little walks, tug of wars etc.

We avoided the vet because ours are utterly useless, and we were doing intensive care for her, there's nothing the vet could have done anyway.
One day she made it very clear she was in pain and had had enough, her whole face and demeanor changed, and we knew right away that was it. The vet came to the house to give her the dreaded injections after we'd all spent hours cuddling her and telling her how much we love her. She was gone within seconds.

So, take him to the vet if you like, but they can't forcibly kill him against your wishes! You know him better than anyone and if he's still enjoying his life, in an older dog, slower way, keep him for as long as you can. They are like puppies again when they're old-the toileting, neediness, need help, etc. but just cuddle the hell out of him while you still can, life without them is so so horrible.