How do i make this decision?

[Bubblegumfan]

I have a 12 year old rotti x, she has been with me for 10 years and means the world to me.
She is now feeling her age. Stiffness, weak back legs at times, lumps and bumps etc. She cant go out for walks now and is happy just pottering on in the garden.
She had an accident aged 3 where she basically ripped her front leg open on something sharp hidden in long grass and tore her arteries and tendons. After a long revcovery, she defied all odd and was able to run again.
We have literally been through so much together.
But when do i decide if it is kinder to put her to sleep? How do you know? Id hate her to get to the point of suffering. Shes gradually getting worse.

Oh OP I haven't been in that position but it must be hard Have you had a chat with your vet on what can be done without any unnecessary procedures to see if they can help ease any stiffness/symptoms and to talk about quality of life?

They can remove her joint lumps for ££££s pounds which will be a big operation. I really dont want to put her through thay. Insurance wont pau because of her age and exlusions because of her previous accident.
Thank you for your kind words

I don't blame you as I am not sure I would want to put an older dog through a big operation unless it was a magic cure which unfortunately it won't be.

The problem is dogs are good at muddling through even when they are in lots of pain so I would take it day by day and assess how she seems in herself and whether she is happy or just muddling through. The common quote on here is something along the lines of better a week too early than a day too late but when it's your pal it's very hard to judge when that time is.

That makes sense thank you.
I cant stop her playing with ds in the garden, she loves it. But you can tell shes in pain after

This makes me sad😔

I had a dog who got to 16. We saved her from a testing centre. She had so many things wrong with her and lasted it out. She even had a stoke and was fine a few days later. In the end, she lost her memory and didn't even know if she had eaten or not. It was such a hard decision but now I know it was for the best.

Hope you're okay x

I went to local rehoming centre and there was loads of dogs sat at the cages giving me puppy dog eyes. Then there was this beast of a dog bouncing of the walls going mental, i decided there and then she was mine. She had be rehomed 3 times and brought back for bad behavior.
Brought her home and within two weeks she had pulled a radiator of the wall (no idea how) but with a lot of love, patience and some imaginative ideas she became the gentlest most loyal dog i have ever known.
Cant imagine life with out her

Have you tried any joint supplements like yumove?

Has she been vet checked OP? She doesn't need to be in pain - there are lots of medical therapies available that could improve her quality of life if you feel thats something you'd like to explore

Yes shes been on joint supplemenys since she was 8 (vet recommended)
Pain medication isnt an option. I was just hoping to get some points of view on when its time?

Echoing LilCamper my dog's 12 and I started Yumove at around 10-11y/o when she started to get a bit stiff/slow and wouldn't attempt to jump on the sofa anymore and I can honestly say she's** moving loads better, she's still an old dog, but she has no hesitations jumping on the sofa and she gets up from lying down much faster.

Okay, if pain medication isn't an option, then you need to be thinking about quality of life. Sadly the chances are that she is in consistent chronic pain with acute flare ups after exercise. You can manage this to some extent by limiting her activity but the knock-on effect is that she then also misses out on the playing she enjoys.

Things like eating or wanting to go out for walks are not reliable indicators - dogs will generally always want to do these things unless they are severely impaired/distressed. Its more about looking at the overall picture of her life - how much time does she spend doing things she enjoys vs how much time is she unable or unwilling to do things because of the potential for aggravating her health problems? How much are you able to modify the things she enjoys so that she can still enjoy them.

Death sadly is an inevitability for all of us. In some ways dogs are lucky - we make the difficult decision in order to protect them from the worst experiences of pain, but that decision is really hard on us.
Try and take comfort in knowing that your dog has no concept of what is coming, and that you're able to offer her peace and comfort when the time is right. I don't think there's ever an easy time to make that decision - its always hard, and you should be kind to yourself. But I personally believe that its better a day too early that a day too late.

How are you doing OP?

Im doing..... well im not sure. I cant help but look at her and think what will life be like with out you? And feel guilty for wanting to put her down even though logically i know she is in pain

I have an elderly lab and had a chat about this recently. My doggie owning friends who have had to have their old loyal friends PTS all said the same thing - that you just can tell, the dog just loses the sparkle in their eye and you know they've had enough and it's time. I was reassured by this as my boy definitely still has his spark and enjoys life even tho he can't go as far or as fast as previously.

Always worth asking your vet for advice tho. Also a friend had excellent results with canine hydrotherapy (swimming!) for an older dog for mobility issues? Worth asking?

Don't feel guilty, you want what's best for her but it's hard when they can't tell you how they feel

Could you think if it slightly differently... what I mean is I am in pain right now after a walk but it's not all the time and the joy I get from a walk is way more than the pain. Is she in pain all the time? Does the joy she gets from pottering about appear to be 'more than or worth putting up with' the pain she is in after? Or do you think the balance is now tipping towards more pain than joy?

She still has a sparkle and comes to life when playing with ds in the garden, like a puppy, shes excited when i come home. Walks are a no go but thats partly due to her anxiety with other dogs after being attacked.
I think i have come to the conclusion that if it was time i wouldnt be so conflicted the bad is certainly not outweighing the good.
Taking it a day at a time.
Rednails- yes we love swimming, its how we got so much of her mobility back after accident