My dog (aged approx 14 but don’t know for sure as he’s a rescue) has recently been diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. This is an incurable progressive condition which leads to total paralysis, starting at the back end and usually within a couple of years but could be sooner. He’s still mobile but has to sit down a lot and likes his walks but can’t jump on the sofa or climb stairs anymore. I can see it’s getting steadily worse.
Combined with this, he’s become increasingly aggressive. This isn’t all the time and he can be very affectionate and loves cuddles but the unpredictability of when he’ll try to go for you is difficult to live with. When I try to pick him up (and I’ll have to do this more and more due to his condition), he always snarls and depending on his mood might snap at me. My daughter doesn’t like him and tries to avoid him. I’d say he’s still really enjoying life and he can be a very sweet and happy dog but the aggression is wearing me down. I’ve started to wonder when I should consider putting him to sleep. Do I wait until his back end is totally paralysed and just live with the aggression? I love him to bits and he’s my constant companion as I live alone.