Worried about old dog

[Pinkandpurplehairedlady]

Please can I have a hand hold, my 14 year old toy poodle has started soiling in the house which is really unlike him. He can’t get up and down the stairs onto the sofa anymore either.

The saddest one for me is that he doesn’t get up off his bed to greet me when I come in anymore. He looks at me and then goes straight back to sleep. He’s so still in the daytimes I’ve had to prod him to make sure he’s still alive.

I have a vets appointment next week (earliest they could fit me in for a non urgent case) and I’m terrified that they are going to find something wrong with him. He had a dental last year and didn’t fully recover from the anaesthetic for about 2 months so I won’t put him through again.

Do dogs just suddenly get old?

You need to think about his quality of life.
It doesn’t sound like he’s enjoying it if he doesn’t even greet you anymore.
See what the vet says, they might find something wrong or it might just be the end.
💐

You just don't notice a dog getting old (same with people sometimes) until they become suddenly differant from what you are used to seeing every day. Sadly, 14 is a very good age for a dog, and nothing can really reverse the process. If the vet cannot do anything, just try and make him as comfortable as possible and be alert for him to be in pain.
Sorry - it is heartbreaking but inevitable

You have a paw-hold from me. It sounds like your boy has a lovely life with you. I know about that thing of checking your older dog to make sure they're still breathing, rather than just asleep. I would feel the same as you about not wanting to put a dog through another GA. Our boy had one a couple of months ago to remove more teeth, and we won't do it again now at his age.

I hope you can take comfort in the fact that for however long he's with you he did, and does, feel safe.

Thank you everyone. I’m going to try and get in at the vets sooner if I can. He wouldn’t settle last night and kept barking at the kids bedroom doors but when they opened them he didn’t want to go in. When he did finally come to bed (he whines at the side of my bed to ask me to pick him up), he kept growling every time but other dog moved.

How do I know when it’s time to let him go?

you will know, someone told me when they wee in their bed but other than that, you will know