14 year old Staffy

[JollyWilloughby]

Morning all

I am the owner of a 14.5 year old staffy and incredibly she has never been to the vets for anything other than the usual vaccinations and checks. She’s been very healthy.

Currently she has a very swollen ear flap. I am on hold to the vets right now as she is in a little discomfort with it.

Aside from the ear how do you know when it’s time to put to sleep? I don’t fancy paying out hundreds for her when her qualify of life has reduced over the past 6 months, but not to the point where I think being PTS would be imminent

At nearly 15 I am just curious as to what the vet will suggest.

Do you decide yourself or does the vet decide? To look at her she still looks fine but she is definitely displaying dog dementia at home usually at night.

shes 14.5 still can do small walks, enjoys her food and is pleased to see us when we come in.

Shes a lovely girl but I don’t want her to suffer at all.

The vet will advise you if they think she needs to be PTS but ultimately you will have the best idea about her quality of life (though it's sometimes hard to gauge because it changes gradually over time and you see her everyday). It might help to write down all the things that she does and enjoys doing now. Then if/when the time comes to make a decision, you can revisit the list to see how many things she no longer does or enjoys.

I would ask the vet to check her for signs of arthritis because I would be very surprised if she doesn't have a touch of that.

Do you have insurance?! It should pay for any treatment she needs for her ear, all supposing it's an infection or something else very treatable?

It sounds like you might be catastrophising a little about the ear; chances are it's an infection or something else that can be treated without invasive treatment.

Based on what you've said, I can't see that PTS would be imminently necessary; she still has a good quality of life even if she is getting on a bit. Typically vets will tell you if they think you need to consider PTS but it's always your decision.

The ear issue just sounds like a minor infection or foreign object which should be easily sorted and it shouldn't cost much.

Is there any other reason you're worrying about getting her PTS? If she's healthy and happy then I'm not sure why you've suddenly leapt to that.

She sounds happy for now, so I wouldn’t be considering PTS yet.
maybe mention the doggy dementia while you’re there.

The ear issue sounds like a haematoma, they're very common and my 12 year old staffie (age approximate, she was a rescue) had surgery on hers this year, recovered no problem. It's basically fluid in the ear which is trapped in the cartilage, it builds up and causes swelling. Sometimes it can be drained, sometimes it needs surgery.

If your dog has an otherwise good quality of life, I wouldn't even let putting them to sleep cross my mind!

Your vet will advise on the ear and what's best to proceed. They ran a blood panel on ours before she was sedated to make sure she'd come through it ok, and everything looked fine.

Canine dementia would be the bigger issue, but if it's just at night are you sure that's what it is?

Hi , vet nurse here , it sounds like an aural haematoma ,fluid build up in the ear flap , often caused by rubbing /shaking head due to ear infection /irritation.
Usually drained and a little plastic stent inserted in an incision made over the swelling.
Depending on the dogs behaviour can sometimes be done concious with local anaesthetic , sedation or probably last choice general anaesthetic.
The fluid then continues to drain from the stent as the ear flap heals, comes with a little screw lid so can have periods of no leakage if needed as the flap will leak fluid which is what's needed but it can be messy.
If this were my elderly dog with how you describe her i would do this procedure if that's what it is as its quick and she will soon feel better.
She may need to wear a protective collar .

Take vet advice on the ear but I would certainly go ahead all other things being equal.

Doesn't sound like you are near PTS- what dementia symptoms is she displaying?

My darling best girl was fine till she had a stroke at 16; recovered well, then gradually declined.

But there were ups and downs. I vividly recall having actually made the dread appointment ( how do you even do that? I know) , took her for a 'last ' walk, let her off lead on field and she cantered gamely, if a little unsteadily, into the distance.

She died in my arms aged 18 at home. She'd had a fit earlier in the day and the vet came to the house, and that made it somewhat easier.

Beautiful loyal sweetheart, I will miss her forever.

So anyway OP, Keep enjoying your time together. Sounds like you might have a while yet.

She just always seems to cry a lot and her anxiety has increased. I did mention it to the vet today but she said doesn’t look like she needs to be PTS just yet but did say the legs are looking very weak.

Her eardrum was perforated and she also had a hematoma. It has been drained today at the vets and she now has pain relief and ear drops (they are hard to put in though).

Shes looking super sorry for herself but fingers crossed she will be on the mend. I just don’t want to leave things to late given she is quite old for a staffy.

And thank you all for responding. Like I said I’ve been incredibly lucky over the years with her so perhaps I was catastrophising. I just don’t want her to suffer. Have a follow up appointment next week so will discuss further with vet.

Something to keep in mind is that a lot of older dogs develop mild night blindness, which could be why your dog is more anxious/crying at night. Keep her nice and close.

Glad to hear the haematoma is sorted as well.

If you don’t have her on Yumove yet, I’d recommend it, it’s great for their joints.

Yes vet has sorted the prescription out for her joints and I may move her bed so she is next to us upstairs. She’s absolutely fine when she’s close to me.

I love her so much ❤️. Going to treasure what we have left.