So going to just explain my back story, have 4 children, 3 with autism and learning disabilities (plus pre schooler).
We have a beautiful 15 year old dog, she is the oldest of the babies, I have always never said I can’t do things with her because of the kids, she has always come with us on every holiday never been in kennels (not that that’s terrible I just want to come across the kind of pet owner I have been for 15 years!).
About a year and a half ago we started noticing changes, sounds disgusting she started weeing and pooping on our bed. Wasn’t all the time, she started whining at night and she started struggling with the noise from the kids a bit more (who can blame her old girl) the biggest change was she started loving other dogs (she use to bark at other dogs but not quite enjoys older dogs which is lovely. Never thought any thing more. She has always had colitis and always had a bland diet as treats set her off. Up until a year ago Iams were fine she then started a vet prescription food as she had blood in her stools.
She has always had full access to the home, about a year ago we had to stop her going up stairs, now the last 6 months has mainly been in the kitchen which I hate. We are at the stage now that she is weeing and pooping on the house. She is constantly going in and out the garden and just stands there and doesn’t go, and she will come in and go 🤦🏼♀️. It’s every 10-20 mins and she then won’t come in as just standing there. Yesterday she was groomed within a hour she weed in her bed and was laying in it. Although I walked her after and she went in the garden.
I now have to buy special fungal shampoo as she kept getting yeast infection due to all the washing (getting poop and wee on her). We have been to vets, there is nothing physically wrong. 6 months ago she had a scan which was fine, just before Xmas she had very detailed bloods and urine test which showed she was perfect (apart from blood in her urine).
The vet did say it sounds like doggy dementia but the won’t give anything until the blood in her urine has gone. The blood in her urine apparently is strange as her bloods came back fine and her kidney function is perfect. We have been given 2 weeks of antibiotics. I’m having to make her food, she now won’t eat the vet food so I’m grinding down the food and mixing with chicken that I’m cooking every other day. Which has got her eating it again. Now the vet is saying that if there is still blood in her urine they will do an Ultra sound to check for polps.
However all my time is going on preparing meals washing dog beds (have 3 on the go) letting her in and out the garden, she isn’t her any more. Every time I go the vets just keep giving more and more things to try (the last 4 month she has had a skin infection, ear infection and eye infection and now a uti. I can’t go out. We keep puppy pads down. But she pretty much needs to be bathed daily. It can’t be just the uti as she poops indoors too. Literally she is now a different dog. I feel so cruel keeping her away from the room we spend most the time in. I’m starting to feel it’s time we think about being pts however the vets seem to have a thousand different treatments and since August we are roughly spending over £500 a month there 🤦🏼♀️. Obviously now another urine test, scan, the vet’s fee, and dementia meds (if they can work out why she has blood in her urine). I feel like it’s a full time job just keeping her clean, the room clean her bed clean and making her food and letting her 9000 times a day. I know im going to be judge on here and maybe if I didn’t have kids I could cope with this and this I keep telling my self. However up till now it’s never been a problem. I feel sick about it and selfish. Im just struggling to keep this is all up. The kids just spend so much of their time worrying about her as they know it’s not right. She still enjoys walks and if she could eat chicken all day would happily still eat 24/7. 🤣🤣. She is eating and drinking. She isn’t a Velcro dog any more and I feel she is upset with me as she hardly gets to come in the lounge, I think it could be to do with the dementia but that thought keeps going around my head that she is sad with me. She doesn’t respond to her name (she heard a crisp packet open though 🤦🏼♀️) so it’s not her hearing. She does nothing she is asked like I can’t call her over or get her to go out when I need her to (ie before bed). Please I’m judging my self enough here. Should I as a good dog owner just push through this…
I don’t want to let her down but I feel I am constantly.