Old dog support thread

[Happysallie]

A general thread for discussing the trials and tribulations of owning an elderly dog.

My dog is 14. She’s been a great pet. I would never rehome her or PTS unless clearly it was the end. I am committed to care for her.

But it is getting so so so frustrating and a huge extra responsibility / stress.

Getting someone willing to care for her so we can go away as doddery. Convincing her to eat enough. The pace of walks. The refusal to walk on certain surfaces as it’s difficult. The sniffing for five minutes at a time. The sudden refusal to walk on the lead ‘because’. The medications and vet visits. The limitations on weekend activities and holidays. The constant worry. She has a tremor and I get multiple comments a day from kind but incredibly annoying strangers.

I love her but my god is it a lot of hard work.

Strategies to alleviate the frustration welcome.

So much love for everyone on this thread. Our 2 will be 13 next month, small one has a lipoma on her chest the size of a tennis ball, doesn’t impact her movement/ rest so we have been advised to leave it unless it distresses her. She’s sleeping loads but bounding around like a pup when awake! Our boy has lost a lot of weight due to food allergies, finally found a treatment that is working and he’s also racing around like a loon! The sunset years are so hard, I can’t imagine them not being with us but my head would not want them to be living a poor quality of doggy existence 😭

Great idea for a thread. Thoughts to everyone with a senior dog.

My little JRT is 16 next month. We still manage two very (VERY) slow and short walks either side of the day for stimulation as he’s now sleeping a lot during the day. Every blade of grass needs at least 5 mins attention! He’s been deaf around two years and is gradually losing his sight. He’s also got signs of dog dementia and has some funny quirks that we just go with, anything to keep him happy and feeling safe. He’s never been a great eater (he had twisted gut at 10 months so has always had a super diet of fresh and cooked meats as per the vet’s advice) but he’s getting fussier and fussier. We don’t leave him now as I’m so scared something may happen to him alone. It’s soul destroying seeing them deteriorate but we’re not at the end of life stage yet and are just so grateful for everyday we have with him still.

I am glad to see this thread, as I have some deep soul searching going on, and the people on this thread will understand.
I have a rescue English setter cross, she is everything to me.
She is coming up to 12 years old approximately.
She has arthritis and this is controlled by gabapentin, metacam, and if she seems in pain, can give her a dog paracetamol.
She had a small tumour on her eyelid, that vet said see how she goes, she had a medication check three weeks ago and nothing had changed.
On Friday, that eye didnt look right, more sunken and the third eyelid was coming visible under her eye.
Lucky got a vet appointment today, it has got bigger all of a sudden, and the only option is to have the tumour removed, before it does not have enough border to take stitches, in that case she would lose the eye, in a far bigger operation.
I cant help thinking that I should maybe just let her go, while she is relatively happy.
It's just so hard a decision.
I keep trying to think what is the best, by using pro's and cons.
Pro's
She still enjoys a daily short walk, gets excited.
She still seems happy, greets me when I get home, not withdrawn in any way, lovely temperament not changed.
Still happy to play with toys.
Cons
Constantly pants, even at 6 in the morning, when the windows have been open all night, read that could be a sign of pain. However, she has a very thick coat, and has always struggled in heat.
She excessively licks her front paws, read that could be pain, or has just got into the habit.
I just cant see the woods from the trees.
Worried I am doing the wrong thing, booked for operation on Friday.
Read that some setters have made it to teens, could I be cutting her life short.
I am getting nowhere with this situation.
What would you do?

Oh this is devastating, I really feel for you. We lost our old boy last summer. He was lumpy, anxious, but a determined and funny dog, we got to a point where we felt he was hanging on for us and it wasn’t right to keep him. If anything, I think we held on to him too long, I still remember the look in his eyes the last morning. Sad as it is, I really think sooner rather than later, and that it isn’t right to put an old dog through surgery. But I really feel they let you know. Best of luck x

From a person who had to put her 13 year old dog down today i would give anything to have her here , it's the most heartbreaking decision 💔
Enjoy every minute while you can
( currently on the sofa with her blanket against me )
Xx

Reading over everyone's post i will expand
Molly was a border collie had hip dysplasia as a pup never stopped her x
Last few weeks she as others said in thread couldn't get her back legs up from sitting and we had to help her, struggled with 1 2 steps
Her food bowl was getting refilled every 2 days and water was 2 3 cm a day if that.
Luckily she never lost control of her bowels but she did start farting loads which wasn't like her.
Forward to Thursday with help from here I booked appointment for Friday was told she has muscle wastage and a mass and stomach pain 😢 metacam wasn't going to help.
Anyways I've never seen my husband cry so much today he's ex army built like a brick but it's crushed him.
The sedation alone was going to be enough she started snoring straight away and vet said her blood pressure low her body had enough and it was time for her .
I feel bad i didn't do it sooner , just think it's just old age this is new way for us x
I'm glad she was able to walk in on her own I think if I left it longer her back end would ot gone
Sorry to upset anyone, weird I seen this thread after the day I've had I needed it .
I've had 12 hrs sleep since thu morning and my eyes are so sore and red , currently in the dark in livingroom with her blanket on me .
I was determined she wasn't going to have her last night on her own so I stayed with her like the first day when she had kennel cough.
The little rascal went down eating the treats to the last one which made us smile
Love to you all and your pets x

So sorry about Molly, sounds like she had a wonderful life and was loved. I will be with my old girl at the end as well, I feel it's the least I can do for her.

@Cherrypies Doggie paracetamol is the same as human paracetamol, just more expensive. My vet told me! Sending love x

@BoredTrish83 sorry to read about Molly. I can’t imagine your pain right now. Sending virtual hugs. It sounds like she had a lovely life with you.

@Cherrypies what a terrible situation your in. With the arthritis as you’ve said she’s never going to be a spring chicken again even after the eye surgery. It must be so hard to decide what’s best for her when she obviously still has plenty of happy moments. Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be whatever you think is best for her 💚

I have a dear old 17 year old girl who came to live with us just over a year ago when my mum passed away.

She costs me an absolute fortune (arthritis injections, liver and kidney supplements and special gastro foods (we joke she costs more than the kids) but i do cherish every moment with her so she can have all my money 🤣. She had a tumour removed a couple of months ago and the vet said this would likely be our last summer with her but I’m trying not to think about it and just enjoy her while she is here. She was/is my greatest comfort after my mum passed away.

She loves chicken in her meals, walks on the beach, sniffing for 5 minutes every 3 steps and sleeping in our bed.

Right now she is living her greatest 17 year old life in Italy and she loves the heat. We take her everywhere with us and my 3 year old adores her. We got her a doggie passport last summer and she’s been all over Europe since!

I didnt sleep too well last night, worrying.
The poster who said it's not fair to put her through an op at her age, I always thought the same, until its staring you in the face for your dog. The way the vet explained it to me, was that although there is always a risk, with no guarantee, the machines are very accurate in gauging if an animal is in trouble, and while of course will need anesthesia, it is not invasive and the operation will take at most half an hour, so will not be out completely, just enough to avoid pain, and keep her still. My vet is hospital status, so has all the latest technology.
I went out today, was gone about 5 hours, received an ecstatic welcome, and even some clumsy zoomies in the garden.
I still dont know!
Thank you for the replies.

@Cherrypies i hope I’m reading your post right but i think my girl had a similar op. We thought she had cherry eye but it turned out to be a tumour. She had a big red lump like the 3rd eye lid on her eye for a long time but the vet only got concerned when it seemed to grow very quickly in the last month before the op and wanted to have a look. We debated so much about the op as she is 17 but it all went well. They took bloods in the morning and all was ok (she has some kidney and liver damage from old age but it wasn’t at a worrying level) and then operated to remove the tumour. She was home at 5pm with a cone and recovered fully in two weeks.

Sadly I am also in this situation. My girl turns 15 in August and for the last 3-ish years things have been going wrong, but it's always been manageable. She's now in liver failure and while I don't know how long she's got, I know it's not long. The thought is unbearable. Hugs to everyone else going through this too.

@TillyandFlorenceit's heartbreaking either way I'll find the webpage that made me decide x

www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/all-pets/how-can-i-tell-if-my-pet-still-has-a-good-quality-of-life

Molly answered mostly yes to the questions x

My dog had back surgery at 13. It was major surgery, with a pretty long recovery period. Some posters on here and loads of people in real life thought it was wrong to do it. However she was walking with support within a couple of days. She was running again within 3 or 4 weeks and has recovered brilliantly. It was absolutely the right decision for her. Your dogs surgery sounds much more minor.

I think the decision depends on a lot of things. The dog's personality, current quality of life and the complexity of the surgery/recovery period. For example, I wouldn't have had the surgery for my other dog as she is a more anxious dog and I don't think she would cope with the recovery so well.

It's a hard decision but I'm sure your will make the right one. Talk to your vet. Mine is very good at listening.

So glad I found this thread. Our lovely lab boy is 12- he’s deaf and a bit arthritic in the mornings but still very perky on his walks and very friendly, gentle and never aggressive or reactive.

However he pants and shakes a lot, paces around and randomly stares at the corner/ back of the sofa for long periods. He licks his paw excessively too and - most challengingly has opened his bowels inside 5 or 6 times in the last week without warning us or making a noise. He definitely does have quality of life - so I think all we can do is take him out more often. I’ve bought loads of puppy pads but he seems to unerringly avoid those!!

I have a nearly 15 year old greyhound. That is a fab age for the breed.
She is very skinny. I am ashamed to walk her in case someone has a go at me for neglect. It does not help that she is black and still has a mostly black face so she looks younger than she is.

She does have a bit of doggy dementia going on, but it presents as getting stuck behind things she is not expecting and wandering a lot in the evening.

As an old girl, she does poo in her sleep. She does not notice and I pick it up straight away. She sleeps on my bed, on top of a puppy pad.

I have had her since she was 4 months old so she has been in my life for a long time.

But she is still my sassy girl. Her personality is still there and going strong.

Our old girl is now 15 and still going strong. Her dd is 11 and not doing so good.. We lost our husky this year..... She was also fighting fit when I first posted on this thread last year.. ..
Travelling the journey into their old age makes it easier to let them go ime. Losing our husky knocked us for 6 it was so unexpected.. A stroke apparently and went downhill in 6 weeks... Gutted.. Embrace your oldies everyone..

Updating on my girl, she’s becoming increasingly fussy to the point she’s eating only a tiny bit of food at a time and her overall food intake is down a lot, she’s definitely losing weight.

she’s drinking and will eat a bit of chicken breast here and there and some dry food but it’s like she’s completely lost interest in eating. She still looks to walk here and there and can zoom around if she sees me putting my shoes on.

im just so concerned as I’m off on holiday in a few weeks, my adult DD has the week off work to stay with her but it’ll be a stressful time for her to try and get her to eat. 😞 I suspect I’ll spend the holiday worrying rather than relaxing

My fox lab is 12 now. Her back legs tremble a bit and she sometimes lies down when she's eating. White muzzle.

She's the best girl. I can't bear to see her decline bit by bit.

Glad I have found this thread and sorry to hear of the struggling doggies.
Im up worrying because I found a lump on my nearly 15 year old shih tzu last night. It has been there for several months I think, but as over winter we leave him with longer hair I have only just noticed it. It's red and lumpy and about an inch big sticking out of his side 😫
He doesn't seem to bothered by it as I've never seen him notice it and he wasn't bothered when I was looking at it and stroking near it last night. Feeling very anxious that it is something serious. He's my first dog and came before the children (13, 10 and 5), so there will be devastation all round if its something nasty. And he's really well in himself generally apart from a bit of arthritis and the odd nighttime accident.
Going to ring the vets as soon as it opens to book an appointment but im feeling so guilty I haven't noticed it sooner.

@GentlyGentlyOhDeari was the same with my molly the guilt but your doing the right thing going to vets it might be treatable with medication x

Thank you. Just waiting for the vets to open so I can call.

Let me know how you get on x