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Old dog and euthenasia

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didds
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Old dog and euthenasia

#412890

Postby didds » May 18th, 2021, 9:10 am

We have an old dog - age actually unknown as she was a rescue but she must be north of 12 and could be north of 14 even.

Her rear legs are pretty much gone - she has no strength in them to rise - we have to lift her. She struggles to walk very much - we have to carry her outside to do her business. When defecating she at times struggles to maintain her balance or strength to support herself and often collapses while attempting to pooh. However, she will often, having got outside and done her wees and poos, then have a small wander around the garden, drink from the various water sources in the garden, and her tail wags though maybe not as vigourously as a year ago. We carry her back in because she cannot navigate the shallow door step adequately (but on occassion does do so if we get distracted and are not available to get her back indoors!). She doesnt so much lay down when indoors as semi lower herself then drop/collapse into position because if her lack of strength in her rear legs. She does pooh when laying indoors, and we think its mainly because she cannot always do so outdoors when stood (see above). The pooh is solid, and dry, so doesnt create a mess ie its not diarrhea. We suspect that in the recent past (ie post Christmas) she has had a small stroke. She struggles to "turn" left when upright and walking/moving. In other areas are we think she may be a little deaf and her eyesight is diminishing - but then that descibes me also and isn't in itself anything other than her age.

Thats the "negative" bits.

On more positive notes she still seeks affection, eats well (and barks when hungry - she is is like an old lady with a bell!), and drinks, though we do wonder if she drinks sufficiently, but water is always avialable by her bed.She wags when being carried and when standing.

Our concerns. She is clearly end of life. We are debating euthenaisa. Our main queries are really that while she is infirm, it's actually difficult to work out her quality of life. On the face of it she doesn't suggest she is actually in pain, at all, other than very stiff walking when in the garden ie discomfort... she doesnt yelp or cry out etc when she moves etc. (she's better than me with my dodgy hip in this regard!) She maintains interaction, and enjoys it - we often sit with her and cuddle her, stroke her and she has always played a game of pushing at our hand and nibbling it and she maintains that. She is not distressed by her pooing herself - she only wees herself if we are tardy in getting her outside - eg my wife works out of the house and while I work from home im some days stuck in meetings online, that can over run etc. But she doesnt have a full run of her own lifestyle choices etc - but then neither doesn my M-i-L aged 94 with stuffed knees, hips etc.


So, summarising in a way, we dont want her to be miserable, end of life is very much here. She doesnt appear to be suffering wrt pain etc but obviously we cannot tell how much she really is getting what she wants from life. And the crux of it all is it would be very easy to call the vet - but we are very concerned that that isnt really necessary in some ways (see above !) and that we may be taking life away when she is actually quite content etc. She is still giving us with love and affection etc - but of course its not about -us) its about her.

just sounding out here really. Not expecting anybody to have any specific advice. Thanks for listening.

didds
Last edited by didds on May 18th, 2021, 9:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

AsleepInYorkshire
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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#412898

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » May 18th, 2021, 9:21 am

Hi Didds,

I'm not a vet but have been fortunate to have had the love of 6 dogs. Two are still with us.

Your dog could have kidney issues associated with old age or it could be some arthritis in her spine/legs.

I'd suggest you take her to the vet for a check up. We had a dog that lived to 18. She had issues with her back legs and spine but they cleared up when we gave her chondroitin which I think she was on for 7 years. We also had a dog who passed at 14 when his kidneys began to fail.

As I've said I'm not a vet.

Take care

AiY

didds
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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#412899

Postby didds » May 18th, 2021, 9:23 am

Thanks AiY - was the chondroitin for kidney issues, or something else? Just interested.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#412909

Postby 88V8 » May 18th, 2021, 9:59 am

One see pictures of dogs with rear wheels. Probably they're younger.

Our previous cat - 19 yo - had non-functioning back leg issues.
Not as far gone as you describe.
Had to be lifted on and off.
Perhaps we were too quick to end his life.
Could have gone on a few more months, but we were both at work, not at home.

It's a very hard decision when they're not evidently in pain. Sounds as if she's lucky to have you as an owner.

V8

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#412911

Postby servodude » May 18th, 2021, 10:06 am

88V8 wrote:One see pictures of dogs with rear wheels. Probably they're younger


I met a corgi like that recently.
It was a fair age and it had lost the rear legs to a car a long time ago
- but apparently it barely noticed the change when it happened

I'd second the check-up and keeping an eye out for any pain creeping in
- sounds like a fortunate and well loved pet

-sd

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#412941

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » May 18th, 2021, 11:34 am

didds wrote:Thanks AiY - was the chondroitin for kidney issues, or something else? Just interested.

Sorry I wasn't to clear was I.

The chondroitin was for what the vet described as arthritis. We got it from the vet but that was a long time ago. I know you can buy food with it in these days - may be worth googling it

AiY

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413092

Postby 88V8 » May 18th, 2021, 10:53 pm

didds wrote:Not expecting anybody to have any specific advice.

Actually I do, for anyone who has never had a pet terminated.
Just a small thing.
When our cat was done, we vaguely assumed that after the injection we'd have time for a few last words, a stroke.
Not so. It was out like a light.
Say your goodbyes first.

V8

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413191

Postby monabri » May 19th, 2021, 11:08 am

The injection is an overdose of anaesthetic so it is a case of saying your goodbyes beforehand. I would also suggest trying to keep your voice reassuring (I know, that that's difficult) as you don't want to increase the stress levels of an animal at the V..E..T..S...

Knowing when to do the right thing is often difficult.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413411

Postby bungeejumper » May 20th, 2021, 8:32 am

88V8 wrote:When our cat was done, we vaguely assumed that after the injection we'd have time for a few last words, a stroke.
Not so. It was out like a light.
Say your goodbyes first.

Our cat was 20 years old, and she had dementia. The clear sign that the time was nigh was when she stopped getting any apparent pleasure from eating, and then she stopped eating altogether. She had various other physical problems, and one day it became quite quickly apparent there was only one way it could go.

The vet and his assistant were marvellous. They asked me in advance whether I'd ever seen an animal euthanised before? (One way of making sure that I fully understood what was about to happen.) Then they laid her down and shaved a patch on her leg, and the needle went in, and they told me to stroke her head and to keep talking to her. I had plenty to say about what a great cat she was - the head mouser and ratter in our local barn! - and it lasted all of twenty seconds before they checked her pulse and told me she'd gone. Peacefully, perfectly.

One thing to be prepared for in advance is that they'll ask you is whether you want them to deal with the body, or whether you'll take it with you? Our cat had an allotted place in the garden, next to her sister. A dog might be another matter if it's bigger. It felt really strange to put her carefully back into her pet box for the journey home, taking care not to hurt her although she wasn't there any more. But it was dignified, loving and rather beautiful in a painful sort of way. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

BJ

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413415

Postby swill453 » May 20th, 2021, 8:38 am

bungeejumper wrote:One thing to be prepared for in advance is that they'll ask you is whether you want them to deal with the body, or whether you'll take it with you?

Further than that, if you leave the body with them you have a choice of individual cremation, with the option of getting the ashes back, or communal* cremation, where you don't. The former obviously costs more.

* - I can't remember if that was the exact word they used, but you get the gist.

Scott.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413441

Postby baldchap » May 20th, 2021, 9:35 am

I had an old dog, also a rescue, which was losing the use of her back legs (a breed issue). She was always a very clean dog so I knew this was causing her some distress.
Quality of life was always on my mind. Didn't want to do it too soon, but not too late either.
I popped out one day so left the backdoor open for her, and came back to find her in the garden trying to drag herself back indoors. Very distressing for all, and this decided the issue for me really.

Being a large dog, I decided to have her put to sleep at home with me. It only cost a little more. I would recommend this.

Of course on the 'day' she was looking perky, and I had a lot of doubts as I walked to the vets to get the sleeping pills to be administered pre-injection.
However, when I returned home, she had had another bad fall.

Pills given with her favourite meal, and then made comfortable in her bed. The vet arrived about 2 hours later.

We had given her a good eight years, and it was time to let her go with some dignity.
I have seen people wait too long and it is unpleasant for all.
Choosing the time is difficult.

Good luck.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413514

Postby bluedonkey » May 20th, 2021, 12:28 pm

I'm not a pet owner and not particularly an animal lover but what a wonderful thread, in a bittersweet way.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413562

Postby bluedonkey » May 20th, 2021, 2:29 pm

Something you'll all be familiar with - pet insurance and vets bills:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... nds-poorer

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413576

Postby swill453 » May 20th, 2021, 2:48 pm

bluedonkey wrote:Something you'll all be familiar with - pet insurance and vets bills:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... nds-poorer

He's lived over 5 decades on this earth and doesn't understand the concept of insurance excess?

Scott.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#413628

Postby Imbiber » May 20th, 2021, 5:30 pm

I have been here three times. I feel for you, we have no pets now. Don't leave it to late, you will know when, don't let your heart rule your head.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#414022

Postby JuanDB » May 21st, 2021, 9:51 pm

Having fairly recently been through the same, slow dawning realisation that the time has arrived, I can only sympathise with you didds. We ultimately took the advice of the vet. When the outcome is inevitable, better too soon than too late. Both for them and for your final memory of them.

I would second 88V8’s comment to say your goodbyes in your own time.

Best wishes,

Juan.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#415831

Postby airbus330 » May 28th, 2021, 1:20 pm

We had to have our dog put down last in 2019. She had cancer, prognosis was terminal, but at the time her quality of life was fairly good. We talked it over with a our sympathetic vet and her advice stuck in my mind. Better a week too early than a day too late. Dogs live in the moment and a suffering animal is just that, suffering, it has no concept of a better day tomorrow. We arranged for our vet to home visit for the final injection, in our garden with all of us there. It was peaceful and over in 5 seconds. I feel that when death is inevitable, it was the kindest thing to do. All the best.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#416671

Postby Leothebear » June 1st, 2021, 8:31 pm

Charlie, a black moggie, adopted us in the winter of 2010-11. He'd been living wild for some time but was in fantastic shape due to the plentiful supply of rabbits in the fields adjacent to us. It was a very cold one that year and he'd made friends with us in the previous years and decided that we'd be adequate for his requirements. He was fit and healthy but of unknown age. In days he feet were immovably under the table. He was family.

In the 10 years we had him he wasn't a spot of bother. He was smart and independent and grew more affectionate to us as the years passed.

In the last weeks he has increasingly suffered with kidney and arthritis problems. In the last days he struggled to walk and lost control of his bladder.

So I was prepared for the worst, when today I took him to the vet. Of course I was, I'm 70 and accustomed to death in pets as well as humans.
Trouble was, when the vet's needle had done its work (very speedily), I choked. I was fully expecting to be comforting my wife but I was useless, lost in total sadness.

Just buried him wrapped in my tee shirt.

didds
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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#416701

Postby didds » June 1st, 2021, 10:05 pm

Huge commisserations Leo.

As it is our old dog is still with us. She seems happy enough though she is declining overall. The day is fast coming.

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Re: Old dog and euthenasia

#416712

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » June 1st, 2021, 10:38 pm

Leothebear wrote:Charlie, a black moggie, adopted us in the winter of 2010-11. He'd been living wild for some time but was in fantastic shape due to the plentiful supply of rabbits in the fields adjacent to us. It was a very cold one that year and he'd made friends with us in the previous years and decided that we'd be adequate for his requirements. He was fit and healthy but of unknown age. In days he feet were immovably under the table. He was family.

In the 10 years we had him he wasn't a spot of bother. He was smart and independent and grew more affectionate to us as the years passed.

In the last weeks he has increasingly suffered with kidney and arthritis problems. In the last days he struggled to walk and lost control of his bladder.

So I was prepared for the worst, when today I took him to the vet. Of course I was, I'm 70 and accustomed to death in pets as well as humans.
Trouble was, when the vet's needle had done its work (very speedily), I choked. I was fully expecting to be comforting my wife but I was useless, lost in total sadness.

Just buried him wrapped in my tee shirt.

Perhaps Charlie was in heaven 10 years before he got there.

AiY


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