Discussion
My working cocker will be 13 in a few months & is starting to show his age in certain ways.
After advice on here he has been on YuMove for nearly a year which is helping his arthritis, he will still walk for miles given the chance but we restrict his exercise & try to keep him warmer & drier than years gone by. Not sure if it's his hearing or not but he definitely takes longer to respond to verbal or whistle commands now, he's still Ok with hand signals.
He is getting grumpier, his hearing & sight seem to be deteriorating & because of this he can get funny if anybody catches him off guard, thankfully the kids are old enough to understand this & treat him accordingly. He takes ages to settle in the evening then take ages to wake up again to put him to bed!
I've been around dogs for nearly 35yrs but due to various reasons I've never been around an older dog on a daily basis before, what do I have to expect in the coming years?!
We've shared a lot of moments over the years, just want to do right by him in his twilight years.
After advice on here he has been on YuMove for nearly a year which is helping his arthritis, he will still walk for miles given the chance but we restrict his exercise & try to keep him warmer & drier than years gone by. Not sure if it's his hearing or not but he definitely takes longer to respond to verbal or whistle commands now, he's still Ok with hand signals.
He is getting grumpier, his hearing & sight seem to be deteriorating & because of this he can get funny if anybody catches him off guard, thankfully the kids are old enough to understand this & treat him accordingly. He takes ages to settle in the evening then take ages to wake up again to put him to bed!
I've been around dogs for nearly 35yrs but due to various reasons I've never been around an older dog on a daily basis before, what do I have to expect in the coming years?!
We've shared a lot of moments over the years, just want to do right by him in his twilight years.
This is the single hardest part of pet ownership. Mum once said to me that you have two key responsibilities as a dog (or any pet) owner. To give them a pleasant life, and a pleasant death. Without knowing you, or the dog, the advice I would give is that you need to monitor when and if he no longer has a decent quality of life. left too long it can actually be more cruel to prolong an unhappy life. Mum and dad had a similar situation to you once, their then dog had lost her hearing, then her sight. At the time that she was becoming distressed by it the decision was made. It is horrible, but monitor it closely, and get advice of a good vet if a second opinion is needed.
My in-laws have two rescue dogs that are both 15
We treat them a little like you would old humans:
They eat small meals but more regularly
Long walks have turned into 50m strolls to the end of the road and back (they still get just as excited to go)
They don't go upstairs anymore
They like to sleep a lot but don't like to be left alone. The days of leaving them in the house whilst we're out all day are long gone.
Key is to monitor them and ensure they're happy and still able to function properly. Luckily, they're in pretty good shape at the moment but we know their time isn't far off
We treat them a little like you would old humans:
They eat small meals but more regularly
Long walks have turned into 50m strolls to the end of the road and back (they still get just as excited to go)
They don't go upstairs anymore
They like to sleep a lot but don't like to be left alone. The days of leaving them in the house whilst we're out all day are long gone.
Key is to monitor them and ensure they're happy and still able to function properly. Luckily, they're in pretty good shape at the moment but we know their time isn't far off
It's hard to say definitively as dogs (like humans) all age differently. The things you have already mentioned (arthritis, hearing and sight loss) are all common. It's a good idea to keep an eye on potential pain from arthritis, as there are effective painkillers available (eg Metacam).
Joe, my elderly lurcher (sadly no longer with us) suffered from dementia. It was not very obvious, but he started taking a long time to settle in the evenings - pacing and whining. On recommendation, I tried a supplement called Aktivait, which certainly seemed to help him. He also suffered from urinary incontinence, which was treated with Propalin and bowel incontinence (which we just dealt with).
Other things that ageing dogs can get include lumps - worth getting checked out just in case - and loss of weight/muscle, which can be addressed by keeping them active within sensible limits (it sounds like you're already doing this). Loss of appetite can be harder to deal with - it's sometimes just a case of spoiling them - I have been known to fry up eggy bread, or make hot oat cereal using goat's milk for my dogs when they aren't tempted by their normal food
Sorry if the above sounds depressing - not all dogs will have these problems as they age. But in my view, the love we get back from them outweighs what we might have to cope with.
Joe, my elderly lurcher (sadly no longer with us) suffered from dementia. It was not very obvious, but he started taking a long time to settle in the evenings - pacing and whining. On recommendation, I tried a supplement called Aktivait, which certainly seemed to help him. He also suffered from urinary incontinence, which was treated with Propalin and bowel incontinence (which we just dealt with).
Other things that ageing dogs can get include lumps - worth getting checked out just in case - and loss of weight/muscle, which can be addressed by keeping them active within sensible limits (it sounds like you're already doing this). Loss of appetite can be harder to deal with - it's sometimes just a case of spoiling them - I have been known to fry up eggy bread, or make hot oat cereal using goat's milk for my dogs when they aren't tempted by their normal food
Sorry if the above sounds depressing - not all dogs will have these problems as they age. But in my view, the love we get back from them outweighs what we might have to cope with.
LordHaveMurci said:
My Mum probably left her 1st dog too long, I'm hoping I won't make that mistake but when it comes to it, do any of us know how we'll deal with it?
We don't, sadly Some of my dogs have given me 'the look' that many people talk of, some haven't. Sometimes the decision is made for you rather than by you I've posted this before - it may be seen as a little clinical, but it is written by a vet:
From the book by Laura and Martyn Lee, "Absent friend"
Is the animal:
free from pain, distress or serious discomfort which cannot be effectively controlled
able to walk and balance reasonably well
able to eat and drink enough for normal maintenance and without much difficulty, and without vomiting
free from tumours which cause pain or serious discomfort and are judged inoperable or otherwise untreatable
able to breathe without difficulty
able to urinate and defecate reasonably frequently without serious difficulty or incontinence
and, is the owner:
able to cope physically and emotionally with any nursing or medication that may be required?
If the answer to any of these is "No" and treatment is unlikely to help, then euthanasia might be the preferred action to take.
Andrew Edney, past president of the BSAVA.
This is a really difficult topic for dog owners and OP, you have my sympathy.
I'm currently going through this with my oldest, Archie, who I had as an RSPCA rescue puppy (he was my 1st ever dog) and is now 15yrs and 9mths.
We lost our ~13yr old lab last year. And that was difficult - but the choice was taken away from us because he suffered a stroke out of the blue.
With Archie - it's a very very slow gradual decline. He still eats, he still enjoys a (really short) walk with the younger dogs. And mostly makes it to the loo all fine. He is on meds for his arthritis, he is a little deaf and blind. And increasingly seems to have 'senior moments' and not realise where he is (but he is a geriatric...).
So my wife and I are trying to be objective about his quality of life. And I'll freely admit it's very hard and I feel his time is getting close and I'm not looking forward to 'that day'
I know we've given him a great life though. And as others have said "it's better a month/week/day too early than too late"...which is why I know it's not far off now.
I'm currently going through this with my oldest, Archie, who I had as an RSPCA rescue puppy (he was my 1st ever dog) and is now 15yrs and 9mths.
We lost our ~13yr old lab last year. And that was difficult - but the choice was taken away from us because he suffered a stroke out of the blue.
With Archie - it's a very very slow gradual decline. He still eats, he still enjoys a (really short) walk with the younger dogs. And mostly makes it to the loo all fine. He is on meds for his arthritis, he is a little deaf and blind. And increasingly seems to have 'senior moments' and not realise where he is (but he is a geriatric...).
So my wife and I are trying to be objective about his quality of life. And I'll freely admit it's very hard and I feel his time is getting close and I'm not looking forward to 'that day'
I know we've given him a great life though. And as others have said "it's better a month/week/day too early than too late"...which is why I know it's not far off now.
Something else I've shared before:
http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
Warning - it may make you cry....
http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
Warning - it may make you cry....
moorx said:
Something else I've shared before:
http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
Warning - it may make you cry....
Lucky I'm alone in this suddenly dusty office...http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
Warning - it may make you cry....
moorx said:
Something else I've shared before:
http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
Warning - it may make you cry....
That has a massive impact on me every time I read it.http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
Warning - it may make you cry....
It's been a year and a half since I had to have my 17 year old Westie, Jaz, put to sleep and although it still hurts it's a comfort knowing that I did the best for her and refused to let her suffer. She had cancer, dimentia and deafness at the end but the moment she went off her food I knew it was time.
OP - you just take every day as it comes and read the signs as best you can. All the best.
moorx said:
"May?" 
I'm sure it's all the happy tail wagging that uses up their batteries so quickly.Aging is just a part of what happens, Lucky had to be pts last year, was a very hard time as she was 14.5yrs old and fairly healthy (except she had Addisons).
The down side to Addisons is that your dog is more likely to be affected by pancreatitis due to the fine balance of medication they are one (differs between dogs and people). One day she was great, seen the vet in the morning, full of beans and even the vet said she looked in great condition and had fantastic teeth for her age, 15 hours later she was being very poorly, 24hrs later and back at the vets, 9 days later and the very stubborn monster was no longer with us
It wasn't the fact she came down with acute pancreatitis, that was more than curable and the major issue was getting her to eat/take her meds, but then she had a bad attack of vestibular disease (or old dog disease as its also known as), this just screwed things up badly even though on its own its treatable, throw the Addisons and acute pancreatitis in and that was the end of that
I wanted her to be well but she was pretty distressed with her little eyes rolling into the back of her head and her head angled.... totally gutted me for days and even though I went to see my little Lottie only 9 or so days later, it was heart breaking and I felt very guilty doing so.
I still miss my Lucky, the bossy little loveable monster, but it was her time and I know that now, I have little Lottie to start new adventures with and Lucky is in a good place, near the sea where we were going to go the week after she became ill.
Its seriously hard but you will know when its time
The down side to Addisons is that your dog is more likely to be affected by pancreatitis due to the fine balance of medication they are one (differs between dogs and people). One day she was great, seen the vet in the morning, full of beans and even the vet said she looked in great condition and had fantastic teeth for her age, 15 hours later she was being very poorly, 24hrs later and back at the vets, 9 days later and the very stubborn monster was no longer with us
It wasn't the fact she came down with acute pancreatitis, that was more than curable and the major issue was getting her to eat/take her meds, but then she had a bad attack of vestibular disease (or old dog disease as its also known as), this just screwed things up badly even though on its own its treatable, throw the Addisons and acute pancreatitis in and that was the end of that
I wanted her to be well but she was pretty distressed with her little eyes rolling into the back of her head and her head angled.... totally gutted me for days and even though I went to see my little Lottie only 9 or so days later, it was heart breaking and I felt very guilty doing so.
I still miss my Lucky, the bossy little loveable monster, but it was her time and I know that now, I have little Lottie to start new adventures with and Lucky is in a good place, near the sea where we were going to go the week after she became ill.
Its seriously hard but you will know when its time
Our German Shepherd got to 14, and had a gradual decline. There were no big milestones where something went wrong and we thought "it's time".
She gradually was less able to walk, less able to hold in her toilet, less able to see/hear. It happened over a space of a few years so it actually came as a bit of a shock to accept that she's 80% blind and deaf, toileting in her sleep, never going for walks, etc.
I'm so glad that we got her put to sleep before anything happened to actually cause her pain. She didn't really have a life for the last 6 months but at least she wasn't in pain.
I hope I can follow through with this - but the plan for the current dogs (still young) is that they go when their quality of life is gone. They don't need to be ill or in pain. If they're not having fun, I don't want them alive just for the sake of it. Dogs can't watch TV or find entertainment just lying in the house so what's the point?
She gradually was less able to walk, less able to hold in her toilet, less able to see/hear. It happened over a space of a few years so it actually came as a bit of a shock to accept that she's 80% blind and deaf, toileting in her sleep, never going for walks, etc.
I'm so glad that we got her put to sleep before anything happened to actually cause her pain. She didn't really have a life for the last 6 months but at least she wasn't in pain.
I hope I can follow through with this - but the plan for the current dogs (still young) is that they go when their quality of life is gone. They don't need to be ill or in pain. If they're not having fun, I don't want them alive just for the sake of it. Dogs can't watch TV or find entertainment just lying in the house so what's the point?
Well, he got rushed to Vets at lunchtime, started swaying from side to side & walking funnily.
Vet gave him a thorough checkover & said he doesn't know where his back feet are, hence he's walking funnily. Thinks it is spine related, he goes in for x-ray on Monday morning. Had metacam injection today & metacam to start tomorrow.
So, so hard, love this dog so much, been in bits all day. We collected a new rescue cat this morning so it's been a full on, very strange day (not to mention, expensive!).
Vet gave him a thorough checkover & said he doesn't know where his back feet are, hence he's walking funnily. Thinks it is spine related, he goes in for x-ray on Monday morning. Had metacam injection today & metacam to start tomorrow.
So, so hard, love this dog so much, been in bits all day. We collected a new rescue cat this morning so it's been a full on, very strange day (not to mention, expensive!).
Our little mans back end went on him late last year to the extent that he was struggling to walk at all (he's about 12), dragging himself around at times, heartbreaking to see. An MRI scan showed he has a few ruptured discs. Put him on a diet to lose a little weight and he's on Gabapentin (prescription) and Pardale V painkillers (available online without prescription) and the change in him lately is fantastic, he even sneaks up the stairs on his own now instead of having to be carried. Can't walk him for very long though as it gets too much for him and he drags his toes. Vets talked of possible surgery but given his age and the improvement with the meds I think this is off the agenda.
Fingers crossed for you OP.
Fingers crossed for you OP.
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