when to call it a day with our beloved pooch ?

balmaiden

once again thanks for all replies

BettyDebt many thanks for info will look into it

Virgin moneysaver, unfortunately there is nothing short of an operation that will help her now and that is obviously out of the question

I have decided that I am going to continue as we are for the moment, the deciding factor was when she hurried, on her arthritic legs,down the garden to bark at a very ( in her opinion ) unsavoury character who walked past our gate, for that read anyone with a backpack on dont know why but she never trusts them. So she obviously still feels up to her job.

I know the time is very near and hopefuly I will be guided to make the right decision this time.

BettyDebt

balmaiden wrote: »

once again thanks for all replies

BettyDebt many thanks for info will look into it

Virgin moneysaver, unfortunately there is nothing short of an operation that will help her now and that is obviously out of the question

I have decided that I am going to continue as we are for the moment, the deciding factor was when she hurried, on her arthritic legs,down the garden to bark at a very ( in her opinion ) unsavoury character who walked past our gate, for that read anyone with a backpack on dont know why but she never trusts them. So she obviously still feels up to her job.

I know the time is very near and hopefuly I will be guided to make the right decision this time.

Aaah she is just doing her job. Do look into the herbal supplements for arthritis though. The human ones, just get the dosage from your vet. I pay £16 for about 320 and he takes two a day. It made a huge difference and took about 5 weeks to kick in. I was like you two years ago. The vets, myself thought he had little time and we decided if he couldnt get up in the next couple of days it was the end. Well he wasn't ready and two years later he gives me scares every now and then where he might spend two days in bed not being himself but then he is as right as rain.

Have faith in her she is already a good age and might just surprise you. Good luck!

Westywoodpecker

We very recently had to have our beloved Dorberman put to sleep. She did have the occasional incontinence of urine, but her back legs suddenly went. I promised myself that I wouldn't let her suffer. In the end the decision was made for me when she stopped eating & her eyes looked empty, I knew she had had enough.

It was very painful & a huge shock to the whole family, but I know it was in her interest.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. I still firmly believe that you will know when the times right though, as it's you that knows the dog.

Best wishes Westy

magic57

Hi there
This must be so difficult for you. We had to make the decision 12 years ago with our dog. However it was very clear cut as she suffered a trauma (maybe rat poison) and was suffering. I don't regret it for a second as it was the last loving thing I could do for her.
In your case if she is eating and enjoying her walks and guard duties I'd say she sounds as if she is still enjoying life. I don't think you are being unkind to keep her going. Someone told me that you will be able to tell by looking into your dogs eyes and you would know if he/she has had enough. It was certainly true for us.
You sound like a super owner. Your dog is lucky to have you. :A
Good luck.

skyrocket

Just sending you hugs!
I had to make this decision with my beloved rescue pony last October. She was terribly arthritic and I think I let it go on too long because I kept hoping things would improve.
It's one of the hardest things I did and I'd only had her 2 years!
I feel for you making this decision. You will make the best decision for you and your doggy whatever you decide.
xx:grouphug:

balmaiden

Tears in my eyes now reading these posts.

I thank you all. We are very much a nation of animal lovers still.
Just someone remind me when the painful day has been and gone, that I mean what I say this time...no more pets I cannot stand the heartbreak.

Yes I know I say it every time we lose a cat or a dog and somehow a stray kitten turns up or theres an unwanted puppy down the road, but this time I mean it ( I think)

Eels100

Sorry for hijacking, balmaiden. I hope you have found some help on this thread and at least take comfort knowing that others have experience of the rotten situation you are in.
I wanted to say in response to Toots that I at no point suggested that the OP should put the animal to sleep, but just wanted to make my point that it wouldn't necessarily be 'the wrong thing' for the animal. I take your point that if an animal has good quality of life then it's the wrong thing for us as humans to put it to sleep, but from the animal's point of view it doesn't care because it doesn't understand the concept and so doesn't feel the fear and anxiety we do.

I am very sorry that you had what sounded like a traumatic experience with your old dog, and it sounds like there was poor communication from the vet. It is because of situations like that which you described that I am insistent that the final decision must be the owner's, not the vet's. If dogs could choose someone to make such a decision for them, they would choose their owner, and it's vital that as a pet owner you feel right about what's happening.

I certainly do not advocate putting down animals at the onset of disease as a matter of course. But the older an animal becomes, the wider the spectrum of disease, then the fewer the realistic treatment options. For example, in the OP's case many arthritis medications will exacerbate the kidney failure, or will directly increase the water intake and hence urine volume, leading to worsened incontinence. In these cases where treatment is difficult or ineffective it's the vet's duty to make the owner aware that when the time comes that they can no longer cope it's OK to consider euthanasia.

Fortunately in the majority of cases euthanasia is genuinely a very peaceful and dignified process, and many people report a feeling of relief that their pet's life ended so calmly and gently. Sometimes people express relief because they know that they have prevented their animal from certain suffering, which was something I was trying to convey to the OP. The animals don't know that worse is to come, but we do, and we can save them from experiencing that, rather than waiting until the animal is in pain or distress.

The bottom line for balmaiden, in my opinion, is whether the incontinence distresses the dog (either because the dog is 'ashamed' of urinating in the house or because it now has restrictions on where it can go). If it does, then it doesn't matter whether the OP is happy to clean up or not, because unless it can be controlled the dog will suffer. If it doesn't bother the dog then it's very much dependent on the OP's situation and ability to cope, and that's not something that should be judged by others.

In the OP's case a very committed owner was brave enough to ask a question about where to go next, and she has benefited from a huge range of experiences on this thread. But she has also received some criticism for considering what for the dog is a painless and dignified event. A perfect house is one thing, but carpets sodden with urine and faeces, particularly if you have committments such as children or dependents, is another matter entirely. Until we walk in the OP's shoes we should not criticise her, but just offer our support and experience.

1sttimer_2

So sorry about your dog balmaiden, I lost my dog just over 1 year ago. He was a small rescue dog of no distinguished breed, but he had a heart as big as an elephant! We had him 15 years but didn't know his real age, all vet could say was that he was an adult. He had kidney problems for the last 18 months of his life but it was only in the very last few weeks when it affected his quality of life. He did wee inside quite a few times but we just did our best to keep him/and the house clean. He never really seemed distressed as he just slept most of the time. On the final day, he became very uncomfortable and unsettled and then he lost control completely of his bladder and bowel. We rang the vet who arranged a private appointment for us and she was wonderfully understanding.

It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do, but knew it was the best for him. I finally came to understand that it was a loving thing to have him put to sleep and although I was very sad, it was peaceful, not at all what I was expecting as my previous dog died in her sleep.

My heart bleeds for you as you face this decision but you will know when the time comes.

Hugs to you and your family.

1sttimer_2

Eels100 wrote: »

Fortunately in the majority of cases euthanasia is genuinely a very peaceful and dignified process, and many people report a feeling of relief that their pet's life ended so calmly and gently. Sometimes people express relief because they know that they have prevented their animal from certain suffering, which was something I was trying to convey to the OP. The animals don't know that worse is to come, but we do, and we can save them from experiencing that, rather than waiting until the animal is in pain or distress.

This is just how I felt - sorry I didn't read this before I posted.

balmaiden

Eels100

Thankyou so much for that post, I think some of us can be too sensitive when it comes to our pets. Your post puts it into perspective.

I think what I was initially trying to get across was I worry that any decision I make will be for my benefit not the dogs, i.e keep her too long because I cannot bear too lose her or put her down because we think shes suffering when infact she has quality time left.

I appreciate everyones point of view here and it has helped me. I will just say that my father was a farmworker so I grew up where animal death was a real fact of life for me and I have never given animals human emotions I know that they have no concept of future and only the here and now but at the risk of repeating myself I just want to make the right decision for my beloved faithful old girl.