Our old dog is failing......

**cab54** · 12-16-2008, 10:21 AM

My old Yellow Lab is 13 years old, and has been walking a little 'limpy' for awhile, hasn't been able to go on his walks for about a year and a half, is almost completely blind, and has congestive heart failure.

And has now started going in the house--yup, #1 and #2. Not all the time, but he has trouble going down the two steps of the deck into the yard, and so, goes on the deck also. I have to clean it up almost daily. We tried taking him down the front steps and the side inbto the garage and out, but he can't manage those stairs either. We have tried to help him, but he weighs about 115. DH has some luck, but I can't handle him. I hurt my back pretty badly doing it once.

We got him for our sons for Christmas 13 years ago when they were boys. Now, we will have to have a family talk after Christmas about the possibility of putting him down after the new year. We are trying to hold out till after the holidays, but they both know it's coming, as they've seen how he's declining. He has trouble standing up after laying down awhile.

It is going to be hard for all of us. He is such a sweetie.

But we had to put down a dog a couple of years before him. We'll get through it.

**forHISglory** · 12-16-2008, 10:25 AM

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. I think your story hurts me so much because we are there with our dog, too. He is 17 and a lab/chow mix. He's been old faithful, sleeping on the porch right in front of the door to guard us, and so good with the children and grandchildren. He, too, is limping, and he dribbles. But he's an outside dog, so it doesn't make a mess in the house. The other day he was following me and he missed a step on the patio and fell and hit his chin hard. We've decided to let him be for now and just wait to see what happens. But it's hard to see an old member of the family fail.

**InDiAnNa** · 12-16-2008, 10:33 AM

Sorry to hear that, it's always hard when they've been around for so long...

He sounds like he is in a lot of discomfort to be honest, it might be a good idea to check what your vet clinics arrangements are over Christmas (including out-of-hours fees), just in case he goes even further downhill and needs a vets attention.
I can completely appreciate that you don't want to say goodbye to him just before Christmas, but it's best to be prepared in case the decision is effectively taken out of your hands.

In the meantime, can you fashion a sling for him to help him get outside? That's what we use in the hospital wards to transport sedated/elderly patients (vet nurse here). Use a large towel under his tummy with one person either side, and lift up enough to take some of his weight off his legs. He may find it just that much easier to walk, and it will save your back a little.

Also, keep his bed REALLY soft and padded, even a duvet underneath wrapped in trash bags will make him more warm and comfy.

He is a very good age for a Lab, you must've had a lot of fun with him over the years.

**Durgan** · 12-16-2008, 10:46 AM

My suggesting is let the old fellow die in his own sweet time. It is pay back time for all the joy he has brought to you and yours over the years.

Select a nice place for him to pass away at his pleasure. Obviously, I am not an advocate of "Putting Down", since a dog is integral part of one's family.

I suggest "Putting Down" is more for human comfort, than for the dog, sort of convenient. Maybe some modern pain medicine is in order, if this is an issue.

"Putting Down" to relieve pain and misery of a pet is; of course, an individual choice.

Most living things, encompassing all, like to live till the last dog is hung. It is one of the rules of Nature.

**rosey7415** · 12-16-2008, 10:55 AM

i hate to have to reply to this thread as i am in the same situation. my yellow lab "bruno" is 14. he has been declining also. has trouble getting up and limps while walking even with his meds. can't go into the cellar anymore when we work down there, (me craft and dh refinishing furniture). he is so bored with laying around and doing nothing he licks his paws until he gets sores. he always did this in the winter, but now i am just letting him. i used to get on him about "licking". my dh has tried to prepare me that his time may be coming to an end....he has had accidents since this summer. maybe after the holidays. he has a dirty *ss as i don't think he can get around to clean it...tmi.....i know....but.....i have to wrap my head around this to accept that it is coming sooner than later. i am emotionally in denial.

**cab54** · 12-16-2008, 11:09 AM

forHISglory--wow, 17! I hope he continues to do OK. It's sad to watch them hurt themselves when they get older, just from weakness and lack of coordination. With ours, the blindness is a problem--he is so afraid because he can't see the steps.

InDiAnNa--he gets a lot of vet attention lately, LOL. He is on meds for the CHF, he gets Aleve for the pain, and we are (kind of) ready for the inevitable or possible. The sling is a great idea, though! Maybe I can employ DS24 who is at home to help fashion something for us!

Durgan--Yeah, I have mixed emotions on that. I am definitely not an advocate of human euthanasia, even though, as a nurse, I have seen some horrible and lingering deaths that have almost changed my mind at times.........and with pets, I have trouble with it also. We had a beagle quite a few years ago who died at home, and in retrospect, her death was a horrible one. She basically smothered from a collapsed lung and CHF and I wished later I had euthanized her. I was waiting for my dh to come back in town, in order to say his goodbyes to her...... And then we had another Lab before this one who acted as though he'd had a stroke or some central nervous system problem (he was also 13) and it was rather sudden. We didn't take him over right away, but remained in contact with the vet, and he was semi-comatose the whole time--laying on the floor, unconscious and not eating/drinking (a couple of days) and we finally euthanized him. It was an agonizing couple of days and I was relieved, yes, to have it over for him. It is tough either way, and we do consider all avenues before we do it, of course. It will have to be very bad with our present doggie before we can let him go. I also have dh and the ds's opinions to consider..... they love him as much as I do.

**cab54** · 12-16-2008, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by rosey7415

i hate to have to reply to this thread as i am in the same situation. my yellow lab "bruno" is 14. he has been declining also. has trouble getting up and limps while walking even with his meds. can't go into the cellar anymore when we work down there, (me craft and dh refinishing furniture). he is so bored with laying around and doing nothing he licks his paws until he gets sores. he always did this in the winter, but now i am just letting him. i used to get on him about "licking". my dh has tried to prepare me that his time may be coming to an end....he has had accidents since this summer. maybe after the holidays. he has a dirty *ss as i don't think he can get around to clean it...tmi.....i know....but.....i have to wrap my head around this to accept that it is coming sooner than later. i am emotionally in denial.

Rosey------yes, their quality of life gets so low. He can't go upstairs anymore to our room for bed. It makes him sad. He walks into things sometimes. He hasn't been able to go to the basement for years with dh. We had to really watch him up at our cabin this summer, as he would wander too far away from the cabin and not be able to see it, so I started going out with him.

He also has always had a licking problem, but I think the boredom of not being able to do anything has him licking more. And then he gets infections in his feet and then has to take antibiotics and THEN has diarrhea (more TMI) and has to go like crazy...... it goes on and on.

We are not capricious about this decision, as I'm sure you are not.

**cab54** · 12-16-2008, 11:27 AM

Oh, and DURGAN--it is not so much that we are planning to do this tomorrow or anything. It is just the 'talk' with our sons (who are away at college and grad school usually, and have not seen this steady decline) that we need to have soon after the holidays---he was 'their dog' before they became adults.....the whole discussion thing is sad....is all.

As I said to rosey, this is not something we are capricious about. I hate the words 'putting down' as much as you do.

**FrugalMomof3** · 12-16-2008, 11:48 AM

I am so sorry, I just can't bear the loss of an animals, I went through that when I was a kid and it's so heart breaking. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way

**Texasgirl** · 12-16-2008, 12:39 PM

cab54 I am so sorry.
It is very hard watching our 4 legged family members get old.

We have a almost 13 yr old malamute mix that has health problems. He has a very hard time getting up. Has cancer, arthritis, pancreas problems.

I am hoping that when the time comes he just falls asleep and does not wake up.
But if we know he is suffering we will have the vet come out and put him to sleep.

**Debbie-cat** · 12-16-2008, 12:56 PM

Aww, I feel so bad for everyone. A pet is part of the family and it is so difficult to let them go. It breaks my heart to see families suffer when their pets are suffering. To all of you, my prayers are with you.

**Newsnerd68** · 12-16-2008, 03:56 PM

I'm so sorry. I lost my 9-year-old Chihuahua in March to a brain tumor. I had to have her put to sleep because she was in terrible pains and had seizures at least once an hour despite taking medication. It just broke my heart and I still cry whenever I think of her. She was my buddy, not just a pet. Having to take that trip to the vet was so hard, but it released her from being in unbearable pain.

You and your family are in my thoughts.

**itsahumanzoo** · 12-16-2008, 04:32 PM

I'm sorry to hear that. My in-law's have a dog who is 9 and she is not doing so well either. She has a bad limp and can barely walk from one end of the house to the other. Only a few months ago they lost a dog to leukemia, so it's sad that they're having to go through it again. Best wishes to your family in this sad situation.

**mikandmari** · 12-16-2008, 10:19 PM

Cheryl, he's a lucky dog to have been a member of your family.

I agree with your comments on having a pet put to sleep. I watched our old cat linger for 2 days in heart failure, almost comatose. I finally took him... it seemed kinder.