My black female lab (Mel) is 15 years old. One day she'll sleep all day, hanging her head and generally dragging herself around. The next day she's in the pool doing laps (summer or winter), then rolling around on the grass like a pupply. The problem is that she is now messing herself. As she walks, she poo's, like horses do! She can be lying down, and the poo just comes out. It's not diarrhoea, as it's firm. She's eating fine, drinking water, but is deaf and going blind. Struggles to get up, but once up she's ok.
Hello, it’s so sad when old age creeps up and becomes a challenge. Have you chatted to your vet ? Maybe it’s time for the conversation about quality of life verses length of life. You have my sympathy. My last dog was like this, such a hard time worrying and caring. Never easy
Hi Shirley I feel for you at the moment. It is a horrible time and most of us here have probably had dogs before so we know what you are going through. I had a retriever who lived until she was 15. She died peacefully at home around the time we thought we would have to make a decision. The greatest thing we can do is make sure our dogs aren’t suffering and only you and your family/vet know the answer to that. The biggest indicator to me with my next dog was when he stopped eating. Take care.
You have my sympathy. Our last dog, a 120 lb Akita mix, lived to 14. For us, when the not so good days *consistently* outnumbered the good days, we knew it was time. As for the defecation, well it happens, and sometimes when a dog is old but not old-old. You can use baby wipes to keep her clean if needed. Maybe get some extra dog bed covers or try putting down puppy pads if she'll accept this. There are also harness-like contraptions that you can buy so you can help her get up. I would go to a pet store and have her fitted and make sure it's something you can use. My vet once told me he never had a client say they waited too long to end their dog's life but he did have clients who felt badly for ending too soon - in their opinion. Trust yourself because you know your dog best. If you want to have her euthanized at home when the time comes, speak to your vet sooner rather than later because not all vets offer this service.
