hi. I am sorry if this has been answered, but I am not sure where to look for an answer. I have a 13 year old lab named Sandy. Sandy has bad arthritis in her hips and has a lot of trouble walking. I have been really worried that it will be her time in the next couple of months. Sandy had a chow mix companion for 10 years that recently passed due to cancer. my son and I would like to get a new lab puppy, but my husband is worried that a puppy would be too much for an ederly dog like Sandy. he does eventually want another dog to hunt with though. what are your thoughts or recommendations about this?
Hi and welcome to the forum. You and Sandy must be feeling a bit lost after the loss of her companion of 10 years. I'm not sure if any of the forum members would make a recommendation on getting a new puppy or not but would offer a personal opinion only. So having said that, personally I wouldn't get a new puppy at this time for several reasons:- Sandy is an elderly dog at 13 and has bad arthritis with difficulty walking and for me a boisterous, bouncy active puppy would make life difficult for Sandy and she couldn't move away for some peace easily due to the arthritis. Also if Sandy is in pain it may make her less tolerant with a puppy. As I said, this is purely my personal thoughts and you and your family must ultimately make your own decision. Wishing you well with the decision you make.
Hello there, and a very warm welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about Sandy, what a sad time this must be. It's your decision, you know Sandy best, but if it were me I'd concentrate on making Sandy's time as happy and comfy as possible. Plenty of time for a live wire, bouncy young puppy later....
Thank you everyone for your opinions. It is hard for us to lose our beloved pet- and it was unexpected, too. He wasn't eating well and had some bloody saliva. The vet thought he had a bad tooth and put him under to clean them and pull it. But instead he found a huge tumor on the base of his tongue. We had no choice but to do what was right for him. (He wouldn't have been able to breathe in a matter of days). So- we miss him and so does Sandy. We love labs and always wanted another, but couldn't help but adopt Petey when he showed up at our house. I have been trying to weigh all the benefits and negatives. For us (mostly my 7 year old) and Sandy. I might call their vet and see what he says about the situation as well. I'll include a recent pic of my pretty Sandy girl with her friend Petey.
So very sorry for your recent loss . I would agree with the other replies , Sandy can well do without a bouncy puppy right now , lovely though they are . I wish you luck
Hi and welcome, and sorry for your loss. I went through something very similar, and got our Poppy when my old dog Bones was 13. I have to say that while it was wonderful for Poppy, having a calm and gentle companion in the house, it was something for a trial for my poor old boy. The puppy wanted to play boisterously with him all the time; biting, bumping, knocking him down. He cried quite a bit, poor old love, and needed to be protected from her. They became good friends after a while, but quite honestly I would advise against getting a puppy while you have such an elderly dog needing your attention and affection.
4 years ago I was faced with the identical situation as the owner of a 13 year old, arthritic male black Labrador when we decided to buy a 8 week old puppy. It was the best decision I ever made in that it seemed to give the older dog a new lease of life and had a calming effect on the puppy. I would without hesitation do the same thing again and take the unlikely risk that that there could be a clash of personalities.
It's terribly hard to lose a dog.. You must all miss Petey terribly. Although I fully understand your wish to get a puppy, personally I'd focus on Sandy at the moment and wait to get a puppy later. Sandy is probably very sore and worried about being bumped. A puppy would be a challenge for her, and would also monopolise the attention. Sandy doesn't really need a puppy - she's has you. I'd just lavish attention on her and make this phase of her life as full of love, attention and comfort as you can make it. That is just my personal opinion about it.
So, I called my veterinarian's office today and asked them the question. They said that as long as Sandy seems to be doing well with Petey's death, it should be fine. It might even be good for Sandy to help keep her more active. Just don't let them rough house too much.
Many years ago we had an eleven year old Tibetan Terrier who was beginning to slow down and had become a bit 'creaky'. We had to opportunity to buy a labrador puppy, the litter-mate of a friend's puppy, and took the plunge. The puppy breathed new life into our older dog, who began to enjoy his walks again and lived until just before his seventeenth birthday. Much depends on your older dog and of course it's also important to give her her own space so that she can choose when to have 'time out'. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
My piece of advice is if you do get a pup, is be prepared to shut Sandy away in another room. Don't always think because the pups playing up that it has to him/ her that is removed. I have two dogs, Cassie was only 9 years old when we got Cupar. She is brilliant with him but there are times when he can be a handful even for her. Cupar is 13 months old now and bigger and stronger and gets bored, just like any youngster. Poor Cassie has never told him off when it's obvious he's becoming a pest. That's when I step in and put Cassie somewhere she can get peace. Then Cupar gets to calm down before some one to one training/playing with me. I find removing Cassie difficult as seen through a humans eyes I'm punishing the innocent party and rewarding the culprit. For Cassies sake it is better this way. You may be able to put an 8 week old pup in timeout but a full grown dog has different needs to that 8 week pup. I hope you have Sandy for a long time but he will be 14 years when the pup is a year old. The one year old is now bigger than then nearly 10 year old he's now on top off rather than dangling from her neck. I really hope I've explained that properly as I wouldn't try to talk you out of getting a pup. Be prepared for a different set of difficulties than having a pup on it's own. Oh and just in case you've forgotten, believe me I most definitely had, puppies are hard work, but Cupar is worth every precious minute. You will always have this forum when you need advice. Best of luck in whatever you decide.
We had an older family dog that was much perked up by a new puppy - but he was a strong personality and would not hesitate to snap at the pup when he'd had enough. So he had the youngster under control from day one. He was also very fussy about food, and having a Labrador puppy waiting to clean his bowl gave him a lot of motivation to eat everything. The competition for things (balls, toys, attention) also spurred him to be a bit more active and engaged in family life. He was a rough collie but he wasn't old, just older - about 9 when the pup came, I think. I would not impose a bouncy puppy on a gentle old Labrador who is sore from arthritis though.
I think that's exactly it - it's like having an old, arthritic grandfather, constantly bombarded by a bouncy, energetic toddler. Honestly, if your girl is suffering with achey joints and is already 13, from personal experience I would say, just wait a bit. I shed many tears, fearing that I had ruined the last few months of my old boy's life - and I didn't like the puppy much to begin with, either. Once she got to around five months old and stopped the constant biting and barging things got much, much better. But the first three months were not much fun for Bones.
Hello there,so sorry you've recently lost a much loved pet xxxx I can't offer any advice as Dexter is our first dog and he's only 3 ,but having read so many posts from experienced members I feel like I would hold off.I think I'd want Dex to have his last bit of time with us in peace and quiet and me be able to give him all my attention......it's a very personal choice and all of us would like to know how younger on with your decision Best wishes Angela
