These threads always mist me up. Good bye, Daisy. It sounds like you were a good dog.
It sounds like she had a slice of doggie heaven here on earth.
Good on you for your many kindnesses to Daisy, and thank you for adopting.
Bumpdate! I went as long as I could without a dog in the house so yesterday we went to the no kill shelter where we got Daisy to see what they had. This little girl stole my heart the minute I saw her. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/10/28/he4ubyry.jpg
We’ve named her Gigi. She’s the ultimate lap dog. Welcome to the family Gigi!
Oh, she’s cute. Congratulations to you and her for finding a great family.
That’s a great bumpdate (good word, by the way), Nars!
That’s love, right there.
Congratulations! She looks like a sweetie.
Congratulations!
StG
I missed this thread the first time around.
As I write here I have tears in my eyes. Some are sad tears, but now with the bumpdate there are tears of happiness.
I adopted a dog from a shelter almost 10 years ago. At that time we estimated that he was 3-4 years old. That puts him at about 14. My question comes as to when it is time to put him to sleep?
He currently has extreme trouble with stairs–and has fallen down/up them a couple of times; he also will fall down and sometimes can’t get up if he’s fallen when he is on hardwood floors or tile.
He is going slightly blind and he’s having trouble hearing. I don’t think I’ve even heard him bark in the last six months.
He hasn’t started peeing in places, but he is having trouble holding in his bowel movements. He’s on several medications to help with arthritis.
He still eats regularly but eats constantly.
My wife is very passionate about him, as am I, but this is one of those topics that I can’t discuss with her without her breaking down.
That being said, I’m not sure that it is quite time, but I’m not sure that it’s not time either.
I’d appreciate any advice you can provide.
OP here, to sum up the advice above, when it’s time to start asking the question, unfortunately the answer is probably yes. Please don’t wait until he is miserable all of the time, that’s not fair to him and won’t allow him to enjoy “one last good day”.
When the time is right, please visit a shelter and make another best friend. He won’t replace your current friend but you’ll find plenty of room in your heart for him.
Is your dog in pain that can’t be relieved by vet pain meds? I’d say baby gate the stairs so he can’t climb them unescorted and put no-skid rugs on the hardwood and tile. And start the talk with your vet. Tell her you want a reality check, and that you need her to tell you if she thinks your dog is suffering. Have your wife with you and tell her you need her unbiased and fresh eyes to see what you may be missing. Your wife needs to hear this, too. She needs it percolating in the back of her mind.
Good luck to you.
Nars Glinley - How’s Gigi doing?
StG
When it has bitten two humans todate.
drostbr, it’s the hardest decision a pet owner makes. Nars Ginley and StGermain both have good advice. It’s a decision I’ve had to make a number of times in my many years of dog, cat and horse ownership. It is never easy, but not once have I regretted knowing that I was easing their pain and being responsible to them as their caretaker. My heart goes out to you.
She’s doing great, thanks for asking. I still miss Daisy but Gigi has really helped soften the blow. I had completely forgotten what it was like to have a young and healthy dog around.
I put my dog Socks to sleep yesterday - after 16.5 yrs she was suffering from chronic arthritis, dementia, incontinence. She got to the point I was carrying her up and downstairs and outside and back. Outside she stopped wanting to walk and started to rasp when lying down as well as grumbling in the last week and half, and I just got a bad feeling it was more than the arthritis (which injections helped with but did not cure - so how much pain she was in I had no idea).
She was so miserable last weekend I noticed a distinct change so did my sis who visited, and so I made the decision to let her go the coming fri (yesterday). I was with her at home the last few days with cuddles and treats and we had quality time, but she seemed to get a little better - eating really well (appetite never went) and she perked up tho was still unwilling to walk outside and paced restlessly the night before (as usual).
I have been beating myself up about whether I could have waited for a little longer - it fel somehow wrong doing it to her when she clearly had some life left in her - but your posts about the Last Good Day really made me feel so much better. It was something I never really thought about.
My biggest concern was that she suffer for hours/days and die in pain, and I wanted to avoid that for her at all costs. I had watched my mother die slowly in agony from an illness and she was away with family when she died - she should have been in a hospital on a morphine drip but wasn’t taken. I would never want anyone or anything to go through that sort of unecessary agony. I think really now it was a matter of time, and the worst thing would have been for her to deteriorate when I was at work, or to have the dog carer find her and call me. For her to be afraid alone would have been so much worse.
I have never been with an animal when they were put to sleep but I was with her all the way. She got a little scared - it’s true - but I held her to the end. And it was mercifully quick. She trusted me and I did for her what I had to and I am now glad I did it when I did.
They do tell you and you do know - you struggle for some time and that in a part is our way of coming to terms with what must be done. But true love is not being selfish and letting them go, in spite of your own feelings.
I now cherish the happy last days I had with her. She was my best friend, a source of unconditional love in a fickle world. I am grateful God saw fit to give me her for the time we had. She has gone home - because ‘We are all restless until we rest in you.’
Thank you Socks
Condolences.
I just put my dog of 14yrs. down in late June.
It’s tough.
Nars, I’m so sorry.
And don’t feel bad if you get “dust in your eye” over the next several days. That happens.
Thanks GrumpyBunny. This thread is actually 2 years old so the “dusty” period has been over for a while now. Although I do still miss Daisy, my new dog Gigi and I are getting along great.
I think it is all about quality of life. However when an animal stops eating they are trying to tell you something. Our old tortie was 21 years old, she had lost a lot of weight, and was a frail old kitty. She had gone stone deaf, but she seemed to still enjoy life, of course she was no longer a frisky cat but still loving and loved. Then one day she stopped eating, we waited a couple of days but she told us a clearly as possible that the was ready, it broke my heart but we agreed it was her time to go.