My dog is 14.5 and is barely able to stand or walk. He’ll eat if I put the bowl directly under his chin, basically. It is very difficult to get him to go outside. I am sure he’s in pain when we have to move him to go make, but he takes it well. (I am sure that won’t last.) I tried to pick him up, but he snaps at me. I can’t bring him to the vet. I know he just wants to be left alone.
It is obvious his time is short, but other than walking, he’s ok. It’d be terrible to make the ultimate decision prematurely. I have two kids, too, so that makes it all that much harder.
I hate to tell you this, but I don’t think the ultimate decision would be premature here. Fourteen is old for some breeds. He’s in pain. You don’t want that for him.
That said, without a vet diagnosis, you won’t know for sure if it’s something simple that can be fixed. My advice would be to find a vet who makes housecalls or lure him (the dog, not the vet) into a carrier and take him to the vet in that. Either way, he needs a doctor.
Have you also tried glucosamine supplements? They helped our dog at least live without joint pain. So he was able to get up and move around without howling. What breed is the dog?
If you don’t know what’s wrong, he needs a veterinary evaluation. Could it be something as common and treatable as severe arthritic pain? We had a middle-aged Labrador with arthritis developing years after knee surgery, got her on the right pain meds and she went from being miserable to charging around nicely for many years after that.
An older dog certainly could have other issues, but you owe it to him and yourself to get it checked out.
By the way, glucosamine supplements have an iffy track record and research basis for treating arthritis, dog or human. Some people (and vets) think they’re helpful, oftentimes they don’t work very well. A lack of response to them certainly doesn’t rule out arthritis.
I’ll dissent. It’s time. 14 isn’t old for some breeds, it’s downright elderly for any dog. Those that live healthily into the mid and late teens are outliers, not the standard. An animal that cannot walk and is in obvious pain is not enjoying any real quality of life. A dog that cannot be motivated to move to eat shows the same signs. Do the right thing for your companion who gave you so much over his life. In this case if the dog is larger, I’d suggest finding a vet that will make a housecall for putting him to sleep. No need to stress him out and cause him pain with a trip to the vet.
I agree with Jackmanni. Just like elderly people, old dogs can get arthritis. Getting him on some pain medication would be a fairly simple thing to try and could improve his quality of life a great deal.
If there’s no chance for improvement through vet treatment, then I agree, it’s time. My mom had to put down our family’s golden retriever at about the same age, for pretty much the same problem. She was in pain and obviously not enjoying life at all, and it was hard on her to be carried outside to go to the bathroom all the time. I was very sad to see her go but it was clearly necessary.
Being a responsible owner sometimes means making terribly tough decisions. We had to put two dogs down within a week of each other- one older Newfoundland, one quite a bit younger.
It was awful, but not nearly as horrible as leaving dogs ill because I didn’t want to feel bad. It sounds like it’s time to be the grownup. I’m sorry.
In addition to diagnosing possible illness that’s impacting your dog, the vet can also make a quality-of-life assessment with your participation and recommend a course of action. Vets do this sort of thing all the time and can be helpful in making the decision.
Jackmannii’s later comment notwithstanding, glucosamine/chondroitin supplements and a strong NSAID, like carprofen, have kept our 11 year old dog much more active than before. Without them, I’d probably have had to put her down by now, due to severe hind leg arthritis. See what your vet has to say about their use.
I am sorry that you have to go through this. Echoing PapSett, these decisions while watching your animal suffer, are the worst part of pet ownership.
Yeah, I’m not getting the “can’t go to the vet” when you have to move/carry him out to eliminate several times a day anyway. I’m not seeing how taking him to the vet is worse than that.
My first step would be to call my vet, ask 1> if they make housecalls and 2> if you’d be able to get a proper diagnosis from a housecall (some equipment you can’t just pack up into a car).
If you can do a housecall, great. If not, get him to the vet. As others have said, your vet can give you treatment options and an assessment of quality of life with those options. Be prepared that it might be your dog’s last trip to the vet, though.
If an animal gets to a point where pain wins over hunger, something is seriously wrong. If you can’t reverse that, it’s time.
I vote for getting him to the vet. I went through this a few years ago with a Lab. I was ready to have her put to sleep the spring she was 14. The vet suggested a different pain remedy. I treasured every day that summer with her. I have pictures of her swimming. She could no longer walk a mile to the pond. I used a ramp to get in and out of my truck cab to drive her to the pond almost every day.
That fall, about the time she turned 15, she had a huge, fast growing tumor. It was time.
It depends. A large animal might be easy enough to shuffle outside a few times a day for potty runs. The OP noted that he snaps at them when they do this though. Most dogs will never snap at their owners unless that really hurts or bothers them. If he’s a big dog, carrying him to the car, into the vet etc will cause significant pain and stress to the animal. I’ve NEVER met a dog who likes to go to the vet’s office. Considering the age and mobility issues, finding one who will make a housecall to do the right thing seems the kindest option. Let the poor old fella die at home where he feels safe and comfortable as he can be.
My dogs are 14 and 11 (at 20 and 70 lbs, so about the same age considering). But they’re in excellent health and could pass for puppies a lot of the time. Do you know what’s going on with your dog? Sounds like he has crippling arthritis - are you giving him pain medication? You can’t let him live in constant pain with no treatment.
Once an animal is in pain and has reduced quality of life, I think it’s time for euthanasia. If I were you I’d have put your boy down some time ago. A dog that isn’t even motivated to eat is pretty far gone.
Yes, you can bring him to the vet. First stop by the pet store and buy a soft muzzle for him, and he won’t be able to snap at you. It doesn’t inhibit being able to breathe freely or even drink. We managed to get our snappish dog to the vet for check ups after she broke her pelvis in five places, so I’m confident you can get your dog to the vet for a check up too.
