My old dog is not doing very well. How did you prepare or manage

[EFerrari]

when your pet was at the end of their life?

She's in no immediate danger that I know of, although we're off the the vet's again tomorrow. I thought we'd been getting ready but since the last little degredation of her general health, I don't feel ready at all. Today, Mr. sfex had to take her out because I couldn't stand to see her so wobbly. I can't remember what it was like, pre-Buddy.

Her mood is very good for such an old gal (she's 13). She's still patient with the cats and with us, but is fuzzy a lot of the time. A little slow and sometimes, confused.

It's hard to understand people who treat dogs like dogs because there's definitely someone in there. Her body is frail now, but she's still full of life. Just try to sneak a piece of chicken or a steak sandwhich by her. lol

[Wcross]

1. You will die someday as well. Nobody gets out alive.

Just enjoy her company while you can, give her the best life she can have. When her pain is obviously making her life miserable, be a friend and help her leave.

[EFerrari]

11. Yep. She's more comfortable now on pain meds for her

arthritis. Actually, I think she's a little stoned all the time but it really, really helped with the hindquarter stiffness.

It sometimes sucks to be the grown up. But, you're right of course. :)

[flvegan]

2. You just know.

Your love for your friend overrides your desire to "keep her around" when it's obvious she's suffering. Does it make it any easier? No. Slow and confused isn't so bad (shit, look at what's running the country). It just is.

If she's in good spirits and still eating well, then you've got good signs.

Oh, and at 13, don't even try sneaking that stuff past her. Maybe let her indulge.

[EFerrari]

6. I've got to be careful beause if she has anything outside her diet

all hell breaks loose. On the other hand, it frequently does anyway.

Buddy has been adopted especially by on of the cats. She sits next to her and guards her. It's very touching actually. :)

[LisaM]

3. Our older dog just kind of faded away

she was pretty good till the last two weeks - she died at sixteen and a half - and we could tell. She was getting leaky - I could deal with that, and slow, I could deal with that too. She lost vision in one eye, but could still hear pretty well and see. I wouldn't overfeed a dog of any age, but I agree about giving her a small treat. Our dog wanted to go swimming on the last real walk I took her on. She hopped down the steps to the beach and was so excited to see the water! She chilled easily, so I didn't want her to swim, especially since it was November. Well, she only lasted another week, so I always wished now I'd let her take that swim. But we could tell when it was really time. She stopped eating, no matter what we tried, and she let US know that it was time. We called the vet, finally, because she wouldn't eat, and was just breathing with her eyes closed. We carried her outside while we raked leaves and I sat with her in her sleeping bag, while our other dog stood guard. She didn't realize, even, that she was outside. So we called the vet, and while we were on the phone, she passed away, peacefully, in my arms, sparing us that difficult decision at the end.

I hope your dog can last at least a little while longer.

[EFerrari]

9. Thanks, Lisa. Buddy doesn't swim any more but she still loves

the smell of the water! I'm so glad we live close to the beach because she sticks her big head up and breathes in the sea air like it's perfume.

[China_cat]

4. We have a housefull of old animals.

4 cats over 16, one almost 22, one large dog at 13, the second large one is 9. The little one is 9...she hasn't even reached middle age yet. We know that we're in for a lot of heartache in the not too distant future. We've already had some this year with our big girl leaving us. Cotton, the 22 year old, is very frail now and we're surprised every morning when we wake up and she's still breathing. But she's still eating, still using the box and still cuddling at night and purring. So we wait.

But, no matter how prepared you think you are, you won't be. It'll still catch you like a kick in the stomach. So enjoy the time you have.

[EFerrari]

7. 22! That's great! My record was a 17 year old kitty. She was

a piece of work. I still miss her. A little blax manx who didn't know she was little in any shape, way or form. lol

[hedgehog]

5. If she's not in pain, just let her be.

We've lost three very old cats and one old dog over the last few years. They just start sleeping a lot and stop eating. The cats are worse than the dogs because they try to hide when the end is near and one ended up crawling out of warm blanket box I'd made her and spending her last hours on the cold cellar floor. We have another old fellow who is fading now. He's supposed to be on a special diet for his kidneys, but he won't eat that anymore. He did have a nice piece of steak tonight for supper. He hopped up on the table and started going after my husband's dinner, so we gave him his own slice. The protein is probably bad for him, but he isn't eating anything else and at least he enjoyed eating the steak.

Take good care of yourself when the end comes. She's "just" a dog but that doesn't mean that there's no love there.

[EFerrari]

8. She sleeps a lot. But still perks up at mealtime.

If Buddy could hop on the table, she'd live up there. :)

[Dangerously Amused]

10. Oh sweetie, I don't know what to say.

Any decision you make will be motivated completely by love and with her best interests at heart... and you know her better than anyone... so trust yourself to know what to do when the time comes. If it comes down to euthanization, there is a certain comfort in managing her last moments for her, in seeing to it that she dies in the arms of the one who loved her best. Given a choice, isn't that how we all would like to go?



Oh, big hugs to you!

[EFerrari]

13. That's a really big hug! I'll take it!

Time changed somehow because that was a blip and now my puppy is a whitehaired old lady. It's so hard to believe. I'm really glad we work from home because she never has to wait for us to come home. We're a very Buddy-oriented establishment, lol.

[Godhumor]

12. My mother's cat...

My mother's last cat, who I was very fond of, showed no sign of slowing down other than arthritis. One night while sitting with my mother he had a heart attack. My mother said she could instantly tell that he was dying and just held on to him gently as it took its course. She said, "My only wish was for itt o happen fast for his sake."

It was a hard death, but I am thankful she never had to make the last trip to the vet.

My only advice is the same as a few others--the dog will let you know when it is time.

[EFerrari]

14. I hope you're right. This is the most patient dog, ever.

She never complains about anything. She used to help me foster kittens and let them sleep all over her. I think she has a high tolerance for pain, too. She's one of those damn smilers. She's always smiling. It's sort of irritating that someone can be so damned goodnatured.

[LisaM]

15. My two cents - I don't think she's quite ready to go

She sounds terribly sweet.

[ThomCat]

16. I let my first cat go to the end.

He was in pain, but he was happy and social so I figured he wasn't ready to give up yet. I have chronic pain too so I understand that. As long as he was willing to keep going I'd let him.

I still second guess myself about that but he was my baby and I hated to see him go. :cry:

I got him when I was 13, and he lived until I was 33, so he was there through all the most important years.

[slide to the left]

17. We had to put down a dog once

We knew she was getting older and we got another dog. After a few years of having both of them, the older one had to be put down. It was really hard, esp on my brother. We still talk about her even thought it was nearly 5 years ago.

It hurts for a while, but you move on. I am glad we put her down so she didn't have to suffer. I just hope someone does that for me at the end of my life.

[Samurai_Writer]

18. I've had to put three pets to sleep in the past 16 months

It's very hard. My two cats were old and both had hyperthyroid. One had cancer, then a stroke. The other one had kidney failure and I was having to give her IV fluids every day. My dog was only 5 years old, and had advanced pancreatic cancer. You just know when it is time. It's hard, but it is the best for them, not to suffer.

*Hugs to you*

[EFerrari]

19. Well, we're off to the vet in a few minutes. She's clean but

I haven't had time to shower ME. That's all right. Let's see how we do.

:hi:

[ChickMagic]

20. I'm so sorry - those decisions hurt.

For one thing, you must gauge quality of life. Don't wait too long.
My boss did that and the chordae tendinae in Toby's poor little heart
ruptured and he screamed until he died. It sounds from your description
that your dog is still enjoying life. Hey, I'm a little fuzzy and
confused sometimes. As long as it's transitory, that's okay. It could
be cataracts or something like that that makes her seem confused.

If he's still interested in food, that's a good thing.
My Sally had totally lost interest. I made her food that she ate
for a little while - it was oatmeal with beef baby food mixed in and
baked like cookies. That's all she could eat and then stopped eating that.
When she wouldn't eat and could barely stand, that, for me was the time.

[EFerrari]

21. That sounds right to me, ginbarn. It is a hard negotiation, for sure.

:(

[ChickMagic]

22. It's just so sad

:hug:

Just remember that she has trusted you all her life
to look out for her and that also means to lovingly
usher her out at the right time. She trusts you with
that as well.

[China_cat]

26. A rule of thumb for knowing when it's time.

List the 3 things your Buddy loves most in the world. When those 3 things can no longer bring a spark, then it's time.

[Arkansas Granny]

23. Over the years you have done many kind things for your friend.

When it is obvious that life is no longer pleasurable for her, you should consider helping her leave this life painlessly and with dignity as the last kind act you perform for her. It's not an easy decision, but you will know that it's the right one.

[In_The_Wind]

24. When I realized that my beloved Byron was nearing his end

I canceled my trip to Maine. I stayed home as much as possible for the last four months of his life. We spent much of the time outside together. He would doze or watch our furry and feathered friends as I read quietly by his side. I wasn't ready to let go of one of the most wonderful friends of my lifetime. :cry:

My heart goes out to you and your family, sfexpat. Saying goodbye to a loved-one is never easy.

[GumboYaYa]

25. Love them, comfort them and be there when it happens.

Kind of the same way you deal with a human in the same condition. We just went through this with a cat.