When sickness overcomes them and they are truly suffering, or on the verge of suffering, there is no question (in my own opinion).
When you can't remember their last "good day", you may want to give it some thought.
Old, arthritic and incontinent, well most of us could experience that and possibly sooner than we're really ready to leave this earth.
My little guy is 14. He's got some health issues and he's going blind and deaf. I've modified my house and my lifestyle a bit and he's still happy and playful, though not as hardy as he was in his youth. He's also a poodle, by the way, though not a standard.
I've been told that when "it's time", you'll know.
I had a mixed breed that passed 6 years ago. She had kidney disease and went into renal failure. I questioned whether it was time and when I thought it was, she'd have another good day. One morning I woke up with her and I just knew. I never questioned that decision and still feel like I did the very best for her.
I hope that helps.

Another consideration is how attached are your children to these dogs?

I have spent a lot of money on some older dogs we had.... hip surgeries, growth removals, etc...

We even had one that had a thyroid condition.

If they aren't suffering.....

My kids always considered pets part of the family.

Funny but I was just thinking about your dogs the other day. Wondering how they were getting on. One thing to think about is the quality of life ... are they enjoying life still or are they just existing? Do they interact or are they bumps on the rugs? I am not much help - I've never had an old dog either. Too bad we didn't grow up with pets. I don't think goldfish count.

Go with your heart, and take care of them as long as they are not clearly suffering. We had four elderly dogs pass away over 15 months recently, so we have seen a lot what you are talking about. However, ours were all able to pass away naturally and in their own time. And they lived with quiet quality until they died. Supplements and care helped with this.

My wife Billie (http://www.billiedean.com) is an animal communicator , and she often has people come to her with this exact question. Is it time? The answer is that it depends on the particular animal. Most of the time, the animals don't want help dying. They want to make their transition in their own time and way. Some, however, clearly need help, but you know when that time comes when your heart says so. The saddest thing we have ever witnessed was an old dog strugging against the vet who was putting him down at the owner's request simply because he'd become too much trouble to care for.

Our motto is "make each day a jewel". Enjoy their furry presence and the love they continue to bring to you and your family as long as you can. It is all too easy to cut off a dog's life simply because we can. Again, they shouldn't be suffering, but from what you've described, that's not what's going on. People will often urge others to put their dogs down because of the diminished scope of the dog's life. But like older people, older dogs appreciate receiving the love and care you can give them, and they enjoy being part of the family to the level that they can.

I dealt with that decision twice in the past two years. My 17 year old , Myka, and 16 year old Rudy. Myka went down hill quickly and it was obvious when it was time to let her go. But Rudy was unable to walk unassisted the last two years of his life due to a ruptured disk in his back- his hind legs were paralyzed. I made a sling and supported his hind quarters with it so he could walk and he seemed okay with it. He was mostly incontinent, but I decided as long as he was in no pain and continued to eat that I would not euthanize him. Those last two years, we made his welfare our main priority. He had also lost his hearing and didn't seem to see well. Finally the day came that he didn't want to eat anymore and clearly was in pain. I knew then that the time had come- it was time to let him go. I don't regret for a minute the two years that our lives revolved around him and his welfare. For the other 15 years, his life had revolved around us.

I know it sounds trite- but when it is time, you will know. I'd say, if you have questions whether it is time to euthanize them, then it probably isn't the time. Perhaps you can find a way to deal with their incontinence- keep them in a room with tile floors. My neighbor's house is completely carpeted so she lays a thick layer of plastic on the floor of her computer room and keeps her old dog in there.

Old age- not much fun for dogs or people.
Peace-
Linda (Isabella's Human)

I know that toward the end of Louie's life Mom put him in doggie diapers so that he didn't have to worry about messing the house. He had bladder cancer. The normal prognosis is 180 days and he lived almost 2 years! Incontinence needn't be the end. Mom used a belly wrap with a maxi pad (whatever those are) in it. She only had to wash it occassionally...and she was very careful to never be gone more than 4 hrs without having someone let us out.

Likewise, blindness isn't much of an issue here, Lily, Starry and Poo all have poor vision. They manage.

Ultimately Mom had to gauge Louie's quality of life. When he stopped eating on christmas day Mom got him to eat prime rib for a couple days. But then he had trouble getting up and didn't want to rub his face all over Mom and she knew.

Mom held him while he passed and cried a lot. But he knew she loved him more than anything to the end. She had him cremated and keeps his cremains on a high shelf in the boys room. He loved that room.

We still all miss Louie, but Mom knows that Louie was ready to go and she is at peace with it. She was always worried because his original owner had de-barked him. He couldn't growl or whine..(he had a raspy bark) she was always afraid she wouldn't know if he was hurting. But he let her know. - M-the-V

Although my experience has been mostly with cats (we have two dogs but they're not that old yet), I agree with the other comments that if you're unsure whether it's time to put the dogs to sleep, it's not time yet.

Animals (like people) just seem to withdraw into themselves and lose interest when it's their time to go. Earlier this year I had to put our sick, 17-year-old cat to sleep. One day I woke up, looked at him and petted him, and just knew it was time to say goodbye.

Since your wife is closer to the dogs (and probably more intuitive about their level of pain and/or interest), you might want to let her make the decision on this.

I'll keep my comments short since others have pretty much stated my thoughts already. As strange as it may seem, I think you will know when is the right time to euthanize them. It will be absolutely clear. Even stranger is I know people who have used animal communicators to speak with their pets. Here is the one they used: http://www.carolschultz.com/index.htm

Here are 2 poems you might find useful:

IF I SHOULD GROW FRAIL

If it should be that I grow frail and sick
And pain does keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done
For this--the last battle--can't be won.

You will be sad, I understand
But don't let grief then stay your hand
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years
You don't want me to suffer
So take me where my needs they'll be met.
Only stay with me till the end.
For hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved
From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don't grieve that it must now be you
Who has to decide this thing to do
We've been so close--we two--these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.IF I SHOULD GROW FRAIL

If it should be that I grow frail and sick
And pain does keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done
For this--the last battle--can't be won.

You will be sad, I understand
But don't let grief then stay your hand
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years
You don't want me to suffer
So take me where my needs they'll be met.
Only stay with me till the end.
For hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved
From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don't grieve that it must now be you
Who has to decide this thing to do
We've been so close--we two--these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

RAINBOW BRIDGE

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Hi Dave,

I recently lost a beloved cat after 22 years. The vet had given her 6 months to live after diagnosing kidney failure, but I managed to keep her going for five extra years. She died in my arms after a fall last week.

While I'm happy with my own choice for several reasons, I'm also a bit ambivalent about having spent so much time caring for that cat during those years, as much as I loved her. With work/kids/house, life was too exhausting already, and I could certainly understand someone deciding not to prolong the inevitable, especially if their pet isn't having such a good time of things either. Frankly, as sad as I am, it is a relief to be free from the constant chore of caring for her and cleaning up after her "meltdowns", especially since she hadn't really been her old self for some time.

But-- in addition to honoring my own commitment to her, one thing influenced my decision more than any other: my kids. They loved that cat, and their relationship with her had taught them to be kind, gentle, empathetic, and compassionate. She had helped them through some lonely times, and gave them such a profound sense of security. And as long as I gave her "intensive care" four times a day, she was fine and happy. How could I justify to them having her put down, just because it was a lot of work to keep her?

What I hope it taught my sons, by example, was that, if you make a commitment to someone, you try to keep it, no matter what. That you stay and care for those you love even if it's hard. That love isn't always easy and it isn't always fun. That if someone needs your help, you help them, even if you're tired or would rather be doing something else. And that you don't just throw someone away because they've become inconvenient.

If our cat had been suffering, and the suffering couldn't be eased with medication, I wouldn't have hesitated to put her down, and would have explained to my kids that sometimes you have to do what seems too painful to stand, you have to suffer that loss, in order to ease the pain of the one you care about. Sometimes letting go is the kindest thing you can do.

So I guess I'd agree with what others have said: listen to your heart, but consider your family, too. If your dogs are miserable and suffering, you should end it. If they're just old, but basically happy, and someone in your family really loves them, in the end you may be glad to have put in the extra work.

(I'd just add one other thing-- if you decide you want to keep your guys going a bit longer, you might check with a naturopathic vet or get a book. Intensive nutrition-- most commercial pet foods are truly awful--and supplements like glucosamine, chondroitin, and milk thistle can make a huge difference in the condition and comfort of an older animal. As I said, I kept our cat going for five extra years, with a regimen of nutrition and herbal therapies, combined with standard veterinary medicines. Her blood tests got better rather than worse. The vet said this was impossible, and was always shocked at how well she was doing.)

Good luck,
Kate (Bear's mom)

The quality of life issue is the most important. If they still derive joy from life, then let them continue to enjoy living.

My dog Cinco was 12 when we put her to sleep. She had a severe retinal degeneration that made her completely blind in the course of three weeks. She simultaneously went deaf. She would wander into the closet at night, get all tangled up in things, or pee, and then whine miserably until we rescued her.

The only joy she got was from food. The night we put her down, I fed her a whole fillet mignon, a piece of salmon and a whole bar of semi-sweet dark chocolate. She was the happiest beast ever. The vet came about half an hour later. I think Cinco knew what was happening, and she was very willing about the whole thing. She died in my arms. It was one of the saddest days of my life.

My family had to put my first dog to sleep when he was having trouble breathing due to a heart condition. We weren't willing to go to extreme measures and he was definitely suffering at age 15. I've also had to put a cat to sleep, he wasn't that old but he had gone into liver failure. He wouldn't/couldn't eat, and we weren't successful pulling him out of it with fluid injections and force-feeding.

In both cases we decided that the animal's quality of life was seriously impaired. They were very hard decisions because while the animals were part of our family, we also decided that we would not go to great lengths to extend their lives.

Much harder to make a conscious decision for euthanasia than to "let nature take its course", but in the end I think we tried to balance the suffering of the pet and the needs of the entire family.

Unfortunatly I am probably going to pull some heart strings here but at the onset let me say I have a great love for animals and have owned 12 dogs, 30 something parrots, 300 pigeons and a duck. The more experience I have with animals the more I love them, but. I am an adult, a grown human being with all the logic available to me at this point in time in my life, My decissions, like yours, are made with many overall factors influencing them.

When it comes to an old dog or cat please, the humane thing to do is to put them down. Unlike a previous writer if you aren't sure if it is the right time, it IS the right time.

Obviously there are enough signs telling you so for you to be in any sort of doubt at all. These pets, no matter how much we wish to think of them as some sort of human with hates desires and feelings, going by all the human feelings we inflict our animals with, they are, all said and done, animals.

In the wild they die usually from alot of things but not generally from old age, a sick or weak animal is swiftly delt to by it's own kind or preditor.

Okay so man has domesticated many species, all this means is we have altered their natural instincts so they will happily sit in a purse while their owner enjoys a coffee. Bottom line is if it has served, depending on the species, what would be a normal lifetime for it, with you and now it is ill, disabled, deaf, blind or otherwise not the pet it used to be then get over your own inabilities to rationally look at the situation and give the poor animal the peace it deserves.

Honestly there are literally thousands of so called pets being put down daily around the world and most of these would be in great health, so if you feel guilt about doing the right thing by your pet immediately afterwords go to a pound and save a healthy animal and give that one another great life with your love and caring.

I found your link last week while searching for answers, and information to help me decide what to do for my 17 year old English Setter. Since I was grateful in finding folks' comments on your link, I feel this obligation to post my immediate experience with my old dog.
No one can tell you what to do. Unfortunately, it is a decision that you and your wife will have to make, and live with it. I just put my Setter to sleep this morning. While she had been dealing with deafness and also incontinence for a few years, she was relatively happy. She continued to beg for food on a daily basis, and would even sometimes start running during her walks. She could even go up and down stairs. I felt that the dog's incontinence was affecting my life, but not my dog's, and therefore, opted to keep her. Unfortunately, earlier this week, while at a kennel, she got dehydrated and then went into kidney failure. The vet at the kennel did not have much hope for her. My personal vet believed that the dehydration caused the kidney failure, and he was correct. By giving her an IV and lots of fluids, we got her blood count to its normal range, but my dog did not want to wake up or walk. She was no longer eating and only wanted to sleep. So today we made the ultimate decision that at this point there is nothing left that we can do for her, and that her organs are in the process of shutting down.
Everyone told me that when the time is right, you will know. This morning I woke up, and despite how difficult it was, knew that I had to make the decision, and let her go.
My suggestion to you would be that if in your heart you feel that you ought to take care of them, and they still -- to some extent -- enjoy certain aspects of life, then go with your heart. If they don't pass away as a result of natural causes, you will know when it is time. They have provided you and your wife with unconditional love, and are dependent on you to making decisions for them. They will trust that you made the right decision as you have all these years.

I am sobbing reading these posts, thinking about having my 13 year old Welsh Terrier, Rozie, euthanized. She has gone downhill the last 8 months with what started as an inner ear infection and now looks like partial paralysis from a stroke or something. She's wobbly on my hardwood floors and sometimes is like bambi on ice, flailing around, unable to get up, sometimes peeing and flailing in it. I have to carry her up and down the stairs. My ex-husband is in a rancher (we share our pet as well as our daughter) with mostly carpeting and a doggy-door so she's more stable and mobile there. Lately, she seems very senile and she wanders incessantly. The partial paralysis has her unable to sit comfortably, she sort of sags into herself and flops onto the floor. She doesn't play with her squeaky toys for more than a squeak or two...times gone by she would have to kill it - being a mighty terrier - and I could never find one that would last more than 2 minutes, tops.

What I'm having trouble with is my 11 year old daughter. When Rozie fell ill with terrible vertigo and an inability to stay on her feet, I thought for sure we would have to put her down. She and I cried together for a couple of nights straight. Then the vet said they sometimes come out of this inner ear infection and sure enough, she did improve, but has never been the same since. I haven't been back to the vet, which may seem heartless, but she is so petrified of him that I can't bear to put her through the trauma of going there. I have a friend who is an animal health tech and another acquaintance who is a vet and I'm hoping to arrange for them to help me euthanize Rozie at home. What do I do about my child? I swear, I can't take the agony of telling her ahead of time and having to go through all the trauma that will ensue. Sometimes I think I should just take Rozie and quietly have the deed done myself, tell everyone afterward that I found her at home, dead. What do you think? Would that be denying my daughter some essential experience or participation in the last moments of our beloved pet's life? Can you share your experiences with telling/preparing/going through this with your children. I would be grateful.

Do sick dogs walk away to die or is that a myth?

Help! Anyone know about Masticular Myotosis, an imune disease which affects the jaw muscle? We're treating out 100 LB Rotweiller with 20 MG of prednisone per day. I under stand that the disease is incurable.

Hello, I have a 16 year old Standard Poodle who has been with my family for 15 yrs. She is very loving dog. Sable (dog) is now has loss of hearing, sight and the hips are bad . Her hind leg is bowed from a accident from long ago. She has dental problems now the teeth are all doing black and the vet said by putting her under for cleaning or pulling that she might not make it at her age. I see her now swolling her hard food and want to feed her soft but the breath is so bad now. She is happy still and thinks she is still 3yrs.old. I am afraid that if she runs to much with the other dogs she will die of a heart attack.I don't want to put her down when she is completely helpless or just laying there dying and fighting for her last breath. Is it wrong for me to put her down while she is still happy ? I don't think I could watch her lay there and suffer being helpless!

i have a 14 year toy poodle that is half blind and dont see well a night . and has bad hips and a hearttrouble . he still some time act as a young dog. still barks a the mailman. and any one who came to the door. he see his vet a least once a month even ifhe is not sick( for my peace of mind). i like to catch a illness before it can gst to bad. he eats his food and drinks his water ( bottle water) and goes to the bath room out side. he can still jump off the back deck my vet says that my poodle will tell me went he cant jump any more . and i had a poodle tha live to be 16 years old befor we had to put him to sleep .and son live to be 15 years i learn thing from them that i dont do with my dog now. so as long as you keep them happy and see the vet. i dont see way you need to put them to sleep. i dont want to think about the day i will have to put mt to sleep but i wiill not let him be in pain just because i want to still be herre that not fair to nim or me .i still miss my other poodles a lot. they had a good life. if you need to talk to mr just e mail me.

As another blog participant basically said, in a situation like this, noone can tell your family what "to do", that is, what decisions to make regarding what actions to take (or not take) and any related timing, because only your family must live on with these decisions and with the emotional repercussions of making them.

As leader(s) of the family, these decisions are as important in terms their emotional impact on younger, and perhaps more emotionally vulnerable members of the family, as they are on the family leaders themselves, those who presumably, must ultimately direct, if not make, the decisions. In any family which is emotionally attached to the animals they keep, every family member will struggle emotionally, in terms of their own respective developmental stages, with the loss of a pet. To complicate things further, family leaders carry a responsibility to model appropriate attachment behaviors in terms of how they themselves emotionally manage their own loss relative to their own emotions and to those of their partner(s)and their children, of how one might best parent children in the face of loss, and of how to respond in the face of the moral dilemma of how (and why) one might elect (or not elect) to such make decisions in the first place, at the same time as they share the loss with the rest of their family members and endure the process of grieving their own loss of an important attachment relationship.

I will soon be facing similar decisions, emotions, and dilemmas regarding our very elderly dog, as I parent my 20 year old son, an adolescent on the verge of adulthood. I do not look forward to those tough times, as inevitable as they are. I know that I will have to balance the demands of the emotional needs of myself, my family members and of our pet against the limitations of our resources and against the moral dilemmas posed by the fact that she is a dog and not a human being, by my belief that a decision to choose to devote extraordinary (whatever that means) resources to extend and enhance, or to the contrary, to shorten or even terminate (and enhance?) her life , is in effect "playing God", and by the fact that there are many other human beings whose lives could be considerably improved if I directed such resources towards them instead of towards our dog. In the end, I know that each member of our family should feel as comfortable with our respective memories of that experience as we are with our memories of the joy that she has brought us over the years. Despite that it seems a tall order, taking on the role of addressing this issue as a responsible parent is part of the bargain I made 14 years ago when I adopted a pup.

The way my family deals with the decision-making then, will, I'm sure, differ from how yours does now, as the ages and developmental stages of our children are so different, not to mention the potential for any number of other factors to contribute to the differential dynamics of our respective families. However, my guess is that the basic elements of the process by which each of our families can successfully navigate such a loss, and be true to the basic principals of attachment parenting, will be remarkably similar.

Raising a discussion of this family crisis of sorts in the context of a blog on attachment parenting is an interesting, and excellent, choice.

One thing I've always remembered was Elizabeth Marchall Thomas' comment that as long as they are eating, they are sustaining their lives and finding joy. For her that was her threshold for the decision of when it was "time".

I have a 13yr old GSD (german shepherd)...she is slightly deaf and blind...i use the word slightly as sometimes she hears me come through the door other times..she doesnt,she keeps digging hole and being sick on and off..and its really upsetting to watch her do that...i feel in my heart that it is time but i live with my mum and little sister and ultimatly the disision is my mums...Kimbas quality of life isnt as it used to be she finds it hard getting up as she has hip problems and sometimes falling over on her front slightly...i notice it alot more when we go for our dayly short walks together in the park which is 1min down the road...she spends most of her time other than getting up to eat(dry food)as wet meat makes her sick and drink...lying down in on set place up against our sofa...i really feel for her..and i love her we have had her from a puppy...please post me some advice or experience caz_brownsell2030@hotmail.com thank you

I have a cat that is now 16 years old, she is barely getting around, and is losing weight awfully fast. I dont have the funds to increase her life expectancy, I have several other cats, two others in the same twilight years as she. She has been a joy and I love her tremendously. It kills me to see her like this, but my heart sinks to even think of having her put down. I don't want to see her suffer, and think I may be a bit selfish, with wanting her with me. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I was reading and became very emotional with all the different storys, and feel I am such a softy, and need help to make this decision.

Not sure what to say, MJ, but if your cat is experiencing pain and discomfort every single day and there's no hope of improvement, I'd suggest that perhaps it's time...

Update; last week we put our white pup, Jasmine, to sleep. It was very clear she was in great pain, couldn't stand up any more, and was never going to get any better. It was very tough to make the decision, and we miss her a lot, but we're comfortable knowing it was the right decision.

Yes, dogs do walk away to die. My beloved gsd was very ill, I knew something was terribly wrong with her so I fell asleep lying down beside her on the floor. In the morning when we woke up, we frantically searched the house for her and she was as far away as she could get, in the furthest corner of the basment. My husband carried her up the steps and took her to the vet and we had her euthanized as there was no chance of recovery. She had acute leukemia. Mom had a similar experience with her cocker spaniel who died of a heart attack.

Does anyone have any experience with dogs running away to die? My 15 year old aged sheltie is missing for 2 days.

i have a question - not a comment.... i have a dog that is around 10 years old and she has body jerks - not like the ones they have in their sleep...this is something terribly not right...she also sometimes falls over to the left side , but she jumps straight back up... she had her splene taken out because of cancer... she was doing this before that surgery , but is still doing it now also... this scares me.. what do you think????

I have a Golden Retriever that is just over a year old. I took her (Baby) in to be fixed and found out by the blood tests that she is in kidney failure. It came as such a shock that I got a second opinion which confirmed the disease. The said she was probably born with it and that it had slowly been taking its toll. This is why we had no clue.

My husband and I are so close to our dogs (2) that we have been doing everything we could to make her comfortable at home. From meds to intravenous fluids daily.

The night before last, she wet on herself several times. She growled at our male when he got near her (never did this before). I cried my heart out and made a decision that I would take her in the next morning to be put to sleep. However, when morning came, she was acting more herself and I could not do it.

I talked at length with my husband and our vet. The vet said that possibly she had another urinary infection, which is common in dogs in renal failure. (We had just gone through a few weeks of antibiotics for a urinary infection and she had been off the antibiotics for just over a week). The other possibility was that her kidney failure had progressed to this point.

I went to the vet last eve to get more fluids for Baby. At the same time, I asked for more antibiotics. Last night, we had no accidents. We had a great morning. She is eating normally, playing normally and overall doing wonderful today. I really am glad that I did not put her to sleep yesterday.

We know it is only a matter of time for Baby. However, she plays like the puppy she is. My heart is so broken. And, I feel like a fool. I am a grown woman who has never had to deal with this issue before and I blubber like an idiot.

I love her and I pray to God that I know when it is time. Everyone tells me I will know. I hope that is true. I just cannot justify putting her to sleep because she has a bad day. However, at the same time, I pray I will know if she is in pain.

And, this is where I feel like an idiot; I know people have relatives that are terminal so I feel selfish asking. But, Baby means the world and all to me and she has brightened my life. I would like to ask anyone of faith to pray not only for Baby not to experience pain but for me to become accepting and at peace with this entire issue. I suffer from depression and Christmas time is always difficult for me but this has compounded the difficulty. I am coping day to day but know I cannot do it without God’s help. I want the pain to truly stop so I am asking for prayers of acceptance. I believe in the power of prayer.

SR of Illinois

i had a very healthy dog that at 8 years i began feeding a super premium dog food and continued to remain very healthy up to the point of being bit by another dog almost 3 year ago, however from late fall to early spring, i suspect possibly he survived distemper with few symptoms, but in the following 3 months the incontinence and what resembled wobblers syndrome set in along with much more tempature insensivity. however it was about 1 year later at the beginning of 2007, he appeared to begin loosing footing on his rear leg, which by the middle of 2007, i suspected was overgrown hair covering the rear foot pad and long nails. finally on a visit in august 2007 to the vet, he diagnosed demyelination as the cause... i thought initially it was related to the hair/nails, but finally by october 2007 it began apparent a otherwise healthy dog was loosing the ability to utilize his rear paws. whether it was old age distemper re emerging in a neurological state related to the bite 3 years ealier or myelopathy, the following 1.5 mothes, it became apparent rear limb paralysis requiring a 24 hour pet sitter was very close, for infact it already began. there was such bahavioral changes after that initial bite, but just about a year ago the obvious neurological symptoms, followed by almost a year what initially appeared related to long nails/excessive hair growth to almost paralysis... if this paralysis was not diseased related, i would have dealt with the paralysis, but there was such bahavioral changes which i suspect was hidden distemper finally attacking the nervous symptoms almost 3 years later... otherwise even at the point of paralysis, he still appeared as overall a healthy dog at about 13 years old with no other health issues related to any other chronic disease.. no signs of heart, kidney, or liver disease, a very healthy shiny coat... i was very
surprised demyelination occured in a aged but otherwise very healthy dog... what started 3 years ago, the final year, became much more apparent towards the end in the last 3 months, particularly the last 2 - 3 weeks... i'm assuming the demyelination took about 1 year.. that slipping and collapsing on the rear limb when diagnosed 3 moths ago, did not became very apparent until the final 2 - 3 weeks literally very close to parlysis

so how did i have to deal with a aging but otherwise healthy dog.....

initially cut back the nails and long hair, avoid slippery hardwood floors, and a visit to
the vet... which initially i believed was a
misdiagnosis, that was in august 2007... otherwise he appeared healthy.

but by november 2007 it began apparent there was such difficulty literally with seizures and bouts of inability to walk, progression in paralysis was very close... only paralysis in a otherwise healthy dog wouldn't have mattered, but even though this dog still appeared overall healthy,.. he had cognitive dysfunction for years, but i don't even question the neurological issue involve injuries to the brain, there was quite apparent bahavioral changes towards the very end, bouts of very
unusual weird bahavioral... it became apparent
that he was fast approaching becoming a very
sick dog that was suffering, not just dealing
wih paralysis... i couldn't believe how fast
the approaching end progressed... all it took
was about 2 - 3 weeks and it became apparent
most definitely he truly was suffering.. i didn't believe it 4 months ago when the vet stated he was suffering, but the last 2 - 3
weeks it most definitely appeared suffering
was becoming apparent. Compensating for paralysis was easy but there was such dramatic
weird bahavior associated with the demyelination,
it became very apparent that the decline in health happened progressed quickly in a otherwise very healthy dog and what would follow truly was becoming apparent as suffering... that progression of suffering would have become quite
severe in the coming up at most couple of weeks
and it was beyond belief towards the end how quickly this progressed

with the previous earlier posts... i was told i was dealing with a old dog slowing down 5 years ago... i didn't sense that at all. even with needing to pull on his leash to help him up the steps and recomending pain medication 3 years ago, it was obvious this dog was not exhibiting pain and had a quality life. incontience on hard wood floors was not a issue and neither were occasional accidents and neither what initiall appeared as normal aging of a very old dog.. he had been exhibited deafness for years and neither was the tail becoming limp nor apparent. what resembled wobblers sydrome did not effect the quality of life and neither did some arthritis. initially compensating for what appeared as either seizures or slipping on floors also did not qualify a suffering, if anything compensating for him aided the bond he sensed which added to the quality of his life. neither was needing to carry him to the vet in a box and actually compensating for him the inability to walk, increased the bond he sensed the quality of the bond... even though the vet stating he was in excruisating pain and suffering, this dog did not give any indication of pain nor suffering but it became very apparent some months later that whatever disease was progressing rapidly suffering finally had began... in a way compensating in aiding a disabled dog adds to the quality of their life but the final couple of weeks it became obvious suffering was most definitely beginning to become apparent and progression would have quickly esculated... literally the neurological
loss wasn't injuring himself, but continuing to
injury himself literally twisting joints most likely resulting in dislocating joints.. i never
really saw suffering related to arthritis, but i could no longer compensate for the demyelination.

when he could no longer walk or sit or move in what appeared as damaging the joints the final couple of weeks suffering began to become apparent and the real suffering in the coming up
at most not monthes but at most days/weeks appeared to be fast approaching, not some good days and some bad days...

i was very surprised when the vet stated this dog has at most weeks/months to live, he was a
very old dog, that was back in August 2007...
there were very few syptoms of injuries with resolved themselves within a couple of days by
trimming the hair underneath the footpads, which
i thought he was slipping because of the overgrown hair - - but there was no signs of suffering.

however by the the first second week of november 2007 the progression quickly esculated with obviously became apparent that suffering truly
was beginning to occur and progression was occuring rapidly... requiring 24 hour assistance to prevent injury, the inability to function without injuring himself which would no longer heal, in the coming up weeks truly that would progress as suffering. the progression of what appeared overall as a healthy dog progressed very quickly to a suffering dog in the span of about 2 - 3 weeks, which would have resulted in a very sick dog in tremendous pain... that is where what quality time remained was very limited to at most days at the very most, within
week or two tremendous suffering would become apparent, that is the time i took it as end stage... but definitely not the time between august through part of november... but the last week or two became very apparent end stage was very very close where what would follow just would be suffering

i have a 15 1/2 year old bichon with severe hip deterioration, heart failure, and major urinary incontinence. he still has his energentic moments and love his food and also controls his bowels,but that's about it. i have had him since his birth and even cut the cord. i'm sure it's time but i have recently moved to south florida and don't have a vet for him here and am so sad to take him to strangers. I would rather buy drugs online, if possible. Any suggestions?

WE HAVE A 13 YEAR OLD RETRIEVER/LAB MIX. WE HAVE HAD HER ON GLUCOSAMINE FOR YEARS NOW FOR HIP DYSPLASIA, AND STARTED HER ON PRN FOR INCONTINENCE NOT TOO LONG AGO. A FEW WEEKS AGO, I WENT HOME FOR LUNCH AND SHE COULD HARDLY MOVE, ALMOST FELL DOWN THE STAIRS. WE TOOK HER TO THE VET AND THEY DID ANOTHER LYME'S TEST THAT CAME BACK POSITIVE. SO I BELIEVE SHE HAS HAD LYME'S FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. SHE IS DONE WITH THE MEDICINE, SOME DAYS SHE IS HER OLD SELF, OTHERS SHE CAN HARDLY GET OUTSIDE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. THE VET SAYS THERE IS NOTHING ELSE WE CAN DO FOR HER. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS? THE VET THINKS IT MIGHT BE KIDNEY FAILURE, BUT NOT SURE.

I have been hoping and praying to be given a sign from my cat that it was the right time to put her to sleep. Perhaps they have been there and I've just been too emotionally blind, or selfish, to see them. I rescued my old moggy 20 years ago and we've been best friends ever since. She's seen me graduate from university, get married and have two children. A few weeks ago she seemed to lose her spark. After a visit to the vet I was told that she was suffering with kidney disease. Consequent tests showed she has a malignant tumour growing under her tongue as well as a heart murmur. The vet gave me a list of symptoms to look for that would indicate she was nearing the end of her life. Those symptoms started this morning. I know I've got to do the right thing by my best mate but I don't think I can be there when she takes that last breath. Will I regret this or should I be there to farewell her for the last time?

I'm frustrated with the daily laundering of two elderly pets. One near 18 year old cat and the other, a 14 year old dalmatian. Four years ago, the cat started defacating and vomiting everywhere in the house. He's still around, although blind in one eye and looks emaciated, but spends his days sleeping and begging for food which I have to portion out very carefully, to avoid vomiting. We close him up at night in his own room which is heavily armored against his accidents. The dalmatian just a few months ago started showing extreme weakness in his hind quarters which by the end of day he seems to be dragging around. He has always had weak bowels, but now goes each night in his sleep. We always come home to accidents and most times he has stepped in them and requires daily bathing. I feel my whole world is spent laundering and cleaning up after them. Help.