Emma will be 15 in January. She looks like a black golden retriever. Since she was 2 her main joy in life is laying around doing nothing.
Over the last many months she has had a worsening neurological problem. Slowly her back legs have been giving out on her. The vet ordered prednisone which helped. We built a ramp so she could shuffle up it rather than try and climb the back stairs. That helped a lot. When she started having difficulties standing up we would pick up her rear end for her and open the back door rather than have her use the doggie door.
A couple weeks ago she couldn't uncurl her back foot and I had to do it for her so she could walk. Around the same time I came home to an obnoxious smell. She'd had bloody diarrhea and couldn't get up to do anything about it. Turns out she'd eaten a rope or something (I finished pulling it out of her butt when she passed it several hours later.) She seems to have developed a leg infection from lying in her poop.
After seeing the vet for the infection, her back legs stopped supporting her. We wondered if it was the pain medication so I stopped it and it didn't make a difference. She is just getting neurologically worse.
We are at a stable point. 3 times a day, more if she asks, I take her outside using a sling to support her back end when it gives out on her. We have figured out how to work together so she can pee and poop. Her leg infection is much better and I change the dressing daily. Just now I found the beginning of a pressure sore on her elbow.
That's all the negative stuff. Most of the day she lays around watching the world go by. That's what she's done for the last 10 to 12 years. In the afternoons I help her get into the fireplace--her favorite place to hang out. In the mornings before it's hot we stay outside with her and the kids play (she doesn't like to be left outside by herself. I think she realizes she's vulnerable and doesn't like the feeling.) We eat dinner outside and bring her out with us. Many evenings we've loaded her in the wagon and taken her for walks. She is happy as best I can tell and, with the possible exception of this new sore, she seems to be pain-free. Bottom line, she is happy. She is eating. She is enjoying life (I think.)
But she will only get worse. I am wringing my hands over when to put her down. If she was in pain or seemed miserable it would be much easier. But she doesn't seem to be. Do I put her down before she gets really bad? Do I wait until she seems miserable? Do I use food intake as a guide--if she stops eating I figure she's done?
Please don't advise me not to do this. I believe in assisted suicides for people and I believe in it for dogs as well. It's just easier with people because they can tell you what they want. I just want to do what my dog wants. I guess the answer might be that she will tell me and I'll know. I just don't want to get it wrong.
Anyone have any thoughts or BTDT experience?
Over the last many months she has had a worsening neurological problem. Slowly her back legs have been giving out on her. The vet ordered prednisone which helped. We built a ramp so she could shuffle up it rather than try and climb the back stairs. That helped a lot. When she started having difficulties standing up we would pick up her rear end for her and open the back door rather than have her use the doggie door.
A couple weeks ago she couldn't uncurl her back foot and I had to do it for her so she could walk. Around the same time I came home to an obnoxious smell. She'd had bloody diarrhea and couldn't get up to do anything about it. Turns out she'd eaten a rope or something (I finished pulling it out of her butt when she passed it several hours later.) She seems to have developed a leg infection from lying in her poop.
After seeing the vet for the infection, her back legs stopped supporting her. We wondered if it was the pain medication so I stopped it and it didn't make a difference. She is just getting neurologically worse.
We are at a stable point. 3 times a day, more if she asks, I take her outside using a sling to support her back end when it gives out on her. We have figured out how to work together so she can pee and poop. Her leg infection is much better and I change the dressing daily. Just now I found the beginning of a pressure sore on her elbow.
That's all the negative stuff. Most of the day she lays around watching the world go by. That's what she's done for the last 10 to 12 years. In the afternoons I help her get into the fireplace--her favorite place to hang out. In the mornings before it's hot we stay outside with her and the kids play (she doesn't like to be left outside by herself. I think she realizes she's vulnerable and doesn't like the feeling.) We eat dinner outside and bring her out with us. Many evenings we've loaded her in the wagon and taken her for walks. She is happy as best I can tell and, with the possible exception of this new sore, she seems to be pain-free. Bottom line, she is happy. She is eating. She is enjoying life (I think.)
But she will only get worse. I am wringing my hands over when to put her down. If she was in pain or seemed miserable it would be much easier. But she doesn't seem to be. Do I put her down before she gets really bad? Do I wait until she seems miserable? Do I use food intake as a guide--if she stops eating I figure she's done?
Please don't advise me not to do this. I believe in assisted suicides for people and I believe in it for dogs as well. It's just easier with people because they can tell you what they want. I just want to do what my dog wants. I guess the answer might be that she will tell me and I'll know. I just don't want to get it wrong.
Anyone have any thoughts or BTDT experience?
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