Not happy. 8-(

[Aussie105]

Male dog, 13 years old, is dying.

Been off his food, losing bladder and bowel control, staggering around.

Twice today he got himself jammed in unusual spots, once in the back yard and once in the room he is in now, got stuck and very confused, and howled somewhat demented.

Currently he is lying down and breathing shallow, slow breaths.
I check him every couple of minutes just in case.

Been coming on for a while, haven't taken him to the vet because our vet is predictable as far as putting down animals go.
Better to save him the stress of being put down, as opposed to dying peacefully in his sleep at home.

Sad time, but what can you do really.

To be honest, I'm typing this to make myself feel better.
It's not working.

Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem about this. 'Power of the dog'.
If you ever lost a pet, prepare to cry when you read it.

[KarenS]

1. It is terrible to lose a dog,,,,

[Walleye]

2. I'm so sorry, and I know how you feel. I hope you can get through this

[BonnieJW]

3. Might be a stroke

It happened to one of my dogs. We did put her to sleep. We held her and talked to her the whole time. It was very peaceful

[70sEraVet]

4. I know how hard it is, to watch your faithful friend slipping away.

[maptap22]

5. I am so sorry

It is so painful to lose our fur buddies. I do hope he dies at home with you by his side. I struggled with the decision to put my buddy Nemo down. Finally decided it was time once he stopped eating (because he LOVED to eat). The morning I planned on bringing him in, he died in my arms. I was so happy to be there with him right until the end. He was such a good boy.

[Siwsan]

6. My nephew just went through this same heartbreak

When I took Boudicca in for her last vet visit, the experience was very sad but also very peaceful. The vet was so calm and kind to her. He asked me if I wanted to stay and I said 'of course!' He said a lot of people leave.

I held my sweet little Tortie and she slipped away so peacefully. They let me sit with her for as long as I wanted.

Now I'm tearing up, just remembering the kindness showed to me by the whole staff. They go through this so often but it felt nothing like a 'routine' procedure.

My heart goes out to you.

[DaBronx]

7. Sending strength

Tough time. I will look up that poem. We were fortunate to have a visiting vet for our beloved cat. I wish every community had one to save pets the stress.
I applaud you for your caring nature. Hang in there.

[irisblue]

8. I am so sorry. They leave such large paw prints in our hearts

[DFW]

9. I love dogs and cats

But I’m home too little to justify keeping a pet who would just be neglected. I would never do that to an animal, so I don’t keep any. There are brown tufted-ear squirrels that prance around outside, but that’s about the extent of it.

[Goddessartist]

10. Holding you in my heart...

We put Poli (Samoyed) down two years ago. She did the same...we called a mobile vet here on the island, and she came to our home, and Poli passed in Z's arms in the garden, in the sun. She was 13 as well. Gosh, I'm crying as I write this. They do have our hearts.

[enigmania]

11. I'm so sorry

[UpInArms]

12. I am so sorry 😢

Losing our friends is the hardest 😭

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[Joinfortmill]

13. So very sorry.

[Dear_Prudence]

14. Sorry

Just awful news. I am so sorry.

[BaileyBill]

15. Hope you might reconsider the vet

My 13-y-o beagle mix experienced similar symptoms last fall, was not even able to stand for several days. Vet prescribed Vetprofen, cautioned that it might take a couple of weeks to start working. Used Gabapentin a few times when he seemed to be in the most pain. Had to help him move around for a few weeks, had a couple of setbacks, but generally got better a little each day.

Started cooking his meals, either scrambled eggs or boiled chicken and livers, and added a little canned pumpkin and plain greek yogurt to help his bowels. Started a multivitamin with Omega-3 and some glucosamine from Amazon.

After a few weeks he started acting happy again, resumed barking for his meals and trying to mug the cat beforehand. After 5 months, now, he is about 80% back to his old self. Yesterday, he was bouncing and running circles around me wanting to play. A couple of days earlier he was chasing a rabbit across the pasture (with no ill effects for him or the rabbit).

I'm no expert, but the change has been nothing short of miraculous. I hope you will at least consult with the vet (or perhaps another one) to see if there might be medication you can try. I spent quite a few days in tears until he started to improve, but I'm thankful that neither of us gave up.

My heart goes out to you.

[niyad]

16. Holding you both in love and light. May his crossing be gentle.

[surfered]

17. Our yellow Lab went when he was 13..

….it was tough. You’ll still have your memories.

[Diamond_Dog]

18. Sounds like what happened to our Springer Spaniel.

I’m so sorry, it is heartbreaking. Comfort him all you can.

[Aussie105]

19. Thank you for those kind words, all of you.

He is now sleeping peacefully, and seeing it is near midnight here, I'm going to lie down too.

Seeing it is Easter and the vet won't be available for another two days, it's a bit of a wait, but I will take him.

[Niagara]

20. I'm so sorry Aussie105.

I'm not a veterinarian so I can't diagnose your beloved doggie.


Senior pets are prone to health conditions just like we are as we get older. He could be suffering from a health condition that could be treated at the vets.


If he is actively dying...

When all 3 of our past feline companions had stopped eating and were literally hiding, we knew it was time to end their pain and suffering by euthanasia. The vet always confirmed our suspicions and the entire veterinarian staff are most caring during this difficult time.

I'm sending you and your senior doggie best wishes.

[Fla Dem]

21. So sorry you're going through this. Just did with my bestie cat of 17 years.

Broke my heart, still not over it.

I hope your pal passes quickly and does not suffer. Understand your heartache. Just hug and hold him as much as you can. Hugs to you too.

[niyad]

22. Lady Bast, please take Your little one gently home in Your loving arms,

and send peace and comfort to their grieving loved ones.

I am so very sorry for the loss of your precious baby.

[Shermann]

23. So sorry you have to go through this

I went through my ordeal eight years ago with my 12-year-old dog. I took him to the vet where I had him hospitalized for 24 hours for observation. I wanted to give him every reasonable chance for a recovery after two weeks of rapid decline. We decided not to put him through a battery of additional tests and made that the "last visit". It was just like any other vet visit from a dog's perspective but was hard on me. That said, it wasn't the worst part of the experience for me. The daily decline and fear of tomorrow was the worst. In my case I look back on making the hard call as a form of generosity, a way to ensure he crossed over with dignity and me by his side.

[central scrutinizer]

24. There are vets who will make house calls for euthanasia

Much less stressful for the animal. No crating, hauling to the vet, smells and sounds at the clinic. Surrounded by family in familiar surroundings.

[True Dough]

26. We've shared your pain

and the reality is, we're approaching it again. I just brought in our 115 lb German shepherd/mastiff mix from his last pee of the night in the backyard. He is a couple of months shy of age 12 and has long been suffering from severe arthritis. He's on multiple pills for relief, but still loves his short walks twice a day. Still loves to eat. Still loves to be stroked.

But getting up for that final trip outside at night takes a mighty effort. He won't be able to do it much longer.

This is him now, lying on his cushion across from me:



Best wishes, Aussie105. We've given them our hearts knowing that someday our hearts would be broken when our faithful companions leave us for good. But what a rewarding journey it's been.

[Bayard]

27. I'm sure its a comfort for him to have you there

I've lost so many, various species, over the years. It never gets any easier. But life would be empty without pets.

[Aussie105]

28. Mobile vet is here now doing the injection.

Sad time.
Vet takes the corpse with him.
Cremation, get him back in an urn.

[niyad]

29. Lady of the Beasts, please take Your little one gently home in Your

loving arms, and send peace and comfort to his grieving loved ones.

My heart is breaking for you, Aussie105, at this incredibly sad moment. Please know that all of us here who are owned by our furbabies are grieving with you. Wecare here uf yiu need us.

[CountAllVotes]

30. You did the right thing

I couldn't think after Andreas was put down.

Ashes, burial ...

It didn't much matter to me as dear Andreas was gone.

It is over now.

May you both rest in peace!

[Aussie105]

31. Update - Coming home tomorrow.

In an urn.

Will go next to the others.

Buffy, Zammy, Rani - all full pedigree yellow labs.

This one was a Bull terrier cross. Not a pedigree. Still hurts.

On a cold night, he'd wake me in the small hours and ask politely if he could snuggle under the blanket with me.
I'm going to miss that.

His sister from the same litter is doing ok, just stiff in the joints at her age.
She gets extra attention.

We know what happens down the track when we take on kittens and puppies.
But it should not stop us from loving, caring, and being loved in return.

[niyad]

32. Hugggggs. I wish we could make you feel better. The pain does

ease, in time. Hug and love his sister, and keep your heart open.