My wife and I got Dixie when she was 7 weeks old. Just a cute little black fuzzball. She's 16 now and on the downhill. She's been deaf for a couple years. She is blind in one eye, getting there in the other. We had her blood work done in December, her kidneys are down to 20 percent function. She's dropped from 35 pounds to 24 pounds in 6 months. She is very stiff and loses her balance a lot. We know the time is coming. When do you call it? It's a steady, shallow slide, not a massive drop like our last dog with heart failure.

This is the sucky part of having dogs. This is my wife's first. The one we put down 8 years ago was a rescue we had for 2 years, not since a pup. Gonna be a rough couple weeks.

Thanks for listening.


Here she is waiting for dinner last night. Needs to sit against something or she falls over.


Hiking a few years ago.

Tough to deal with just remember the great life she had that you gave her.

Mine is 15 and a half and sleeps a lot now. It got above freezing today and he has spent more time outside. Mine talks, he tells me what he wants all the time. I am not looking forward to taking him for that last walk. You can only figure you are doing it for them.

I put one down two years ago...same, falling down no balance.

It was hard but was time.

My philosophy is if they are still eating and drinking on their own, they still got game. Once they don’t want to do that, that is how they let you know that it’s time. Once they start getting picky about their normal ration, you can up the ante with warm chicken and rice with broth. It sucks that they don’t last forever.

X2

When the tail doesn't wag any more, they're telling you something.

Sorry to hear that, it's tough!!

Boy oh boy K Snow, I don't envy you and your wife the next little while. I agree with BvrRetriever, as long as they can hobble around, eat and do their business, they would be fine. Our old setter made it up into his mid teens, and was a source of joy to have around even when he couldn't quite make it outside before he had an accident on the floor. He slept most of the time out in the studio and I didn't have carpet out there. An old friend of mine, a Marine and WW2 combat vet that was tough as wang leather would stop in near every day and just sit and talk to me. The old dog would usually hobble over and put his head on the old guys knee and slowly wag his tail as that old man scratched his ears and continued whatever story he was telling. One day he looked down at the old dog that had nudged him to keep the ear scratching going and then looked up at me and he said "I could love this dog real easy". I get a lump just typing it. Both have been gone for a good many years now. Enjoy that old dog as long as you and her are able.

She's a tough one for sure. She is still eating and drinking, just losing weight no matter how much she eats. She is pokey about eating breakfast, never been that way before. Dinner she is fine. She spends most of her day sleeping in the bedroom. This icy snow we have right now is real tough for her. She's taken a shine to peeing on the deck to avoid walking in the snow. Better than in the house. Accidents are pretty common too, haven't had a full nights sleep for several months. She'll wake up between 2 and 4 to go out and do her business.

Thanks for the support guys. She's been a sweet little gal.

That’s the beauty of being human, we can be humane with our pets or “furred family.”
We had a Dachshund that got where she couldn’t get around anymore and even the vet said it was time. Had to do the same with my Lab. Luke Dawg WAS a part of my family, and the vet came out to our house to ease his suffering. We all got to say our goodbyes under the shade tree he liked to lay under after he retired. I’m not gonna lie, there wasn’t a dry eye in our yard that day. My neighbors even came over to say their goodbyes. I had him cremated and sent ashes to all those that had hunted over him with one request, take his ashes and scatter them wherever you have a great hunt. In return they sent me the bottle back with dirt from the State he was scattered. I had a buddy load some shells with some of his ashes, and that’s the first shot every year at a duck when duck season comes in.
I feel for you and your family. No easy answer, you’ll know when it’s time.

Tough for sure. Good luck!


WS

Dang K Snow that just sucks. As others have said, Cherish the rest of your time together. At 16 I'd say Dixie has had a wonderful life full of love.

Its a terrible feeling looking into those eyes knowing theres nothing you can do for them, and knowing theres nothing they wouldnt do for you...

when I had to hold him up to pee.

neither of us wanted that , his back half had stopped working all together he could only crawl with the front

me holding him up with a towel wasn't working for him to pee any way.

I am not paying the vet next time , I will just do it myself.

man its time i know its tough.... take her to vet and hold her while she goes to sleep!!

I've probably cried more over dogs passing away than I have people. Maybe that says something bad about me, oh well.

If your dog could talk, she would say, "What are you talking about? I'm fine! " They are as tough as tough gets. There is no quit in them.
I view non-human animals as different than humans. If you get right down to it, dogs are wolves. They have the mentality that every day of their life is struggle to survive. They have an unbelievable tolerance for pain/discomfort without being overly troubled by it.
She eats, poops, and pees. She figures she is good with that. Let her stay around for a while longer.
You will know when its time.
She's not going to tell you. That's the wolf in her.

waggler me too. I hope I'm not a bad person but who knows.

Torn me to shreds just reading this.

Over the years, I've developed two rules:

One. The Third day they refuse to eat despite all the rice and chicken? That's the day. Just plain cruel to keep trying to keep anything going that doesn't want to eat that long. It's suffering.

Two. Have the vet give them a decent sedative shot. Not a legs gone there and then. Something that takes a minute. That way, ye get to walk them back out. They think they're going home. They get a little sleepy. They can fall asleep in ye lap or motor while ye scratch them.

Then, ye get to carry them back in, for the Real jab. (And most vet's have a 'back door', so ye don't have to go back through the waiting room, looking like that)

Been there to many times, but here I am on another 2 dogs one getting up there at 14 and starting to have troubles but still going strong for now and an energetic pup

I don’t know who it was but so true when they said the only problem with animals is they don’t live as long as we do

I miss every dog I have ever had wasn’t a bad one in the bunch