My Dog what to do What to do!

[jams]

Alright, here is the situation...I have a very old dog. She is fine with the exception of being old.

On the days that I come home first, I usually have to spend 15-20 min cleaning up poo and pee. She can't control it anymore.

How long can this continue? How long should I allow this to ruin my house(floors) make my house smell, etc.

My wife is attached to the dog and you can probably tell that I am not.

I hate coming home to my own house because I have to deal with you know what! What a quality of life!

Help!

[Buzz]

My sister in law just went through the exact same scenario - only in their case is was protracted over a two year period. As in your case, wifey was very attached to poor old Geordie and hubby had to deal with the crap (literally) including getting bitten a few times as the old boy became increasingly bad tempered in his deteriorating condition.

It began to cause a serious problem in the relationship and finally came to resolution this past December when Margaret decided to come down here for a couple of weeks to spend my wife's birthday and Christmas with her. Her husband firmly told her that he was not willing to deal with the dog issues while she was away and they tearfully decided to have him put out of his misery. After the initial heartbreak, they felt a sense of relief and they agreed that it would have been better for themselves and old Geordie too if they had been tough enough to make the call long before they actually did.

We have always been a dog loving family (both sides of the family) and I always try to factor in the amimal's suffering and quality of life when these difficult decisions have to be made. They depend on us for everything - including minimizing their suffering when the time for that comes. In return, they reward us with unconditional and unwavering love and devotion regardless of what we do.

Take your wife in your arms, evaluate the situation together and do what's right. Together.

[SP01715]

I have had to put down a couple dogs (and a cat) in the past, and it really is a terrible thing to have to do. I have a 7 year old dog right now that has been going through Chemo, but she is doing well. I know her time will come though within probably the next year, and I am not looking forward to it. I would consult a Vet with your wife and ask for advice. They will usually give you an honest opinion of what is best for your situation. If you did not live in a cold weather state I would suggest an outside enclosure when you are not home.

[TButtrick]

I'm at the early stages of this myself. I have an eight year old Great Dane (old for a Dane) that I'll have to put down before long. Talk to your vet. He'll come up with a solution for both of you. It won't be an easy decision.

[tcrist]

Jams,
Talk to your Vet. My shepard was like that so we took her to the vet and they gave her some pills. Worked great but after about 2 more years she was far enough downhill that we had to put her down. Old age is a b!tch.
Have your wife go to the vet with you and get his suggestion. After a while there is not much you can do.

Sorry, Terry

[Excaliber]

My dogs are inside dogs for the most part. I have a nice yard and a storage shed with a nice dog house inside that for when I'm gone. I don't like to leave them in the house when I'm not here. I never had to deal with the "cold weather" thing but I'm thinking I need to rig up some kind of heat in the shed for them.

I guess when they get to old to control themselves they may be more and more "outside" dogs than inside dogs. Not looking forward to that day, I love having them around the house. Put 'em out at night and when I'm away I guess is what I will do.

[Sharroll Celby]

I have a 16 y.o. hound dog that is still able to "hold it" until he gets outside. I figure that once he cannot control when he pees, that is the signal to put him down. His quality of life is ending at that point, IMHO. It will be hard, but an animal's death is just another part of life.

[jams]

WOW Guys that was some really good advice. It is a very difficult decision to make as you all mentioned.

I appreciate you taking it to heart. I was expecting a few hit it in the head with a shovel comments.

[Bobcat]

Some years ago , I had to put my German Shepherd down as his hindquarters became paralyzed and he had lost control of his bowels . He knew something was wrong and his face showed it . He had been a fixture with the family and the kids had known him ever since they could walk . Talk about something that was hard to do . His Vet agreed to come to the house and give him the shot here on familiar territory with his family with him . He went to sleep with my youngest holding him in her arms .... as I said , that was the hardest thing I had ever done .
Unfortunately , I will be going through that again as I adopted a 10 year old Doberman about 10 months ago who belonged to a Marine who was deployed and had to give up his dogs , and because Billie was 10 , no one wanted her .... especially since this breed doesn`t make it much past 10 . Good news is that she just had her 11th birthday this past December .
When her time comes , I`ll have this same Vet come the the house again .
Considering that dogs give so much companionship and love , that`s the least I can do .

[Tommy]

One of my sons loved dogs from a very early age. If he encountered a dog at Disney World, he'd pass up the attractions for the opportunity to pet the dog. It was because of him that I learned to tolerate dog lovers, for I am not one. I mention that because all of the other posts so far have been from people who care deeply for their pets. Like you, jams, I've always weighed the pluses and minuses of dog ownership and come up with a total number that was slightly negative.

The view from this non-dog person is that now is the time to start thinking about life after the current old dog. Will your wife want another one? Will the deal of joint responsibility for it be the same as for the current dog? Depending on the answers to these questions, I have some suggestions. If you believe your wife will insist on having another dog that you will have to share in its care, see if you can get her interested in the next dog now. See if you can convince her to let go of the old dog in exchange for getting the new dog. Even if she won't agree now, having the new dog may allow her to take the death of the old dog more easily and sooner. ... If you believe your wife will insist on having another dog but you can escape responsibility for sharing in its care, now is the time to make your case. It won't get any eaiser when she is greiving for the loss of the old dog. ... If your wife will agree to let the old dog pass and not replace it, maybe the best thing is to let her enjoy this one while she can. Like dog ownership, marriage does not come without its costs. .. Good luck in whatever you chose to do.

[Ron61]

Jams,

I have had to have 4 of my dogs put to sleep and it hurt very much, but was the best thing for them as I couldn't bear to watch them suffer. Every time I said I would not get another dog, but I was lost without them and I now have two Poms that I got to replace the last two that I had to have put to sleep within a month or so of each other. There is no easy way to do it. I felt like I really let them down, but they are far better off now. Whatever you decide, it won't be easy, but once it is done and you have a few days to get over it, then it will begin to make more sense.

Ron

[Bill Bess]

I've had about 8 dogs over the last 40 years, all of which I truly loved and appreciated for their companionship and contributins to our family. One of the responsibilities of owning a dog or cat is knowing and agreeing when, what and how to handle medical problems and end of life details with these pets. We get attached to them as if they were human and fear the lose when their are gone, but understanding and forming a plan early on has always worked well for me.
My basic plan for pet care is to pre-set a dollar amount I will spend for medical problems based on the pets age and future quality of life (a range). I also agree with my wife on when and how to have the pet put down (method).
Bottom line here is..there is no easy answer to the end of life question. If you have some sort of plan it makes it easier...just get some balls and do the right thing for your pet and your home life.
I always plan on getting a new pet to replace the one that is gone, or get a new one when you know the old pet is approaching the end.
My last Golden Retreiver (only 3 years old) got hit & killed by a truck while chasing a rabbit...that one really hurt and was difficult to reconcile because I let her off the least to play.
Take very good care of your best friend. Bill

[Excaliber]

You guys know I recently moved, bought a new house. I was specifically looking for two things with the new house. #1 (even before the Cobra) was a fenced yard, large enough for the dogs to run and play in. #2 Was a garage or workshop for the Cobra. #3 Was, oh yeah, I'll need a place for me to stay as well so the yard and garage will have to come with a "house".

Being single (and I like it that way) and now with the kids gone, my dogs are my family, my #1 priority!

[Wayne Maybury]

We have a Golden Retriever that is just about done. As a matter of fact we took him to the vet last February to have him put down as he could no longer get up. We got to there and he started running around so he sure wasn't ready to cash in his chips. He has been on some meds for the past 11 months and he seems to be doing well but we do find some surprises on the floor by the back door from time to time.

My wife and daughter are ready to have him put down but my position is that he will go when it is the best thing for him. He will not be put down because he is becoming inconvenient for us.

Wayne

[tcrist]

Look into their eyes. That will let you know when they are ready. I told my ex-wife 6 months before we finally had to have our shepard put down that she was ready but the ex would have nothing to do with it. It was at least 4 months of real suffering before the ex would let the old girl go. Now the ex says that I was right and it should have been done when I said it should have. Needless suffering, not good.

[Wes Tausend]

...

Jams,

There are some meds that may help temporarily.

Otherwise it pays to look at the list of signs that it is time:

Reduced activity
Increased sleeping
Reduced responsiveness to commands/apparent deafness
Lack of interest in surroundings/events
Confusion/disorientation
Inability to recognize familiar people
Increased thirst
Excessive panting
Difficulty eating and/or reduced interest in food
Loss of bladder and bowel control
Difficulty navigating the environment (e.g. stairs)

From http://www.petplace.com/dogs/is-your...ile/page1.aspx .

Downside to looking:
I have several of those symptoms myself.

Wes

...

[Ron61]

Wes,

I took your list of symptoms to my vet and he is sending you a shot.

Ron

[Bill Bess]

I agree with Terry, "look into their eye's", they will tell you when their suffering and in pain.
Love your dog, do the right thing when its time.
Bill

[Tommy]

Let me remind everyone that jams is not a dog lover trying to do the best for his beloved pet. To pacify his spouse, he is having to do the dirty work of cleaning up after an incontinent dog he doesn't want. I can only see three possible outcomes. Either something happens to the dog, something happens to the spouse, or jams keeps putting up with things the way they are.

[Excaliber]

Heated doggy house outside, like a "hospice" for dogs. Time to put them in a "home" and go visit from time to time.