Old age in dogs

Hi all,

as you know my Joyce is around 12 years old. In the past few months she has really begun to show her age.

Deafness definately setting in.

 

sorry, cut myself off again - always pressing the wrong buttons on this laptop

What i wanted to know was, what do you do when their back legs seem to be giving out?

I'm sure she's not in pain. but i notice now that she doesn't always follow me up the stairs, she sometimes slips when jumping into the car or going down the back step.

She also gets ratty if another dog jumps around trying to play with her. It's such a shame cos in her head i know she still feels 2 years old & wants to play but just can't.

Another thing is if you tell her to going and fetch her ball or something, she goes out into the garden & then seems to forget what she went out for.

I could cry for her. As i say she isn't hurting or anything as far as i can tell but i wondered if there was anything i could do or get to help her.

cheers

 

Borrowers. It's always very sad when you have to say goodbye. Only you will know when it is time to send for the vet.

what you have to consider is her quality of life and adapt accordingly.

If she is not happy when other dogs try to play, then keep them away. If she doesn't want to chase her ball then don't throw it. Give her some dignity in old age.

We used to have a beautiful collie bitch who always slept on our bed. eventually she didn't want to come upstairs. So for a few months she slept in the living room.

Eventually she became incontinent and we knew it was time for her to go to doggie heaven. We had to be honest with ourselves and so do you.

I think if you love her you will make the right decision when the time comes.

 

Hi sandra..
joyce is getting old, thats what usually happens with big dogs, there back legs go, i had an old mongral and took him to the vets expecting the worst, but he gave him an injection, and he was fine, do as john said, and remember joyce is a pensioner, she wont want to play as much, just be gentle with her.. Dee..

 

Hi Sandra I'm really sorry to hear about your fur-baby Joyce starting to feel her age although as Dee says it doesn't mean she's ready yet to join the other little critters at The Rainbow Bridge just yet.

Our beloved Dude had to have meds quite early on in his life for a dicky hip condition it turned out he was just growing real quick and only needed them for a short time after which he was bouncy around like a pup.....our big beautiful lad had such a short life with us as we found out he had bone cancer and we had to let him go.

It was the hardest think I have ever had to do in all my life letting our Big Lad go and the only time I have every seen poor Bob completely at a loss something I don't ever want to see ever again.

To help me with my grief I posted Dude's memorial on a American web site (see below) and I was amazed that I wasn't alone how I felt about our fur-baby.

Dude's page

Sandra the best thing I can advise you to do is take your beloved Joyce to the vets as she could well be in pain and maybe meds will help her.

I was amazed that Dude don't show any pain what so ever but once told by the vet how bad it was and that he was indeed in a great deal of pain I managed to find the courage to let him go.

I would have spent all our savings on him if he had a chance but he was given only weeks to live and even then the vet said his front leg would have to be chopped off....I couldn't do that to my beloved lad it would have been so very selfish of me. I had my last walk with him and he was so tired it broke both mine and Bob's heart.Hel.xxx.

 

Hel Dudes story was very moving, I lost my Jasmine just over a year ago I am a person who is physically and mentally tough but losing her really cracked me up, I am just at the point of looking at rescue dogs but no dog can ever replace her,we had a painting commisoned of her and Iam allways drawn to her it really captures her essence.

click to enlarge

 

Thank you all.

I am sure she's not in pain. I just wondered if any supplements, massage or anything would help. Suppose i need to find out exactly whats wrong first. She's not bad all the time, it's just that you notice these little things starting to happen, don't you?

Sarraceniac, Joyce sleeps on our bed too :eek: Now she can still jump on it but chooses not to be off & on it like she used to if you know what i mean.

She has always followed me,even from the living room up to the bathroom, where she would lay unless you were actually having a shower or bath in which case she chose to lay at the top of the stairs, just in case the bath was for her :D

She's always been full of life & still wants to be,in her head, that's what hurts.

We are keeping a very close eye on her. The minute she does seem to be hurting we'll be down the vets. Not to have her put to down but just checked up on.

She is our baby so we do look after her. She has always been spoiled & we do remember her age.

Walnut, that is a fantastic pic of Jasmine. I can see why you love it.

I am trying to get a good photo of Joyce so DAG will do one for me.

YDD, we will remember that. I'm thinking about what you said.

Helen, i'm leaving your link till last cos i know i'm going to cry my eyes out :( .

Thank you all for your replies. It's lovely to know that all these dogs (& other animals) are/were so loved. That has got to mean they have/had a good life.

I can't think of Joyce not being here. But as you have said, her wellbeing comes first. Don't worry about that.

Cheers

 

Hi borrowers, just seen this thread, all is not lost, our Lilly is almost exactly as you describe, although only 9 now, she don't appear to be in any pain, but is just not the same dog any more in the same way that you describe!

We took her to the vet's and it is arthritis in Lilly's case, she is having a course of 4 injections (�£190)which is supposed to improve the joints and help to slow down the arthritis problems.

Unfortunately she also needs both back knees operated on soon, but we do not feel inclined to put her thro' that, so fingers crossed that the injections will keep her going for sometime!

Unfortunately all 4 dogs in the same family now have arthritis!

I do urge you to go to the vet's asap as she is obviously in some discomfort if not actually in pain!

 

okey dokey dags. nice to hear from you.

that's it isn't it, you just know with them. I hope Lilly is feeling better & does so for many years to come.

cheers

 

Exactly the same thing happened with our corgi Teddy last week as with John's collie. We had to have him put to sleep. It's devastating to lose such a loved companion, but really was the kindest thing.

Teddy had soldiered on for several months. And as DAG has said, he didn't seem in any pain but he seemed put out and a bit distressed by it all. He didn't understand why he couldn't go for a walk, and occasionally gave my mum a "What's happening to me Mum?" look. He'd have to suddenly stop walking and sit down. One leg he could cope with, but when the second one gave out it was horrible to watch.

Mum and Dad made the decision to call the vet when he could only crawl around, and Mum was having to hold him up to pee. She let him go with dignity. It's the hardest thing she's ever had to do, but the vet came to the house and Teddy died very peacefully in his own bed with the love of his life next to him. How many humans get to do the same?

Your doggie won't ever be bouncing around and running after balls, Borrowers, but the vet can certainly help. Steroids, glucosamine, etc will all ease the pain and help maintain her quality of life. But have The Talk with the vet, and if necessary have a plan in place so that if the worst comes to the worst you know what to do. The vet basically had an objective cut-off for Ted's state, beyond which it was decided that his quality of life had diminished too much. It sounds harsh, but when we're subjective we say to ourselves "Well he looks perky enough".

I really hope I haven't depressed everyone. You've probably got many months (if not a year or so) left with the old girl, and the best thing you can do is make it as comfortable as possible for her and make lots of lovely memories for yourself.

 

It's sad Julia but not depressing. It's life & we have to deal with it. I can say this now cos she's still with me.

we have been in the garden this morning (the sun was actually shining for a while!) & she was playing but not for long. i know when she gets tired cos in stead of running for/with her toy she walks. then i give her a pat & she sits or lays down.

I think when Joyce gets near the stage that Teddy was at we will know.

Thanks

cheers

 

"We are keeping a very close eye on her. The minute she does seem to be hurting we'll be down the vets. Not to have her put to down but just checked up on."

Borrowers, please don't wait until you think poor Joyce is starting to suffer pain - take her to the vet ASAP and have her checked out. As you so rightly said, her well-being comes first.

I'm thinking of you and her

 

Hi Borrowers. It could be worth investing in a doggy car ramp, that way she can stroll up it without having to jump in and out and you won't have to damage your back lifting her. You could also use it for the back step. My first dog Buster had arthritis and some trouble with his back legs for quite a while before we had to pts. He stll had a good quality of life (shorter walks and tons of cuddles) aside from no longer being able to reach the fat and bacon we hung out for the birds I am sure you have plenty of time left with your baby but a trip to the vets is still probably wise for a check up

 

Hello Borrowers

I am sorry to hear your Joyce is having some motility trouble. I'm afraid that I am new to the forum today and don't know what breed of dog she is.

Quality of life is a very tough call when thinking about a beloved pet. What defines the quality where dogs are concerned is... are they eating and drinking ok, can they get around ok unaided and pain-free, are they incontinent, do they appear to be suffering in any way...???etc etc. 12 years old for a larger breed dog is getting really quite old, but some small breed dogs like terriers can carry on until their mid to late teens sometimes.

In the case of your Joyce, it could be that she is suffering some age related 'wobbliness' for a better word due to some slight dementia change. Older dogs can also get spinal problems which can lead to dragging of the back paws and intermittent collapse of the back legs.More progressive spinal degeneration can also lead to single or double incontinence trouble too. Also, as other members have rightly suggested, arthritis in the hips and knees of older big dogs is an issue which can benefit a lot from treatment.There are pain relief, anti-inflammatory drugs out there which helps arthritic dogs. Also vets prescribe things like Glucosamine/Chondroitin nutritional suppliments which can help creaky old joints.

Even though you feel she wants to be like a puppy psychologically, I certainly agree to start treating her more like an elderly lady in her exercise management. If she is arthritic, exercise is good, but it has to be moderated to little walks more often rather than big long walks and runs. You may find that if it is arthritis, there may be an improvement as the weather warms up and gets less damp. Some vets advocate acupuncture in some cases of arthritis if you are interested in any alternative treatments and some vets also deal with homeopathic remedies - I'm afraid I have no experience of these so can't say how effective they are - I would imagine that each individual case varies.

Good luck with it. It may be a good idea to take Joyce for a good MOT and service at your local vet just to check there is nothing for you to be overly concerned about just yet.

When the time comes and if Joyce can't manage to get around without great difficulty, then I would say to definitely do the KIND and CARING thing for her and gently let her go. A dog that can't walk and get out for little bits of exercise will not be a happy dog. If they can't get out to do their business, I have found this can be very distressing for dog and owner.

I have seen owners in the past who have had their dogs go totally off their back legs and become really emaciated and have lost all muscle due to wastage. I know why these owners don't want to let go at this stage because it feels like a terrible decision to make and they feel guilty. But I would say to you DON'T let this ever happen to Joyce. Your vet will let you know if she is suffering in any way and that is the time to let her go - immediately. It will be the last kind thing you can do for her - and is as much as an owners responsibility as making sure she gets all the right things as she did when she was a puppy. We owe it to our pets.

Finally, I have been there when it comes to beloved pets and having to make that decision - I know it is hard. I'm talking from experience here.

Good luck to you both

Cookie

 

Cookie
Welcome to GC & many, many thanks for your kind & informative words.

Joyce is a border collie cross, it's her photo at the bottom of my posts.

There's no way i would let Joyce get to the state you talked about. She isn't bad really (i don't know how to express this), but i have noticed she does prefer to sit rather than stand, lie rather than sit. She still gets around ok but it's things like the night before last, i went to bed (she comes too) & instead of jumping up straight away she was walking round & round the bed. I ended up picking her up - that hurt! But then the next night she did the same, i left her & she jumped up.

She still comes everywhere with us. still gets excited going out, even if just a short trip in the car. Actually that's another thing she was sick in the car the other day.

She is definately eating well :D She is not incontinent at all. As soon as anything like that happened i would know what to do. Before in fact. She actually hates a mess (poo) and even prefers going outside of the garden! She doesn't mind being in a mess after she's been rolling in something though!

I also had a dog put down when i was 19/20. I had him since i was 8. My mum & i couldn't face going with him so my brother had to do it. Bringing back memories, i'm upset now. Anyway the reason we had him pts was because he had arthritis in the back legs (he was run over years before & i'm sure that was why) & he got really ratty so we knew he was in pain.

Joyce is not ratty at all except if young dogs jump at her then she gives a snarl. She is such a lovely dog, the best temperment i have ever known. Soft as anything, just like me

There are more pics of her in the pet section, i have just got a digi camera so am posting pics for the first time.

Have you got any pets cookie?

Hope you enjoy it here, it's a brilliant site.

Sorry to go on, i usually do:D

cheers