quality of life

[dgman]

how do you decide when the quality of life drops on a pet. it seems my girl (not my wife) is starting to go down hill. i cant decide where the bottom of the hill will be. there is nothing vets can do because she is 14 years old. she can do ok being deaf. she always did respond to hand commands. How does one decide when its time. my thinking is when dhe can no longer do what a dog does. she is close to that now.

[laury]

We put our dog down, after many years of being deaf, when he could no longer move without pain and the "life" just wasn't in him anymore. It wasn't being deaf that did it, it was that he was clearly suffering and in pain. We chose not to give him constant meds and just put him to sleep.

[Js wife]

Is she still functioning? Is she able to make it outside to go to the bathroom? Once control of those functions is lost, or they don't want to eat or can't keep food down, then I think it is time. (And not because of the mess on the carpet, but because of the shame and discomfort it brings most pets.) Sorry to hear your dog is not doing well.

[dgman]

she is getting old. not real bad yet. when she starts to do things like walk into walls. ill worry a little more. she still wants to chase the frisbee. its easy to see the changes in her. she really isnt acting like a belgian sheepdog, usually she was like a non stop action hero. but now. well see had a little time left. now its time to start looking for a pup.

[Js wife]

Sounds like she has some time left! Maybe she'd rather spend more time snuggling up in the bed instead of going on 5 miles hikes though.

[dgman]

indeed. now she sleeps 23 out of 24 hours. come to think of it both females in my house do that.

[Js wife]

Hehe, my five year old lab does that right now too...only because I'm having a hard time finding time for her other than our run in the morning, and then she hides from my two year old when we are at home (the dog hates rowdiness and being used as furniture). I wish pets were considered as qualifying relatives in the waiver process. She is so depressed our vet suggested prozac (and I'm not even kidding).

[oasis]

how do you decide when the quality of life drops on a pet. it seems my girl (not my wife) is starting to go down hill. i cant decide where the bottom of the hill will be. there is nothing vets can do because she is 14 years old. she can do ok being deaf. she always did respond to hand commands. How does one decide when its time. my thinking is when dhe can no longer do what a dog does. she is close to that now.

I am really sorry to hear your dog is not doing well.

When does the quality of life drops ? I would say when you see that your pet is suffering, needs constant vet visits... meds etc.
I would say as long as she is not in pain or suffering... and is somewhat alert and eating - she has some more time left. Enjoy every day with her and make every day special.

[dgman]

the is an old girl. now she is back yo doing what she has not done since she was younger than a year. she is playing dead. my wife told me twice this week that dancer died. the first time i went and looked at her and those eyes were watching every move i made. the second time my wife was in tears when she told me. what she didnt know was the dog was following her. i told her the dog was behind her. she turned and so did the dog. my wife thought i was nuts. the dog was still behind her. she looked in the mirror and started to laugh. still at 1 one day she wont wake up. she is just very old.