Canine Senior Moments?

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Molly and Rowdy are the only senior dogs I've personally had. Other dogs I've had all had to be re-homed due to moving or whatever. I have been around other senior dogs......but visiting them is not the same as living with them.

Molly has cataracts. She might be having issues with hearing.

But I think what I *thought* was hearing...........might be senior moments instead. Because other times she seems to hear me just fine.

My back door doesn't open into the back yard. It opens onto the side of the house in the back. There is like a 5 foot shot to the gate of the back yard. This is why my command to go into the yard is "gate". Simple. Molly has done this multiple times a day for 8 yrs without a lead. (Molly never in her whole life has "run off")

Tonight I'm taking the girls out after their supper. Of course Molly has to go through the door first. I say the command "gate" more for Sadie than for Molly..........But instead of going into the gate Molly slowly wanders off. I'm like wth? So I give the command a couple of times, waiting with Sadie because Molly has to go in the gate first. Molly doesn't even acknowledge the command or that she hears me and keeps slowly wandering and winds up going down the alley. So I put Sadie back inside and go after Molly. She's off into the neighbors yard. And when you've been with a dog as long as her........well when I asked her what the heck she was doing, she looked at me so confused. I had to use the lead to put her into the yard. Then go get Sadie and put her into the yard.

This made me remember various other times, before Sadie arrived as well, that I've taken her out and she's just stood between the door and the gate. Repeating the command doesn't work. Sometimes she starts to wander down the driveway. (wander as in very slow walk) And I have to guide her into the gate. Sometimes it's from gate to house, with her ignoring the command "house". Sometimes, now this one I have noticed with Sadie because before then Molly just went out and did her business in private, Molly asks to go potty but when she gets out there she seems to have totally forgotten what she's doing. This results in her having to go back out to get the deed done. And explains while in the past couple of weeks I have had to take her out almost continually in the evening (before Sadie).........I bet she's forgetting what she's out there for then asks to come back in, then needs to go again. Because she has no trouble holding it.

mother in law's basset Cleo is the only senior dog I ever really "lived" with. She was 14.........and she didn't get senior moments. She just got sick, then became incontinent, and had to be put to sleep. (all in a very short span of time)

So now I'm thinking since Molly hears me fine at other times (no matter what voice I use), that when i thought she wasn't hearing a command.......she was having a senior moment instead? If so, she's having a LOT of senior moments in the last couple of months.

A lead to Molly means "walk" because otherwise she doesn't use one, it's not necessary. I'd hate to have to start using a lead to put her in and out of the yard.......not to mention it would be a major PITA to do so. Bad enough having to do it with Sadie. But Sadie is still learning the commands "Gate" and "House" so she has to stay on lead and probably will for quite a while.

Molly does have that tumor on her belly. I haven't bothered with the vet because, well, she's at an age where I wouldn't consider extensive measures anyway. Possible that it spread to her brain? And she does have that horrid cough, although once the trees stopped blooming it has improved quite a bit.

I'm trying to make her old age as pleasant as possible. I have, despite the awful gas, started her on canned food........she just can't do the kibble anymore. I'm svcking it up on the cost. I guess what I'm asking is............if your elderly dog is not in pain (and other than arthritis that only seems to flare on damp chilly days) how do you know if you should put them down instead of letting them pass on their own?

And no, I really don't want to think about this stuff. I can't imagine my life without her in it. But I don't want her suffering either and me letting myself be blind to it for selfish reasons. So I'm asking those of you with more experience with elderly canines.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Lisa...
Our old family dog - growing up - lived to over 20. She's probably the best point of reference I have for a "senior" dog... I wasn't home when she got to that point, but Dad kept us all up to date. Her mind would wander a bit, she was losing hearing and sight, but every day, she'd greet the folks with her usual happy tail-wags and a spark in her eyes. Then the day came when the tail-wags got less and less, and the spark went out of her eye... there was no more enjoyment left in her day, and that is when Dad chose to have her put down, rather than just exist.

That's just our story - there are probably multiple view-points on it...
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Lisa, I have no idea what breed of dog Molly is but I have always sort of pictured her sort of like our Lady which is the dog we adopted when Cory was 3 months old which would have put Jamie at 27 months old. We got her at the local shelter and they guessed her age at about 2 or 3 years old at that time. She came in from an elderly woman who had to go into a nursing home or so that was what we were told. She was some type of mixed breed Australian Shepherd or border collie we believe. Never were sure. That was the best dog we ever had.

She never ran off, did exactly what she was told and you talked to her like a person and not a dog. When the kids became teens, she must have been 14 or so by this point, she started to slow down. We noticed she had cataracts and was going blind. She had arthritis so getting up and down the stairs in and out of the house was harder for her but she did it faithfully every day. About the time Jamie was 16 we would find her stuck in corners barking because she couldnt find her way out and she was stuck. Thats when we knew she was totally blind. She had her very first accident ever in the house and she was mortified. At this point we knew she had to be at least 18 or 19 years old and that is ancient for a dog. One day we noticed she was laying around more than normal and she had come to each of us and spent some very long time with each of us just having us pet her and love on us and then she asked to be let out. We really didnt think much about it but then she didnt bark at the door to be let in again. Jamie and Cory went looking for her around the house thinking she just got lost around a tree or something but they couldnt find her. We never did find her again.

She left us to go off and die. She knew it was her time and she had said her good byes to all of us. At that point she had to be at least 20 years old and she had barely any teeth, she was blind and had arthritis. She was our best dog. I know she is in heaven and has welcomed all our other dogs with love.
 

SuZir

Well-Known Member
I have always had a policy, that it is better to put the pet down a month too early than a day too late. The dog does not think tomorrow or be sad of the days it will not have. It lives now and here and in the end only that matters. When my dogs get old I always try to keep in mind what kind of dogs they were when their best. And when they start to loose too much of that, is time to let go. It hurts so much, but it is not fair to keep a dog that has nothing else left but just existing, and barely that.

You also should always remember that dogs don't like to show their pain. That doesn't mean they are not in pain. They may have acute or chronic pain just like people do and it may make their life just as unbearable. But often they don't show it much. But if the dog's behaviour changes, they become more grumpy or withdrawn, are aggressive to other dogs in the family etc. that is a huge warning sign there may be serious pain. Also a dog lying around and panting (without it being too hot or something), licking his front legs, looking or licking certain spot on himself, shaking himself more often than usually etc. are also warning signs for the pain. If you worry about the pain it may be worth it to put the dog under pain medication for two weeks and see if behaviour changes.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
(((((HUGS))))) I don't have a lot of dog experience because while our only dog while growing up lived to be about 17, her death was not natural or due to being put to sleep because she was ill/hurting. she was in great shape.

We have had a lot of cats, almost always had one as a kid and then in college my folks had 2-4 of them at a time. We only ever went out to get 2 of them and one was an adoption from a friend that was moving. Our cats brought friends home for dinner quite often and not just other cats. When they got old or sick, they went and brought home a cat to take care of us. Usually a stray or near feral one. By the time our cat either wandered off to die (terribly hard on us) or we had the vet put the cat to sleep, the new cat was familiar with us and either had moved in or was starting to trust us. Only one was at the starting to trust us stage, but we learned he had been hideously abused. He went from being just terrifying to all of us to playing "tag" under the table with toddler Wiz. He NEVER EVER scratched one of the kids. He passed on about a year or so ago, having brought home my parents' third cat a few months before. He knew the second cat they already had would never protect my mom from mice (the second cat once lost a mouse behnd a soccer ball).

Part of me wonders if this is one reason that Sadie has appeared in your lIfe at this time. Not so much because Molly is at the end of her road, but so that Molly can teach her to care for you while she still can. Of course if Molly is in pain or not enjoying life, then you have to make the hard choice.
 

Kathy813

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Please don't make the mistake we made and wait too long. Our beloved shih tzu Abby had a mast cell tumor under her chin. We had it removed but it came back 6 months later. At that point, since Abby was 13 years old, we decided against a second operation and let things run its course. The tumor grew very quickly and the vet told us the time to put her down would be when she stopped eating. So we watched for that and it finally happened on a Saturday. Of course, the vet was closed so we decided to take her in on Monday morning.

Sunday night was horrible. husband stayed up with her all night. She was very agitated, getting up and falling back down, and screamed out in pain several times. The next morning, when I was leaving for school, I bent down to tell her goodbye and had my hand on her side as she took her last breath and died.

I will never forgive myself for making her go through that last night of her life. I agree with SuZir. . . better a day too soon than a day too late.

~Kathy
 
Threads like this always bring tears to my eyes. I don't really know about "senior moments" as far as dogs are concerned. All of the dogs I've had prior to my "favorite sanity saver" had to be euthanized because it was apparent they were suffering, all that is, except my much loved beagle. My parents gave her to my sister and I when I was 9 years old. She was the runt of a litter and was going to be euthanized. About the only good thing I can think of, when I think of my mother, is that she had a major soft spot for animals and couldn't let this happen. She persuaded my father to bring her home. She had epilepsy. She had a seizure and died in front of my mother, myself, and my high school boyfriend when I was 17. It took a very long time before I could think about her without teary eyes...

Cats, that's a different story. My most affectionate cat, she was beautiful, long black fur, huge turquoise/green eyes, definitely had what I would call kitty alzheimer's. She would walk to her litter box, go inside, come out and go all over the floor. I know the litter box was clean. I was constantly cleaning it. It got so bad I had to buy puppy training pads and put them outside of the box. Then, gradually, she began going all over the house. We left her home for a few days while we were away and came back to a huge mess in every room - Not Fun!! She started eating my favorite sanity saver's food instead of her own. She stopped coming to us when we called her name, something she had always done from the first day we brought her home from the shelter. She was by our very best guess, about 25 years old!! When we got her, we were told she was about five or six years old. She lived with us about 20 years. Things got worse, she didn't seem to consistently "know" us, and sadly, my husband had to bring her to the vet for the very last time... He stayed with her as she closed her eyes forever... Too sad for me to even think about now...

My favorite sanity saver is going to 11 sometime in August. She has been starting to slow down. It's been gradual for about a year now. She has cataracts, gets tired from playing more quickly, definitely has arthritis, no longer jumps on the bed to snuggle with me and husband, or to let us know she needs to go out. Now she taps husband with her nose or paw, or pushes her body into the side of the mattress to "jar" one of us awake. She has small growths too, a large one on her chest but we had a fine needle biopsy done on it and luckily, no abnormal cells were found - We were told that because she is so mellow, they got a really good sample and were able to do the procedure three times. So far she is still happy, still loves to play, go on rides (however, husband is going to have to make some sort of a ramp for her to make getting in it easier), walks, and do all the things she's always loved to do. I'm dreading the day she no longer enjoys life. My kids think I'll have to go to the shelter and bring home another "fur baby" before this happens. Even my husband doesn't know how I'm ever going to be able to deal with it when the time comes...

Like you, I hope if the time comes when I have to make a choice for my favorite sanity saver, I'm strong enough to give her one final gift, that of no more pain/suffering... However, I hope for now, that both of us have many more happy years with our beloved fur babies!! Hugs... SFR
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I have always had a policy, that it is better to put the pet down a month too early than a day too late. The dog does not think tomorrow or be sad of the days it will not have. It lives now and here and in the end only that matters. When my dogs get old I always try to keep in mind what kind of dogs they were when their best. And when they start to loose too much of that, is time to let go. It hurts so much, but it is not fair to keep a dog that has nothing else left but just existing, and barely that.

You also should always remember that dogs don't like to show their pain. That doesn't mean they are not in pain. They may have acute or chronic pain just like people do and it may make their life just as unbearable. But often they don't show it much. But if the dog's behaviour changes, they become more grumpy or withdrawn, are aggressive to other dogs in the family etc. that is a huge warning sign there may be serious pain. Also a dog lying around and panting (without it being too hot or something), licking his front legs, looking or licking certain spot on himself, shaking himself more often than usually etc. are also warning signs for the pain. If you worry about the pain it may be worth it to put the dog under pain medication for two weeks and see if behaviour changes.

Seems I know less about dog pain than I thought. She pants a lot, not all day every day.......but quite often, even when it's not the least bit hot......like 50 degrees. She was doing it last night. She has just started licking/chewing her side in recent weeks, lots of whining going on the past two days.......she's doing it right now, low whine more like a whimper. But sometimes she'll do that when her glands are full which is why I wanted to get her bathed. (and now we're back to rainy weather so that will have to wait until it dries up again) But she's not doing her usual scoot around on the floor when her glands are full deal.

I switched her to can food, regardless of the really foul gas issue, because I noticed she's dropping weight. She was still eating all her kibble, it took her quite a while, but still loosing weight.

And she's hiding, or attempting to go off by herself, from Sadie. Not afraid of Sadie........just doesn't want to be bothered. Thankfully, Sadie checks her out.....like she's seeing if she's ok.......and pretty much backs off giving her her space.

Aw man this hoovers out the rear end. I don't want Molly in pain or suffering, but omg it's going to take me a bit to adjust to the fact it may be time to let her go. I thought, oh well, she's still playing with her herding ball............but when she plays with it, like she did with Sadie.......she comes in and pants for hours. If I take her ball away, she becomes severely depressed and stressed out worrying over where her ball is. (so much so that I gave it back)

Maybe I need to really think about getting Molly into the vet and see what she thinks. I hate to do that. Talk about stressing a dog out. One bad experience (at another vet) and every since, even though my vet now is the kindest soul on the planet.........Molly gets super stressed over the vet, so I avoid taking her unless I have no choice. Vet even tried having me stop by on Molly's walks so she could personally give Molly a treat everyday..........and yeah, that didn't work, just kept stressing her to the point where we gave up. Molly wouldn't take the treat offered, so there was no "good" experience. :sigh:

Maybe we can try some pain medications (if I can afford them) and see if that improves her days. But honestly, I've been preparing Nichole for some months now that Molly's time may be growing near.

This sort of sounds a little silly. But I was hoping when we got another hot day on one of my days off to let her go on one more adventure........put her into the car and take her out to the park and walk back to the creek where she can "fish" (yes, she does fish) and look for crawdads, chase the tadpoles.......and hunt for turtles while splashing around in the water and having a good time. I hope I get a chance to do that again.

This morning is a bad morning. Even Sadie seems to sense it. There is no over excited romping around trying to get Molly to play, even though it's too wet outside for playtime in the yard and I'm sure Sadie has more energy than she knows what to do with.

I'll give the vet a call and see if I can get them both in by the end of the week. Need to get Sadie's rabies anyway and set up an appointment for her spaying in the not so far future. In the meantime I'll keep a closer watch over Molly and see just how much she is panting ect.

Totally blows.

I don't want to be one to make her stay when she miserable. But the though of her leaving me........hurts so very much. :( So I'll pray the pain medications are affordable and that will give me a little longer with her.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
Lisa, our old gal Nala is beginning to show her age in many ways. She can still run like a shot to the back door after a walk, but she hates going for walks anymore - she prefers to just lounge on the patio instead. Her joints hurt I think and she may have permanent damage due to a bout of Lymes years ago. She is 12 and for Cairns that is just slightly over middle age. But her hearing is going and she often seems to be in her own little world...not very quick on the uptake and slow to respond.

When we get to the point of wondering whether to put this one down, I can't be a part of it. H will have to do it - I will be a mess. She's my baby and a part of me will die with her. Hugs, it's so difficult to see our beloved babies decline like that. I always wished my pups would outlive me...unrealistic I know, but it's how I feel.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Jo

A part of me, I think knows the time is growing very near, but it hurts so much just to consider it.........that I'm trying to convince myself it's really not "that bad" yet.

I know it probably sounds a bit extreme, but Molly couldn't be more my "child" had I given birth to her. She has always been more human than dog (in many ways, I've never really thought Molly knows she's a dog).

I've had her since she was 5 weeks old. The first week we brought her home......I used to sit on bff's porch a lot and help her with her baby that had cerebral palsy. At 5 wks of age, Molly would park herself under his walker and "protect" him from the jostling of her other son and niece when they'd play on the porch. If we were at bff's she did not want to leave that baby's side, and she was just a little baby herself. She helped teach Kayla to walk, bff's son to walk, she inspired Alex to try to move (he was so delayed he wasn't walking yet when they took off when he was almost 18 months) and watched over him too, carrying him back to the livingroom by his diaper when he'd try to crawl into the dingingroom. She protected us from multiple intruders. She was Nichole's best friend and slept with her every single night on the top bunk of bunk beds. She had adventures like what I talked about above, but she also played soccer and she loved to sled in winter. She helped teach Darrin and Aubrey to walk. Even helped Connor a bit while he was here........even though it hurt her to let him. She's watched over more babies than I can ever begin to count....human babies (you don't grow up in her eyes, you'll always be her baby) to every other species that has come into this house. Not only would she never dream of running off or wandering.........she used to tell on Rowdy, Precious and even Betsy the time or two she'd try it for running off and scold them fiercely when they returned. (I never had to scold them, Molly did it for me lol ) The dog can spell words like Bath, Walk, Bye bye, Toys, Bone. omg

She's lived a very full and happy life. We spoiled her rotten and she gave it back 1000 fold. And I just don't know what I'm going to do without her. Dogs like Molly are rare.

And I think this was another reason I was resenting Sadie. Because I knew even if Sadie in her own way is special, she will never replace Molly in my heart. Maybe she showed up to ease Molly's passing........but honestly, I don't think anything will. And I'm working hard not to resent Sadie who is trying so very hard it seems (if dogs can do this) to measure up to Molly.

In just the past 2 yrs I've lost my bff, my mother in law, and husband. Now it looks like it might be Molly. Too many losses in too short of time.

To make it even worse, Rowdy is not acting normal either. Even when we put him out onto his lead, he won't move around. He just lays down. His tail doesn't wag much. He does come for affection.....but that lying down thing, especially in the yard sort of worries me. He was never big on playing.......but he'd normally be happy at being out of his kennel and romp a while before lying down.

Just feels like I'm losing everyone all at once. :(
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
{{hugs}}
My heart cries for you - just the memories, I know, I remember...
And somehow, in some ways, we feel the loss of a pet MORE intensely than some other losses. Maybe because they give so unconditionally.

No other dog will ever take Molly's place.
The next dog ends up building their own chamber in your heart... your heart just gets bigger.

It's well over a year since our first dog had to be put down, and I'm just getting to the point now where I can talk about him without getting misty-eyed. And that's in spite of the absolutely outstanding dogs we have now.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
((((Lisa)))) I am so sorry for all your losses and those to come.

My sister had this dog Sadie, who was a fierce watchdog, but my sister's baby. Sadie had five pups - all a glorious rusty brown color and part Chow. She kept them all except one that she gave to another sister. She lost them all to old age, all within 18 months of one another...one by one. It was the saddest thing and it took my sister a VERY long time to recover. Just after the last one passed away, she sold her home and moved closer to town and near her sons. Then, quite by accident, this dog adopted her. He is HUGE and adorable, thinks he is a lap dog, so loyal and she named him Lucky Eddie but calls him L-E for short. He is her pal. It's not quite the same as those other dogs, but he's found a special place in her heart, just as Sadie will.

Give it time, love her like you would any other new friend and ESPECIALLY because she's trying to live up to Molly. I believe certain animals are sent our way for a reason. It could be that Sadie can sense that Molly is close to the end and knows you need that extra TLC. Let her in - she's not trying to usurp Molly's place in your heart, she may simply be trying to ease the pain. Hugs.
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
{{{{big hugs}}}} Lisa. It does sound as though Molly is suffering. It's such a terribly hard decision to make, and probably the most difficult thing about having pets. Bubba went through similar types of non-cooperation before we had to let him go. I felt so badly because he was doing his best to just remain comfortable, and we would be frustrated with him. In the end it all sort of started to add up to the giant thing that hit us in the face, made up of all the little things we should have noticed. He couldn't get up onto his favorite sofa anymore. He didn't know us when we came home. He was irritable. He was losing control of his bowels. He was in a lot of pain.

Once we knew what we were going to do, and that he was dying slowly rather than dying right now, we scheduled for a few days out, and took our time to baby him and say good-bye. It's hard to believe that's been nearly two years now. I miss him every day. I'm so sorry that you have to go through this with Molly. :(
 

susiestar

Roll With It
(((((hugs)))))

I am so very sorry. Of course Sadie won't EVER take Molly's place in your heart. Given that Molly and Rowdy are both showing their age, it may be that they sent Sadie off on one 'last run' with directions to then come home and care for you when they got to the point that they couldn't, be it soon or not. not to ever take their place in your heart, but so that they would know that you were taken care of when they couldn't do it any longer. My cat Squish brought home Squeaker because he was the sweetest thing (she hated other cats except him) and he was sick. she got his illness so she then brought home Shadow - the meanest cat I had ever seen. By the time she and Squeaker both had to be put down, Shadow was trusting us and he spent the next 19 years watching over us and making sure that my parents took care of themselves. He knew that Sammy, their other cat, was a sweetheart but a doofus so he brought home Tommy to protect them. Tommy died recently but he brought home Little Bit and also trained Amy, my mom's dog, to watch over them, kill the mice, and take care of them.

there was never any doubt in watching how the older cats behaved with/around the newer ones that they brought home that this is what they were doing. I think this is one reason that Sadie is with you and such a good 'fit' for you right now - husband and Molly and Rowdy have chosen her for you and are training her to be what you will need. it is a way to keep you from just stopping when they are gone, in my opinion. And a sign of how much they love you and always will.
 
I know it probably sounds a bit extreme, but Molly couldn't be more my "child" had I given birth to her. She has always been more human than dog (in many ways, I've never really thought Molly knows she's a dog).

She's lived a very full and happy life. We spoiled her rotten and she gave it back 1000 fold. And I just don't know what I'm going to do without her. Dogs like Molly are rare. :(

Lisa, This doesn't sound extreme to me. Hugs... SFR
 
I believe certain animals are sent our way for a reason. It could be that Sadie can sense that Molly is close to the end and knows you need that extra TLC. Let her in - she's not trying to usurp Molly's place in your heart, she may simply be trying to ease the pain. Hugs.

I agree with hearts and roses. When I lost a favorite cat to cancer, my favorite sanity saver needed a home. While she didn't replace the pain from losing my cat, she's brought more love and joy into my life then I ever thought possible... I also believe Sadie is with you for a reason... I know she'll never replace Molly but love her and let her help you get through this.

Thinking of you... Hugs... SFR
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I dont know how many times I have read this thread but I kept coming back to it for some reason. I know why. The name. We had a pup named Sadie Mae about 12 years or so ago. Sadie is also Tony's grandmothers name...lol. Obviously you are meant to keep Sadie. Too many signs.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Lis -

How do you know - / You ask them. Sit with her and have a talk.....she'll tell you.

And as far as that flare up of arthritis on the damp days? She can (her size) Have probably 3-4 ENTERIC (coated) generic Dollar General Aspirin - every morning or night - ona knife with peanut butter to hold them and just wipe it on the top of her mouth across her teeth - and voila - it will help immensley - with the aches and pain of old age, creeky bones and the stiff walking....

When you sit and sob about her pain and talk to her - she'll tell you she's in pain so badly she can't cope - trust me - Casper and I had this talk - I cried, he cried - I said I wasn't ready for him to go - HE said WTH MOM? Then I came back in - DF wiped HIS tears and he said "HEY you've got it all wrong - I don't wanna go anywhere." .....(paused) and then he said "BUt I'll make you a deal - when I can't cope - I'll let you know -but if it gets to that - will you be there with me?......please?" and I of course cried a little more but agreed to be there. (Originally I said I couldn't but this is our deal) and one of the only things that can make me cry just thinking about it. So yeah - you'll know and so will she.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Yes - you will know.

A couple of years ago, I knew AngelKitten's time might be on its way. Then, late February a year ago, I noticed her stomach was a bit swollen and... I just knew. I knew it was time. husband took her to the vet, they removed a lot of fluid, but it was back... I took her to her regular vet, he agreed that it wasn't much longer and gave me diuretics simply for palliative care. 4 days later... After I watched her drag herself across the floor... I knew it was time. I posted a short video of her eating a pea that Friday night - and Monday we took her to the vet for the last time. She was still eating, still snuggling, but I knew. That was just about 13 months ago and I still miss her. Possum and Squirrel are my furkids, and I love them to pieces, but Weasel (AngelKitten) was my babycat.

Rowdy may be reacting to Molly... They've been together for a long time, hon.

:hugs:
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
Dogs can have strokes, just like people, and they can show signs of senility and confusion just like elderly humans. My brother has a Shih Tzu who is doing the same thing. He pretty much sleeps all day, his eyesight is going (or gone!), and sometimes when they put him outside he seems confused and just stands there. But he still gets around OK, he still eats well and he doesn't seem to be in any pain. So for now, they have decided just to sit tight and see how he does and to wait till he lets them know when it's time.

It's such a horrible decision to have to make. I think about it a lot because my Ragan is almost ten and Freebie, my sweet mixed breed is at least 12, probably older. I went through that with my first Boston, Ms. Rudy. Poor little thing was thirteen years old and had survived both breast cancer and heart disease. She slowed down so gradually I almost didn't notice that it was happening. She just seemed to wind down like a clock. She slept more and more, got weaker and weaker, but didn't seem to be in any real pain. That little dog had been with me since she was 6 weeks old, been right by my side through some really rough times. I raised her right along with my kids. I agonized and agonized over what to do but that sweet little thing took the decision out of my hands one day and passed away in her favorite chair while I was at work. It's such a difficult and such a personal decision that I couldn't give anyone any advice. I've always heard that you should make a list of all their favorite things they love to do, then when they are unable to do those things anymore, it's time.
 
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