My German Shepherd

[ozzerr]

He will be 14 in september which is getting very old for the breed.His back end aint the best and he collapses now and then on walks/wooden floors etc.As for the walking he loves to get out as he was a very agile dog but now he is happy to potter around at side of house which is a large area but he wont go far and not for long,and if i do take him further his back end will fall over which seems fine with him he picks himself up and moves on.
The back legs dont seem to be the only problem,the past few months his bowels seem to have lost some grip and he has let out the odd grey friars bobby albeit unknown to him once when he did so when asleep.

What i am asking folks is it time for my best friend to visit the big kennel in the sky,think i looking for confirmation.Thing is my mate popped round tonight he used to play rough with him and the mutt gets a toy out and wants a tug of war/wrestle and he still loves his grub.
He may be pencilled in for monday this post is probably about me wanting you doggy people to tell me i am doing the right thing.Because i finding it hard to let go.

[SC7]

Has he been to see the vet? Has the vet given their opinion?

I would say that if he still seems to enjoy life then he has some left in him - If he is in pain maybe it's time to let him go on his way.

Good luck either way. Our family have always had German Shepherds so this tugged the heartstrings.

[Brighton Derly]

Is he in pain? If not, then no, I wouldn't have him put down.

Maybe a change of diet would help with the bowel situation.

You need a vet's opinion really.

[Oldandslow]

Sounds like he's still pretty happy and active. Be a bit premature to put him down unless his qualty of life is seriously impaired IMO

[perdu]

Oldandslow said:

Sounds like he's still pretty happy and active. Be a bit premature to put him down unless his qualty of life is seriously impaired IMO

^^^ this

very PH but that's how it is here

We had to let our 15 and a half years old Springer go in February, It isnt easy, but honestly as long as your mate has some go in him, keep him

Only let him go when he is hurting just being "him"

I still reach down to feel for him by my chair, I think that is normal

He lost it within a couple of very sad days, sounds as if you have more time together to me.

Enjoy it

Give the little guy a stroke from me, will you

[ozzerr]

He aint in pain and change of diet wouldnt help that has been done and he produces solid stools.he booked into vets on monday,the thing i dont want is to come home and find him crippled in pain,he is left alone for around 9 hours tue-fri.And the bowels past few days have got worse he has thrown around more stools than a fight in a bar.Even when on a walk he cant bend down to do the business he walks along and the poo just falls out.

[WorAl]

Ozzer, my heart goes out to you, we had to let our 7 year old dog (worst decision I've ever had to make) go three years ago and then his mother two years ago both very hard decisions and it will break you.

Having not owned or even seen the dog myself, I really can't say what is best or what I'd do in your position, but I would prepare yourself for the shock sooner rather than later.

[Pinefresh]

Our black lab also had bad arthritus in his back legs towards his latter years, we started giving him glutamine sulphate tablets from tesco which were meant for human joints and cartilage etc. It did seem to make a big difference.

[dustybottoms]

Very sad to read Ozzer, without seeing or knowing your dog it is difficult to give advice. My own rule when it comes to these things is, are they in any pain and are they still enjoying their food?

Best of luck.

[mickk]

Keep your appointment for Monday and let the vet take a look. As others have said only you will know when is the right time.

Good luck.

[dingg]

You know what you need to do really ,it is an awful decision to make but only you will know in your heart when the time is right

[Jasandjules]

I think until he is in pain or his quality of life is impaired, then he's ok.

[wargriff]

I had the same thing happen to my last shepherd, I held on for as long as I could. Make sure he is not in pain, mine was able to walk around and get up and down ok. He did not go up stairs nor run around. My decision to have him put down came when he was unable to hold his bowels and he was distressed by this.
In the end it is about his quality of life and how he is, you have to make the choice based on that. It broke my heart and im nearly crying now just typing this.

I hope you dont have to make the final choice, and my thoughts are with you.

[bexVN]

It's not alwyas about the pain, my friend recently had to have her very dear lad put to sleep, (I have known this dog closely for several years) To say he was in pain was difficult to establish but he was:
Faecally incontinet
Unable to walk down steps
Collapsing regularly
getting stomach upsets very easily
plus other small problems

However he was still wagging his tail and happy to see people.

We made a very hard decision based on the fact that he wasn't going to get better, he was at high risk of collapsing and not getting up, his owner was having to clear up his mess in the house almost daily, which she may have coped with if it wasn't for the fact that she had a young son and a disabled husband.

I believe she made the right decision. (I was there for the final injection for that lovely dog )

I am facing the same problem, I have an almost 16yr old cat with bad back legs and now chronic pancreatitis, he is up and down right now, I feel your stress but you will know and I believe slightly earlier (when no chance of recovery) is better than feeling you left the decision too long.

[ozzerr]

wargriff said:

I had the same thing happen to my last shepherd, I held on for as long as I could. Make sure he is not in pain, mine was able to walk around and get up and down ok. He did not go up stairs nor run around. My decision to have him put down came when he was unable to hold his bowels and he was distressed by this.
In the end it is about his quality of life and how he is, you have to make the choice based on that. It broke my heart and im nearly crying now just typing this.

I hope you dont have to make the final choice, and my thoughts are with you.

Thanks for yours and everyones kind words,my whole thinking is i dont want him in pain,the toilet stuff he is clearly embarrassed/disturbed.he going through the motions eating sleeping pooping whenever where ever i have a young girl a toddler who is nearly 3.Was kinda hoping for folk to tell me to do whats best for him,the whole saga is obviously stressing me out was at the barbers this morning who found a large clump of my hair falling out.Wtf is that all about alopecia or summit i got hair falling out in tandem with his stools.

Anyway keeping mondays appointment for the vet(maybe do me some bob martins to shampoo with)but if i know my vet he will want to keep him going on some expensive meds.

[bexVN]

I strongly believe when pets reach older yrs esp if old for their breed the vet needs to listen and support the owner if they feel the time is near. If your vet starts making you feel guilty then change vet.

A vet does need to offer realistic options but they should respect your final decision.

My friends dog wasn't the oldest for his breed about 11-12yrs but he'd had elbow and his probs all his life so we were lucky he did make his age. The vet asked a couple of discreet questions just to check our reason for the decision and was then ok about doing the sad deed.

[Halb]

wargriff said:

I had the same thing happen to my last shepherd, I held on for as long as I could. Make sure he is not in pain, mine was able to walk around and get up and down ok. He did not go up stairs nor run around. My decision to have him put down came when he was unable to hold his bowels and he was distressed by this.
In the end it is about his quality of life and how he is, you have to make the choice based on that. It broke my heart and im nearly crying now just typing this.

I hope you dont have to make the final choice, and my thoughts are with you.

Same here. My beautiful German Shepherd was 13, old for GSs. She was big too, bigger than most male dogs, around 45kg. I knew she was on her last legs one winter, some trips to the vets who prescribed stuff for arthritis. Eventually I knew it was time, it was very painful for me and my mum, we had her from 6 weeks old. She was was a happy dog but was becoming immobile. I had to hold her sometimes for her to poop in the garden, otherwise she might fall over. The vet gave her something for her thyroid (I think). Her head would shake slightly in the last days, I didn't know what this was from but eventually we had to make the decision, it was very hard and I miss her lots.
Weepy now.

[celticpilgrim]

Same thing happened to my Bobo last July, he lost the muscle in his back legs, and started to get incontinent, would wee in his sleep, and while able to walk, couldn't quite pick up his paws and would scrape his toes he also managed to perfect the art of pooing while walking - I'd look back and find he'd dropped his cogs 10 yards back up the road, and would have to go back to pick it up.

You will know when it is time, together with advice from the vet. When it was Bobo's time, the vet said that a week would make no difference to his condition if we wanted to spend 1 last week with him, which we did, and then said goodbye to my best freind. Sounds like you had a good one there ozzerr, so you'll know what's best for him.

I'll stop now as my eyes are leaking, and as I'm at work, don't want funny looks!

[ozzerr]

He now gone to the big kennel in the sky,i am now sitting here looking at his kc papers proud as hell but crying like a baby.Does that make any sense?

[ali_kat]

Big hugs, remember him with love, you did the right thing by him

Dusty in here today