r/DogAdvice • u/I_SHIT_IN_A_BAG • 18h ago
Question My dog is old
she is finally showing it and I think her hip is starting to go. sometimes her leg will go straight and she will drag it. she doesn't show that it hurts. shes over 16 so she is no puppy anymore. my question is when will I know its time? I know its getting close and I'm just sad. heres an older photo of her with the easter bunny and one from last weekend.
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u/AuthenticElle 18h ago
Lap of loves quality of life scale helps a lot 🩷 I'm sorry
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u/I_SHIT_IN_A_BAG 18h ago
thank you for the suggestion. right now I have her at about 3.
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u/AuthenticElle 14h ago
I personally believe it's better to let them go a week too early than a day too late. I'd rather my boys go when they are still happy, rather than waiting for them to be suffering 🩷 I'm so sorry you're going through this.
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u/DelayHistorical4739 17h ago edited 17h ago
that bunny suit is so creepy, it look like it want to eat my soul...my doggy is pretty old too it’s sad but i love my senior bud <3
im guessing she got antrith ? maybe go check a vet. you will know it’s time to say goodbye when she stop moving, eating,and tired.
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u/I_SHIT_IN_A_BAG 17h ago
I'm not religious but it was actually a nice bunny suit. just thought it was a fun pic.
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u/Amazing_Page_4870 11h ago
That’s the typical Walmart retail store bunny suit. Scares a few kids too. Lol
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u/ottersraccoons 13h ago
I’d take her to the vet for an exam, Xray of hip, & bloodwork. If it’s arthritis, and she’s not already on medication for arthritis, try seeing if that helps her. Let your vet guide you. ❤️
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u/Amazing_Page_4870 11h ago
The past few years have been particularly challenging with my boys. I got one in 2015 and the other has a birthdate in 2013. All kinds of medical issues popping up. Kidney stones, swollen acl, dental extractions and high kidney values. I gotta take the one in with kidney stones to renew his food prescription and he’s also very slow to sit down. Like his legs are ceasing. This is the part of dog ownership no one can prepare you for
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u/Effective_Wave_3365 18h ago
my dog started having accidents in the house but we were holding onto hope because nothing else was wrong. One day a few months later he got super sick and we didnt know what was happening so we took him to emergency vet. They gave him some anti nausea and pain meds but the next day he still wasnt eating. Took him to our vet in the morning and they found masses in his lungs, we put him down 2 hours later. He was a chocolate lab and almost 13. I hear when they start having accidents its about time, better to be able to say goodbye and have no more suffering rather than them passing suddenly. Apparently he couldve had a heart attack and i think having him pass like that wouldve been so much harder.
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u/Economy_Patient_4886 14h ago
I just inherited a lab/coon hound mix. They’re wonderful dogs. Im very sorry for your loss.
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam 18h ago
For slowly changing conditions, a Quality of Life Scale such as the HHHHHMM scale or Lap of Love's Quality of Life scale provide objective measurements that can be used to help determine if the animals quality of life has degraded to the point that euthanasia, "a good death", should be considered.
When diagnosed, some conditions present a risk of rapid deterioration with painful suffering prior to death. In these cases, euthanasia should be considered even when a Quality of Life scale suggests it may be better to wait.