Deciding when to put your dog down.

[GilpinGuy]

Well, timely revival of this thread for me. My guy (17+yo Lab mix!) is starting to show signs that it's time. Frankly, I can't believe that he's made it this long.

A few years ago he got some severe ear infection that resulted in almost total hearing loss and some loss of balance, but he still trotted around the property and seemed happy. Recently he has been "doing his business" closer and closer to the house, and now just goes on the deck - very occasionally in the house too. In the last week he puked in the house twice. I feel like he's really on his last days now. He's arthritic, of course, and walking on the hardwood floors causes problems.

But then I'll see him trotting around in the snow again, and I just can't bring myself to think it's his time. Man, this a hard thing to make a decision on. When I KNOW it's time I'd like to get one of these Home to Heaven folks to my home. I have to see if there's anyhthing like that up here in the hills.

[MED]

Well, timely revival of this thread for me. My guy (17+yo Lab mix!) is starting to show signs that it's time. Frankly, I can't believe that he's made it this long.

A few years ago he got some severe ear infection that resulted in almost total hearing loss and some loss of balance, but he still trotted around the property and seemed happy. Recently he has been "doing his business" closer and closer to the house, and now just goes on the deck - very occasionally in the house too. In the last week he puked in the house twice. I feel like he's really on his last days now. He's arthritic, of course, and walking on the hardwood floors causes problems.

But then I'll see him trotting around in the snow again, and I just can't bring myself to think it's his time. Man, this a hard thing to make a decision on. When I KNOW it's time I'd like to get one of these Home to Heaven folks to my home. I have to see if there's anyhthing like that up here in the hills.

My childhood dog may have saved my life in her last days. She could barely walk but she came racing down our 100ft driveway as fast as she ever ran and chased off two Doberman's who were circling me, and then limped her way back up to the front patio where she always stayed and watched over everything. It wasn't long after that my parents put her down. They can do some pretty amazing stuff even at the end. I wish you the best on this; I know it is hard.