Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear that Alex is going downhill. There are some things you can do within reason to help him. He may need stronger meds. My old guys do very well with the Metacam (anti infllammatory) and Tramadol (pain reliever) combo. And as mentioned the harnesses work wonders and from experience, can give them more time with you. Every dog is different, every dog tolerates things differently depending on their personality and medical history.

There is unfortunately no easy answer to your question. I had to put my first Golden down last January. He was almost 14 and was my heart dog. He was as stubborn as they come, a fighter till the end, and did NOT want to EVER leave me or show me ANY sign. I had to make the heartbreaking decision for him. The most useful information that anyone has ever given me was " I'd rather it be a week too soon than a second too late".

The last 8 months of Angelo's life was alot of hard work for us. Alot. He had strong front legs but little to no use of his rear legs due to severe muscle loss and lack of feeling. No bowel control at all, but could pee on his own with us holding him up. I could go on and on but despite all these things...he had the strongest will to live of any dog my Vet has ever seen. He would have NEVER been ready to tell me...because every day was a celebration for him despite his disabilities.

The day before we decided to put him down, we brought him to my moms house. (his favorite place) It was FREEZING out but he had fun in the snow and we took tons of videos and pictures. And he played with his beloved tennis balls one more time. (photo attached taken the day before)

He LOVED going to the Vet and knew where all the cookie jars were. He was "famous" there and is still a lifelong favorite patient of many of the staff there. He ate his favorite treats given to him by his favorite vet tech, barked barked barked like he loved to do and fell asleep in my arms. I did not want to be one of those people that waited TOO long. I didn't want to have to rush to the Vet in the middle of the night and have him be put down by a stranger. He was put down by his Vet that had been taking care of him since he was a 3 month old 19lb puppy. So as much as I will always second guess even though people agreed it was "time". I have peace in knowing that he was happy on the way out. So what I'm trying to say is that if you have a "fighter" on your hands...they may not tell you it's "time".

I don't know if this helps you at all. But I wish you lots more time left with your Alex. Can you post a picture of him?

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Jeanne in NJ
Archie-GRRI-NJ Rescue (12 yrs, 8 months old)
Halo-Lazyriver Circle of Love (2 years old)
Angelo-My Angel-WE MISS YOU (4/12/95-1/05/09)

As others have said, I think a loss of appetite is a really strong indicator that it's time. My Carmella always had a lusty appetite and was very energetic. Over time her appetite waned, but the day she refused all food, including a piece of bacon (her favorite treat) I knew it was that time. There were other indicators prior to her complete loss of appetite, though. For one, she spent all of her time outside, and often was kind of hidden in the groundcover or in a bush, which was really not like her at all. One day, near the end, I came home from work and she didn't get up from her position on the garage floor to come greet me. That was REALLY against her normal personality.

If your dog is still eating well enough and shows an interest in his surroundings, I still say he has time left. I'm sorry you're having to think about this. It's very, very hard.

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My simple answer would be when they lose their dignity of life. But of course your question is FAR from simple.I wish you the strength to make that decision when the time comes.

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I have a senior GR and this is my first time having to deal with arthritis and mobility issues. My others have died from injury or cancer. That is hard, but the answer is cut and dried.

I agree that you should talk to your vet about more aggressive treatment of Alex's issues. My older guy is now on 50 mgs of rimadyl 2X a day. He does not tolerate Tramadol well, but that was suggested in conjunction with the rimadyl. We went to the ortho vet last week and I am just starting him on Sam-E on the ortho vet's recommendation.

All of us with senior dogs are searching for the magic bullet and offer each other support and advice. I hope you and Alex have more good time together. I do have to disagree with my vet when he says someting will shorten Copper's life. IMO if it helps his remaining time be better, then shortening it is okay. If he can have a happy 3 months or a not so happy 6 months, I believe he would want the good time.

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Copper's Mom (always )

I never had to go through this with a dog yet but I did have one experience of having to rush my guy to the ER vet because he couldn't stand up at all. Don't ask me how I got him in the car, it was one of those miracles. I thought that was it that day, but the ER vet gave him a shot and he got up after awhile, and we got sent home w/ some stronger meds (Tramadol) so I just wanted to say just because they can't get up one time doesn't mean it's time yet. I agree w/ the person who said check w/ your vet and see what medication options there are. With science and meds these days our dogs can live longer and fuller lives. Best wishes, hope you get lots more years n miles together.

P.S. When I took my cat, he was really confused and didn't know what he was doing, quality of life. I did tell the vet that day I was not sure it was time and she said "it's ok to go on a good day" so we did it. It was hard but I like that saying - it's ok to go on a good day. Although we don't want it to be too soon.

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Dawn and Boomer and Gladys

Thank you for your stories. I took Alex in to the vet on Saturday and went ahead and had his geriatric blood work done, since it was due in August anyway. He is now on Metacam and Tramadol, which seems to help. He still has a hard time getting up, but he doesn't pant as much, which is probably a reaction to the pain. My vet has a Sr. Dalmation so she was able to share her stories with me about her dog, which helped me. We are just going to wait and see how he does and make life a bit easier for him, common sense stuff.

My boy Alex:

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Alex is SO handsome.... love those sugar faces. I hope his meds makes his days easier... for him and you. If needed, do look into the harnesses that help to get him up. They've been helpful for many.

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Betty and the Dallas crew


“Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” A. France

Alex is just gorgeous.

It might take a few weeks for you to see the full results from the medications. I hope he feels better and you should see improvement in his mood, even if you didn't notice he was a little down from the pain.

I have to make sure Copper takes his rimadyl with a full meal. Did the vet mention that with metacam? that is the one nsaid I/we haven't tried.

Good luck. browse through the senior threads and see if any additional information might prove beneficial.

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Copper's Mom (always )

Aww he is so regal! I hope the meds kick in soon and he is relieved of pain!

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Abby and Finn

What a handsome old fella!!!

My best wishes for him getting some relief. Like was said, this might take some weeks, but I'll be hoping it helps him out.