[e-dad]

Roman is about 12 y/o. We have had him for 7 years. He was so well trained when we took guardianship, he has never had any issues in the house, or with other pets or people, and we have only heard him bark (briefly) twice. Just like your Golden, He seems to read our minds, is eager to please, and is happiest when he is in the middle of our "pack". He has always had some sort of problem with his rear legs, no muscle tone and can't seem to control them well as far as lifting and placing them in fore and aft when navigating at a slow pace or climbing/descending stairs.

If he is outside for a bit and warms up, he can romp with the best of them. Well he used to be able to anyway. Now he is struggling even more to get around. And according to the vet possibly has paralyzed larynx which makes his breathing very laborious when active. He is fine at rest.

He seems to be in some discomfort or stiffness when trying to get up or lay down - which is exacerbated by the lack of control of the back legs. Some glucosimine has been helpful with the stiffness it seems.

We live in a tri-level house and it just kills him to either be left downstairs at night instead of up in one of or bedrooms, or to make the effort to climb up the stairs. He is a big guy at 95lbs, tall and long and it is nearly impossible to lift or assist him up the stairs (or down) in his less than optimal condition.

Although this is not our first choice, we have come to the point where we wonder if he might fair better with someone who has a same level home, has experience with older Goldens and has the time to patiently help him along.

I hope I am not violating the forum guidelines or even offending this orgs sensibilities with what I am leading up to, but I am seeking out an individual that would have an interest in taking Roman (an AKC registered thoroughbred). If you are interested and Roman sounds like the companion that wolud be a good fit for you, please contact me for details.

E-dad
[email protected]

 

[missmarstar]

If you think not being able to follow you upstairs to bed at night is stressful for him, what makes you think uprooting him from the family and home he's been a part of for 3/4 of his life in his senior age would be any easier on him?

 

[MikaTallulah]

If you think not being able to follow you upstairs to bed at night is stressful for him, what makes you think uprooting him from the family and home he's been a part of for 3/4 of his life in his senior age would be any easier on him?

I am with you.


E-dad why not just sleep down stairs with him. If it was me I would sleep on the floor with Roman- How much longer does he really have? Way not make everyday pleasurable for him. A ranch style home will not make him happy of his pack is not there. Also why do you say took "guardianship?"

 

[Jersey's Mom]

This absolutely breaks my heart and you will undoubtedly break his if you go through with it. Could you really abandon him in his last months, weeks or days? Do you really believe he would be happy without you and the rest of his family? Could you live with yourself afterward? I'm really hoping this is a knee jerk reaction to seeing him in pain and that your love and sense of honor for the love he's shown you over the years will kick in soon.

Julie, Jersey and Oz

 

[Charliethree]

This REALLY saddens me, and it happens all to often. Dogs, man's best friends, give their humans the best part of their lives and the thanks they get is- you are old and unable, it is time for you to go. I urge you to reconsider, and give Roman the golden years he deserves and has earned by being your friend, loyal companion, and asking for nothing more than square meal, some attention and a warm, safe place to lay his head. No he would not be happier in with new people and a home with no stairs, it would absolutely break his heart. Rehoming a dog of any age is traumatic for them, it is not an easy adjustment for even the youngest and healthiest of dogs. Consider what Roman needs the most - YOU! the person who has loved and cared for him the last 7 years, the person he loves.

 

[BajaOklahoma]

My Bailey is 11 years old. She has trouble getting up, due to arthritis and a weak rear end. Because of her liver, she is limited on what can be done for her.
My vet doubled her Osteo-3 (glucosamine and chondroitin) and it made a huge difference for her.

While I think you are trying to what is best for Roman physically, I think the emotional loss of his family (no matter how wonderful his new family) will take more of a toll than you realize.

 

[*Laura*]

e-dad Roman loves and needs you.

 

[Laurie]

This makes me so sad. I have a 12 year old with cancer...although he can still get around, he is weakening in his hind end. I'm sorry, but I would live on the main floor of my house with him if it meant making sure he's happy and with his family. The idea of rehoming him .....I can't even explain how it makes me feel.

Please rethink your position ......Romeo is happiest with you at this point in his life.

 

[GoldensGirl]

Welcome to the Forum.

Having cherished a 12+ year old big Golden who had arthritis and was on seizure meds, I empathize with your desire to spare your big guy. And I whole heartedly recommend the HelpEmUp harness (there's a version made for large males), which allowed us to help Charlie up and down the stairs without hurting ourselves when he wanted to make the trip. As others have suggested, more than once we took turns sleeping downstairs to be with him when the stairs were too much even with help. He has done the same for you for most of his life and now it's your turn.

Wishing the best for you and your sweet dog.

 

[MikaTallulah]

I wonder why the OP says he "took guardianship". Makes my mind wonder as to how he came by the dog. Did he inherit him or something- I wonder? I know I would never say guardianship with my furbutts.

 

[Dallas Gold]

If you really feel you cannot keep Roman in your home, please contact a rescue to take him. They will be able to find him a home (probably as a permanent foster) for his final months.

Will some of our Michigan members post here which Michigan rescue is closer to the OP?

 

[Sweet Girl]

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were trying to do what you thought would be best for Roman, given he has so much trouble with your stairs. But I think there are other options you can consider before giving him up in his final years.

Your vet can give you some advice about supplements (other than glucosamine) that can provide some joint relief. A painkiller might help, too. My dog is on both a supplement for joints and a painkiller for her arthritis, and both have given her a new, limp-free, lease on life. Or you could sleep downstairs.

I have an almost 12 year old, and I just can't imagine giving her to someone else in her greatest time of need and love and support. I have a split level house, and I am about to get a runner put on my stairs later this week for the sole reason that my dog is having some issues going up and down. I know I can't carry her up and down, but the expense is so worth it, to give her a better footing and security.

Please re-think your plan. Roman needs you now more than ever.

 

[Karen519]

E-Dad

E-Dad

I am so very sorry for Roman-he needs his family more now than ever.
I agree with MikaTallulah who suggested sleeping downstairs with him-that is what I did with my Smooch. The vet can give him medicines and supplements to help with his legs. Did the vet take x-rays, etc.?

 

[OriJames]

I do not have an old-soul Golden yet. As Ori is only just approaching 4 years old, and Jas is pushing 2. But this breaks my heart also. I really hope you reconsider this, e-dad. My Ori has Hip Dysplasia and I'm preparing for when he gets older to give him all the comfort he needs. I couldn't bare to think of re-homing him even now if he was in such a position as Roman let alone further along.

However you brought Roman into your lives, he's there now, he loves you unconditionally. He wants to be with you, not another family. If you uproot him from a place where he's found emotional comfort again, it will only hurt him more, beyond comparison to the physical pain at this moment. Please re-consider, if you can't, as Dallas Gold has suggested, please look for a GR Rescue that will do everything in their power to find a home for him that can help him as much as they can. I have a few friends in Michigan myself who are avid Golden lovers and might be able to point you in the right direction of a few good rescues, or perhaps might be able to help you out personally. I'll contact them if need be, but as a LAST resort because I truly think you need to sleep on this for a little while, not just overnight. This could be detrimental to Roman's mental health which can ultimately put stress on his physical health.

 

[ZeppGold]

When our husky got older, we had to start helping her up the stairs to go to bed at night. When she started having trouble going down the stairs, we moved her bed to the bottom of the steps so that she could sleep as close to us as she wanted. She spent the last 6 months of her life sleeping on her bed in the middle of the living room. She was always surrounded by her family. It was a hard last year of her life, but we wouldn't have given it up for anything.

They always talk about having single floor houses for when you get older and can't go up steps. I would like to have one for my dogs. I'm sure that when we get to that situation again, one of us will probably take turns sleeping on the couch.

 

[penparson]

I share others' thoughts. Our seniors need help most of all when they lose mobility and have other serious health issues. Reuben spent the last year of his life unable to get up on his own. Thankfully I was at our summer house, with its downstairs bedroom, when he really started to decline. When he was at the other house, someone always slept downstairs with him at night. Romeo needs love and compassion, not rehoming. He's not a used car.

 

[2dogsandagrrl]

When my older husky x was 14 and could no longer climb the stairs I moved my bedroom to the diningroom on the main floor and slept there for 2 years...never in a million years would I have thought to give her away.

 

[GoldenMum]

I agree with what has already been said, my Clyde will be 12 in September. He has arthritis, and has been on a roller coaster trying to keep weight on him. I home cook his meals when he won't eat his kibble. When he pants excessively, I sleep on the floor with him to let him know I'm here. We have a ranch house, I am grateful for that, but I never would consider rehoming my precious old gold! Please contact your vet for other pain management options, Clyde gets a monthly adequan injection, it does wonders for him! Please don't give up on Roman, he wouldn't give up on you!

 

[Elisabeth Kazup]

At 95 pounds, I'm going to guess that he's anywhere from 20-30 pounds overweight. If you could address his weight issue and put him on a diet, you could probably give him a lot of relief.

Tri levels only have about 5 steps between levels with a landing before going to the next level. There are many assist devices to help him walk up the stairs. It doesn't seem unreasonable to help him up once in the evening and then down again in the morning.

You could also build a narrow ramp so he can walk up while being assisted with a sling.

I sure hope you find an in-home solution for him. He deserves it.

Or put him to sleep. But don't traumatize him further by making him move to a new home.

 

[GoldenCamper]

Hello E-dad. I hope you find a solution for Roman. There are a few stickys here about assistive devices and supplements.

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...y-breed-standard/92648-assistive-devices.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...supplements-etc-arthritis-joint-problems.html

There is a vast amount of info here about dealing with senior issues, many of us have been there. Quite a few folks here in multi-level homes have moved things around to sleep with their dog downstairs.

And not to pile on but I do hope you keep him and figure it out. Seeing our best friends getting old and needing help is not easy, but it's part of the deal and not the end of the world.

Trust me, they can be quite happy and retain a quality of life. Please keep in mind as you search yourself for answers our dogs read us all to well. If you are happy, so are they. If you are sad so are they. Hope you keep us apprised of the situation you find yourself in.