my old lurcher

[scothunter 12,609]

hey folks.i have an old lurcher bitch she is comming on 16yrs old now.well recently she has been really unsteady on the back legs.but now its getting pretty bad times she needs a helping hand up and even though she isnt on any pain that i know off.she has started being a bit incontinent aswell.i think she prob doent evenb realise she is doing it.is there anything i can gove her or ahould i be considering having her PTS.as i said she isnt in pain but i hate to see her struggling to get up at times.my biggest concern is having to take her to the vets she hates strangers and i really dont want her last mins being stressed out.any ideas what a vet would charge for a home visit.dreaded this day comming but i feel she is getting worse as the days go on.

[mattydski 560]

Poor old Girl.

Bess has served you well, so first off, dont feel guilty bout the decision. You want her to enjoy a quality of life, not an existence.

Not sure if you remember my Collie? I had to have him PTS just before xmas, because he was getting kidney failure. I had him nearly 13 years and was my best friend and loyal companion. He was PTS at the house, the vet charged £30ish quid. He is now buried under the living room window,

I remember the good, loyal friend that he was, not the pain he would have been in had I not have made the decision.

[scothunter 12,609]

Poor old Girl.

Bess has served you well, so first off, dont feel guilty bout the decision. You want her to enjoy a quality of life, not an existence.

Not sure if you remember my Collie? I had to have him PTS just before xmas, because he was getting kidney failure. I had him nearly 13 years and was my best friend and loyal companion. He was PTS at the house, the vet charged £30ish quid. He is now buried under the living room window,

I remember the good, loyal friend that he was, not the pain he would have been in had I not have made the decision.

 

cheers matt yea she has never gave me a bit of trouble ever,great in the house and now she is having accidents in her bed as i said she either cant get up or does not realise she is doing it.chhers for the reply matt and i just cant get it out of my head do i do it or do i wait till she really cant get up on her own.tbh though its a decision im going to have make sooner rather than later.its a decision id rather not make but weve all been there.yea i remmebr the collie you had matt friendly bugger it was.im the same ill bury bess in the garden aswell.

[Guest chook]

There is some stuff you can get for incontance from the vets - propalin syrup,

 

unfortunaly for the back legs, theres not much else you can do,

my old girl is around 15/16, shes starting to get weak on her back legs now,

walks are becoming just 5 mins round the field, any longer and she ends up stiff and

has problems getting up, saying that though shes still enjoying life and is still as crackers as ever,

she does have problems getting to the toilet, with her i think its a case of, she only realise's at the last minuite

she needs to go, but as long as shes still happy and is enjoying life, then with her - i will go as far as shes willing,

as soon as shes had enough, then i will make that decision.

[Mrs A.R.D 53]

i had to make the decision at the begining of the year to have my old terrier put to sleep and it broke my heart. i looked at it like this, is it worth giving medications that are just going to mask the symptoms its sad but you cant save a dog from old age and its not going to get better its just hideing whats there. Dogs are hard especially those that have lived and worked a lifetime and even when they are old and infirm they still try to get up and please there master, its hard to make the decision but you will know when the dog has had enough. dont feel guilty you have given her everthing she needed for the past 16 years and she knows it. bless her! atb mrs.A.R.D

[scothunter 12,609]

thanks for the comments.yea the incontinence is just her not making it in time.ive decided the min she cant get up by herself i will do the right thing by her.like you said its just old age catching up to her now.

[Guest Buttermilk]

Oh bless her...and you too, what an awful decision it is.

I had to make the same decision just before Christmas and it's so hard.

But she's such a lucky dog to have you as her owner. Our vet came to the house too....much less stressful...and I think the charge was around 40 more than a normal pts charge.It was worth every penny....you're right, it's so horrid to think oftheir last moments ebing stressful.

As someone else as said, there is medication (syrup) for incontinence ....and it works pretty well. Poor old girl.

Thinking of you...