Toby the 14 year old Springer Spaniel.

Over the last few months his legs have been giving out on him, on some walks he’d just fall over.
Now he struggles to get up from his sleep.
But today it’s been very distressing.
He is also loosing weight and has been stone deaf for a year.

Thing is he has never been even the slightest bit ill, totally robust, never cost us a penny at the vets.

Not sure what to do, I can’t walk him. I’ve just carried him outside. When he was well he would have gone balistic if you tried to lift him.

I need advice here.

Time to let him go, sorry.

Take him to the vets and see what they say, but it is about his quality of life at the end of the day as much as you don’t want to lose him.

🙁

He has given you endless, limitless love, its now time you paid him back for his years of servitude and do what you know any of us would want.

Sorry 🙁

You can’t really build a dog back to strength again can you? Off to buy him a bone and some pigs ears.

Take him to the vets and see what they say. We had an ageing arthritic dog who carried on until he was 18 in the end. Had to let him go eventually as his quality of life became so poor, but before that I could still see the enthusiasm in him even though he struggled. In the early days however, medication did make a noticeable difference to this arthritis. You might not be able t nurse him back to his former glory, but don’t give up on him without getting a professional opinion first.

take them to the vets and get some advice

there comes a point [ and with people] where you are prolonging death not life adn they can advise you as to where you are on this scale.

Hurt like hell to admit this with mine though

Deepest sympathies it is not a good situation to face

I beg to differ, our admittedly 11 year old dog went from a bounding devil, to a stumbling wreak over the last couple of years. We were making noises about what was best for him, as he was never a house dog. Took him to am canine massage specialist and he has doubled what he can walk.
No it not a miracle cure all but has improved Georges life.
Don’t give up on them to easily, though 14 seems a very good age for such active dogs.

I need advice here.

sadly I dont think you do, time to visit a vet to see if anything can be done

Was in this situation
Hard thing to do, but take him to the vets tomorrow, get some advice
If he says better to let him go, let him go
We hung on to ours for 3 months, and looking back it was cruel
Got tears in my eyes thinking about it

Is he on any medications? Old arthritic dogs can be helped with a variety of meds from anti-inflamatories, joint supplements and even drugs like Tramadol.

Deffo time for a visit to the vets. Have a look at your vets website some of them are open on Sundays too.

Massage and hydrotherapy can help too but yeah sometimes there isn’t a lot that can be done. Howuch weight has he lost and what are his appetite and thirst like. Those things matter a lot too.

Sorry mate 🙁

Sounds like you know what you have to do. All the best whatever happens with him.

Make his last days the happiest he’s ever had.

Think of all the great times you’ve had together and accept he’s about to leave you.

All the very best.

Know how you feel oldgit, it’s such a miserable feeling. Happened to my dog Fred, last year. Absolutely fine one minute, then went downhill, to the stage where he would fall over and have horrendous nose bleeds etc. Took the poor chap to the vets and they said if he stays around much longer he’ll start to be in pain and so that made the decision for us. Poor old boy was put down that evening but he died with dignity still intact, and left us with plenty of amazing memories.

Take him to the vets, and see what they say. If it’s looking not so good, then don’t be selfish and let him go peacefully and painlessly. I’m pretty sure you don’t want your Toby in pain. Thoughts are with you bud.

Got tears in my eyes thinking about it

me too 🙁

Lost our last best friend only a couple of years ago and I still miss her like crazy 😥

….but get some advice in the morning. It may not be as bad as you think.

Massage and hydrotherapy can help too but yeah sometimes there isn’t a lot that can be done. Howuch weight has he lost and what are his appetite and thirst like. Those things matter a lot too.

He had always eaten the same food, never been a fuss. I’ve just fed him some chicken, but he won’t get up to eat any.
He isn’t touching a drop of water. And his poo’s are tiny.

It was about three months ago that he started falling over during walks, you could still see he was driven to race on but his legs looked so weak. And that’s slowly got worse.
Every night of his life he slept on the top stair, lately you can hear him falling trying to get up there.

*forces back a tear…

Sad times. Upsetting to watch your best mate degenerate.
Mine 8 year old lab has terrible hip dysplasia and dread the day he gives up the battle to go on.
Hope you find the strength to do the right thing and make it dignified for him when the time comes.

He had always eaten the same food, never been a fuss. I’ve just fed him some chicken, but he won’t get up to eat any.
He isn’t touching a drop of water.

Carl – It’s this part which would suggest it could be time to do the right thing. May partner works at a vets and one of the first questions they would ask is about eating.

You’ve clearly given him plenty of care and attention over the past few months which sadly a lot of others wouldn’t have (you may be suprised how often owners ask for their pets to be pts for trivial reasons) so you can rest knowing that whatever you decide Toby will have lived a life other K9’s would be envious of.

Thanks Jase.
I bought him a huge cooked bone today, we didn’t let him have one that often as he would sneak off and guard it all day long and growl if anyone tried to whip it off him.
Just had a growl at me before letting me stroke him…which was a good thing the old bugger.

I am so sorry to read this Oldgit.

We had a similar situation almost exactly a year ago with our lovely Lab x GSD Jaques. It was absolutely horrible, but we knew that we had reached the point where we were prolonging his life for our benefit and not his.

Sadly, it sounds like you may have reached that point.

I’ll be thinking of you, whatever you and/or the vet decide.

Think my hay fever must be playing up, my eye’s are all runny and itchy.

I think you know the answer here mate. It must be heart breaking, i was in tears with our guinea pig dying last month.

Enjoy the time you have with him and, as i’m sure you are, show him exactly what he means to you.

*goes off to give the dogs a love*

I feel for you fella, dread the day, manhugs for you

sounds typical of Springers TBH – a hundred miles an hour all their lives and then all of a sudden they burn out. Cracking dogs, had two and will get a third.

Re: advice, cant offer any more than the others……..

He saw his lead, and tried to get up. I carried him into the garden and he had a hobble and a few falls. Still trying to pull on the lead, but his back legs are splayed.
He has eaten sausages, but hasn’t drunk a drop.

Got to water the lawn tonight, might carry him out again, he used to love lapping it up from the hose.
It’s a bit like caring for an old person

Keep caring for him.

Lost my best friend last year and miss him every single day, Believe me you’ll know when it’s time to say goodbye

Oldgit having been here ourselves twice in the last few years with differentbsymptoms but similar behaviours the only guidance I can give is to get down the vets asap tomorrow and get their view. In our case (and particularly the case of the second) the vet concerned provided a balanced and sympathetic but most critically unbiased view of what was right for our much loved mongrel.

You have our sympathies. Absolutely the worst bit about pet ownership.

All the best with doing the right thing by your old friend tomorrow. I would ask for a house visit if I were you. I never want to wait for a end of day visit with an old pet again.

I have taken 2 pets for this 😥 It’s the hardest thing to do and both times I wailed like a baby – it’s realy going to hurt but it’s for the best I think from what you have described. I know it sounds glib but you will gain some comfort as you grieve knowing you did all you could when your pal needed you. All the best fella.

We had an old collie that got pretty arthritic and could only be taken for short staggers each day. However, he’d always been a great swimmer. Anywhere there was a deep pool, like the inside of a bend in the river – he’d flop in and happily swim about like he did when he was half the age.

Lovely. But carrying a sodden old dog back to the car was less entertaining!

He has eaten sausages, but hasn’t drunk a drop.

Not drinking could be heart thing

Feel for you. We’ve just lost our dog after 15 wonderful years. I rescued her from a bin in Taiwan when I lived there and brought her back to Europe. She had also been deaf for over a year and had a heart problem. But last Wednesday she had some kind of fit in the evening and couldn’t even stand up on her own. The vet asked us if we wanted to go down the ‘chucking all kinds of therapy at her route’ but TBH I think that wouldn’t have been fair on her. Horrible thing to have to do and I was crying like I baby when she finally went to sleep for ever. 😥 In typical German efficiency the vet had a box of kleenex ready for me.

It is a heart breaking position to be in. Our first Springer was 13 and a bit – was having problems with his back legs, and most likely, luekimea. Steriod pills keep the elgs going.

We always vowed than when he no longer wanted to go out for walks , then the time had come …
We went to Oz for three weeks and left him with my dad. When we came back, he just fell down the stairs, happy to see us. But that was the realisation that we had left it too long – and were keeping him going for us, not him. He could barely stand, his fur was dropping out however , underneath if all , he was stil Stan, and we loved him.

We made the decision there and then – he had always been my dog, but my wife stoically said she would take him to be put down.

I made him the biggest bacon sandwich I could – and feed him a big bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk – and then off he went.

It is truly heart breaking – I said I would never have another. the house felt emply without him etc. However, as time went on we enjoyed the freedom etc

We have another , who as caused us real heartache – he was mistreated/ mis trained etc by the previous owners and breeder. He is my wife’s dog. Very much so. But when it is time of him to go, it will be teh same feelings.

Do the dog a favour – he cannot make the decision but his quality of life will be rubbish. If he loved walks and can no longer do them, then make the right decision. You will feel like shit – but it is the humane thing to do. Toby is suffering – help him

Oldgit, I suspect that you may have other things on your mind this morning but I just wanted to say ‘chin up’. It’s the hardest thing to do but also the best thing.
One of our Cockers had exactly the same thing a few years ago and it no life for them. I hope it all goes as well as can be expected.
Contrary to what some might say, I’d get straight into another dog. Perfect time of year for it and you certainly wont be doing Toby an injustice. Our current dog is pretty much perfect [to me] but that doesn’t stop it getting very dusty whenever I think of Morgan and Ellie.

Sad times indeed. thoughts are with you. lost our cat recently to cancer, our decision to end it at the right time, but it was hardest ever made, so know what your going through. all the best

Toby passed in his sleep this morning. Our family will miss him, as well as plenty of other folk.
He was a true gent, not a bad bone in his body. A companion on cross country runs, camping trips and long long walks into the countryside. Though he could shit for England and totally buggered my lawn.
In a way I’m glad he went like this, fit to the end and only ever went to the vet for a cut paw..
Proper miss you old boy.

Sorry to hear that. His passing will leave a big hole in your life 🙁

really sorry to hear that ,sounds like he had a great life and you enjoyed loads together, plenty of good memory’s.

Brings back memory’s of our old boy springer, Brandy. Still miss him.
So tough when they go

There’s a good home awaiting a lucky dog.

🙁

Sorry to hear that oldgit. As ernie says, he’ll leave a big gap. Hope you’re feeling better sooner and have only happy memories. These few days will fade away.

Sad times indeed – the next few days are going to go very slowly. No dog owners will always use the “it was just a dog” but a member of a cohesive unit has gone …

Remember the good times, his time had come and he is no longer distressed / in pain.

On a lighter note – what is it about springer spaniels and productive bowels … no matter how much they are fed they produce 50% of their bodyweight a day in fecal matter ….