I have a wonderful senior dog and he’s my best friend. And I’m so scared of his aging. As he’s slowing down and I keep an eye out for medical issues I just can’t imagine how and when to make a call about his life.
I work all day away from home and live by myself, which was not the situation when I’d adopted him initially. I don’t have a community or friends or family around to help during the day if and when it comes to that. I can’t afford dog sitters especially not ones with training.
What if he could be fine with more support and money, should I give him back to animal rescue?
I just lost my dog after her needing people around pretty constantly. My partner and I can mostly arrange working from home, so the situation is not the same. What is the same is how you approach how your dog feels and how to tell when it’s ‘the time’.
You’re probably the most important part of his life. The shelter might let him find a home that can care for him better or it might not (because people are hesitant to adopt older dogs with health issues). What they can’t give is the stability he gets from staying with you. It really sucks that we can’t ask them what they want. I know that my pup would never have chosen a longer life if it meant giving us up.
When is it time? There are resources online about how to judge quality of life. For us it was as simple as picking her favorite things to do and watching to see if she still wanted to do them.
I have second guessed myself a lot - should we have done more vet care, should we have spent more time with her, etc. You’re in a hard situation. The decicions don’t get easier and sometimes are no win. My advice is to make your decisions for him as best you can knowing that your best is not ever going to be the perfect ideal AND it will be good enough.
If he seems happy and not in pain, then nothing is wrong. Consider setting up a nanny cam, so you can check on him throughout the day.
There isn’t much one answer… I know how hard it can be.
As for being alone; how is he doing now, as far as being alone? Any chewing or destroying your stuff?
As far as letting go; we choose to put them down when they could no longer enjoy their lives. When they could not go out on their own; or when accidents happened more often than not.
It is never easy. It has torn me up every time.
i wish i had advice to offer you, but i’m in a similar boat with my senior cat.
i was devastated when my senior dogs & cats passed away and i was able to weather it each time it happened thanks entirely to my other pets commiserating with me; my 16 year old cat is the last one left alive and he’s been by my side through all of those deaths.
the bar for approval to get another pet from the shelter is far too high; too long; and too invasive were i live for my attempts to be successful, so i’ve only adopted pets that i found on the streets and those that others wanted to surrender to the shelter.
i’m on the spectrum which makes human relationships very difficult to create and maintain, which means that my cat is my life.
i cannot express how much i dread the inevitable day that i have to see him suffering once he gets ill and i have to decide to it’s best to end his life.
i hope you’re better prepared than i am.
You don’t need more money to take care of an aging pet.
You deal with the medical issues until you decide not to, then you put the pet down.