Quality of Life for 16 yo Boston

monkeyknifefight

I have never posted on this board, so I hope I do not offend. 

Our girl is about 16, we have had her since 2001.  She was a breeder dog, she even has a scar on her ankle that appears to be from a chain.

She is now blind, for which we give her 4 meds per day. She has always been a little incontinent, but she started pooping in the house around Christmas, so we now have her in diapers full time.  She was howling at first, but now she seems used to it.

She basically sleeps, eats and poops, which is, quite frankly, mostly what she has always done.  She was never a frisbee dog, just totally mellow.

Her regular vet and eye specialist say she is "fine" just very old.  My husband wants to put her down but I just can't. Or rather I am torn.

We put down our other Boston last year on the rec of our vet because he had a heart condition and was really suffering.    

I guess I don't have a question after all.  No one can tell me what to do. I guess I just wanted to get it out. Thank you.  

YellowUmbrella

*Hugs*

It's such a hard place to be in. I honestly believe that any loving pet owner who keeps their pet's best interests at heart can't make a wrong decision in cases like this.

wypadek

YellowUmbrella:

*Hugs*

It's such a hard place to be in. I honestly believe that any loving pet owner who keeps their pet's best interests at heart can't make a wrong decision in cases like this.

All of this. Best of luck!!!

monkeyknifefight

Thank you. 

I guess I do have a question after all: as a general rule, would you euthanize only upon the recommendation of your vet, or would you consider your personal feelings too? It's so hard.

destination09

YellowUmbrella:

*Hugs*

It's such a hard place to be in. I honestly believe that any loving pet owner who keeps their pet's best interests at heart can't make a wrong decision in cases like this.

This is very well said.

YellowUmbrella

monkeyknifefight:

Thank you. 

I guess I do have a question after all: as a general rule, would you euthanize only upon the recommendation of your vet, or would you consider your personal feelings too? It's so hard.

I would consider my vet's opinion, but I would weigh my personal feelings much more. He/she is not seeing your pet day in and day out to gauge quality of life.

witt1029

monkeyknifefight:

Thank you. 

I guess I do have a question after all: as a general rule, would you euthanize only upon the recommendation of your vet, or would you consider your personal feelings too? It's so hard.

I would take both my vets opinion and my own feelings into account. You know your pet the best and know how they generally do at home though sometimes I think it can become hard to see when pets lose their quality of life because we love them so much. I think in general you will know when it is time; when your pets good days no longer outweigh the bad then it is probably time to say goodbye.

It's all very tough when starting to think about these things. I wish you the very best!

velocitygrl

I think that nothing is wrong with taking both your own feelings and your vet's advice into consideration when you make any decision like this.  There isn't really any "right" answer here.  If you feel like you are taking your dog's best interests to heart.you will make the right decision for the pup.  Good luck- it is never easy to make these decisions.

minicheezburg

monkeyknifefight:

Thank you. 

I guess I do have a question after all: as a general rule, would you euthanize only upon the recommendation of your vet, or would you consider your personal feelings too? It's so hard.

A recommendation is important, You also need to put your dog into the mix and thinking how it is affecting them. I know it is a very hard decision but you need to think about what is best.

dirtyred

This is a very hard decision (I've been there too) and you'll question yourself no matter what you decide.  Please don't beat yourself up, no matter which option you choose.

mainerocks

I'm sorry you're going through this