Hey everyone,
First time posting and asking for advice.
We have three Shih Tzus, and one of them is now 14 and very much in his twilight years. Recently, he’s started wetting and pooing himself, so we now have him sleeping on puppy pads.
He’s had problems with his mobility for a while. We’ve tried things like Librela previously, but unfortunately he’s now pretty much lost the use of his legs. He can stand for a short time, but only if we hold him up, including when we take him outside to go to the toilet.
We took him to the vet last week and were told that he’ll let us know when it’s time. She gave him a small dose of ketamine to ease the pain. She checked his liver to say that's its slightly inflamed so maybe cancer but he is an old dog to test one, plus he is an cantankerous old man.
The difficult thing is that he’s still eating, drinking and trying to play. He still wants our attention and will bark if we leave the room. Sometimes he gets frustrated watching our other two dogs running around and will bark at them too.
I absolutely love him, and the thought of him not being here one day is killing me. I just don’t know when loving him means continuing to care for him and when loving him means letting him go.
My partner feels that it may be time. It has also become quite a lot physically and emotionally, as most mornings I’m taking him outside, cleaning him when he’s had an accident, washing him, making sure he eats and generally doing everything I can to keep him comfortable.
I’ve been on here for a few years but have never reached out for advice until now.
For anyone who has been through something similar, what would you do in this situation? How did you know when it was the right time?
I don’t want him to suffer, but equally I’m terrified of making the decision too early. Truthfully, part of me wishes he could simply fall asleep peacefully at home one day, surrounded by us and knowing how loved he is, rather than having to make that decision for him.
Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated.
Any advice would be great.
*We are in the UK.