a family has come to me asking what should they do they don't want to seem heartless.

they have a 15 yr old unspay female, hair loss unexplained , no fleas, has been wormed on flea and tick preventive and wormed monthly, is deaf, does not do well with change, has arthritis in rear legs hips possiblely.

appetite still good, drinks alot of water, possible cancer
and she pretty much sleeps all day now, not seemingly as good a quality of life as she once had

no diabeties at this point.

well the family is moving to a new house with stars leading into it and she doesn't do stairs well or except change well. she has lived a good long life and they are considering putting her to sleep what would you do

I would probably do a ramp of some sort for her and take her to the new home. If she can't adjust to the new home, then decide from there. Very personal decision - only they know the dog well enough to decide. I weigh the quality of life - what that particular dog would want.

agree there is no right or wrong answer it will have to be what they are comfortable with.
Because of her age and health issues I don't think many would condemn them but who are we to say right or wrong.

sending strength so they can make the right decision for their family.

Barb, this is always a hard decision and only the owners know in their heart what the right answer is. IF her quality of life is still good I agree that perhaps a ramp may be the answer, at least to try. If that does not work and she's just not happy in the new home, then re evaluate and go from there.

Good luck, this is when the love we have for our dogs has to shine through no matter what.

My old dog is 15 and will be 16 in March. She has no bowel control NONE, messes her bed, poops on the floor, barks to come in but not to go out snaps at puppies, eats sparingly but begs for cookies, is deaf (except for the sound of the cookie jar lid go figure), doesn't see well, shuffles when she walks, and needs help on stairs. I LOVE this dog and will keep her every possible second I can. I will carry her uppity butt up and down stairs when it gets to that point. Her happiness is my responsibility. You know the old saying that you can judge a society by the way it treats its elders...well I think that extends to our pets as well. Tell your friends to put their pet first as that old dog put them first all these years.

Build a ramp to help her with the different levels and give her a chance to adjust to her new home. They are assuming she won't do well and assuming she may have cancer. I would encourage them to keep her with them as long as they can. Oldies have wonderful things to teach us .... mainly compassion.

thank yo all for your wonderful responses and I do believe they have decided to vet check her first to make sure she is not in pain from any cancer or some other alment they didn't know about and if all checks there good then they are installing a ramp.....hope for the best for this old girl

I'm right there with you on this one Darcy, really ticks me off when people are unwilling to care for an old dog when they have problems, they give us the best years of their life and they aren't disposable...
Tell them to take care of their old girl and give her lots of love and care until there is a real reason for it to be her time. Those oldies are the best of the best!!!
Aloha,
Jackie

Darcy Kane

My old dog is 15 and will be 16 in March. She has no bowel control NONE, messes her bed, poops on the floor, barks to come in but not to go out snaps at puppies, eats sparingly but begs for cookies, is deaf (except for the sound of the cookie jar lid go figure), doesn't see well, shuffles when she walks, and needs help on stairs. I LOVE this dog and will keep her every possible second I can. I will carry her uppity butt up and down stairs when it gets to that point. Her happiness is my responsibility. You know the old saying that you can judge a society by the way it treats its elders...well I think that extends to our pets as well. Tell your friends to put their pet first as that old dog put them first all these years.

Death is not the worse thing a dog or human faces. Suffering in life is far worse.

I hope this girl has many more happy days with her family.

FWIW, I think our pets are happy if we ar there even if some times things are like stairs are inconvenient, so new or old house carried up and down the stairs or not, I hope she gets more time (pain free) with her family

Our time together really is too short

I am so glad to read they are taking her to the vet.. To me their comfort level and happiness is all that matters... And no one but their vet and their moms and dads know that as best as we can know, since they are so stoic.
I am an advocate for all older animals... I have in my heart and at my home 2 horses that were Champions in their day and cast aside as olders..One is a 43 yr old paint pony. The other a 35 yr old Appy. We are fosters and know they will never be adopted out... The paint has been here for 3 years and the Appy for 1 now. They are home as far as we are concerned, even if we can't afford to pay for them... The rescue is more than willing to if we provide the home, love, and TLC. As our first horses ever I cannot tell you all they have given us...
As an aside,,, after being here for a short time, my very thin 13 yr old daughter can ride them both once per week, and they are in their glory..
I also have a 9.5 yr old handicapped Lab with cerebellum damage.. I have had him since 6 months old and many people over the years have questioned his quality since he couldn't walk and run like a 'normal' dog... In his hay day he could walk a mile w/o falling down... These days I count each day as a blessing with him... I need to hold his harness for him to walk most days.. He does have accidents here and there in the house.. But he is the most happy, spirited dog I know and he is used to me helping him off/ on through out his whole life... It's all he knows..... He is a very, unique special boy who I have been blessed to call my own.
I will say prayers that this little girl doesn't have anything painful and terminal. And that aramp is all she needs to be able to move with her new family...
They give so much to us their entire lifetimes.... We owe them that and more in their geriatric years, if they are comfortable and have a quality of life. Even if it means some inconveniences, and more clean-up.
They are PRECIOUS!