Humans can understand the end point or goals of either living in substantial pain, going through painful procedures, or painful recovery. Animals can't, so at some point I think we keep animals alive not at all for their needs, but for ours. Just because medicine makes it possible does not always make it appropriate or humane (for animals, or humans for that matter).

I think it's good you're planning to keep her on the pain and joint meds to keep her comfortable. I personally wouldn't go through with the teeth cleaning. I'm surprised they actually are ok with putting her under. I agree with what Pal said. It sounds like you gave her a good life. I don't think you're horrible for the decision you make and only you can decide that.

jterrilyn, I am with you, for the reasons Pal listed. I don't think it makes you a bad dog mom, I think it makes you kind and realistic.

We had our 13 year old dog put to sleep last month. She had been diagnosed with diabetes last September and we were working on adjusting her blood sugar, but in October she suddenly became unable to stand and was not eating well. She was admitted into a dog emergency hospital (fortunately we had taken out pet health insurance the prior April) where she was tested from one end to another, and was diagnosed with potentially a problem with her adrenals and kidneys, but not related to her ability to walk. She was discharged after several days and we continued to carry her in and out of the house until she slowly began regaining her ability to walk. She continued to appear to enjoy herself and definitely enjoyed eating.

Fast forward to this past February - she stopped eating and began having bowel issues. Again, in the hospital, this time her prognosis was grim - it was her adrenals and an inoperable bowel growth. We were asked what our decision was, and we decided to take her home, even though the doctor warned us she only had a few more days. She actually rallied and lasted 6 more weeks - and appeared to be quite comfortable - eating again and even running through the yard with her brother, guarding against chipmunks, squirrels, possums, raccoons and deer. We knew her time had come, though, when she began to look unhappy. My standard had always been that they need to have some quality of life - not just being alive - and I knew that we had reached that point.

It actually was a good time but bittersweet for all of us because we had the chance to say goodbye properly. Our Katie was a very special dog...we've had others over the years, but she had something special. She had come to us from a shelter where even the caretakers had recognized that she was a special dog. In another life she would have made a good search and rescue or therapy dog.

In short, I'm saying that only you know when the time is right for you and your dog. I definitely wouldn't have her teeth done, but for now, her issues sound manageable, as long as she continues to enjoy life.

It's always a tough decision..I've been there many times, but hope to be there again and again and again.

Helene

I think your reasoning is very sound. As hard as it is for us to let our pets go when we might be able to extend their life, I believe we should look at quality of life first. It's hard to know what I'd want if I were her age (in human years) and couldn't walk, couldn't see and probably would be feeling pretty all around crummy. I think I'd want to be kept comfy and fed treats I shouldn't have.

I loved my vet who would say "If she were my pet, I'd let nature take its course." Even though the cash flow to him was going to be greatly diminished.

I think you are a kind, loving dogmom.

My thoughts echo those of palimpsest. I have retrievers as well and will do virtually anything for my dogs - including freeing them from pain in spite of the fact that I don't want to let them go.

Any amount of time that I'm allowed to have them in my life is a gift. I'm all for medical treatment in younger dogs when there is a realistic chance for cure, but I simply don't believe it forcing elderly pets into medical procedures or treatments to extend life. My philosophy is to keep them comfortable for as long as they seem happy, keeping in mind that some dogs are stoic and probably feel worse than they let on through their behavior.

You should be commended for doing the right thing.

My last little dog was in congestive heart failure for 5 years and also had thyroid problems. She was diagnosed when she was 8 years old and died when she was 13.

Testing for heart problems can be expensive and so can the meds. I never did add up what we were paying monthly because I didn't want to know.

The thyroid is checked with a blood test and in Canada anyways, Synthroid is very cheap.

My vet would not clean my dog's teeth after a certain point because of her heart problems.

I'm sorry you're having to make these decisions but I think you're on the right track. Please do not beat yourself up over this.

We have recently adopted two dogs from the SPCA and my husband & I are both in agreement that we will not be going that extra mile for the 9 year old. She is loved and we are giving her a good life but unfortunately she has a mean streak. It is hard to contemplate but will be best for our other dog, us and any future grandchildren we might have. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made. Just know that whatever you do will be fine.

Boy I feel better after reading all your replies. Thank you Shee, Leaf, Oly, and Gold and Pal you always have such wise words. It's so sad that dogs have such a short life and we have such a sort time to love them. My little Maltese is also getting up there in age,what will I ever to without my little cat dog?
Blubird, thank you for sharing your story! I'm so very sorry for your loss and hope you are coping as well as can be expected.

Do you all have Dog health care insurance? Could you share who you use?
I also have a young adopted Rottie who to my untrained eye looks to have dodgy hips in the making. Taylertots has several little and big dog friends in the neighborhood who he has regular walking dates with. He would be very miserable if he couldn't go out on his play dates. It's so cute watching HUGE Taylortots go down the canal paths with tiny little Chihuahua's and a wide variety of other breeds.

At this time, there are several decent pet insurance companies out there. We chose Trupanion over the others for several reasons. We were not looking for an all-inclusive coverage -I.e. covering routine exams and shots.

Because we had just watched our daughter's dog through very expensive treatment for lymphoma, unfortunately becoming all too common) and noting all the medical advancements now available for our pets - MRIs, CAT scans, X-rays, chemo. Laser therapy, acupuncture, pacemakers and the like, we realized that ANY medical intervention was likely to be expensive. As a pet parent, I didn't want to be put into the position of my pet having a curable disease but not being able to afford treatment.

What we liked about Trupanion is that is is basically a catastrophic policy - to be used only during the expenditure of a lot of money suddenly or for a chronic condition. You can chose your deductible based on your economic comfort level. We had chosen a deductible of $1000.00. Of course, your monthly premium is based on several factors -age, neutering, deductible. We insured 2 dogs at that time. - the monthly premium came to just about $23 per dog.

As I mentioned above, Katie was diagnosed last September with diabetes. Since she was otherwise apparently healthy and happy at that time, we of course chose to treat her. Between her original diagnosis at the vet, her meds, and subsequent hospitalization the week after, her bills were over $2000, for a "treatable" disease. With our insurance, 90% of her medical costs and meds were covered for that diagnosis after the $1000 deductible was met and continued to be until her death.

We found Trupanion easy to work with and quick to pay. Each of the insurers currently out there have advantages and disadvantages, but I will continue to be a subscriber to Trupanion,and hope I never have to use it for our other dog, Spencer.

Helene

I also wanted to add that I do believe some expensive or involved treatments have a benefit, even with older dogs. We had an MRI done on our 13-year-old Golden because we knew from her symptoms, which were then relatively mild, that she had either a brain tumor or a highly treatable spinal issue. Confirming the tumor gave us peace of mind in a strange way - we were able to keep her with us for for a good amount of time, but put her down before she reached the point where she might have had a seizure and died alone.

Regarding the teeth cleaning, I wouldn't do it. Our youngish bulldog (age 7 at the time) had hers done and for some reason, had a difficult recovery from the anesthesia afterward. Vomiting and stumbling for a few days. Now the vet is talking about it again. She's a 9 year old bulldog, which is fairly old for the breed, and I said no way. I'm afraid it will kill her and, really, for a breed with an 8-10 year life expectancy, do we really need to do this now?

Our younger bulldog is in a difficult phase and I fear that we will be asking ourselves difficult questions before long. She is 7, and suddenly started showing signs of arthritis about 6 month ago and has steadily gotten worse. She's on several meds now and nothing seems to really work. As of yesterday we are now giving her weekly injections and hoping that will help. One leg/hip is almost useless now. Poor thing. She was such an energetic and happy dog until this started, and she is also tall and "slim" for a bulldog so it's not excess weight that's aggravating the arthritis. The vet thinks she has had it for a long time (could tell from X-rays) and was just being stoic until recently.

We have not had to deal with the death of a dog before. (Well, not since I was a child.) I have a feeling that our two will go within close proximity to each other, time wise, and it will be difficult to say the least. My oldest son just left for a school program 4 hours away for the summer, and he made us promise not to "put Coco down" while he's away. I don't think we're that close (she's the arthritic dog) but unless these shots work, I think it will be within 1-2 years.

Boy, I can so relate to where you are jterrilynn and it's so hard. We had two elderly cats. The female was my girl and the male is my husband buddy. My girl was sick for couple of years and while we didn't know it at the time, she was fighting cancer. We literally spent thousands on Vet bills and I was still embarrassed when we finally told the Vet enough, she's 17, she's not getting any better and we just want the remainder of her life to have as much quality as possible. They put her on prednisone and last July we finally knew it was the right time to put her down. It was awful, but the right thing to do. The male cat is 20 and we had some tests done a while ago but he's on his last round too and at that age, we're not willing to spend any more money on testing and diagnosis. In a strange way he seems to understand that his life is coming to an end, I just wish my DH would allow us to put him down as well. I think it's time and he doesn't.

As her care taker and family, you have to do what is financially feasible and what you are comfortable with. I think its so wonderful that you ensured the remainder of her life was filled with the security a home and family; you have nothing to feel terrible about. I would just use this time to love her up as much as possible.

Shortly after we put Maui down, we got our puppy (who was born the day before Maui passed). After spending all those thousands on vet bills, we decided to get pet insurance for her. We too went with Trupanion and so far have been really pleased. You decide on the deductible you want to have, then they pay 90% of everything but the cost of the doctors visit and maintenance medications like heartworm or vitamins. Premiums don't increase as the dog ages, they are based on vet costs, if the average of costs go up in your area, then your premium goes up too. At the present we have no deductible but I figure if the premium goes up, I can always adjust that.

You sound like an awesome dog mom to me.

This is a heartbreaking situation. I've been there before (with 2 old beloved labs I would have done anything for)....and my current dog is 9 years old so I'm sure I'm going to be there again soon enough.

I don't know what the right answer is. I struggled with these decisions myself. All you can do is weigh the pros and cons, look at your dog, and make the best judgement you can with all the facts available.

One thing is clear - your love for the dog comes through loud and clear. So in a lot of ways, your dog is already ahead of the game. It sounds like she had a horrible start in life, but you have given her a good home for a long time now.

I use a major university veterinary hospital for my dog's care. They are one of the best vet hospitals in the world. I often don't care what something COSTS - what I do care about is how effective it is. When we reached the final stages with both of my labs, the hospital was - to the very end - giving me all sorts of options, most of which were invasive, would have been traumatic to the dogs, and not likely to extend the inevitable very much.

You are doing a great job with a difficult situation. You know your dog, you know how she is likely to react to these things. It is clear you have her best interests at heart and that is all anyone can ask.

Long story short (too late? ha-ha) - you can tell them no. :)

I think you are on the right track. I would definitely not do the teeth cleaning with a dog that has heart issues. I dread when we get to the same point, but really, as long as you are giving the pain meds and joint meds, I think you are being a great dog mom! To tell the truth, I hope my son does the same for me some day. :)

May have to look into insurance, but we don't have it now for our two. The mother is about eight years old at this point, and her son is a year to year and a half younger.

Hope your pup continues to do pretty well for a long long time.

I think you're doing the right thing. There has to be an upper-age limit when it comes to some things. I personally don't have pet insurance, because all my dogs are rescues, and since they're not puppies it's very hard to get a cheap plan for them. We do have a discount at the vet's office though, because we signed up for "Pet Assure", which basically slices off 25% from the vet bill every time we go. I can't get insurance for these oldies though! LOL

You are doing the right thing. We have a 15-year-old cat and he is on medications for hyperthyroid, inflammatory bowel, and recently started a blood pressure drug. He is not bothered by these in the least and is a very happy senior cat. His quality of life is excellent. He keeps hanging in there. However, I will not put him under for anesthesia for teeth cleaning with his kidneys being borderline. We realize things could take a turn for the worse, and we'll evaluate at that time. We lost a previous kitty to kidney failure in only 3 months from diagnosis to death, and the cat with all the health problems has outlived him by over 2 years.

My sister had a tumor removed from her dog's eye when the dog was pretty up there in years. She did fine with one eye and lived several years after that until about age 14. The operation had to be done by a veterinary ophthalmologist and it was fairly expensive.

I think you should find a Golden message board & ask there what type of pain she possibly still could be in even with pain & joint meds. What I wonder is what type of daily pain has she lived with since her surgery & how much worst has it gotten over the years. You say she's never walked far; so I wonder if she's always had some sort of pain. I've had my back fused & have lived with various amounts of pain. For people similar to me; the 1st 2 years are ok; then the pain starts to get worst. You go down the line of medications & at some point; they just don't work. I have no clue if dogs are similar

We had German Shepards at the gas station. We got one as a puppy; then at some point; my dad took in an older male to keep her company. He was eventually put down due to hip problems. During her 13th year; her hips went too. My dad said that he'd love for our girl to have her 14th birthday then would put her down unless she really needed to go sooner. I still remember her birthday meal of steak & how I still wonder how much she suffered the last week or 2. We tried to be humane; but how humane can you be when they can't communicate? 27 years later; it still brings tears to my eyes.

As far as heart & thyroid; a question I have are any of her current meds adding to it? Pain meds for humans carry a risk; they're catching up to my heart/body. I also would not do anything more then brushing teeth. A deep cleaning sounds insane to me. I could not put my older pet at any risk to clean teeth.

The vet should be guiding you. If anyone is familiar with your breed & various health issues; you wonder why they suggest things like deep teeth cleanings. Hubs gram had a decent vet who helped her to be realistic for her last kitty companion. The vet told her he could do this & that but at this stage he was just prolonging things & he discussed the next step of letting her go.

Not knowing the exact age of your Las has to be making all of this harder for you. Wiki says they usually live 11-12 years while other sites say up to 15. If your girl is 13; she may wear it differently due to her past trauma. When deciding what to do & not do; look at the picture as a whole

Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Retriever Forum

I've raised Goldens for many years. They're generally "seniors" at 8-10. My dogs have died anywhere between 10 to almost 13, and 13-15 is considered quite elderly and a very long life indeed.

It really depends on the dog - my 11-year-old girl is in much better shape than her grandmother (who lived to almost 14) was at the same age. Dental issues are important because an abscess, especially in an old dog, can lead to major health problems. But unless dental work were absolutely necessary, I wouldn't do it at that age. In fact, I just had a dental done to my 11-year-old because a tooth was going to need to eventually be removed and I wanted it done sooner rather than later. And as an aside, I've never brushed my dogs' teeth (with 6 Goldens, it just wasn't feasible for me) - have had dentals done every few years (usually in conjunction with some other procedure) and never had a problem.

Low thyroid is relatively common in elderly Goldens and is easily corrected with meds. A heart murmur, depending on details, can also be a non-issue. It just depends.

Goldens tend to be very stoic dogs and wag their tails, eat, etc. even when in discomfort. I've had dogs on the usual pain meds long-term for arthritis and I would look at them each day and ask myself if it was time. I remember looking at the 13-year-old one day and even though she was still food-crazy and alert, her eyes told me she was tired. If a dog is able to still get up comfortably and move about like he wishes, I do non-invasive treatments, including meds. But there comes a point of fighting the inevitable.

This thread is so timely, and thank you all for your input. Not to hijack this thread, but DH and I have taken the day off to await the travelling vet to let our 12 year old golden retriever go. It has been such a difficult decision, especially since he still loves to eat, drink, and loves a great party. But, he has cancer, is blind, now can't move, let alone get up on his own. Thank you especially goldgirl, for noting goldens' stoicism. I see that in our boy. It doesn't make the decision any easier, but it helps to know we're doing the right thing, and it isn't too early.