9 yr old staffie

Question
I have a English staffie,She will be 9 this August.She was the runt from a litter of 4,and has always been in my care.Over the last 2/3 years she started to become slightly unsteady whilst walking or in garden,It is over a year since i have taken here on the lead as im awareshe becomes very tired quickly,Plus although walkies would have her leaping to go she has no desire to go out on lead.I have a ample garden for her and she goes in and out as she pleases(unless raining of course).We had her checked by our vet who already said she may suffer from a kind of doggie parkinsons disease??????He told us she has good leg muscle all over and although a little nervous she was fine and just a timid dog getting old.However the last few months have seen her get worse and although it may sound odd it does not seem to make her suffer any.When she drinks from her bowl she quite often cant keep her rear legs on the ground and nosedives into bowl,With her food her head constantly bobs up and down(as if it was hot and untouchable)only for a half minute or so till she settles enough to eat.Her balance has got worse,When she needs to urinate she quite often squats then stumbles back as if been shoved,sometimes she flips right up and falls,Yet the problem is not so bad when doing a pooh.The last week or 2 has seen her almost everytime she gets up from laying down,she shakes herself as dogs do but immediately loses balance and flips onto her side/back and frenziedly kicking about trying to stand up,more often than not human intervention required,Its quite upsetting to see,but and this is my issue she never seems to be in any pain,Her appetite is as normal as its ever been,She runs(sideways)bunny hops and crashes into everything if a treat or dinner is on offer,She has maintained her body weight and leg muscles are still that of a younger dog.It looks like her legs seem to give under any weight but she has plenty of leg strength,and she is just unable to walk a straight line,It all looks sad and scary at times to see but although it does not seem to bother her at all i don't want to presume that it does not,Am very confused and sad as id be devastated to lose her but far more so if i have been missing something important that had or is now making her suffer with me realizing

Answer
Hi Chris,
Dogs, like humans, do get these diseases and conditions that are very disabling but are not likely to be painful. Yet if your dog is losing control on so many areas then her quality of life is suffering as well.

She is aware that she is losing control over her movements but is helpless to correct herself because of the nerve problem. Like the vet said, she is like someone with Parkinson's disease which robs you of the ability to hold still and not shake, move, or walk very well.

So her suffering is not of the painful kind but more of an anguish over not being in control of her body any longer.

With her rapidly getting worse the day will come when she won't be able to stand up. It won't have as much to do with her legs or strength as the nerve conduction to her spine and legs won't be very good anymore.

Once this happens you are going to have a very tough time with her eating, using the potty, etc. Then you are going to have to make a very painful decision for her.

These are some of the worst types of conditions because you know the dog isn't hurting but is not enjoying her life either. I know it's no consolation but I did go through this with my own beloved dog. She started losing control of her right side because of nerve conduction and soon it spread to both back legs. She was old as well, and eating well, but then one day she said no more and stopped eating.

It was very hard for me but she gave me the look that said she was ready and she was.
I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but I can tell you are already aware of this.

I hope she can hang in there longer and maybe find some relief. Did you vet offer any steroids for her? You might want to ask if they might help any at this point.

I am sorry. Please let me know how she does.