Elderly Jack Russell

Question
Hi,
My mom owns a 14 year old Jack Russell Terrier.  Hurley was always bouncing off the walls, even as he got older, we could take him for walks, etc.  His buddy was my dad - who was retired.  My dad passed away very suddenly in July of 05.  Since then, Hurley has been lethargic - with spurts of energy - , can hardly stand up sometimes without doing a four way split, has gone to the bathroom in the house, etc.  He has recently taken to howling (almost crying) every night for hours on end.  Is there something that we can do for him.  My mom has tried laying with him to comfort him - really everything.  And nothing seems to work.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Answer
Hi Holly,
Oh I'm so sorry about your dad, and of course Hurley.
I'm sure he misses your dad a lot but it's been a while now and he wouldn't be "crying" over that.
Hurley is very old (almost 105 in human years!) and my guess is that the poor little thing is either in pain from arthritis or some other ailment that affects the elderly. He is losing his faculties (urinating in the house, etc). You should bring him to the vet for an evaluation, and it may be time for a very very hard decision about his life and the quality of it. No one likes or wants to know their dog is suffering. I'm sorry.  He sounds like a wonderful dog, your family was lucky to have him all these years. Best of luck to all of you.
Carol