How old is too old?

Question
My dog, I put down today at the Vet's office. He was a pure bred yorkie, 13 yrs and one month old. He had been going down hill allot the past year. I noticed a tumor in his stomach a few months ago.  I feel guilty that I didn't take him in for surgery then, although this was discouraged because of his advanced age. He couldn't hear or see well, had little to no appetite, not much energy.  Slept almost all the time.
I don't know what the tumor was and feel bad about that. I took him in to a new Vet. today to have him examined, possibly for surgery.  But when we got there, he became almost non-reponsive.  He showed a little energy on the ride over there but then was limb during the wait. By the time the new Vet. examined him, he could stand up and his gums were pale, he was getting cold, and he wasn't responding to me at all. He had a fast heart rate and labored breathing. He was the worse I had seen him. The Vet. said he would be dead soon and that he was very weak due to his body shutting down.
My question is:  do you think it is a bad thing to do surgery on an older dog and should I have persued when I first discovered the tumor?  I feel bad that I let him go with the tumor that only got larger.  Maybe he could have been saved had I done something last year.
What are your thoughts on operating on a old dog, even if it is cancer?

Answer
Jacqueline,

First let me start off by saying how sorry I am for your loss.  It is never easy when a beloved pet becomes ill and we have to make those difficult decisions.  Most vets will not tell you to put a pet down because they have an unwritten rule that they will not do that.  So what they do is give you choices and then let you decide what to do.  If your vet discouraged you from the surgery then he was probably trying to tell you that your dog needed to be put down.  It sounded to me like he already had a lot of medical problems.  When they put a dog to sleep for surgery it is always dangerous because there can be complications from the anesthesia.  Most older dogs cannot handle the anesthesia and it can damage there kidneys to the point that it will kill them.  I suspect that your little boy was terminally ill and there was really nothing you could do for him.  It may have been better for him if you had put him down sooner but no one can make that decision for you.

Stop beating yourself up.  There is no point in second guessing what should have or could have been.  The "what ifs" can go on and on but there is nothing that can change what happened.  He was a very sick little guy and he is much better off now that he is no longer in pain and suffering.  Let yourself grieve, after all he was with you for 13 years and it will take some time for you to be ok again.  Losing your pet is like losing a family member.  Just know that in time you will remember the good times with him and be able to be happy when you think about him instead of sad like you are now.

Again, please accept my condolences for your loss.