My Schnauzer

Question
Hi Karen...

My little guy will be 14 this year & over the years he's been blessed with pretty good health however, his hearing is going along with his sight. Most days he sleeps except when he needs to go out. Some days are better than others though & it seems like he is growing close to the end of his time here with me. Somtimes he's energetic, other times he seems almost sad as if he's trying to tell me something ... I know the end is close but how can you really be sure? He's been my buddy since he was born & watching him grow old has been hard. I know that someday in the not so distant future I'll be forced to make that decision but again, I'm not God & don't know if what I think is what is actually his destiny ...This is so hard, and I want to make absolutely certain I can recognize "when"

Thank you

Ed

Answer
Believe me, Ed, you will know when it is time as the dog will tell you. You will see it in his eyes, and it will be as though the dog is speaking to you. His "fight for life" will be gone, and he will just give up and stop eating. Sometimes we get lucky and the dog dies in his sleep.

What you are seeing now is simply another phase of your dog's life. Old dogs tend to sleep a LOT, and their activity times are brief. (One of mine, nearly 17 when he died, slept about 23 hours a day.)

People always talk about "quality of life", but never seem to realize that it changes throughout all our lives. At 62, my quality of life is not what it was when I was 25... or 10... or 2. Our dogs are the same. When a dog gets old, it wants a nice meal, warmth, lovin', and a comfortable spot to curl up in and snooze... with maybe a short walk on occasion. Enjoy your dog while he is still here; these great dogs are gone all too soon as it is.

Give your ol' guy a hug from me! (who lives in a house full of old dogs...)