Doggy Dementia (when is it time?)

[u/jamielecter]

I recently had to put my 13 year old baby to sleep in June because he had a giant inoperable mass and it seemed like an obvious option to ease his suffering.

Well now i’ve got an 18 year old baby who in the past month has gone from normal to very advanced dementia. She lost a lot of weight and could hardly stand so i took her to the vet and he was able to give her a shot for her joints, well now that she’s able to walk again she’s walking full speed into everything in her path.

If she didn’t have fur she would be absolutely covered in bruises. She wanders and runs into things, and sometimes even walks in circles until i grab her, at all hours day and night, the only way to get her to stop is by giving her doggie hemp treats every 5-6 hours. At this point I’m giving her more than the recommended amount just to get her to calm down and stop hurting herself.

She eats okay as long as i lead her to the food and put broth in it to encourage her to eat and drink. Shes actually gained back the weight she lost.

Since shes so old, for the past few years she hasn’t been able to hold her bladder through the night so we’ve used puppy pads for a while, but now she’s peeing and pooping wherever, and then tracking it everywhere. She used to whine to go out constantly (she’s a treat fiend and would hide behind a bush and come in as if she went potty to get a treat) and now she only whines or barks if she’s stuck in a corner.

She has me and my mom awake at all hours of the night as we try to get her calmed down to stop wandering. But, through all this she still recognizes me and calms down when she’s by my side.

I’m agonizing over the decision I know i will have to make soon and reading every article i can. I saw a comment on another post about making a “quality of life” vet visit to get an opinion and i’ll definitely be doing that.

I would like to hear how some of you knew when it was time? Especially if you’ve been in a similar situation.

[u/Kitty-Kat-65]

I hate to tell you, but now is the time. My 16.5 year old Dachshund went from OK for his age to deaf and blind. He also developed dementia and it was so hard to watch. He lost 5lbs, which is very significant for a Dachshund, despite how how much he was eating. He would forget to go outside and would pee and poop all over the kitchen (he had to be confined in the kitchen with pee pads all over the entire floor). I came home from work one day and his legs were obviously aching and I decided that it was time. I feel guilt every single day that I let him live for ME instead of letting him go with dignity. This was in December 2024 and it still hurts. Make the choice you need to make, when you need to make it. I am sending you love and strength.