13 yr old suddenly become unwell, need advice 😢

[Mandyunwin68]

Hi our Alfie boy will be 13 next week and up to last Tuesday has been well. He started with toilet trips every few hours and a couple of sickness episodes. Been to the vet who firstly said it’s prob something he’s eaten. We’ve had 4 nights been up with him in and out of the garden. Back to the vet yesterday who gave him meds for pain, inflammation and anti biotics as his bloods showed his liver, pancreas and kidney levels were above normal (but not sky high) Next step today or tomorrow is a scan to look at his liver - I don’t really want to leave him at the vets for the afternoon whilst they scan him. But sadly if he doesn’t improve by tomorrow we have to make difficult decisions. He has developed a pot belly and does groan a lot when he’s settled. He’s eaten small amounts of low fat meat and had small walks still. Oh how he adores his walkies! My hard question is if there is no improvement and he can’t go on like he is without serious dehydration, so do I put him through a scan or do I not let him suffer anymore. So hard and can’t believe this is happening so quickly.

[zeta1454]

Hi Mandy - so sorry to hear about Alfie. With a senior dog it is always a really hard decision to make regarding putting them through procedures which may give no positive answers to why they are unwell or choosing instead to make the decision they are at the ‘end of life’ stage and relieve their suffering by letting them pass with dignity.

Dogs can go downhill very suddenly from seeming to be fine as organs begin to fail due to old age. We had a mini schnauzer years ago who was active and well and on no medication and then just before her 14th birthday she started acting very strangely when she was fed and her breathing became very noisy at night when she lay down. The vet examination confirmed her kidneys and lungs were no longer working effectively and the vet advised the kindest decision was to let her go. It all happened in the space of under a week.

If the vet has prescribed so many medications it sounds as though Alfie is very poorly and, in our experience over the years, even though a dog may enjoy walks and /or food right up to the end, it is not a definite indication that there is nothing seriously wrong. Another of our mini girls years ago, who was just over 13 years old when she suffered a major stroke was paralysed from the neck down and still kept lifting her head up for food. With her we cared for her needs for 48 hours and when there was no improvement at all called the vet to our home to help her pass without pain. It is a heartbreaking decision and never ever easy to make however unwell a dog may be but it is the last act of kindness we can give our loved dogs to ease their suffering.

Only you can decide ( hopefully with some professional, objective guidance from the vet) whether you feel there is a good chance that Alfie may have a treatable condition from which he can recover or whether the signs are that his body is beginning to fail him due to old age and he will not improve. The average life expectancy of a miniature schnauzer is estimated at just under 12 years although some can live longer this, of course.

I do hope you can get some helpful insight from your vet rather than just the suggestion of a scan as they should be best placed as professionals to assess the situation from examination and the current results of blood work. Thinking of you and Alfie and sending hugs

[Mandyunwin68]

Thank you so much for the lovely reply, it has really helped me feel better. I think during the course of the day I am coming to terms with the fact that Alfie is a good age and like you say, their organs do begin to fail at this age. We’ve made the decision not to put him through the stress of a scan. He hates travelling in the car now, something that came on about 6 months ago. Up to then he loved his trips out further afield! Backwards and forwards to the vets isn’t something we want to be doing, in fact I don’t even want him going there when the final day arrives. Don’t think we’ve much option on this though. So for just now it’s cooked meat for foodies and small strolls if he wants them along with lots of cuddles. By tomorrow the injections he’s had (steroid/ anti biotic etc) will have worn off so we will see how he is. He’s truly had a wonderful life and hardly ever been left alone at all, sometimes you have to remind yourself how good a doggy Mum you’ve been! Thanks again for your kind words. It sounds like you’ve had lots of experience with minis

[zeta1454]

If you do need to the take the decision to let Alfie pass and you really don’t want to go to the vet surgery, there are a number of veterinary staffed companies now who offer an at home service. We have been lucky that our regular vets did offer this for ours in past years but we do know of a local mobile vet who offer a dignified at home service. If you are in the U.K. I would have a search online to see if there is this available in your area. There is a link here which is just to give you more information as I have not used these personally and I don’t know whether they are in your locality either but there will be others.

https://cloud9vets.co.uk/

With our dogs (apart from one who was totally relaxed at the vets but panicked when strangers visited the house!) we have always arranged for a home visit. Our most recent bereavement happened at home without veterinary intervention but it is rare for dogs to go ‘naturally’ at home so worth doing some research about home services if you and Alfie would be happier with this. I searched under ‘home visit pet euthanasia near me’ and found a few listed locally here.

Take care

[Mandyunwin68]

Thank you so much, this is great information. It’s a case of day by day at the moment but he does seem to be much better. Maybe we’ve caught a bout of pancreatitis in time… although our vet did want hin back in for another steroid injection as this one will be waring off. We’ve decided not to do this and to see how he goes on as he’s now eating (now on a low fat diet) walking and his loo visits are just about normal. We realise he’s an old boy though and your information has really helped us for whatever will happen either soon or in the near future. Thanks again it’s really appreciated

[zeta1454]

That is really good news that Alfie has picked up again and I do hope he continues to keep well. It could just have been a sudden illness and he has got through it now. As you say, it is just a question of taking each day as it comes. You have loved and cared for him for all these years and he has enjoyed a good life and wants to enjoy it for a while more too

Sending positive thoughts and paws and fingers crossed for Alfie that he has many happy months and even years to come with you