i prefer asking strangers this over close friends. more honest answers and people not close to the situation.
i have a black lab/aussie mix dog who turned 14 this past July. i have had him since he was 8 weeks old and we have been on many adventures. He has been to 13 different states. He has swam in the pacific ocean from Cali to WA and in glacier lakes at 13,000'. Hes hiked from sea level to just under 14,000'. He has been in temps from -15 to 115. He has played with dogs, cats, horses, cows, newborn babies and unfortunately a rattlesnake. He has had a good and long life. He is my best friend and really the only consistent thing I have had. We visited the vet in June and had all his vitals and blood checked, the vet gave him a clean bill of health, she was suspicious his abdomen is lower than it should be. The obvious health issues he has are due to old age. decrepit claws, deteriorating bones, losing weight and fur. He isn't all that active anymore with his age but he still has some energy. He can get up and down the stairs and eats consistently. hes had a couple accidents in the house. At night he seems a little uncomfortable when laying down and kind of gets antsy/restless with his pacing around. He does breath pretty heavy if he moves around a lot. walking to the mailbox (100 yards) tires him out. if hes been laying down for too long he does struggle a little to stand up favoring his rear legs. 60-70% of the day hes sleeping.
for those who have been in this situation, when did you know. or when does it get to a point of i am just keeping a dog around to keep him around. i love him to death. he really is my best friend and i love having him around. but i don't want to keep him around if hes not comfy or has a low quality of life. the quality of life is two ways too, i have had to adjust my work schedule, travel schedule, sleep schedule to accommodate him. i have never had a dog this long or old and not sure what i should expect. people keep saying "you'll know when you know", i am afraid though if i wait till then its too late and hes past being a happy dog.
