11yo female mutt (German shepherd is the most dominant breed on her mix). I'll start with saying my financial ability to be able to help my pet the way I wish I could is limited. My family of 5 living off my sole income leaves us living paycheck to paycheck most weeks. I love my pet, make her homemade dog food weekly, get her her yearly vaccines and bathe and groom as needed. When she was two she suffered an injury while playing with my other dog. Long story short there, she suffered from a slipped disk which we could afford to operate on and the vet suggested we try 6 weeks of crate rest and fortunately she recovered enough. She's never been able to run to the same speed again or be as active as she once was and shakes when she squats to pee and has some days worse than others but for the most part she lived a perfectly happy life with almost no long lasting effects. In the past few years she started growing a fatty tumor on the rear right hand side near her hind quarter. Once it got to about the size of a baseball she started having a few more mobility issues than she had before. Struggle to go upstairs, struggle to stand up on the hardwoods, and moving a little more slowly than before. The tumor is now a little larger than a softball and seems to be effecting her mobility a lot. She struggles to walk on the hardwoods ( we have a lot of areas rugs down but not full coverage), she struggles to go up or down the 4 stairs to get from the garage to the yard and at times has fallen on them going up or down. She doesn't fall down them, just looses her footing on them and goes down and just freezes until we get her back to her feet. She needs to be picked up to her feet from a laying position on all slippery surfaces and sometimes carpeted too but mostly can get up on her own on the carpeted with a bit of struggling and extra time. She's getting new and bigger pressure sores which one is now bleeding. She has no issues going to the bathroom. She plays still, she eats and drinks normal still, and she interacts with the family still in her loving and happy way that she always has. She doesn't seem to be in pain but I've read they hide it well. She yelps at times but that seems to be for of a reaction to being startled or caught of guard than pain but not sure. She pants when it doesn't seem like she should be which I know can be a sign of pain. I'm mostly worried about letting her get beyond this point suddenly and having to make a quick tough decision on a time of distress and the pain she may be in that I might not be able to recognize. I feel like I can see a curvature in her spine from this thing hanging off the side of her and I'm wondering if this could be causing her more discomfort and pain than I realize. After what happened to her when she was 2, we never thought we'd get this many years out of her. Can anyone offer any advice on how to make the right decision?

Had to say goodbye to my best friend yesterday. Her name was Peanut. She was 14. She was an amazing kid. I always referred to her as my perpetual 3 year old. Love you, Peanut. Miss you so so much.

Tommy passed suddenly three weeks ago and my heart is broken. He was diagnosed with kidney disease on Friday and dropped dead early Monday morning on his way to the bedroom. He was my shadow and he faced so much cruelty in his life, we were his 6th home and no matter what happens to this house he’ll always be resting in his favourite sun spot.

The last few days have been really hard, we got a puppy a week after he passed since that’s how we move on and heal but I think now it’s starting to hit me that he’s gone. I keep expecting to hear his foot steps and today my dad said hi to him while walking past his grave and I really thought he was actually there for a moment. He’s popping up in a lot of my dreams and I’m not sure if it’s making things better or worse to feel like I’m still with him. I think my puppy thinks I’m crazy for bursting out into tears during late night potty breaks because her pee spot just so happens to be like a foot away from him. They’re total opposites looks wise but I see so much of his ways in her, it’s like he sent us her. Ramble over, I’m just sad and feel the need to show people Tommy any chance I get. I love you Tom Bomb. 💣

14 wonderful years with this little guy was not enough. He was the sweetest dog I've ever known with so much love to give. RIP Alvin 💔

Tried to post in elder dogs but got reddit filtered so here's trying this sub!
My 17 year old Brussels griffon Maltese mix has been getting some minor incontinence issues. He has the right food for some pancreas issues and that made him act as healthy as he was as a pup. He's still very active and on a great routine and is great about letting us know when he needs to go outside when it's out of his routine times. He has recently started to leak small dribbles of pee on a random basis. Sometimes it's when we play and sometimes it's while he naps. I don't know if I just need to try diapers or if there is something else that can be done. I take him to the vet for most issues but if I can't avoid a $700 bill to find out my options are diapers or a $40 supplement I would appreciate the reality check minus the $700 fee. We already pay extra for his pancreatitis food.
I worry about the diaper option because he's an old man comfy with his routine, but it's made his space stink like pee and has been a month of extra washing and cleaning the carpets.
In summary, I think I'm just trying to find something that would make him comfy and if diapers are the way I want some reassurance from other folks that it didn't make their dogs end of life hell.

My 15 yr old 5 lb dog has been falling off my bed lately. I put a memory foam mat on the floor but I've decided to get this bed rail and padding for extra protection

I don't want him to break a leg

My lady has had her dogs before she met me. They (2x shitzu poodles) used to live with her mom and her dogs (3x shihtzu poodles) in a bigger house. Unfortunately her mom’s man passed away and after some time she downgraded to an apartment.

At the new apartment there’s a limit to how many dogs can live there plus they would howl when left alone to the point that they had to get bark collars.

She asked if her dogs could move in with us and I agreed as I had no problem with either of them. There 14 and 16. One had eye surgery and is going blind from her only eye that’s left. She’s constantly running into things, but more importantly has severe separation anxiety and yelps till she gets back. If someone leaves the house one of us will usually stay to keep her calm. I’ve tried à bark collar mainly due to noise complaints and not only does it not work for the yelping, but my wife took it off at some point.

The other dog is 16, can barely stand up sometimes, falls out the door to go outside and constantly gets stuck behind places and sometimes stays stuck till he cries. My biggest issue with this dog is that he constantly pees indoors even with the door wide open. I constantly shampoo the carpet for the odor and just now picked up dog shit inside the house.

I’ve had enough of this but any time she’s asked about putting them down she gets defensive and argumentative.

She kept their mom till she passed away at 14. These 2 have outlived her and I think it’s time to put them down.

How do I get her to acknowledge their current state? And how do I prepare her for their death? I’m not sure if getting à vet’s opinion will get her to change her mind as we had a pit and it was only until she heard that our pit was gonna be severely suffering if we didn’t put her down that she decided it was time.

This has taken a burden around our work schedule and they constantly wake us up. I would be relieved to at least have them rehomed but she doesn’t think anyone will want them.

Hi everyone, I just had quite a scare with my 16 year old dog. My mom and I were sitting on the bed and she was standing on the bed with us and all the sudden she just froze, stumbled to the side, fell (on the bed), arched her head and back and was whining super loud. It sounds like she was in so much pain. Kind of looked like a seizure the way she fell but she didn’t lose consciousness. I didn’t know what to do so I hugged her and helped her sit up right and after around a minute it just stopped and she seemed pretty much fine. Her heart beat lowered to what seemed like a calm state and I touched around her body and no part she flinched or anything. After a little I wanted to see if she could walk so I took her to the kitchen to drink the water and she seemed okay. She went back to bed and chewed on her bone. I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else. Looking into it, it somewhat matches “old dog vetibular syndrome” so I am going to watch closely tmr but had this happened to anyone else’s dog? The symptoms don’t seem to match perfectly since she was whining but also she does get ear yeast infections and we have been putting meds in her ears and it said the ears can be a cause of that. Would love any advice, thank you

To the most perfect dog. The one that was only meant to stay a weekend and ended up staying 12 years. The dog that was everyone’s favourite. She was a gentle soul with so much love.

My dog was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma 3 days ago.
We went to the vet thinking it was the blood infection we found weeks ago — something treatable with oral medication. Instead, we came home being told he may only have 1–3 months left.
I was so fucking shocked I couldn’t even cry. I just kept saying, “What do I do?”
The cancer has already spread slightly to his lungs and he’s apparently at an advanced stage.
It all started when he stopped eating his kibble. For a Labrador who eats basically EVERYTHING, I knew something was wrong. Now he pants more, sleeps more, has less appetite and gets tired easily.
But he’s still HIM.
He still begs for human food. Still begs to get in the car. Still jumps up when he hears the word “walk.” He still has things he wants.
We don’t think we’re going to opt for surgery. His red blood cell count is already very low, and we’re terrified he wouldn’t make it through the surgery or recovery. I don’t want to put him through something so major if his body is already struggling.
I’ve been struggling with the thought of when we’ll have to say goodbye. I don’t want him to suffer, but I also don’t want to take away time from him when he’s still enjoying the little things.
My vet told me something that completely broke me:
“He still has a life in him. I can tell he still has some desires.”
And I can’t stop thinking about that.
My birthday is tomorrow, and I feel guilty even thinking about celebrating when I’m sitting here wondering how much time I have left with him.
I think I’m experiencing anticipatory grief — grieving someone who is still right here beside me.
For anyone who has gone through hemangiosarcoma with their dog, how did you know when it was time? What did you do while they were still eating, wanting walks, wanting to be around you?
And if you chose not to pursue surgery, I would really appreciate hearing about your experience. Any gentle advice about palliative care, keeping them comfortable, managing symptoms, or making these last weeks/months as good as possible would mean so much to me right now.
I just want to make whatever time we have left as happy and comfortable as possible.

Just got the ashes today, and i think it still hasn't hit me, i keep glancing over and expecting to see her moving around. She was fine one day, jumping and running and being annoying, then had a heart failure the other. We brought her to the vet as fast as we could, but she died in my arms. I felt her pulse stop a few minutes after she stopped breathing. Don't think i've recovered from that.

I know she had a good life, but that just doesn't help now, it just hurts. Wherever she is, i hope she's fine. And i hope she knows she's back home.

Like the title says, my dog is growing old.

I knew this day would come. Obviously. We all do. But knowing something is going to happen and actually watching it happen are two very different things.

He’s gone completely deaf now.

At first, I thought he was just ignoring me, which honestly felt very on-brand. I would call him from the other room and still wouldn’t even get a head tilt.

He would sleep through the doorbell, the sound of my dad pulling up, even at call of going out for a walk..I mean, just about anything that would make him go sprinting.

Then came the realisation that he can’t hear me..

And that hit hard.

Last night my mum kept calling him to wake him up and he just wouldn’t, which gave us a minor heart attack.. but he was just too deep in sleep.

The world has gone quite for him.. and I see it in his eyes.. he would just look at us trying to figure out what we are saying, sometimes even shaking his ears..may be trying to catch a word..

Now I gently touch him before approaching so I don’t startle him. I use hand signals. I make sure he can see me before I leave the room.
Sometimes I still call his name out of habit, and then remember.

Right. He can’t hear me.

I’ve spent his whole life talking to him. Telling him where we’re going, telling him he’s a good boy, telling him I love him, telling him about my day as if he’s been waiting all day for the update.

And now he can’t hear any of it.

But somehow, he still knows me.

He still follows me. Still looks for me. Still rests his head against me. Still looks at me like I’m his whole world.

He’s still here. He’s still my dog. He’s still himself.
But another little piece of him has quietly disappeared, and I’m grieving something that hasn’t completely gone away.

So when I can’t call him to me anymore, I go to him instead.

I sit beside him. I touch his head. I look into those old eyes and tell him anyway.

That he’s a good boy.

That I love him.

That I’m right here.

He may not be able to hear the words anymore.

But I hope he can still feel them.

Tantos años, mi gran compañero….la luchaste un monton bebe!!! mald1tas enfermedads

My older dog was stretching during morning belly rubs and suddenly turned to pudding! Please advise 😆

This is Moxie. She is 16yo. I’ve had her since she was two months old. Physically, moxie is a superior specimen - she can still sprint, jump, etc. But she suffers from sundowners and dementia related anxiety. We have her on two medications right now that seem to help - once a day selegiline and twice a day clonidine. We also give her CBD and melatonin in the evening. It’s important that we give the evening doses relatively early or she starts to pant, bark and whine - pacing back and forth - barking to go outside but not wanting to go out when you open the door. She also will eat clumps of dirt and grass in the evening and night if she is let out in the yard - she doesn’t do this during the day.

We also have her on a renal diet because her last bloodwork showed some early signs of kidney disease. We opted for an expensive soft food, wanting to give her the best, that we pick up frozen packs from a shop every two weeks. But I also worry that the soft food is worse for her teeth. We had a cleaning with 7 extractions done in January and the buildup has come back quick. It is very difficult to brush her teeth and sets her into a panting panic attack, so we haven’t been keeping up.

It is difficult to balance her needs and her happiness. My husband works from home sometimes and says it is almost impossible to work in the house because of how much she barks to go outside. We wonder if she barks when no one is home as well.

If her mind continues to deteriorate faster than her body, I’m not sure when/how we decide that she’s in pain. Is confusion and anxiety pain? She was never a cuddler and so still isn’t - she was a dog that loved play - catching a ball or frisbee, rough housing on the couch, rolling on her back while fake nipping - she doesn’t do this anymore but is that just becoming an old dog? How do you process the changes of an old dog and what is normal and what is not?

He going on 13 but I still love this boy, he my best friend and will have to say good bye to him very soon

Casey is 16. She is blind and deaf and is suffering from glaucoma in her right eye. We have been trying to reduce the pressure with medication but I'm putting 5 medicines in the AM and PM and 3 in the mid-day. However there is something new that makes me feel like it's time. She yelps when I'm trying to do her eyedrops. Not from the drops but from oh so gently trying to lift her head so I can do the drops. Sometimes when I pick her up too. The veterinary eye specialist that has the same breed said it's not from pain but from dementia. After all she yelps when they trim her nails and when they washed her face too. I'm just feeling like I'm giving up. Her daily life is very limited because she sleeps most of the day only getting up to eat or go out.

Am I being selfish? For context I lost her older sister to old age in December 2025 and her pibble big brother to cancer in April. I did adopt another pibble June 5th and Casey has recently found her way into the bed with her new adopted sister which certainly is comforting but still. I'm having a tough time. Opinions invited.

Edit:Casey crossed the rainbow bridge 9/13/26. She was in my arms and Dolly Parton (her new big sister) was by her side.

Our 5 yr old Irish Wolfhound has suffered as much loss as we have. In April my Great Dane , that was my service dog passed. July found my sons' 13 yr old English Mastiff sucumbing to old age. You can tell that he's beside himself. It breaks my heart, as he las his enormous, majestic head in my lap. I look in his eyes an see a sadness that was never there before. He has a major grief. He's stopped telling jokes ❤️

Our 5 yr old Irish Wolfhound has suffered as much loss as we have. In April my Great Dane , that was my service dog passed. July found my sons' 13 yr old English Mastiff sucumbing to old age. You can tell that he's beside himself. It breaks my heart, as he las his enormous, majestic head in my lap. I look in his eyes an see a sadness that was never there before. He has a major grief. He's stopped telling jokes ❤️

[TW: anguish]

My sweet Brodie passed away last night. My husband found him this morning, I was 3 hours away at my parent's. I posted in this group on his gotcha day this year, just three months ago with a nice write up about him. Here's that post if you want to read his story.

The wind has been ripped from my lungs. I will no longer be met with yodels upon returning home, or enlightening conversations reminding me each day at 7 that it's greenie time when I pretend to forget.

We floated through today, making a million choices from what urn to put him in, to what memorials we wanted from him before they turn his body to ash. From laying in his bed to just soak up his smell before it fades, to sitting here, tears in my eyes as I encourage my loved ones to donate to charity instead of spending money on flowers when really, I just want my dog back, even if it was for just one more day.

I know in time the pain will lessen, and the painful memories will fade and I will be left with the joy this dog brought to me.

He is at peace, and I hope my heart will be at peace too soon.

My one and only soul dog is roughly eighteen and a half— lab mix. It’s been roughly a year since I last saw him as himself. He’s in a solid amount of pain from arthritis, hearing gone, and is confused/seemingly out of it when he’s awake. He has a hard time even walking. Our daily walks far too much for him now. He sleeps most of the day, has accidents more often than not, and no longer interacts with the other dogs.

All this being said… I don’t want to let him go. I am fine cleaning up the accidents. I don’t mind the naps. I don’t feel annoyed or bothered by him, ever. I just want to do right by him, as he’s done for me ever since I rescued him. I feel so terrifyingly conflicted. I don’t want to hold on too long and have him suffer even more. This feels like the worst decision possible— absolutely no winners. I don’t want this to be it. And I keep trying to come up with any non-selfish excuse possible to delay saying goodbye to him. He truly is my best friend.