Poor nick :(

He has arthritus in his legs which is controlled by metacam which hes doing really well on.

but for the past few days, his back leg keeps sticking out when he stands, and is generally miserable. recently we have noticed he was uncomfortabl sitting, (fine in the down) and looking alittle more unsteady on his legs - never fell over or anything

so off we go to the vets - vet says he has aproblem with his spine - dont ask me the name cos i didnt take it in....basically he's only going to get worse and we dont think it will be that long

we cant x-ray him to see if he has other problems because he has a dicky heart and the anesthetic could kill him, he could have an operation - again anesthetic - but again we couldnt do it to him.... he's 12....

just needed to vent, which a sh!t year , first my sam, then my horse and now nicky,

the horrible part is when to call it aday?? i know no-one can tell me that but its so hard - hes just uncomfortable not "in pain" as such

this is the worst part of owning any pet

Sorry to hear about Nick - it is never easy You will know when the time is right though. Huge hugs.

Its the hardest decision to make but you'll know yourself when the time comes.

Was it spondylitis. which is arthritis of the spine? If so, I believe the majority of old dogs get it. My 14yo pointer`s had it since he was 7 and he`s still going strong.
I found acupuncture helped, as did glucosamine and chondroitin, MSM and cod liver oil.
The disease causes bits of bone to grow on the vertebrae, which causes inflammation round it, and can pinch the nerves. I found that once the `spur` was formed, it was managed with anti-inflammatories, then the body seemed to adjust to it and the dog was OK till another flare-up. It does help the dog if you keep the back warm with a coat and also don`t let him get overtired.

thankyou

that sounds quite like what the vet said

will swimming help??? do anything to keep him confortable

hes on antibiotics for the next week in case there was infection there... if that helps hes staying in them fro 4-6 weeks

hes on metacam which eases his arthritus

he acts like a baby sometimes then other times an old man - i know oldies have their good nad bad days - just want them to be all good

do we be careful about how much exercise we give him? the vet never said?

Sorry to hear Nick is a bit stiff. I would think you should just offer him as much exercise as he'll take comfortably, though making sure he still stay reasonably mobile. Hydrotherapy may help, it usually does for stiffness, but check with your vet first.

I often meet a guy at the park with a 15 year old collie. He's doing great for his age and is stiff in the mornings for a while until he gets warmed up a bit.

Letting them go is a hard decision that we all have to make at somepoint in our lives with regards to our pets and have to do what's best for the dog at the time, not us.

sorry to read about your nicky.... i have maddy a 12 year old staffy..who as the same and takes metacam,....

she is rather happy most days except when her arthritis plays up...

her mother roxy who is 14 is rather ill at the moment with heart failure... and on a lot of meds too... but plodding on

take care
michele

So sorry to hear this, Suze. Poor Nick, and poor you. It's the most traumatic thing with an oldie..... they seem to have spurts of illness that can last weeks.

You will know when the time is right, chick. I hope it's later rather than sooner.

Hugs xoxox

thanks guys

the vet was blunt really - so - we know we are going to loose them one day - but its just that horrible when - i just hope he dosetn get in any pain too soon

I find it`s best not to let them overstretch themselves. A gentle potter about is what mine like. If they don`t want to go out they make it quite clear and we don`t take them.
Swimming is great - mine went in a few weeks ago - but they shouldn`t get cold so maybe not this time of year.
I love the oldies - they`re such characters.