[dannyboy]

My friend took in a rescue dog 3 yrs.ago that is hard of hearing and blind. He"s a mini pinscher that is probably 12 yrs.old now. With his condition,he moves a bit in the house,eats good and does as most dogs do,sleep al lot. For about the past 3 weeks,though, he does not want to move much outside.He will do his thing and generally just stand around. To get him to move is a great stress for my friend because she is partially paralyzed and it is extremely difficult for her to ''egg" the dog on to move. How this woman treats this little guy and other pets she.s had is above and beyond what anyone can give. Like me,she feels these aren"t pets but rather members of the family.And yes, he goes regularly to the vet with a visit scheduled in 2 weeks. She at times questions if she is doing right by this little guy,as all he does is eat and laze around as the blindness prohibits him from running or even playing with a toy.Is the quality of life that he has worth continuing or is it torture for him living the way that he does? Has anyone been in a similar situation or have any thoughts on this? Any thoughts will be appreciated for this dedicated dog lover woman whom I respect for her caring for all animals. Thanks

 

[SusanLynn]

Hi DannyBoy,

I'm concerned about the dog's recent change in mobility, but the upcoming vet visit should be helpful in understanding why he's slowing down and what can be done to help him.

Other than that, as long as he receives and enjoys affection and interaction with his owner every day, I think he still enjoys a fairly good quality of life. I have a senior rescue dog. We take three short walks together every day, and besides that, his favorite part of the day is curling up next to me on the sofa in the evenings. He sleeps most of the day and he has absolutely no interest in toys, but he's a very content dog.

Lastly, I want to welcome you to the Dog Forum. Please keep us updated on his health. I'd like to know what his vet says.

 

[Rain]

Like SusanLynn what concerns me is his change in wanting to move around. If he used to play with toys but, now does not want to, that'd also be a bit concerning because it would not be his blindness that would keep him from doing go. My elderly, blind, dog would still play up until the last 8 or so months before he passed away.

There are a few things that could be causing his problems, arthritis, and canine cognitive dysfunction (doggy alzheimers) being the top two that come to mind that medicine could help with, and even more that might not be so treatable. I'm glad your friend is having him checked out in a couple of weeks, and hope that whatever is going on is easily treatable. For now would a leash help her to reel him back in from the yard, or maybe a very smelly treat?

 

[amaryllis]

He might just need a little pain control. I would personally want to try that first.

I will say, as a person in chronic pain, being in pain isn't the end of joy. Being blind isn't the end of all things, either. I know it seems awful to someone who has little experience with pain (or blindness or whatever), but you can be in pain or blind and love life and want it to continue.