Has his time come?

[mommysboy]

Hi everyone. I have a heart-tugging question I have no answer to. Maybe y'all can guide me?

My dog, mixed Rottweiler - Chow, now 14 1/2 years old, has been suffering from incontinence and random pooping for about 3 months now and has been wearing doggy diapers since then. Not considering this my dog is still fine otherwise: still runs, climbs stairs, goes for long walks, eats good, drinks on time and is overall happy and content.

Despite wearing a diaper there are mishaps at times and pee and poop end on the floor, usually when no one is home. My wife has been complaining about this virtually non-stop. She is now hinting that she is near the brink of exhaustion because once in a while our dog will have a mishap in the middle of the night. BTW; she isn't the only one cleaning up the mess. We take turns.

Should I resort to the irreversible measure of putting our dog to sleep just so I can restore some peace in the house or is there another solution (preferred) perhaps?

Thanks for your assistance with this heartbreaking dilemma.

MommysBoy

 

[linda2147]

If the dog is still playing and eating there is no reason to put her down that time will come soon enough. Its not unusual for older dogs to become incontinent . cleaning up after her is a small price to pay to keep her with you. When you can't be with her keep her in a room with a tile floor or something easy to clean up.. Its not a crime to get old and thats no reason to put her down

 

[TTouch]

Have you spoke to your Vet to see what if anything can be done? She may have something simple like an undiagnosed UTI which could be the issue and once a house clean dog toilets in the house they get stressed and the stress can then cause them to toilet more in the house............if she is eating, playing and getting around as normal then she is likely to be physically otherwise OK so it is worth taking her and getting a health check before you make a discision to PTS an otherwise healthy elderly dog.
Also like older people, older dogs may need to go to the toilet more ( as they can't 'hold on') and 'looking after' a whole house can also be stressful for them when they are on their own, so like puppies it may be better to leave them in a smaller space ( that has an easy clean floor) as they don't get as stressed looking after a smaller space

 

[Alpha1]

I agree with Linda. The dog is old and her days are already numbered due to that fact, killing her for convenience because your wife is tired of cleaning up some accidents is very cruel and selfish, IMO. It seems the dog is enjoying her life otherwise, long walks, stairs, eating and drinking well....and Happy. Taking this poor dog's life away for age related incontinence is unconscionable. Please don't take her life, she depends on you to love her and do what is best for her. If she wasn't able to walk, eat, was in constant pain, it would be a different story. Good luck, please do what is the right thing and let her enjoy the little time she still has on this earth with you. Welcome to the forum.