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My poor old pug has been diagnosed with canine dementia and tracheal stenosis. (self.casualconversation)

submitted 1 month ago by BonesOfTheMoon to c/[email protected]

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(please don't tell me about how wrong it is to own pugs, he was a stray I adopted who was found on the street, not a breeder dog I bought. He has a lot of health problems and I've devoted a lot to keeping him well cared for).

My poor old puppy. The restlessness and spinning in circles, the staring off into space, the coughing fits. We are already treating the cough but started some dementia-type medicine and melatonin last night. I don't want to do extensive interventions if he's unhappy but I want to try to improve his quality of life and make his geriatric years as happy and peaceful as possible.

It's so hard to make good decisions about elderly pets isn't it? You want to do the right thing.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

We just had our great Dane cross the rainbow bridge a week ago today, which was a super tough decision. He was still having good days, but the bad days were starting to outnumber them, so we made the decision before his entire existence was suffering.

At some point you have to take a hard look at things and decide whether you're keeping them alive for them, or for you.

I'm not a vet, but an elderly dog with dementia isn't going to understand why it's unable to breath, so it might be good to talk with a vet who will give you a straight answer about what they'd do for their pet in the situation.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, agreed. I read a great article about making these decisions for your pet, and how all your pet knows is how they feel in the moment and that doing a lot to preserve their life is something you really have to consider each step carefully. We actually went to the vet last night and discussed it all, and that our goal is to make him comfortable and safe and content, but not to put him through too much. She was very supportive and reasonable, she said an x-ray was something we could consider if things didn't improve but he'd have to be sedated for it so I want that as a last resort. I'm willing to play with medication and see if anything improves but not to drag anything out and make him miserable by any means.

He is a such a comical dog that to see him unhappy and uncomfortable is not a great place to be. This is him singing me the song of his people. https://i.imgur.com/Xh01sK9.mp4

I'm sorry about your Dane. They don't age well, neither do pugs, so it's so hard. My other mixed breed is only a touch younger but you'd never know it at all, he can do everything and is super enthused about life, can walk for hours, and is determined to fight all the pit bulls despite being 16 pounds. Mixed breeds must be healthier in general.