All, I know I've posted on here before about our 15.5 year old Jack Russell, Roscoe. My wife and I have been struggling now for a few weeks on what to do about him. We've had Roscoe since he was about 3 months old. He is older than my oldest child. He's been a royal pain to deal with over the years, but he's part of the family nevertheless and we love him dearly.
Roscoe suffers from K9 dementia. He no longer exhibits any of the same Roscoe characteristics he once had (not all bad). He no longer gets excited about seeing people, other animals, etc. Normally, if a new dog came into our home, Roscoe would attack. Now he seems completely disinterested in other animals or people. About the only thing that gets Roscoe excited is feeding time.
Most of the day, he wanders around aimlessly. He'll pace back and forth returning to the same food/water bowl expecting to find something different upon each return. He'll wait at the hinged portion of a door waiting for it to open. When you pick him up, he simply has a blank stare - no excitement at all. He sleeps most of the day, he can barely walk, and sometimes will have mild seizures. He will not take to a kennel. If you put him in a kennel, he'll poop in it and get it all over him so when we leave the house, we have no other choice but to let him roam in our gated off kitchen. You can't leave him outside as he'll bark incessantly and be a nuisance to the neighbors.
On Sunday morning, my wife and I were awoken at around 4:30 AM by an awful smell. Roscoe had pooped all over my bedroom floor. It was all over his legs, his muzzle (yes, he sometimes will eat his own poop), his tail, etc. My bedroom was an absolute disaster. My wife cleaned up the mess while I bathed Roscoe to get him cleaned up. We fed him a few hours later and he did the same exact thing. He pooped in my laundry room, got it all over him, etc., and this was right after letting him outside. He has no more control. It's like his body does not give him advance notice that he may need to urinate/poop/etc. You'll let him out and he'll come back in the house and immediately poop/pee. He was once a very housebroken dog.
It's been stressful on my wife and I, needless to write. Our situation is complicated by the fact that we took him to the vet and the vet said he is in amazing condition for such an old dog. His heart, etc. are probably good for another few years, but his mind is gone. This is our struggle. How do we euthanize a dog that is otherwise healthy? How do we euthanize a member of the family that we've had for many years when his heart/kidneys/etc. are still good? His mind is gone and he no longer seems excited about anything. The incontinence has been a real nuisance up to this point and I know it stresses my wife and I out a lot.
In short, we feel conflicted on what is the right thing to do. What would you do? Would you euthanize? Would we be remiss in our duty to Roscoe to have him euthanized?
Your help is appreciated.
Roscoe suffers from K9 dementia. He no longer exhibits any of the same Roscoe characteristics he once had (not all bad). He no longer gets excited about seeing people, other animals, etc. Normally, if a new dog came into our home, Roscoe would attack. Now he seems completely disinterested in other animals or people. About the only thing that gets Roscoe excited is feeding time.
Most of the day, he wanders around aimlessly. He'll pace back and forth returning to the same food/water bowl expecting to find something different upon each return. He'll wait at the hinged portion of a door waiting for it to open. When you pick him up, he simply has a blank stare - no excitement at all. He sleeps most of the day, he can barely walk, and sometimes will have mild seizures. He will not take to a kennel. If you put him in a kennel, he'll poop in it and get it all over him so when we leave the house, we have no other choice but to let him roam in our gated off kitchen. You can't leave him outside as he'll bark incessantly and be a nuisance to the neighbors.
On Sunday morning, my wife and I were awoken at around 4:30 AM by an awful smell. Roscoe had pooped all over my bedroom floor. It was all over his legs, his muzzle (yes, he sometimes will eat his own poop), his tail, etc. My bedroom was an absolute disaster. My wife cleaned up the mess while I bathed Roscoe to get him cleaned up. We fed him a few hours later and he did the same exact thing. He pooped in my laundry room, got it all over him, etc., and this was right after letting him outside. He has no more control. It's like his body does not give him advance notice that he may need to urinate/poop/etc. You'll let him out and he'll come back in the house and immediately poop/pee. He was once a very housebroken dog.
It's been stressful on my wife and I, needless to write. Our situation is complicated by the fact that we took him to the vet and the vet said he is in amazing condition for such an old dog. His heart, etc. are probably good for another few years, but his mind is gone. This is our struggle. How do we euthanize a dog that is otherwise healthy? How do we euthanize a member of the family that we've had for many years when his heart/kidneys/etc. are still good? His mind is gone and he no longer seems excited about anything. The incontinence has been a real nuisance up to this point and I know it stresses my wife and I out a lot.
In short, we feel conflicted on what is the right thing to do. What would you do? Would you euthanize? Would we be remiss in our duty to Roscoe to have him euthanized?
Your help is appreciated.
