Aging Yorkie

[Ohio Yorkie]

I was blessed to be able to adopt my parent's 4 year old yorkie into my family after they both passed away unexpectedly.

Although, he has been our dog the last 10 years, I always say he was my parent's dog and we joke that he lived his retirement first! He went from living with two elderly people to a family with 4 young kids. He was so wonderful for my kids to help in the grieving process of their beloved grandparents. He is very sweet, passive, and has been very low maintenance.

He will be 15 years old in April of next year. We are now experiencing a few issues. I am hoping all of you yorkie experts can offer me a little advice.

First, over the last 4 months or so, he has lost weight. He weighs 4lbs.....at his chubbiest, he weighed 6lbs. We have not changed his food ( I feed him Blue Buffalo for Senior Small Breed dogs for the last two years), however I know his teeth have really gotten bad, and this could be the issue.....although he is still eating the kibble. With his recent decline in weight, we have also noticed his eyesight is almost completely gone, as well as his hearing, and he is having a lot of difficulty going up and down our stairs. It seems like this all came on so fast!

About 10 days ago, one of his anal ducts become abscessed and ruptured. I took him to the vet, had it drained and they did blood work and put him on antibiotics and pain meds. I gave him pain meds for about 4 days, and he is still on the antibiotics. He has never had an issue like this? What would cause his anal glands to abscess?

The vet did blood work, and it came back fine. He recommended that we have his teeth pulled, as he is confident there is probably a lot of infection in this mouth. I am not comfortable with this, as I think with his trachea issues, it could be dangerous for him to go under anesthesia and have a tube down his throat. He seems so delicate right now, that I can't imagine him going through this kind of stressful trauma.

He has been blatantly peeing in the house right in front of us?! I don't know if he doesn't realize we are there, or what? Today, I took him outside and he ate his poop? He's never done this? Would the antibiotics cause him to do this?

We really have been SO blessed with his good health so far, and expect a decline in health as he ages. However, I am so surprised that a lot of these issues came on so fast.

I appreciate your thoughts.....It could be that this is just the reality of taking care of an elderly dog.

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi and welcome to YT . Glad you found us...wish it was under better circumstances for you and your kiddo.

Sadly, all of this is a reality of an aging dog. He could be confused as older dogs do get dementia, and this could be why he is peeing wherever. It's not his fault, really. As far as his teeth....honestly, if you're not going to have his teeth pulled, I would kindly euthanize him bc tooth infections are very, very painful and you don't want him to live with that kind of pain. Also, the infection will spread and could dig into the bone surrounding the area...the infection could also affect his heart very much.

I would really just assess his current quality of life and weigh that and discuss it with your significant other as to whether surgery is realistic at this point or not. Good luck and lots of puppy kisses to your elderly little fella...he sounds SO precious!

[mindy10]

So sorry. I would not put him under at 15 years old. Does he have collapse trachea? Has he always had it? I had a 16 year old dog and at 15 he started to decline. Lost of site and hearing. THen peeing in the house., That is caused by dementia. I had all the test done to make sure it was not UTI and it was not. His health was fine but he got so bad that he did not know me. Eating the poop can be from confusion too. Mine to lost weight at the end. Just like people do. When my dog did not know me anymore that is when I made the decision. All you can do it take him out more often. He probably can not hold it like he use to.

[4carolyn]

I'm so sorry for your family and this little guy. My 15yr old Yorkie died 1and 1/2 years ago. I will miss her forever. Fortunately I had my 11yr old Jaya at home,which was such a blessing because I was inconsolable. Now I can see down the road for her too. It breaks my heart. The only thing I can say is love every day you have left with him.

Everyone on YT will give you such good advice and help you at this time. These things do come on rather rapidly.
I pray for your family and dear Yorkie. One other thing I can say is, despite their small size, they are amazingly tough little dogs.

[Franceen]

I am so, so sorry to hear about your dear little dog's decline. You have asked for our thoughts so I will give you mine.

I feel, as you seem to do, that having all his infected, rotten teeth removed is too dangerous at his age, especially with his trachea problems. Also, to put an old dog through the trauma of having the operation done and the painful recovery from it, would not be kind, in my opinion. He is already having to cope with blindness and bladder problems. His weight loss is probably due to the discomfort of eating the kibble with painful teeth. I would soften the kibble with water or perhaps a homemade stock without onion in it. All the issues that have happened so quickly are, I feel, his old body beginning to slowly fail and showing you that you need, out of love for him and kindness, to let him go. I agree with Wylie's Mom that infected teeth are so very painful and to put him through all that pain isn't what you would want, I am sure, simply to keep him with you.

So to sum up my feelings, as he is facing long term pain and discomfort from the infected rotten teeth and with all the other signs of his failing health due to age, I feel it is simply time to say goodbye, as hard as that is to face. My heart goes out to you, as I really understand the pain of even considering this and I am sending you a huge hug.

[Jkpal]

As impossible as it is, you need to be there for him now as he's been for you all these years. If he is no longer enjoying the wonderful quality of life you've provided him, you need to let him know you understand and that you won't let him suffer. It's just so lousy, I truly know...Find some quiet time for just the two you and say everything you want to say to him--what he's meant to you, how perfect he's been, etc...(try to be brave while doing so in order to help him hear your loving words, not be worried about you), then be the person he's trusted you to be and let him go. I am deeply sorry and hope you can find some kind of solace in knowing you gave him the best life possible and all the love in the world. May God Bless...
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.'

[lisaly]

My little girl, Ashley, passed away four years ago close to her seventeenth birthday. The year before she had surgery to remove an infected tooth. She, too, had tracheal issues and an enlarged heart. The surgery was risky, but I took the chance because we couldn't bear the thought that Ashley would be living with pain. The surgery helped her anxiety a lot. Ashley also had Canine Cognitive Dysfunction the last year of her life. The medication Anipryl helped to ease Ashley's anxiety and confusion. I know it's difficult to deal with all of these issues, but we grew to love Ashley even more during this time in her life. She may not have known if we were her mom and day, but Ashley knew she was loved. I wish you many more happy times with your little one. If I can be of assistance, please let me know.