Yorkie getting old. :-(
 

I am new to this forum but am looking for advise so found this forum.

We have two Yorkie's, names are Buddy and Holly. Buddy is now 14 and Holly is 3. Buddy is less than 3 lbs and has been such a great pet and shows lots of love. My wife has always said this is her dog and Holly is my little girl which I guess is true. He no longer can see or hear due to age, that is what the Vet says. Has always had teeth problem so we had to have the last few removed about a month ago. Has been on soft food for years due to not having any teeth.

I am so worried and really do not know what to do. I have noticed that last few days that he seem disoriented and is now having a hard time getting around the house. He eats well and goes potty well but the last few days, his urine is real clear and no color too it. It is SO sad to see him bump into things and seem to be lost most of the time. We pretty much have to carry him around all the time, which we do not mind doing! When we go to work, he gets into his bed and stays there until we get home which is within 4-5 hrs of leaving the house. He doesn't seem to be in any pain that we can tell.

I guess I need some advise or feed back. I don't know if we should have him put to sleep or not. Our Vet has never said anything about it, seem to avoid bring it up since she knows how we feel about our "kid" as we refer to them. She just says he is getting old.

SO SAD FOR OUR LITTLE BUDDY!!!!

I think this is a decision you and your wife need to make. Buddy seems like a wonderful little guy, and that he has had a wonderful and loving life. The question that is comes down to is am I keping him alive for my needs, and my needs only?
What's his quality of life? Does he seemed to be scared? Is he comfortable? These, once again, are questions that you and your wife need to go over to determine what's the right thing.
But know this, once you do make your decision, know that it was the right one no matter what. Only you know what's best for your baby.

With that being said, I'd love to see pictures of both Holly and Buddy. They sound adorable:)

Welcome to YT. I'm so sorry to hear about Buddy, it's always so hard when they start growing old.

I had similar worries when my Alexander started showing signs of confusion and disorientation. Before making any decisions, I HIGHLY recommend you talk to your vet about a medicine called Anipryl, which I learned about in my thread here http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...-yorkie-2.html. Anipryl worked wonders for my Alexander and for some other older yorkies I know. The thread I linked is full of ideas and suggestions - I pray some of them will help your precious little man.

Hugs,
Bonny

Hi and Welcome to YT!

I'm sorry to hear about little Buddy. It so hard as they get older. My vet says if they're eating and drinking and eliminating, that is fine. When they are in pain, they will usually stop eating. Buddy will let you know when.

I just uploaded his picture and it just made me cry.

Hope these are the right photo's.

Aww, what a peanut! Too cute! :)

Holly, my little girl, just over 3.5 lbs.

For some reason, can't seem to load Holly picture.

What a beautiful baby! I can see he's been very well loved. :)

I don't have any words of advice for you, but I dread the day when I am faced with they choices you are having to make:( I have a co-worker who went through this exact same thing with her little poodle just last month. He was 15 years old and had lost his sight about a year ago. He also had bad teeth and had most of them pulled over the years. He suddenly stopped eating and then the next day was crying in pain. She knew then that it was time.
Also just wanted to say....Welcome to Yorkie Talk and Buddy is a little doll:)

I wanted to add - if your vet does feel that Buddy would be a good candidate for Anipryl, it can take a few weeks to build up in the body before he'll start showing signs of improvement. It won't be an overnight change. Prayers for the best for Buddy.

Hello and welcome to YT. I just wanted to say the picture of Buddy is adorable what a sweetie. Sometime pictures do not upload because they are over 200 KB. Best wishes during this difficult life cycle and I hope the medications help Buddy during his senior years. Best wishes to you, your wife, Holly, and especially Buddy.

Welcome to YT. :) I am so sorry about your little Buddy....I know the feeling of having a senior and struggling with the decision about their quality of life. Sadly I have lost a few. Someone told me once that my pup would tell me when it was time...and indeed he did. I have somehow known when it was time based upon signals from them.
Bonbon's advice is good...about the Anipryl and all. It is a bit pricey but I hear it works. There is also something homeopathic that my vet has .....
Home - Senilife
That website has information that you may find helpful. :)

Oh, and Buddy is a precious little guy! :)

Buddy is a little doll. My Nikki is estimated to be 19 years old. He was a rescue and then his rescuer had a stroke so I took him. He had limited sight and now 2 years later he is pretty much blind and deaf. He is still eating and does not appear to be in any pain. He went through a period of disorientation and Bon Bon was kind enough to give me Alexander's left over Anipryl. After checking with his vet she said it would be fine to give him. It did help with his restlessness. Now he is pretty much sleeping all the time except to eat. Sometimes I have to wake him up to eat. He does have kidney failure and is on KD diet. I found that leaving lights on all the time helps him maneuver better. I have 3 night lights on in my bedroom so he can get up at night to use the pee pads. My babies use a ramp and I put up a baby guard rail so that Nikki doesn't walk off the bed at night. I had to have all of Nikki's teeth removed as they rotted to the gums when found. He eats canned and kibble with no problems. Did your vet say anything about his urine being clear and no odor. If you haven't had his blood work done recently I would have his Bun and Creatine levels checked. Nikki is the oldest dog I have ever had so it is new territory to me also. I do notice that Nikki will walk up against one of my other dogs to help him navigate. Also, we have to be careful to not put anything in his way or he will bump in to it. Even doing that he will walk into my leg on occasion. As long as he is not in any pain I feel his quality of life is ok. One of my other dogs had a severely collapsed trachea at 6 and had been having difficulty with breathing. I too her to my vet and asked what I should do since none of the medicines were helping. She said she is struggling for every breath she is no longer enjoying life. So while most vets don't like to come out and tell you it's time they usually can guide you in to the right decision. I hope you can find some solutions that will help Buddy in his senior years. It is so hard to see them age.

I just lost an 18 1/2 yr. old dog last April, and I too have a senior Yorkie. Anipryl works great for her. She is also deaf, has cancer, kidney disease, and no teeth. She is the love of my life, so I do understand what you are feeling right now. I agree with the other posters, Buddy will let you know when the time is right. Talk to your vet about canine dementia, to see if Buddy is a candidate for the medication. Recently I've been taking lots of pictures and videos of my Lucy. Just last week I cast her little paw print. I know that day is coming, and I want lots of good memories. I pray Buddy is able to be with you longer, but if not, I pray for strengh and wisdom for you as you make painful decisions. Rest in the knowledge that you did everything you could, and that you have given him a wonderful life. Please stay in touch and give us lots of updates. We do care. I wish you and Buddy all the best.

I know how everyone is feeling. My Zipp, who at best guess is 17, is slowly failing. Still enjoys his food and the plumbing works but kidney values are increasing and he is getting more wobbly. No matter how hard it is, our furbies will let us know when they are ready to leave us. I do like the idea about the paw prints in cement. I did not get ones from Harley, DJ and Annie when they all were laid to rest so close to each other 4 years ago.

Yes he had a blood panel about a month and all seem to be ok.

Buddy's doc is out of town but should be back sometime this weekend and will ask about the meds.

Just washed the little man eye, he love to have his eyes and face washed. :)

Going to try to post another picture of our little girl, Holly. She sure has been watching over Buddy the last few days, more than normal. Wonder if she knows something that we don't?

This is the kit I used to make the paw print casting.
Amazon.com: Pear Head Ornament: Pet Supplies
There is no mixing or baking, or mess, and their paw comes off cleanly.
Goodness it is hard to think of life without our little fur babies someday.

Barryn514- Buddy and Holly are just adorable. I love their pictures.

I have prints of all of my pups who have passed. Started doing that years ago when I saw a kit at Texas A&M. I forget the name of the kit, but similar to the one you use.
Now, I just buy polymer clay and make them myself. :) Sadly I have lost a few plus some fosters...so I have a little collection of heartshaped pawprints along with a village of stained glass urns. Some of them are little dog houses.

Gosh, isn't he just gorgeous!

I've had dogs that lived to be 18+.
I don't know if this will help you at all but my oldest, a Cairn, went through a period like you describe, disorientated & a bit confused. She was losing her sight & her hearing but was still eating well & the vet checked her & said she was ok, just getting old. That was when she was 14.
Over a few months she seemed to get her bearings & really picked up, becoming the same happy little dog she'd always been except for bumping into things if you moved them which we learned not to do.

She used to love roaming round the garden sniffing the flowers. She sometimes lost her bearings out there, we have a very big garden, & when she did she would just stand still & bark till I heard her & went to get her. We had other dogs & they used to help her sometimes, sort of guiding her.
She lived very happily till three weeks short of her 20th birthday when she died peacefully in her sleep, curled up in her bed.

Is he in any pain? If he's not in pain and suffering it may not be time yet to let him go. A little dog the goes to my groomers is blind and deaf. I can't believe how well that little old "lady" gets around. I didn't realize she was blind and deaf until her human mommy told me. She is not in pain and she is not suffering. She's a wonderful seasoned girl . Its truly amazing to watch her walk around (she must have the best nose in town).

Oh, the blind pups do learn to navigate very well. :) My George is not able to see or hear, but he gets around fine and makes his opinions on things known. :p I also have a foster who cannot see and he gets around ok, too! Gizmo has an advantage over George in that he still has his hearing.

We are going through a similar thing with our dogs. We have a mini Dachshund, Penny, that is 17 and a yorkie, Roxie, that is 2. Penny has been diagnosed with dementia, has cancer and heart problems. There are times that you can tell Roxie is really put out with Penny for barking all night, etc.. But there are lots of times that she will try to get Penny to play with her (and sometime succeeds) and days were it is like she can sense something is wrong with Penny and she stays close to her. It is very touching. My husband and I are watching for signs that Penny is in pain or her quality of life is leaving. It is very sad. We will be praying for you and your family.

Welcome to YorkieTalk. Buddy is so adorable. I don't have anything to add to the great advice already given, but just wanted to say what a beautiful boy he is. It isn't an easy thing to watch your much loved pet, or human for that matter, enter those difficult senior years. I know you will watch over him with great love & care.

I was going to say, my old Cairn that had cushings was blind and she got around quite well. Don't get me wrong, we'd have to help her sometimes. But she learned where things were. Which taught us to not move anything that could get in her known "path." She was blind for about 5 years before we lost her at age 9.

We took the "kids" camping in the motorhome this week-end because they seem to enjoy it. Little Buddy did not eat or drink anything Friday night and just wanted to lay in his bed but Sat he eat real good and drank lot of water. Of course Sherry had to hold him and feed him out of her hand because he has a hard time finding his food dish in the RV. Today he seemed better as well.

One thing that we have noticed that Holly has been sleeping in with Buddy instead of her bed. Maybe she is providing some comfort to him. She just started doing that about a week ago.

That's so sweet. I do believe that these pups know when another is in need and they do look out for them. :)

THIS, exactly! (((hugs to Buddy and family)))