Any advice? Might be losing a member of the family

[WhoDeyForever]

Well I got this 15 year old yorkshire terrier..His name is Mister..I have had him my whole life..He has always been where I have been..My mom first got him and he has became attached to her and he has become a family member to our family...In the past couple months though he has not been doing so well, most of the time he does not know where he is at and just stands there..He also has a really bad cough and gets sick sometimes..My parents and I are trying to decide if we want to put him down or just wait untill he dies..We really dont know what to do...We got 2 new puppies about 2 months ago to try and settle this down so it isnt as hard on us when he does pass..Any advice guys?

 

[Deety]

I don't really know what advice to give about what to do, except that my family has usually decided based on whether our pets were in pain or not... Mainly I just wanted to say I'm sorry it's time to be making these decisions, and that's one lucky pup to have had such great company for the past 15 years.

 

[Oneshot]

If he is in pain, there is no question that the moral thing to do is to put him down.

15 years is something to be very proud of - its obvious that your family took very good care of him.

It's a hard thing to do, but the right one. It's really about quality of life.

I'm sorry. Good luck.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I don't really know what advice to give about what to do, except that my family has usually decided based on whether our pets were in pain or not...

If he is in pain, there is no question that the moral thing to do is to put him down.

Bingo...exactly what I was going to bring up. If the dog is not in pain--or otherwise seriously suffering--then there's no humane reason to put him down. And the two new puppies can't be a replacement for him, or can't be a rationale for putting him to sleep, either. Even if he gets to the point where he can't get around much, or even at all, as long as he isn't clearly suffering then let him pass on naturally.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Talk to your vet

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Dress him up in OSU gear and post pictures on BP.

Other than that, do what the other folks said. Good advice.

 

[Thump]

 

[nickofthewoods]

When we had to decide what to do with our oldest dog, the issue
was perceived pain. His tail was constantly between his legs. He
didn't want to go outside. But there is no line that makes it clear,
despite what the vets say. We choose a sunny weekend, the first
nice one of the year, then we took him to the vet. Making the
decision was very very hard, but once the decision was made it
became clear that it was the right thing to do.

Good luck, man. It is tough.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

vet offices have clay molds that you can use with his paw...
few months back, we did the mold of a Sheltie we had for 13 yrs.. scanned it into the computer..
enhanced it a bit... for clarity.. took it to a tattoo artist...
and my two oldest had the paw print tattooed onto themselves...
my son did his in full size on his shoulder.. my daughter a scaled down version on her hip...

It's a tough situation to deal with... it's a friend that has no biases.. he loves you when you look great.. when you look shitty.. when you're on cloud nine and when you are at your lowest... he loves you more than he loves himself.. because you have no flaws in his eyes..

Relish in the memories and know you both enjoyed the experience together... the puppies will help -- trust me.. almost magical... they will sense you and your Mom have a hole.. and they will fill it... we're living it

 

[WhoDeyForever]

Dress him up in OSU gear and post pictures on BP.

Other than that, do what the other folks said. Good advice.

I'm thinking about doing that

But thank you so much guys for your help. I will keep you guys updated on what happens.