An old dog, just like us humans, will be a different animal from the one you knew in earlier life. Along with the greying muzzle, cloudy eyes, reduced hearing, slower movement, and tendency to sleep more, comes the potential for your dog to manifest symptoms that, misunderstood, can reduce both the quality and length of its life.
Much has been written about this subject that we won't repeat here, preferring instead to focus on some age related issues that often go undiagnosed or are inappropriately treated. This article is the first in a series of illustrative stories involving first hand experience with dogs we have known.
Jasper was a beagle mutt who loved to hunt. He remained healthy as he aged but gradually became completely deaf in one ear. The effect of this became obvious when he was off-lead at a distance, and a recall command was given. He would prick up his ears and look in the direction he thought the call came from, but without functioning stereoscopic hearing the chance of his choice being accurate was roughly the same as winning the lottery. If he wasn't looking at whoever was calling, their best choice at this point was to remain quiet as they circled around hm waving until they caught his attention, then call him again. Calling him while he was focusing in the wrong direction would ensure that Jasper would be in the next county before they caught up with him.
Jasper had never been neutered and, when he was a still healthy 15, developed a lump about the size of a small pea on his anus. He had found this to be uncomfortable enough to be dragged on the ground with the result that the lump had torn open, and the slow seepage of blood from the wound site never seemed to stop.
Consulting a veterinarian, the cause was diagnosed as perianal cysts due to elevated testosterone levels in such a senior dog. A surgical treatment was suggested involving immediate neutering as well as removal not only of the damaged cyst, which he stated would never heal, but also of smaller ones that surrounded his anal sphincter. The vet in this case stated that this could not be done without damaging the anal sphincter so, while Jasper would be "cured", he would also be rectally incontinent for the rest of his life. Euthanasia was further suggested as an alternative for "such an old dog".
The decision was made to seek a second opinion. This time the diagnosis of the condition and its causes was the same, and reaffirmed that the torn cyst would not heal if left alone. The necessity of neutering was also confirmed but with the significant difference for Jasper that the damaged cyst could actually be removed without damage to the anal sphincter. This vet said that the remaining smaller cysts would shrink and disappear on their own as Jasper's testosterone levels ebbed in the wake of his neutering.
Jasper was assessed as incredibly healthy for a dog of his vintage, and the second vet was retained to do the procedure. The result: Jasper gained slightly more than three extra years as a healthy happy dog.
On a Thursday that was three months past his eighteenth birthday, Jasper suddenly manifested symptoms that pointed to a major gastrointestinal problem. As the day wore on, he couldn't keep food or water down. When it became clear that his abdomen was slightly distended and tender to the touch, and that he was finding it uncomfortable to lie down or even to sit for very long, the vet who performed the surgery was consulted. The diagnosis was cancer of the bowel and the way to the decision to end Jasper's life was clear.
As sad as this sounds, it was a necessary act of love, compassion, and responsibility that came three years later than it would have done had a second opinion not been sought.
Jasper had never been neutered and, when he was a still healthy 15, developed a lump about the size of a small pea on his anus. He had found this to be uncomfortable enough to be dragged on the ground with the result that the lump had torn open, and the slow seepage of blood from the wound site never seemed to stop.
Consulting a veterinarian, the cause was diagnosed as perianal cysts due to elevated testosterone levels in such a senior dog. A surgical treatment was suggested involving immediate neutering as well as removal not only of the damaged cyst, which he stated would never heal, but also of smaller ones that surrounded his anal sphincter. The vet in this case stated that this could not be done without damaging the anal sphincter so, while Jasper would be "cured", he would also be rectally incontinent for the rest of his life. Euthanasia was further suggested as an alternative for "such an old dog".
The decision was made to seek a second opinion. This time the diagnosis of the condition and its causes was the same, and reaffirmed that the torn cyst would not heal if left alone. The necessity of neutering was also confirmed but with the significant difference for Jasper that the damaged cyst could actually be removed without damage to the anal sphincter. This vet said that the remaining smaller cysts would shrink and disappear on their own as Jasper's testosterone levels ebbed in the wake of his neutering.
Jasper was assessed as incredibly healthy for a dog of his vintage, and the second vet was retained to do the procedure. The result: Jasper gained slightly more than three extra years as a healthy happy dog.
On a Thursday that was three months past his eighteenth birthday, Jasper suddenly manifested symptoms that pointed to a major gastrointestinal problem. As the day wore on, he couldn't keep food or water down. When it became clear that his abdomen was slightly distended and tender to the touch, and that he was finding it uncomfortable to lie down or even to sit for very long, the vet who performed the surgery was consulted. The diagnosis was cancer of the bowel and the way to the decision to end Jasper's life was clear.
As sad as this sounds, it was a necessary act of love, compassion, and responsibility that came three years later than it would have done had a second opinion not been sought.
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