28/09/2020
🐶 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀...
Before you continue reading, we have to let you know that this is gonna be quite an emotional post but at the same time, it is also important to know.
We all acknowledged that our dog is a beloved member of the family and it always will be. While it is never pleasant to think about their passing, the time will inevitably come that you must say goodbye, the same goes for us hoomans.
Whether your dog has struggled with a terminal illness or is merely reaching old age, they may begin showing signs that their life is coming to an end. And by recognizing these signs that a dog is dying, it will somehow allow you and your family to prepare for what's coming. And also... To spend more quality time with the lovely one.
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝟓 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝:
𝟏. 𝐀 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭
As a dog draws closer to death, they may begin to lose interest in things and people around them. For instance, they may not be interested in people they love, their favorite treat/toy or even their daily walks.
Studies have shown that it is normal if your dog no longer wants to play, as they will experience a loss of interest and a decrease in energy levels. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. Also, they may experience mental confusion that causes them to appear detached.
It is important to remember that even though your dog is uninterested, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝, they just do not have the energy to show it in the same way they did before. So please... Do not neglect them. Yes... We know it is very upsetting to read upon, but it's the truth.
𝟐. 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞
One of the most common signs that a dog may be dying is a severe loss of energy. Typically, a dying dog will lie in one place without moving around very much. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐞. Your dog might not even have enough energy to lift their head. If your dog is still moving from place to place around your home but does so more slowly, this may simply be a sign of old age. Especially if your dog has a chronic illness, they may show fatigue even if they are not nearing the end. If your dog is no longer lively but does not show other signs that they may be reaching the end, talk to your vet to see if another underlying factor is involved.
𝟑. 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥
This happens in two cases, either your dog is old or they might be dying. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭. This can lead to your dog peeing or experiencing a bowel movement wherever they are lying. Even if your dog is very well-trained, they may not have the energy to get up to relieve themselves. If your dog cannot control their bladder, be sure to practice good nursing to keep your dog as healthy as possible. Change or wash your dog’s bed when it becomes soiled and keep your dog clean to prevent them from developing sores. While it can be challenging to care for a dog that cannot control their bladder or bowels, 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.
𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦, 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.
𝟒. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐞
They might experience appetite changes and may lose their appetite entirely. No matter what food or treats you offer, a dog that has lost their appetite will typically refuse both food and water completely or shows no signs of interest.
The closer your dog is to dying, the less of an appetite they will have. If your dog is not eating at all, there is a good chance they are close to the end. 𝐀𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭. Visible weight loss will often be accompanied. But even if your dog does still consume food or water, they may experience digestive issues. In addition to an inability to control their bowels, a dying dog may vomit after eating or drinking. If your dog is not able to keep water down, they may become dehydrated.
During this time, you may try to keep your dog hydrated by giving them water from a water dropper. However, if your dog does not swallow the water, there is not much you can do. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝/𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨.
Sometimes, a dog will experience a natural decrease in appetite as they age or if they are ill, which does not necessarily mean they are dying. If your dog is still eating but in a lesser amount, you may consult your vet to check if he/she is sick.
𝟓. 𝐎𝐝𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬
Lastly, they may experience difficulty breathing, and their breathing may become shallow. You may also notice that your dog seems to struggle to catch their breath and their breathing may be uneven or odd. The time between each inhale and exhale may become longer. If your dog is breathing weird, they may be close to the end.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠. If your dog is younger and shows a few of these symptoms, talk to your vet, as your dog may be sick but not dying. Once your dog reaches old age, showing a combination of these symptoms is likely a sign that your dog is going to pass. Even if your dog is older, it is smart to take them to the vet to confirm your suspicions. Your vet will likely be able to assess the health of your dog without performing tests to determine whether your dog is dying or simply ill.
𝐒𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧?
𝟏. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦
Many dogs will 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 during this time and 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞.
𝐒𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧.
𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲.
𝐃𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.
Try to remain 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 as much as possible while showing them 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭.
𝟐. 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬
Try to keep your dog in places where they are comfortable and familiar with. Avoid introducing them to new locations. New areas can cause too much stimulation and are distressing to a dog that is already experiencing mental confusion.
Also... Avoid having new people around your dog too, as that may also be disorienting to them. When people interact with your dog, make sure they are gentle and kind. Be very very cautious with children and others who may not understand the situation. It may be helpful to explain to your friends and family that your dog is growing old and will not be able to play in the same way.
𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.
𝟑. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨
As your dog becomes older, continue to take them on walks and play with them as long as they are capable to.
As your dog’s health declines, they may not be able to participate in these activities as much or as rigorously, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐒𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨.
Monitor your dog’s behavior and never push them to do more than they can do. Adapt your regular habits to suit their abilities, but remain 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.
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Life is short, right?
We don’t have forever with our lovely furkids, so why not make the best out of it?
Never treat them differently when they’re old and sick, they’re still the very same dog that filled the void in your heart and bring you happiness when you brought them home.
And also, that is why there is a saying-
𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄.
Your furkid might only be here for a part of your life journey, but for your furkid, you're his/her whole life.
Therefore...
𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐝, 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝... 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐭.
❤️