u/Longjumping-Value684

Living his best life! Such a happy boi

Hey everyone, I wanted to give a quick update to everyone who commented on my last post about my 17-year-old rescue, Axel, and his nighttime dementia.
With a really heavy heart, I wanted to let you all know that Axel crossed the rainbow bridge today.
I took him to the vet and they completely agreed that it was his time. They told me we could try different treatments to manage his symptoms, but realistically, it would have just been prolonging the inevitable. It wouldn't have been fair to put him through that at his age.
Reading through your comments really helped me realize that his quality of life wasn't just about his good hours during the day, but about how scared and confused he was every single night. I adopted him at 12 just wanting to give him a good final chapter, and he ended up giving me 5 incredible bonus years.
Making the call was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but knowing he’s finally at peace brings me a lot of comfort. He isn't bumping into things, he isn't anxious, and he's finally getting some real rest.
Thank you all so much for the kindness and support when I was feeling so broken and lost. It really helped more than you know. Rest easy, Axel buddy.

I rescued my boy, Axel, when he was 12 years old, thinking I’d give him a good final few years. To my amazement, he is now 17. He is blind, deaf, and has bad arthritis, but during the day, he is still relatively happy he eats, drinks, and rests comfortably.
However, the last few nights have become a nightmare.
I am almost certain he has developed severe canine cognitive dysfunction (doggy dementia). As soon as night hits, he cannot rest. He becomes incredibly anxious and enters a non-stop loop of pacing and barking all night long. Because he is blind, he constantly bumps into the walls and furniture. No matter what I do, I cannot get him to settle down.
On top of the sleepless nights, he has also started toileting inside the house. This is something he has never done before in all the years I've had him, and it's clear he's losing his sense of where he is.
I am completely torn. Am I a bad person for wanting to put him to sleep when he still seems okay during the day? I love him so much, but I am physically exhausted and I can't bear to watch him sufferthrough these nights anymore.

It’s been 3 months since I broke my leg… only a few more weeks and I’ll be back!

This is Zak,

Zak is the friendliest cattle dog ever.
Seriously loves everyone.
4 legged or human .
Definitely not what expected an acd to be like 😆