Need advice (12 yr old dog)
My senior dog is 12 yrs old this year. She used to be brown and black but shes only white and black now, and Im pretty sure shes a dachshund mix.
My parents got them for us when we were kids, way before I could remember, and as a kid i loved her with my whole heart. We got her and her brother and things were mostly okay, with a few minor fights here and there.
I finally moved out this past year, and because she was “my dog” as a kid and nobody wanted them (she was only comfortable around me) i took her and her brother, and now the stress is weighing on me and my partner and Im looking for advice on where to go from here.
She used to love playing ball, but now it seems all she wants to do is eat, and seems confused when I pick up one. She barks at us both constantly, when I try to pet her or have her sit with me, she yelps out of fear (We never hit them) or ends up wandering off after 20 minutes. She always seems restless now, and whenever she gets some bout of energy, she hits her head on something or falls down. She fights with her brother more often now too, shes always barking at him if he sits with me, or growling at him if he lays too close to her, and if she sees something on a walk that gets her riled up, she’ll bark at it and then at him.
I try to do care like bathing and trimming her nails, but she cries the whole time despite getting regular baths as a puppy and not acting this way before, and I dont think Id be able to safely trim her nails without her freaking out now.
There are moments where it seems like she wants me to pet her or she gets excited, but once i reach my hand out and she sees I have no food, shes uninterested or immediately flips over and I cant tell if its out of fear or if she wants me to pet her. I want to take her brother back to my parents as they seem to be fighting more and more often now, but at the same time, we had him with the sitter for a night and she just seemed lonely, she slept the entire day.
Im worried about her quality of life, if shes not stressed shes hungry and barking at us, and if shes not hungry then shes stressed out and barking at us. Ive tried calming treats and some things to improve joint health, but she acts the same either way. I do plan on taking her to the vet, but I just want to be prepared for whatever they might ask me or say.
I mostly want advice at this time, is this what it feels like when shes telling me to just let her rest, or is she just stressed out right now? I feel so guilty for thinking the worst because she still eats well, but at the same time Im trying everything I can to make her life easier and nothing seems to “stick”
Thank you for any comments