My dog has lost the use of his back legs but is still very much himself — how do you judge quality of life?
My dog Yoshi (10 yo) has a spinal cord tumor. He had surgery, but unfortunately a second tumor was discovered a few months ago. At that point, we were given a very uncertain prognosis — anywhere from a few months to around a year and a half.
His mobility has progressively declined. About a month ago he could still walk a little on his back legs. Now he essentially can't use them. At home he sometimes drags himself using only his front legs. Outside I use a rear-support harness and carry his back end, and when I do that he moves with a surprising amount of energy — sometimes he practically runs with his front legs, wants to sniff everything, and seems genuinely excited to be outside.
He also has no control over his bladder or bowels anymore. He urinates and poops wherever he happens to be. I use diapers at home when possible, but he sometimes urinates and then drags himself through it. His back legs and thighs can end up soaked.
Honestly, it feels like I can't clean him fast enough. I clean him, change him, bathe him regularly, and then it happens again. Sometimes he whines when he needs something — if he's stuck in a position he can't get out of, needs to poop, wants me, or is uncomfortable in a wet diaper.
The difficult part is that mentally he is still completely Yoshi.
He loves food. He asks me for food constantly. He gets excited about treats. He wants attention. He enjoys going out. We regularly go sit at a café together and he seems genuinely happy to be there. He is interested in people, smells and what's happening around him.
My vet examined him today and doesn't think he's in significant pain. But he told me that, given the progression of the disease and how quickly his mobility has deteriorated, we're probably heading toward a very difficult stage. He told me that euthanasia is something I should start seriously considering and that he would support whatever decision I make.
I'm struggling because his body is failing him while mentally he still seems completely present and interested in life.
For those of you who have cared for dogs with paralysis or severe hind-leg disability: how did you distinguish between a dog who was disabled but still had a good life and a dog whose disability had become too much for them?
I'm especially interested in hearing from people whose dogs were still mentally happy, eating and interested in life when you had to make this decision.
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* I’m adding a picture of him from a little while ago because I think it shows what I mean when I say that mentally, he is still completely himself.