Due in 9 week, senior dog advice
I have a yellow lab that is just under 15 years old. He was originally my husbands. We had him go through surgery for larpar if you are familiar to save his life in I believe Feb of this year. It impacted his breathing and we were able to fix this breathing. Our dog is extremely important to my husband (and me as well, but I stick in there more for my husband).
The surgery did not fix his mobility issues and we haven’t tried the monthly shots that are an option- but we have tried like 6 combos of pain pills. He’s unable to get up by himself at all. We have a help um up harness that we lift him with whenever he needs to get up. My issue with trying the monthly shots that should help with mobility is that historically I do all the pet care and I could not handle getting him into my car to take him to the vet once per month while this pregnant and while he can hardly go up our dog ramp or get up by himself.
To add- we have a very small home. Our dog is not physically capable of taking a walk anymore so we help him up from our dining room carpet to out back and then back in the house and that’s his routine. He doesn’t seem distressed or unhappy (he seems happy enough).
Our dining room carpet is pretty much covered in dog poop because he’s completely fecally incontinent and he probably poops on this rug where he is lying 3 times to 4 times per day. He can’t control holding it at all and can’t plan to go outside even though we take him out a lot.
I don’t know that I can morally push for putting down a dog that my husband loves and seems happy outside for the mobility and bathroom issues. But I also practically cannot figure out how this situation will continue after I give birth. Additionally- I am trying so hard to get our house ready for our baby and having our dog poop all day on the rug where our kitchen table is- which is the same room as our living room- is really causing me to struggle.
Typically if we are not in the same room as him he will bark all day. I feel like it’s sad to imagine moving him to a side room permanently but that’s an option I’m considering.
My husband has considered putting him down but I don’t feel confident that life is moving that way and need to prepare some options.
Would love to hear your feedback on how to make this manageable especially as my gross factor increases (which I think is due to hormones/the baby coming- but I also know this situation is gross in general).