Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Create Account now to join.
  • Login:

Welcome to the NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.

Ammo Direct Darkness


User Tag List

+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 15 of 20
Like Tree56Likes

Thread: Dementia in dogs

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Wellington
    Posts
    142
    Yeah it happens. My Dads dog, a rough haired collie, which was 17 when we had to have her put down but had been going downhill mentally for a good 6 months prior to that. She'd been deaf for about 2-3 years but had still "with it" then over 6 months prior her bowels stopped working and she would get disorientated and was going blind. My Dad really struggled to make the decision to let her go since he was her shadow as he lives alone but she was really far gone and he'd just had his hip replaced a couple of months before. About 2 weeks before we let her go she went out during the night in the rain and collapsed in the yard, the old man goes out to find her and tries to pick her up and then finds he can't get up, ended up lying there in the yard till daylight apparently. When he gave me the call and said it was time I drove to his place (in Marton) to give him a hand with it all and help him through. I'll never forget the smell when I first walked in the room where she was and how she was just skin, bone and hair. Must have weighed about 12 kg (18kg was optimum for her). I personally think the old man left it a week or so too late. I insisted on digging the grave myself over night. Took me 8 hours through 5 foot of clay and I was sore as shit the next day but I'm glad I did. Also insisted that we use my vehicle to take her to the vets as I didn't want my Dad to forever associate his car with the dogs death. Dad was crying when we took her in and I had tears running down my face, welling up thinking about it now. I remember her looking at me as they put her to sleep and you could see in that moment she was with it and knew what was happening and was fighting it but to keep her alive any longer would have be evil. Still nearly broke my heart seeing it. She hadn't eaten or taken a shit in 3 days at that point and stank of bile and... well death really. Heart was strong as anything and wasn't going to give out but her mind was gone 90% of the time and she would have starved to death despite anything we did. That was 11 months ago.

    But ah yeah, anyway. Yeah they sadly do get it and I really feel for you. It's not a fun or a easy thing to deal with!

 

 

Similar Threads

  1. which dogs to run...
    By EeeBees in forum Trial, Pedigree and Bird Dogs
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 14-11-2015, 05:40 PM
  2. All the dogs
    By Wirehunt in forum Hunting Dogs
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 04-07-2015, 12:23 AM
  3. GUN DOGS
    By Azza in forum Hunting
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 19-03-2014, 10:12 AM
  4. What dogs see...
    By EeeBees in forum Trial, Pedigree and Bird Dogs
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: 23-04-2013, 10:19 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Welcome to NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums! We see you're new here, or arn't logged in. Create an account, and Login for full access including our FREE BUY and SELL section Register NOW!!