9 Year Old German Shepard with Problems

I have a 13yr. old lab. She suffers from arthritis, hip and joint pain. I caution using the Rimadyl. We did try it and she became incontinent nearly over night. I would ask about an older drug, it is an anti inflammatory called Previcox. It has done wonders for my Lily dog. She still moves slow, but she gets up and down with much more ease and appears to be in less pain than before. Hope this helps. I should say some dogs do really well on the rimadyl and others not.

We had Shepherds growing up and yes, dysplasia is not uncommon for them. I am using glucosamine (found at any grocery or drug store) daily for my 11-yr border collie and it really helps. Sometimes if it's cold, I give her 2x day, but usually just once. Good luck to you.

I have an old dog too, and he is more sluggish when the weather is cold. Have you taken him to the vet to get him put on medication? At the very least go to petsmart and look at their selection of joint medicine. My dog only has a mild case so we got him something from petsmart it has something mild to help with the pain and glucosomine(sp?) to help his joints. You can also give him a daily aspirin to help with the pain.

You need to make an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss what your options are. Many dogs can respond really well to pain medication, given either daily or as needed, and can be helped with certain joint supplements, as well as keeping their weight under control. It may be arthritis (hips, knees) and/or hip dysplasia, or sometimes they can have disc issues in their back. Stop letting your dog continue to suffer and have him seen at the vet ASAP so he can get the help he needs.

R.,
It's so hard to see our pets growing older and getting weaker and having pain. I had a husky that lived to be 16 and when it's "time", it's "time"...

When the bad days outnumber the good and you KNOW the dog is in pain, it really is the kindest choice..

Have you heard the story about a small boy explaining why dogs don't live as long as people? Here it is:

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

You really need to get your dog to the vet no matter what you decide to do.

The vet can give your dog things to ease its pain. You don't want your dog to suffer. You can discuss with the vet whether medications will help him and then you can make an informed decision about whether or not to put him down. But you really have to do something. You can't continue to let him be in pain.

There are meds that can be given through your vet that can help with the pain even for a dog of that age.
Honestly I think it would be only fair that he been evaluated by a doctor first before you make ANY decisions in the nature of putting him down.
I wish you the best,
C.

Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. It's so very hard to watch them suffer.

I have an elderly (14yo) black lab with severe arthritis from an unfortunate meeting with a car when he was much younger. Acupuncture helped him for over a year -- and really helped! Then, we went to Tramadol, which helped -- and was very inexpensive, too. Once it progressed more (like, the last 2 or 3 months), we put him on Rimadyl and that seems to be doing well. I know that it's only a matter of time before compassion and care for him tells us to put him down but, as long as the medications are helping and he's still willing, we'll love him and care for him.

It is so very difficult to know what to do but talk with a vet. Medication is not necessarily expensive and he may be able to live without pain for a while. If not, you'll owe it to him to help him exit with love and dignity.

Oh, a last note: If you use aspirin, PLEASE make sure it's the coated kind (some brand names: Ecotrin, Ascriptin) and NOT tylenol or ibuprofen. For all that they eat crazy junk, dogs' stomaches are more sensitive than ours to some things and some can bleed internally from uncoated aspirin.

Hug.

Why haven't you brought him to the vet to see if the basic arthritis medicine works? Many animals are back to themselves - just like most of our population of 50 y/o + do - once they take medication to help with joint health, arthritis or pain.

Unless it's terminal cancer, or inoperable hip dysplasia - I think euthanizing your furry companion is a bit premature.

It's never easy to say goodbye to a loyal friend... We lost our German Shephard at 11 years old. She was loosing function of her back legs, but I think it is a little different then what your dog is going through. She loved to chase tennis balls, so for us the day she was too tired/unable to do so we knew it was time :(
You should probably check in with your vet. Maybe do some x-rays. There are some good arthritis meds out there for dogs nowadays. We used Rimadryl (for pain) and gave glucosamine sulfate to help with the joints...
9 is a pretty good age for a large dog. Follow your heart and know that if your beloved pet is suffering every day it is likely the most humane thing to do...
Sorry.

Hi R.,
I haven't read the other responses, but I know firsthand how hard this is. I just googled average lifespan for a german shepherd and it's 9.7 years. It really sounds like your longtime buddy is in terrible pain, and that is so very hard to watch. I'd definitely make an appt. w/ your vet right away and discuss options, but I'm thinking unfortunately it may very well be time to say goodbye because I would never want to be so selfish as to watch an animal suffer so horribly. Pain can also make animals do things they wouldn't normally do, so I would keep a keen eye on him when he's around your children and other animals. Peace to you.

Has the vet. told you what's wrong? Do you have pain meds for him? If he's on pain meds and it's not working, then, as hard as it would be, you should let him go. I had two dogs I had to let go, and it sucked, but it was what was best for them. If your dog is in pain all the time, with no relief, that's no life. Let him go.

German Shepards notoriously have hip dysplasia or other hip/joint issues. My mother in law put down her 3rd German Shepard at age 13 when he could not even walk anymore and put down her 4th at age 9 (a year and a half ago) when it was apparent the dog was depressed over her condition (she was from a line of agility champs so not being able to jump/land, run, made her sad) and she was already on 2 meds plus glucosamine for it. It is sad, yes, but I think it may be time to consider putting the Shepard down before he hurts himself, your other dog or anyone else :'-( *Hugs*

Dear R., My sister had a ten year old shepard with the same problem. It turned out to be arthritis. They put him on medication and he was fine. Please take your dog to the vet and see if he has the same problem, and hopefully he can be running around again soon.

We had to put down one of our beloved dogs just a month ago. He had horrible seizures in June and medication really helped for about 6 months. After that, no amount of medication, love, warmth or trips to the vet erased his sad, sad look or the severe disorientation that became his norm. We knew it was time when he got lost in the backyard trying to find his way back to the house after going potty. Our backyard is bare...nothing in it from the house to the back fence. It was just so sad.

Talk to the vet. If meds will help, give them a try. But, if they don't, please seriously consider letting him go. Our vet told us after our third visit in five days that she has never, ever had a patient say they put down an animal too soon, but that they wish they hadn't waited so long.

Hugs.

Please take him to the vet. There is a medication called; Rimadyl that is used to treat dogs with the condition you are describing. I think it's too soon to put him down. Take him to the vet as soon as you can. I'm sure this medication will help him. Good luck! www.rimadyl.com

ok, I am sorry but 2sentences in I had to stop, it is time to put the dog down. I understand that this is not easy at all. I had to put my 18month old puppy who was bitten by a brown recluse spider down after we realized he was going to need a sex change and years of skin graphs to MAYBE have a decent life in about 5yrs. I know it is not easy to do but I think it is time.

Been there, done that, too. Still tears in my eyes. But it always helps me to remember that in nature the dog would be long gone.

Think about his quality of life. If he is in pain all the time it may be time to end his suffering. Have you talked to your vet about options for your dog? Is there anything that can be done to help? I know it is a very hard and sad decision to make. I would have a discussion with your vet and then go from there. Then you can know that you are doing what you think is best for him.

Definitely talk to your vet about options. My friend's Border Collie had similar hip problems. He got shots and went for acupuncture. Unfortunately the large full breed dogs get problems like this. Good luck!

Take your dog to the vet. It's probably arthritis, and there are lots of things they can do to help with nowadays.

I also recommend reading Good Old Dog, an easy to read book put out by the Tufts Univ. vet staff on age-related issues with dogs. Get it from the library and read the section on joint problems. Then, make an appt with your vet to talk about some options.

You can really improve his quality of life with either a procedure or medication, or both. And if you're worried about expense (particularly with surgery options), ask about payment options. And be honest with what you can afford, so that they know.

Take him to the vet and see what they can do. If there's help that works-great, but if not, you should put him down. I feel for you. It's one of the toughest times you can go through, but it's awful to keep a suffering animal around to languish in pain if there's nothing to help it.

I realize this is an older post but I wanted to share my story 2 years ago my Dixie had the worse hip issues ever. she almost completely quit standing up on her own. I had to carry her outside to go potty and started using diapers. the vet had given her Rimadyl which was not helping at all and slowly killing her The side effects were terrible and quite frankly outweighed any good it was doing. So I started doing my own research. I Changed the diet started adding supplements. http://nzymespetproducts.com/dog-arthritis/ within a few weeks of this she was meeting me at the door again! It is natural with no side effects (Unless energy is a side effect! lol) Omegas and coconut oil helped as well.

This was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. Our dog was 9 almost 10 also. He was large mix breed dog, 125 lbs of muscle. He was so sweet, but his hips really started to aggravate him. He responded very much the same way your sweet boy is responding. It just got to the point that it was not beneficial to him or us to see him in such terrible pain. As hard as it is, it is so much better to not see him suffer like this. It's a hard decision, but you will do what is best in the end. Much love to you and your sweet pup!

This post made me teary. I'm sending you big hugs and I know this must be a hard decision for you to face. I do think you're right though, it's probably time to consider putting him down. I know that when we have to face this issue with our dog I'll be a blubbering mess, but he sounds like he's in a lot of pain and discomfort. I would talk to your vet about it and maybe they can comfort you or give you other advice, but I think the end is near. Hang in there, it isn't easy! HUGS!

I have an 8 year old German Shepherd and she has hip problems and she has arthritus in her elbow. I took her to the doctor and they put her on glucosomine/msm daily and a buffered asprin. Thankfully, her quality of life has greatly improved, shes happy and outgoing and not sluggish and mopey.

My old shepherd lived til she was 14, thanks to Asprin and love.

Call your vet and see if they recommend putting him on a pill a day!

R., I wish I had a miracle cure to offer. We have a German Shepherd also (she's turning 7 this month), and were faced last year, at this same time actually, with the prospect of euthanasia. We were blessed, and it didn't come to that and she has recovered from the sudden seizures she was experiencing. But I KNOW what you are feeling. And I have so much sympathy for your family.

I know that 10 is getting elderly for GSDs, so it may just be "that time". But have you checked into acupuncture at all? I only mention it, hopefully not to spark unrealistic hopes, but because a former employer of mine had a GSD with hip problems at a young age. She took the dog for acupuncture and it did improve her (Berkley was her name) life. She was much younger when she began having problems, and we lost touch when I became a SAHM, so I am not sure how much longer Berkley lived or how much longer the acupuncture helped. But it IS a treatment option for dogs, and I wanted to be sure you were aware of it.

Sending big hugs to you and your GSD.

The Vet will know what to do-medication won't fix the joint damage-but it may ease the pain and add a few more uears to your dogs life. I grew up with Shepherds and my neice is one! And I am a grandmother to a Pit Bull-who now lives with me-love both breeds. God bless you! :)

Go to a vet. Anything that the dog needs the vet can help make that determination of what would be best. There are many great pain medications for dogs but all of them will require a blood test first to make sure that his liver and kidneys can process the drugs correctly. Blood tests will also let you know if something other than arthritis is the problem and you can work on that too if necessary. I know it frightens some people to know exactly what is wrong with their pets but I have known far more people that regret letting their animal suffer as opposed to knowing for sure what is going on