libby has gone off her legs since last saturday up to when we have walked every day also the vet says she probably has infected arthritis in front right leg he feels that it would be best to put her to sleep monday or tuesday to stop distress but although we have to carry her outside she is eating and drinking well rolling over to have her tummy tickled and stilll wagging her tail most of the time this is my first dog so i want to do the right thing by libby who is such a wonderful dog but instinct is telling me that it is not right to put her to sleep yet do dogs of this age ever spontaneously recover back use of limbs she does not have much muscle mass left in them but has walked well with her daughter and son and enjoyed it she definately seems happy at moment any help would be very welcome angie

Angie....i'd say if she's not suffering then dont do it, i have an 11 year old german shep x and he has arthritus....he was suffering a few weeks ago so i took him to the vets and he was put on some pain killers i have to give him 20mls every morning with his food and it's working wonders :-) the name of the medication is metacam.

hth

My old goldie has come on leaps and bounds since being prescribed Rimadyl. True she can still be rather wobbly on her legs, and sometimes need a hand to get up, but shes bright as a button in every other way. As the other poster has said if she is not in pain I would see how things go. If in doubt, do nowt ;)

Like liberty, I too have had an old girl - black lab - and once she was on Metacam, we had another year and two months before she left us.

If your instinct is that she is still happy, still enjoying her food, and life in general, then give her time.   She will let you know when life gets too much for her to bear - you've had her a long time, and you do know her.   Cherish the next few weeks, which hopefully will turn into months.

Margot

I strongly believe your dog will tell you when they have had enough - and when they do, you will know.  If Libby appears to still be enjoying life, then I'd let her go on doing so, for however long she has.

My own Lab is 12 and an half and has recently recovered from some back problems so I agree with the other posters - I wouldn't make too hasty a decision.  Perhaps you could get a second opinion from a different Vet.?  However, I think you should investigate the medications suggested.  It's my understanding that the bad side effects on the liver of Rimadyl are especially exaggerated in Labs.  That's according to my Vet. and is from some years ago so check that out.  My Vet likes Cartrophen Vet injections better than Metacam for arthritis.  It did work wonders and is easier to use as the Vet injects it and cost was comparable to Metacam.  There may be some degree of subjective opinion from my Vet mixed in with Medical facts here so check around.

Metacam can make a remarkable difference to an elderly dogs last few months, my fourteen and a half yr old rough collie (who sadly died two weeks ago) had a few very sprightly months -including a holiday and a paddle in the sea all thanks to Metacam.

My mum has a 14 year old Springer who has very similar problems and has had them for about a year.  The vet asked her to consider putting her to sleep about 6 months ago but she couldn't do it and now is glad she didn't.  The dog now needs help to get up stairs and out into the garden and doesn't really go for walks anymore (she has a big garden to walk around).  She is very stiff but still comes to the front door to say hello (and goodbye) to visitors, she still gets excited whenever family visit, still eats anything she can get at (not so much these days :)), and still enjoys it when people make a fuss.  She is an old lady now, slow and a lot of things are now a bit of an effort but as long as she is not in pain, my mum feels she deserves a bit of fuss in her old age and will not put her to sleep.

So personally if your dog is not in pain and is still happy I would say go with your insinct.

Steve

I would get a second opinion from a orthopaedic vet,your vet will be able to do this for you,please dont have her pts, maybe she will improve with the correct medication.however some drugs can cause severe tummy upsets in some dogs,my lab penny went down and never got up again she also had a bleed in her tummy due to the medication,however i have seen dogs doing very well on tablets or metecam.Fingers crossed and hope all is ok.

Sheila.