I found Huxley on the side of the road almost 17 years ago. We lived all over the country together, went on countless road trips and adventures. It’s just so weird not having him around.

He got diagnosed with aggressive mast cell disease earlier this summer after a mass removal. We opted for palliative care instead of more invasive treatments. It was the best decision, we got to spend 4 more wonderful months together.

He caught a possum (which survived) 3 days before his last day. He dropped it at the back door, went inside and laid down, and I knew that was him telling me he was ready to go.

He crossed the rainbow bridge peacefully with a wonderful in home vet. I made him a steak, gave some slurps of beer, and almost a half a pint of ice cream before he left. It was beautiful and awful all at once.

I’ll love you forever buddy. I saved his life and he saved mine.

Many of your posts and comments on this sub helped me through this difficult time, so I thought I’d share Huxley’s story to maybe help others going through the same thing.

Photography by Jack Jackson.

Do you want about 50 lbs of Hills Science Diet k/d kidney health dog food for $0?

Northeast Los Angeles: Eagle Rock/Highland park-ish

My dog—my best friend, the greatest love of my life—died last month after a long fight with heart and kidney disease at approximately 14 years old.

I know everyone says this but he literally saved my life, you guys. At the time I had been recently widowed super brutally and I spent two years hiding, in agony and fear and sometimes psychosis, thinking about suicide every single day, until we found each other.

Me and my boy met at the pound when he was allegedly 6, and we had such a cool life together. We were best friends and we were never apart. He practically trained himself to be my psychiatric service dog, he was that brilliant and empathetic. He had a ton of friends, took tons of walks. He went to two weddings, grad school, and Disneyland and, as always, behaved like a perfect gentleman. Together we adopted a now 1 year old puppy and Im comforted to see so much of my boy in our boy.

This dude turned a broken person into a powerful one. He fixed me. And then he died as he lived: with sweetness, warmth, and grace, living waaaaay longer than anyone (but me) had ever suspected. Then he died as he lived: sweetly, with warmth and grace.

Do you want his expensive prescription dog food for free?

Dm if so :)

My old guy got diagnosed today after a weekend of not being able to hold down food. He got fluids and an anti nausea shot today but I’m so scared of him throwing up again it’s causing me a lot of stress patrolling his every move.
Have any of you guys dealt with this and if so what are some tips for healing?
He’ll be on a bland diet without his arthritis meds for a while 😭
All his other tests and levels came back good just nervous about him getting sicker and having to possibly be hospitalized 💜

Just putting him out there to the Universe again today. Picked up his ashes and paw print this morning. I think today was harder than the actual deed. Now its final. This is him annoying the crap out of me while I solved all the world's health insurance problems. He was often a voice in those conversations. Odie would not be ignored, even if your Physical Therapy claim got denied. It was not his problem 🤣😂 Remembering this turd today 🥰

I had to say goodbye to my 12 baby Rocky Yesterday

We said goodbye to her in March of this year, and it's been slowly getting better. I decided to use my (rather amateur) painting skills to paint her to give it to my mom.

She made it all the way to 19!

She really was an amazing dog, followed my mom everywhere, and pointed at birds even though she was never a hunting dog. I miss her more than anything and hope she's having an amazing time wherever she ended up <3

He was with me for almost 14 years and I don’t know how I’m going to live without him. It’s never enough time 💔

Hello, pardon in advance I posted this in r/dogs but just realized this might be the best sub for asking this kind of question. I'm going to give some backstory for context but summarized a TLDR at the bottom.

My wonderful 14 year old chihuahua mix has dementia, his mind has been slowly going for the past half year or so. It's been breaking my heart because he was really sharp mentally and so sweet (we're BBFs but also he's my little boy).

He used to be really cuddly and would love to hang out, now he's much less affectionate and is very restless, especially at night.. he does this cycle where he paces and demands to go outside in the yard, shortly after wants to come back inside, paces and then does it all over again. The saddest is when he howls and cries in the middle of the night, something he never used to do (he was usually pretty stoic in terms of crying or barking).

My vet has been helping the best she can, he's currently on Selegiline and Senilife for his dementia, as well as daily Gabapentin and trazodone doses for his anxiety and arthritis. His quality of life is pretty good all things considered, he does have daily moments of joy and play, and if anything his appetite and love for food hasn't diminished at all.

So on to my actual question: I'm going to be out of the country for a couple of weeks and my sister is going to be dog sitting him. She loves my dog but hasn't spent any time with him since his dementia diagnosis. Any advice on prepping a senior dog with dementia to be away from its owner? Any toy/medication suggestions from dog owners who have experience with this kind of situation?

TLDR - I have a senior dog with dementia and will be going out of town for a couple of weeks. My sister is going to be dog sitting but am worried they're both going to be miserable, any advice on how to make it easier on both of them?

Would be grateful for any advice on senior dog dementia in general.

My heart goes out to anybody who has dealt with this type of disease, very cruel.

Today we said goodbye to our 16 yo border collie Arrow. She was the absolute best dog we’ve ever had. She was the sweetest, smartest girl. She accepted her duty to protect her kids, and then their kids. We knew the day was coming as arthritis, deafness and dementia kept taking a toll. But she was with us to the end and I will never forget her.

Hello, fellow fur baby parents!

I have a 12-year-old Maltese who has been struggling with really bad, smelly, yeasty ears and a crusty nose for several months now. I’m honestly at my wit’s end, and it breaks my heart seeing him so uncomfortable.

The vet treated him with Mometamax, a one-time treatment in each ear that was supposed to last 30 days, along with steroids. He seemed to improve, but about three weeks later, the symptoms came right back.

I’ve also been alternating between TrizUltra + Keto and Zymox, which help a little, but nothing seems to clear it up completely. I’ve even changed his food, hoping it might be allergy-related. He’s also received a Cytopoint injection and has been prescribed Numelvi pills.

I feel like I’ve tried everything, and I’m getting desperate. 😢

Has anyone dealt with something similar? What finally worked for your fur baby? I’m open to any suggestions or experiences you can share.

Thank you so much in advance!

Hi all! I am currently in graduate school and one of our group assignments is to gather info on a selected topic.

So, the goal of this survey is to learn about how people manage and experience doggy incontinence and its pain points. If you currently have a dog with incontinence, have experienced doggy incontinence in the past, or have taken care of a dog with incontinence issues, we'd love to hear about your experiences! This is voluntary and we aren't selling anything - just learning how to gather information about something we are interested in for a class assignment!

https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4VMyZmT1w9sOwU6

Oldest generation with the newest! They all get along so well. I find it so crazy yet amazing that the dog I essentially grew up with is still around to see the first pets I've adopted as a new adult. I love them all so dearly.

His birthday is coming up too, actually! On the 30th.

Today I got the news that my dog is dying. Im 13 and I don't really know how to handle this, I just got the news today, my dog collapsed when my parents rushed him to the vet it turned out he has spleen cancer and is enduring internal bleeding. I came home today with him on a blue tarp, water bowl filled and his favorite toy next to him. I'm scared, I've dept with death before from pets but this one hits harder. I need advice

I have a 17 year old cockapoo who I’ve had since she was 8 weeks old. She has had arthritis for a number of years and has been getting librela injections every month for a few years now. Recently I’ve noticed the shots don’t help her for as long as they used to, and after about 3 weeks from her shot, her hind legs and hips give out a bit. Our vet prescribed gabapentin now as well. The other issue is her teeth. She had most of them removed a few years ago but the remaining teeth have gotten quite bad and it’s evident she has trouble eating. Her weight has been dropping as a result. The gabapentin was supposed to help with that but I haven’t noticed a huge difference. She is also almost blind, and completely deaf and she tends to hide in her bed in our office to sleep the majority of the time. Despite all of this, her vet says she is still healthy, but I’m questioning her quality of life. She also has regular accidents in the house and as bad as it sounds, I am struggling with feelings of resentment towards her. These feelings have only recently started since I had my first child this year. I feel incredibly guilty and my dog doesn’t deserve it. I’ve reached out to a few at home vet services to ask about euthanasia and I am considering doing it in the next month. However, I can’t help but question if I’m doing the right thing, even though in my heart I feel like it’s time. Any advice is so appreciated.

Splenic hemangiosarcoma diagnosed ~8pm on 6/19 with emergency splenectomy at 2am on 6/20. Five rounds of chemotherapy, yunnan baiyao, other medications, his strength, and lots and lots and lots of love gave us four more beautiful, playful, and joy filled months with our boy.

Unfortunately he suffered internal bleeding in his abdomen and chest this past Thursday night and he was so, so scared. We rushed him to the emergency vet and he stabilized Friday. We were able to bring him home for the best 48 hours which included basking in the sun at the front door on his favorite bed, enjoying the cool weather while listening to the birds on Sunday morning, two sniffari walks with a pep in his step, seeing his Nana & PopPops, and spending time & snoozing with his Mom & Daddio.

I thought we had more time, but we decided ‘Too soon’ euthanasia was the best gift to him so he didn’t suffer from another bleed and have to spend his last hours in pain or fear. He was and will always be my heart-dog. He got me through my mid-twenties and the pandemic. Deciding to say goodbye was the hardest thing I think I’ll ever have to do. I wish I was a little more at ease with this decision and I wish I ‘showed up’ differently at the euthanasia, hopefully forgiveness and grace for myself will visit me soon.

Bennett, Benny Boops, Mr. B, and all the countless endearing names we gave him
♥️🐶❤️‍🩹
12/9/2015 - 10/18/2026

She died quite suddenly and unexpected from reasons the vet could not tell and it feels like a bad dream I'm expecting to wake up from. Still struggling to realize she won't be barking that she missed me when I get home. She won't be exploring new paths in the forrest with me or waiting for her morning cuddles when I wake up. It's painful and heartbreaking going on the mundane without her, she was a big part of my life and who I was and I dont know who I am anymore without her.

But remembering her helps, it feels like honoring her and who she was. So I am going to write about things that made her special.

When Ella got excited her whole spine seemed to get shorter and she became like a packed candybar. Her ears would go back and she would throw her head from side to side like she wasnt believing what was happening.

Every time anyone opened the fridge we would see a nose poking from under the door, seeing what treats she might get. There was always a slive of turkey she would get.

She would get vegetables with her food and she always picked them out and threw them into her water bowl. We used to joke that she was making broccoli soup.

If me and my boyfriend were hugginh she would get jealous and start demanding hugs and attention.

She was quite insecure and needes constant appraisal. Everytime she ate she needed compliments that she had done a good job and that she was a good girl. She always was the best girl.

She was mad about treats and this one type of treat was like heroin to her. She would look at the bag and bark and command to get some and we used to joke that she needed her drugs.

She had a terrible habbit of pulling on the leash and using it as a toy during walks. It used to drive me mad when she was a teenager but when she got older she stopped playing all together and I miss those youthful bad habbits of her.

We used to play a game of chase every time before going on a walk. She would run to the door and I ran after her only for us to turn around ans run to the other side of the apartment.

She loved water but only to waddle in, she never liked swimming. She used to walk out till the water reached her stomach and then dip her butt and growl playfully. We used to joke that she had a hot butt.

We have an almost 15 year old black lab/ Great Dane mix. We’ve had him since he was barely a year old. We’re looking to switch him to wet or fresh food. He’s got a couple of missing teeth, as well as the obvious loss of a little of his weight with age. I debated Farmer’s Dog. Open to fresh or wet food recommendations. He’s my big old man, I want him happy for the longest time possible.

My 10-year-old bulldog hurt his back leg and the doctor prescribed him gabapentin. Within a day, he was unable to use his back legs at all, and was dragging them as if he had no nerves left. Given his age, and some of his other health issues, I was worried that this was his final decline.

My dog has had two hip surgeries, and has severe arthritis, so his back legs have never worked 100%.

After I noticed that his back legs weren't working, I decided to Google side effects of gabapentin. Shocker! One of the common side effects is the lameness of a dog's back legs! My vet, knowing that he had a disability, knowing that he weighs over 100 lb, prescribed him something without mentioning this very critical and somewhat common side effect.

I was deeply worried that my dog had taken that last turn and I would have to put him down. But I want to offer this as a warning to people that if they put their animal on gabapentin, this is a common side effect and can possibly lead to really horrible decisions.

I took my dog off immediately after two doses and within 24 hours, he's limping but he's improving.

It’s that time of year where we get our wood stove going for some extra heat in the house. This is the first fire since Archie’s passing back in April, and he always laid next to the fireplace when we had a fire going. It’s hard not seeing him actually there, and the emotions came flooding back, and I figured he could enjoy the warmth of one more fire…