Living with an older dog, you get accustomed to good days as well as bad days. Lucky's 15 years old -- he has severe arthritis in his spine, and has several very serious heart ailments. So we get our fair share of bad days.
This week was filled with more bad days than good ones, and it was looking very bleak for my old man just two days ago.
I've always maintained that I would euthanize him when he (1) loses his appetite, (2) isn't mobile, (3) has pain we can't control or (4) loses his zest for life.
Wednesday was a really tough day for us. He couldn't stand for more than a few seconds, even with me holding up his hind end. (The picture here was taken of a much younger Lucky -- I'm drying him off after a swim in Lake Anna.) Nothing's ever crystal clear - he couldn't move, but he was still really attentive, had a great appetite... I was at a loss as to what to do for him.
He's doing really well today, however, so I'm happy. We'll keep taking one day at a time...
