Hey y'all, I'd really like some advice here. I have a 13 (almost 14) year old Welsh Terrier who is ageing pretty fast. two years ago he went deaf, and last year he also lost most of his vision so he cant see further than a few feet ahead. He's eating well, and though he no longer has the energy for long walks every day he's comfortable wandering the house and still has enough energy to bother us whenever he smells food. His deafness is due to a chronic ear infection that's managed with medication twice daily; administering this seems uncomfortable for him, but as long as we keep the schedule the infection itself doesn't seem to cause significant pain, though he does sometimes walk with his head tilted and will occasionally approach us to request ear rubs. He spends a lot of time napping, usually wherever we are, and enjoys contact and pats wherever he can get them. He's had a couple of health scares recently (vertigo and a lack of appetite due to anxiety caused by my brothers dog, who's now left), but has recovered completely from both.
My parents told me a couple of days ago that they're expecting he only has a few weeks left. While I understand where they're coming from, it just doesn't feel like it's time yet. My dog is deaf, and blind, and slow, but he's not unhappy. He loves to spend time with us, he loves food and treat puzzles, and he's still sleeping, eating, and drinking well. To prove a point today I took him for a walk somewhere new; he's quite lethargic on walks at the moment and I wanted to show that this was due to a lack of stimuli, not due to pain or lack of energy. I was right - I drove him to an unfamiliar beach with a walking path, and he walked over a mile at a good trot and another half mile at a slow pace, with his tail up and wagging most of the time. My parents noted that this was the furthest and fastest they'd seen him walk in a while and I've convinced them to drive him to new locations more regularly so he can have that sort of experience more often.
I don't want to keep him here longer than he wants to be with us, but I just don't feel like what he's going through actually amounts to a lack of quality of life. He's still got a lot he likes doing, and I don't want to take him away from it too early. Am I crazy or do I have a point?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/kpf8pt/parents_are_considering_euthanasia_for_my_dog_but/
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