So we adapted this very sweet Brittney spaniel from some friends of our who were going thru a divorce a few years back and were going to "put the dog down" because "suzy" ,the dog, had some age concerns. We said we would take her instead .It was the best decision we made! The dog turned out to be fiercely loyal and very sweet and we have cherished the years we have had with her ,she is now 17 or 18 ,mostly blind,has several benign tumors she bites at,sleeps most of the time,and has developed a very bad limp. We know the time is getting near and don't know what to do and wanted to solicit advice from animal lovers and others as what to do.
The dog seems to be in pain because of the limp but besides that she has a great appetite and wants allot of attention and I am a advocate of taking care of old family pets like I would want to be taken care of when I reach advanced years.The children laugh at how I dote on the dog . I will carry her from room to room and other things so as to let her know she is loved and cared for , mostly because our friends that had her did neglect her for years and she developed many attachment issues that took about a year to get over before she settled down with us and trusted we wouldn't leave her alone too long with out food water or the ability to go outside. So the question is "what to do now". Do we take her to a vet and put her to sleep so as to end her pain or do we not and keep her as comfortable as possible . If we don't put her to sleep is it selfish of us because we don't want to lose her or do we view her like a grandparent that should be loved and kept alive and comfortable until they let go of life when they are ready. Any advice would be welcome. Thanx