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[quote=Anonymous]Both gabapentin and trazadone can have psychoactive qualities that might be making this worse. If she really needs both, she's not "physically healthy"; healthy dogs don't need daily meds like this. If you stop the meds completely, could your dog survive? If so, try that first. If not, you need to factor that into your decisionmaking. The dog also has cataracts and "severe arthritis", neither of which are categories that are likely to improve much in a dog of that age without significant interventions that may be fruitless anyway. I'm not saying that to upset you, I'm trying to help you recatagorize the nature of your dog's current health and the possible outcomes.

It's always better to let them go too soon vs. too late. It's hard for us, but it's best for them. Dogs don't want to upset their pack, nor do they want to mess up their "den". If the dog's barking, urinating indoors, etc. is stressing you out, the dog is likely aware of that. It can create a really bad feedback loop to have a dog in decline + subsequent owner frustration (however understandable). Really look at what you're willing to tolerate, what you can reasonably wrangle, what costs you're able to afford, and what your realistic options are.

It's never easy to say goodbye, and not having your grief complicated by horrible last moments/memories is a fair reason to make "the call" sooner rather than later. Personally? I'd put my dog down at this point, while they're still mostly themselves. Take them out, have a great last day, bring some chocolate for them to try as a last treat, and let them go gently. A good death is the last gift we give our pets, and it doesn't have to be postponed until the animal is in unsolvable pain or distress. [/quote]

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