[Kitchen Cottage]

 
I really am conflicted.  Denzel is a DEAF BLIND rather traumatised rescue. 
In terms of engagement with him,  I click right by his ear and after that I can stroke him around the head.  You can't touch his body.  You can't lift him.  It's difficult to age him, he has a strange old gait with a hunched back, his front legs move much faster than his back legs.  How he is deaf/blind is a mystery but I suspect it was sudden and he may have been beaten or in an accident.  He seems to have neurological damage, but that could be that he hunches up because he is deaf blind.  I would certainly put him between 7 and 12.  he has awful teeth but so do many rescues.
What can he do?  He uses the wall of the house to orientate himself.  He then moves away from that at the corner and wanders around changing direction as soon as he bangs into something else until at last he has found something familiar like the wall.
He hates the other dogs, he can't see or hear them and then is startled when they crash into him. 
He spends most of the time in the utility room, his choice he is not locked in.  6 or 7 times a day he wanders around the kitchen if the kitchen door is closed or if it is open he takes himself for a 10 minute pootle around the house,  He isn't house trained but I have tiled floors
He loves his liver pate dog food and chicken.  he likes a little pat on the head.  He loves sleeping on a sheepskin and being warm.  He sleeps most of the day.
He has been with me a year and a bit.... and I've made little progress.  Worse still he was apparently more bonded with the rescuer in Bulgaria and actually used to wag his tail at them.  he has never wagged his tail at me.
He sometimes howls and I have no idea why and he doesn't stop if I stroke him.

Is a love of liver pate dog food enough.  Is not biting me anymore enough?    I am faced with taking him to the vet because his back legs seems to be stiff and it looks like a back injury.   I haven't yet worked out how to get him to the vet.

I don't want to give up on him.  I don't want to make a decision because he is inconvenient and gives nothing back. 

I am genuinely torn as to whether he has enough quality of life and I simply don't know whether he is content or miserable.  A bit of me suspects the latter.

[Fleecewife]

It's something we can't do for humans but we can for our pets.  It's a way, an odd way of course, to show our love.  He doesn't sound like a happy dog, and if you suspect he isn't, then he isn't.  It's a horrible decision to make, but some things just don't work out.
Ask the vet to come to you, so Denzel doesn't have the confusion and fear of going somewhere unknown.  Sounds like he's had enough trauma in his life.

[Bionic]

Poor old chap but it sounds as if he really doesn't have much quality of life. I think you know the decision. I would echo what Fleecewife has said about getting the vet to come to you. At least he would go to sleep in an environment that he is familiar with.

[devonlady]

You might ask the vet for a tranquiliser tablet to be given before he arrives so that the poor old boy won't know a thing.
The most difficult decision you can make and only you can know when to make it. I send a hug.

[Old Shep]

Most reputable rescues have joint ownership of an adopted dog so that when these decisions are to be made you are not on your own. I take it that you are not getting this sort of back up? 

Can you get the vet to come out and observe so that together you can discuss his quality of life?  Its not something that anyone can advise on on an internet forum because we only have your interpretation to base our advice on.

[Womble]

Awwww  Well done for giving him a chance.

I don't know if this makes any sense, but If you were him, what would you want you to do for you?

[Marches Farmer]

I;m surprised that a dog with such disabilities was offered for rehoming in the first place. 

[doganjo]

I;m surprised that a dog with such disabilities was offered for rehoming in the first place.

So am I to be honest.  You've gone through an awful lot for that dog.  I wouldn't have taken him on at all. 
When I am trying to decide I ask five questions
1. is he/she eating normally (for him/her as all dogs vary)
2. is he/she weeing/pooing normally (as above)
3. is he/she interacting with the environment - other dogs, people, TV/radio etc
4. What would I want if I were him/her
5. What difference to the family lifestyle will it make when he/she is gone

That usually helps me make up my mind but sometimes it doesn't.  I have left it too long sometimes in hindsight, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.  I've never done it too soon as far as I am aware.
Thinking of you whatever you decide

[SallyintNorth]

I don't think anyone is going to question your motives, KC.  It's been clear for a long time that you don't make decisions about your dogs based on your own convenience.  Perhaps, though, you struggle making end of life decisions?  You phrase it 'giving up on Denzel' when it's maybe more about not prolonging what to him is an unrewarding, perhaps even miserable, existence.  If the only times he shows pleasure are when he's fed his favourite food and when he's petted on his head, if you haven't been able to find other ways to give him pleasure, if he's lived in auditory and visual deprivation since whatever trauma took those senses from him, if connecting with the other dogs upsets him - well, poor wee fella, it's not much of a life.

None of us is going to be able to make suggestions about enriching his life; you have way more experience of this type of dog, and connections with others also experienced, than any of the rest of us.

The only comment I would make is that howling that doesn't stop when reassurance is offered, coupled with stiffness at the back end, could indicate strokes.  My old boy terrified me howling like this; the vet visited and said he knew before he arrived that he was coming to reassure me that the dog was fine, just having a stroke!  Moses was stiffer in the rear end, and his tail only wagged to one side, ever after.

I do agree with Sally and FW that getting the vet to visit Denzel at your home sounds like a better plan than putting Denzel through a journey and all that it entails.  Vets are pretty good at judging quality of life, and at knowing how to ease pain where the dog and/or owner are not ready to let go yet.

[Kitchen Cottage]

1. is he/she eating normally (for him/her as all dogs vary)  - yes.  He doesn't like dry food but he woofs down tesco value liver pate dog food, cheese and chicken.  The two blindies are rather spoilt food wise
2. is he/she weeing/pooing normally (as above) - yes, but I noticed he's a little incontinent.  He doesn't drink very much
3. is he/she interacting with the environment - other dogs, people, TV/radio etc - no TV/radio is out being deaf bling  will let me touch him if I warn him but nobody else.
4. What would I want if I were him/her - difficult
5. What difference to the family lifestyle will it make when he/she is gone - absolutely none   he doesn't come out of the utility room other than to wander around the kitchen and return to the utility room

.... I don't actually like my small animal vet he has very set views (they involve keeping animals going for ever on drugs and I didn't agree with him on his assessment of my dog Freddie's condition 2 years ago when I had Freddie pts.  Freddie was 20, incontinent, couldn't get up with he fell over and in pain with arthritis despite metacam.... he wanted to keep him going and said he could get him "pain free"....

[Kitchen Cottage]

I have noticed that Denzel's back claws are getting very long.... how to cut them is a difficult issue!!

When Denzel travelled no one had realised he was deaf.  He was thought to be traumatised by the shelter but in truth, all of the other dogs I have had have "turned around".  The lack of hearing and sight is the crucial issue plus I think Denzel has a neurological issue

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DeafBlind-Denzel-a-dogs-golden-years-journey-of-hope/1436384803288011?fref=ts

Looking at this video, his gait has definitely changed.  His front legs now move twice as fast as his back legs.... Something is wrong.

I will take a new video and post that.

[Marches Farmer]

I've had experience of a "keep 'em going at any cost" small animal vet.  I changed my vet.  For me, whether considering a dog, a sheep, a hen or whatever, the question is always is it able to lead a close to normal life, free from pain and anxiety (with, for farm livestock, the added question of can I breed from it again).  If not, the buck stops here.

[Bionic]

Either change the vet if possible. If not how about ringing your vet and talking it through so that you don't have the associated costs with a call out when you think you know what he is going to say anyway.
Is there only one vet at your practice? Maybe another doesn't hold such strong views.

[harmony]

You say that you have made little progress with Denzel in a year but he no longer bites you and he has his own routine. You think his gait has changed and therefore he maybe in pain or as Sally says he has had a stroke which has affected him. Either way he probably needs to see the vet anyway.


Where did you want to get to with him in terms of progress? It sounds as though you have made as much progress as anyone could reasonably achieve.


Is he happy? We would normally look for tail wagging to indicate that. Does he not wag his tail because he isn't or because he can't any longer? If he was miserable I would expect he would probably start the biting again or generally you would see a deterioration in his general condition ie. eyes and coat, weight loss maybe.


Quality of life? Most of us would equate that with being fed, somewhere warm and dry to sleep, interaction with people and/or dogs, access to a vet and the opportunity to exercise. Does he ever go outside with you?


I don't see that you can do anymore to improve his situation or improve his interaction with you so only you can decide whether you continue as it is, which boils down to keeping him going but him having no "fun". Or having him pts. I would look at it and think you have given him stability and care for the last year, you would be taking very little from him and he would have a dignified end that he certainly wouldn't have had without rescue.


You can manage the end with the least upset to him by having a home visit as has already been suggested.


The fact you are doubting his quality of life seems to me that you know already what the decision is but only you can make that decision not us but we feel for you and admire you for giving Denzel a home where he has clearly been cared for.

[Penninehillbilly]

Poor Denzel, and poor you having to decide.
It does sound as though he is existing rather the 'living', it's relatively easy when we see a rapid decline in their health, we know what we must do, we love and care for our animals enough to be aware of how they react to situations, poor Denzel can't express how he feels, but from what you are saying his life is so limited it seems he is just plodding through one day to the next.
You've done amazing well KC, it would be easy to say the decision is your choice, but whatever horrible life he had before, you've given him all you can, a stable, warm, kind, regular life, personally, I'd let him go, let him have his peace, but I'd agree wholehaertedly to get the vet out to you/
and seeing as tears are rolling down my cheeks it's time I signed off.
best wishes whatever you decide, you are amazing