Adopting an Older Dog

[Haylee]

HI,
I'm new to this forum. I hve visited this forum before as a guest and recognize that you all are truly dog lovers. The advice passed on seems valid.

Here's my issue. We adopted a 7 yr Gold Retriever a month and a half ago. During the adoption interview, it was mentioned that the dog has had seizures, however, she had not had any in two years. Prior to us adopting her, she was adopted out to another family for 3 day. During which time, the new family inidcated that she became disoreinted quite a few times. The adoption agency, Yanke Golden Retreiver Rescue, chalked it up to being in a new environment. That seemed reaonable to me. Within 2 weeks of bringing her home, she had a seizure. Brought her to the vet, had blood work done, whihc did not show any cause for the seizure other than a high temperature. Now, when she gets up, she is reluctant to put any weight on her right hind leg and holds the paw off the ground as if were hurt. We have an x-ray scheduled to find out the cause of this. In the meantime, she is on pain meds. The vet indicated that this might be just the tip of the iceberg. She is 7 and the older the dog gets, the more stuff that goes wrong.

I'm in a quandary - I'm not sure if I have bitten off more than I can chew financially - We have spent more on vet bills in hte month and a half that she has lived with us than what we paid to adopt her. I'm not sure about what the vet said. This is a new vet to us and I don't quite trust her.

I'm looking for quidance - Is what my vet said true? Have any of you had experiences with older dogs like this? Thanks

Pat Haney - Haylee's owner

[Haylee]

Josie,
Thanks for the kind words. You have helped immenselyPat

[emmabeth]

Im sure when Duffy sees this he can give you some more ideas...

However, dogs cost and that is just the way it is.. my elderly saluki x who cost me nothing to adopt, has cost me thousands of pounds over the years.

My Deerhound is not yet three and she (fortunately she is insured) has cost thousands too.

My 9 year old lurcher and 10 year old crossbreed have barely cost me a penny beyond the usual food/preventative meds costs, ditto for my Tibetan Terrier pup (though his insurance costs nearly £30 a month!!).

I do think that when rehoming a dog with a history of a medical condition like seizures, a rescue ought to offer to cover the costs of meds if the dog ends up needing them long term. I would discuss with them if this is a likely option - should it turn out she needs daily medication for life/a long time, there can be no harm in asking.

That said, if this seizure is not related to previous ones, and the health issue with her leg she has now is also unrelated - this could happen with any dog. My Deerhounds costs are mostly down to a leg injury which she got aged 16 months! She also racked up a nearly £2K vet bill overnight when she bloated and required emergency surgery.

If you are ever in doubt - always seek a second or third opinion - it realy can't do any harm. But realistically, any dog, from any source be it middle aged, old, young, brand new, from rescue, good breeder, champion stock or puppy mill.. they cost money and wahtever the purchase price from 0 to $thousands... they have the potential to cost you a lot more in food, damage done to your house, preventative medication, and in vets bills.

It might be that shes pulled something in her leg, possibly during the seizure possibly another time when you werent looking and given a bit of TLC she will get better. She is only 7 - that is unless its a giant breed, not an ancient dog at all (I took on a 9 year old and shes 15 now, sadly she is coming to the end of her days but we have had an amazing 6 years with her and I would not change it for the world, no matter how much she has cost us financially).

Do think this through seriously - I hate to sound harsh and maybe I am a tad overwrought (re my elderly dog!), but this isnt just about what she gives you in terms of 'dog-ness', as in shes your pet... this is also about what you can do for her too - at least two families have already given up on her after all..

If you really cant afford her, the chances are you possibly cant afford a dog at all, (I have no idea if dog insurance is possible where you are). If you were mislead by the rescue, then that IS awful and I do feel for you - it is very harsh to be dropped in at the deep end of dog ownership with a dgo who needs a lot of veterinary care and expense... so I would definitely discuss things with the rescue, they may be willing to help with the finances.

I hope she gets better and I do hope you stick by her!

[Mattie]

2 of my dogs went over the limit on their insurance, with both dogs it was just one item, they are still insured for other things but they were expensive problems, another 2 also cost the insurance company a lot of money. My dog that had seizures cost the insurance very little money because I was lucky, I managed to work out what was causing them.

Write everything down your dog eats and does, you will start to see a pattern develop leading up to the seizures. With Tommy she would get hyper a few days before a seizure developed and by giving her herbal calmers I was able to avoid them. With Joe his were allergies, by avoiding the foods that caused them his seizures went.

If you can put up the list of ingredients of the dog food, I may be able to dowse and give you a starting point, whatever I come up with if I do, will need to be checked by tests.