Should you put your older dog to sleep?

No I don't think its ethical to put your dog because of old age unless it is in severe pain or advised to do so by a vet.

No only when he/she is sick and in pain. Never never because of age.

i would never put my dog to sleep, i dont have a heart for that unless if there's a medical opinion that suggest that.grow old is part of nature, so i will let my dog grow old as long as we take good care of them even when they old.its always sad to see my dog have to die.because their eyes show how much they wanted to stay and saying thank you and miss u to me and my mom.

I think you should ONLY put your older animal down when they are sick and just no longer happy. I am very lucky to still have a happy if not a bit slower almost 17 year old dog. There is no way I'd think of putting him down right now. He still lives a happy life.

I would only put an animal to sleep if it was ill and there was no quality left in it's life. Age is not a factory in this, health is. Just because a pet may be old doesn't mean it's life is over.

I agree that an older dog should only be put to sleep due to illness. My husband and I just had to make this painful decision with our beloved 14 1/2 yr. old mini-dachshund two weeks ago. She had been suffering from seizures for the past 8 months and was on meds to control them, but they couldn't be controlled. In addition, she had arthritis and had a very hard time getting around and also had started to breathe very heavily. She just wasn't herself anymore and we couldn't bear to see her suffer. It was the hardest thing I've had to do in my life, but I believe in my heart that we did what was best for her. My vet told us to consider the following when trying to make a decision on what's best for your pet: Think of the three things your pet likes to do the most, and when they stop doing/enjoying those things, it may be time to think about letting them go.

my mum had a boxer otto he was called,he had cancer of the spine,and had to be put down,she was really upset,but knew it was best,he was 10

I am a very big animal person and a have a huge heart for animals that should have a better life. But when your dog is old it doesn't give the owner the right to make the decision that they should die. If the animal is in prolonged pain and the owner can see and feel the pain that their loyal friend is in then it is time to look for other options such as medicine or if nothing is there to help, putting them down is the next option. I had to do this with my australian shepperd that was 20 human years old. He had a very healthy and long, happy life. But a couple months prior he had hip problems and a couple of tumors and things got to the point where he couldn't walk or move around and it was then that I knew for a fact that it was time. I had the hardest time doing it and was upset afterwards but I know that I did the right thing by him. He wouldnt have let me suffer and I wouldnt let him either.

They way I see it- would you put your mom,dad- or relative down just because they are old? We've had to put two old dogs down (a almost 17 yr old mixed coonhound) and a Westie who would have been 20 three months later). Both were blind, deaf and were showing signs of "doggy alzheimers" disease. The coonhound- one day was showing distress and could no longer keep on his legs..and seemed very disoriented and had started panting- we decided with the vet that he was suffering and we did not want him to suffer. The westie got to the point- she could not/would not move and was very disoriented and seemed to be in pain. We did not want either one of them to suffer. I guess what I am trying to say is to watch your pet closely to make sure he/she is not suffering and get your vet's advise as well to make your decision. We had both "put to sleep" by injection. They went peacefully to sleep and that was it. Bless their sweet souls. Hope this helps you.