My dog was one of the first ones to get Librela as soon as it became available. In her case, her hips were so bad, it didn’t help much with the walking. The vet was amazed years ago that she did walk so well, even though the x rays looked so bad. We could however stop giving her the Tramadol after the second injection. Also reduce the Gabapentin. I have heard from others to have wonderful results. I think it’s worth a try. My dog died last week. She was at the vet to try to remove a tumor from her tongue. When the vet did a scan under anesthesia, he saw that it was all the way to the esophagus. So he didn’t wake her up. My husband had waited at the clinic, so he was able to be there. She was 18, maybe even 19. Best of luck to Chewie. It really sucks if you can’t help them. We had a ramp, rugs everywhere. But it was either my supporting her back part (I could not carry her distances), or my husband taking her out.

Iris, so sorry to hear you lost your dog.

Wildchild, I'm going to talk to the vet. He has been out running around with my daughter's dogs today. I don't know if he was crying due to pain or because he couldn't get up, or both.

There is a special harness you can get that makes helping a large dog up pretty easy. we used it with our old girl for months before she crossed the bridge at 17. Our old guy doesn’t need that help yet but started Librela a few months ago and it seems to be working. He also gets house calls from the vet every two weeks for cold laser and acupuncture. He has arthritic hips and also tore his CCL about 15 months ago (too old for the surgery). He will be 14 in November.

I just ordered a harness from Chewy. Hopefully it gets here before Monday and then my daugher won't have to come help me with Chewie. Thanks Mojomom for letting me know about the harness, don't know why I hadn't thought to look for something like that before. It would help with getting him into my car too, even on his better days.

Kathsgrdn, if you need a second recommendation for a harness try looking at "Help em Up" brand of harness. It's exactly what is needed to help them up without causing pain. We purchased it for our oldest dog years ago when he couldn't get up on his own. It's been used for several of our dogs, the neighbors have borrowed it for their dogs and even our vet recommends it to other patients. It's comfortable enough to leave on him all the time if needed and doesn't interfere with going potty. I was able to lift the 80lb+ dog up off the floor without hurting myself and also into the car without help, and most importantly without hurting the dog. It's a solution to the problem until it's time to consider the other. Best of luck to you, and Chewie. Sounds like he's been a great companion for you.

Kath, as you know, these last stages are hard. Mine now is on 5 heart meds. A tumor is growing around his heart.

But, he's not in pain, and loves food, car rides and laying in the sun. It is day by day.

My golden died at home. I grateful to not having to make the decision for her but it might not be the case this time.

Iris, as my golden aged, u told myself that she get to 15, I have nothing to cry about. She lived past that.

@Kathsgrdn While waiting for your harness order, try a big towel or small tablecloth to use as a sling to help pull Chewie up off floor & then support him while walking. It will help you help him.

We’ve had 5 dogs who lived good quality & long lives but we had to make the decision about when their quality of life was not good enough for them. We’ve used in home euthanasia the last couple times - hard for us but better for them. With the last 3 dogs I learned to keep a diary / log of each day to note good day or bad or in between. I found that I couldn’t accurately track day to day how they were actually doing with regard to eating, sleeping, or moving around - all the days muddle together. The diary made their condition crystal clear.

I also used the ”3 F’s” guide to measure quality of their life. Food, Fun, Follow. Is the doggie eating or interested in food? Is the doggie doing anything that it considers fun? Barking at mailman, chewing a toy etc? Is the doggie following me at all when I leave the room? Our dogs always want to be with us & follow us around the house - maybe not as often with age but still following. If our doggie goes for more than a couple days without doing any of the 3 F’s - it’s past time for that hard decision to help them out of their pain.

I wish you & Chewie the best in days to come. We all know this time will come when we bring a new furry family member to our home. But, I’m sure none of us would give up the years of love, joy & companionship that our pets give us.

Both of DS's dogs have been on Librela for nearly a year. He feels it has really helped them - one significantly more than the other. DS pays $40 a month for each shot.

He is doing better today, able to get up on his own. I was letting some dough rest for English muffins before I cook them and the timer was going off. It's too faint to hear back in my room, one thing I hate about my new oven. Anyway, he came in here to let me know ( :

I made him some Delicata squash yesterday to top his food with. Soon the first batch of sweet potatoes I dug up will be ready for him too.

Maire_Cate, Chewie's will cost $84 a month according to the person I talked to on the phone. He weighs close to 80 pounds.

My dog skipped two meals. I saw the numbers on her chart. No one who doesn't know her like we do would think she was ill. But she's tired. The vet is closed today. They will be open tomorrow. I decided to take my own advice. Kathsgrdn Your post is timely and I am actually grateful to have seen it. Made me take a good look at our own situation. It "looks" too early but my heart knows it's not. Baby girrrl and adult girrrl.

@wildchild2x2 My heart goes out to you. We had 2 Yorkies that went through old age kidney failure at 14 & 15 years old - not at same time but a year apart. My days revolved around tempting each of them to eat since appetite loss & muscle wasting are the most obvious signs. We extended each of their lives for about a year with what we called doggie dialysis - sub Q fluid infusions to flush out the kidneys & renal diet foods before we said it’s time to stop. Again, it was the Food/Fun/Follow rating & keeping a daily log that helped us with knowing we weren’t being too hasty.

Kathsgdn - i work in a vet clinic where many dogs are doing well on librela. A smaller percentage do not benefit. Our prices maybe higher; the goldens and labs are about $90 / month.

Prophylactically, my 6 year old dogs are on turmeric paste and fish oil.

Wildchild, I'm sorry to hear your dog is doing poorly.