Question:
Hello All

I have a 18 year old Border/ Shelty Collie. For the last 4-5 months she seems to be on her way out. I took her to the Vet and and she said there is not much she can do for her. She has a large growth ( Tumor ) on her underside. You can feel all her bones when you pet her. She doesn't seem to be in any pain so there is no way I'm going to put her down.

To make a long story short I want her to be as comfortable as possible with the little time she has remaining. She is very fussy about eating. One day liking hot dogs and prime rib and the next day disliking it. She has no teeth left for chewing any "hard" food. Suggestions?

She sleeps 20 out of 24 hours but when she is awake she seems OK. Hearing and vision are not great. Nose works perfectly. Back legs are shaky.

What else can I do to keep her comfortable in the last few weeks / months of her life?

Answer:
Well bless her little heart ~ 18 years old! We would love to see pictures of your "old girl". Sometimes doggies (like people) as they age and lose their tastebuds more and more, are very intrigued by strong smells, say like garlic. Perhaps you want to saute some chicken (easy on the tummy) in a little olive oil and garlic. Potatoes mashed with homemade chicken broth (or store bought low sodium, no MSG) were always popular with my old grrrl before she passed on. You can also cook up some beef liver and puree it in the blender with the pan juices and some plain potato or white bread (liver might be a little rich for her gut at this stage). Small & more frequent meals of course and perhaps instead of regular water you can give her diluted homemade veggie or meat broths.

And of course I don't need to tell you this ...lots of love. to your grrrl and please post a pic if you have't already.

Answer:
And of course a big soft bed for those tired bones.

Answer:
Maybe some of the Evo all meat canned food might be appealing.. They have it in rabbit.

Kudos to you for giving her such a long, happy life full of love.

Answer:
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give them a try. Here is picture I took last night.



Answer:
she is so cute and looks really good for 18, her eyes are so expressive

Answer:
She's adorable ! I second Prin's suggestion. Any high quality dog food in a can should do it. If it doesn't , maybe mix with some meat broth. You could try meaty baby food too. Good luck

Answer:
Awww, what a sweet looking old gurl.
Comfy bed, lots and lots of love, and some yummy tasty foods are great ideas.
for caring so much about this beautiful ol gurl.

Have you had her, her whole life?

Answer:
ooo she's so pretty!!! I love her eyes too.

Answer:
Awww tug's the heart Everything everyone said and the bed too Have you tried giving her rice with anything attractive smelling? Rice is easy on the stomach

Answer:
What a pretty girl she is and it's easy to see that she has had a wonderful life with you.

Like the others said, feed her high quality premium canned food that is only available at pet/feed stores. Or, you can home cook for her and mash everything up. Good luck and keep us posted.

Answer:
she is beautiful, does not look her age, brenda and the pins,

Answer:
What a beauty! You may want to try some beef (green) tripe it is pretty stinky as well , one of the good things about is it also contains natural disgestive enymes, so call help for dogs who are not wanting to eat do to upset tummies, it is usually purchased raw but you can find a canned version called trippet

There are places that sell the raw version

http://lepusreg.tripod.com/NRS1a.html

Answer:
She looks amazing for her age...

Answer: