14 year old girlie with an inguinal hernia - when is it time?
I need some outside guidance on when to know it's time to help my girl cross the bridge. She's a 14 year old Chihuahua mix, and she's always been a very chill, awkward girl. She went fully deaf and blind about 2 years ago and never really adapted to walking around the house or doing anything on her own, so we've done it all. We spoon feed her, hand her the bowl for water, walk her on a leash both in and out of the house, and have different baby pens to keep her safe when we're not home. That being said, she goes on a mile walk probably 5x/week, travels with us on all vacations, and goes out with us to friend's houses, breweries, etc. She keeps me up like a newborn lately since her sleep cycle has gotten out of whack so I'm running on E, but she seems content and I'm off of work right now recovering from a surgery so I'm just rolling with it.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a small inguinal hernia and it's now grown to about the size of a golf ball (and her vet confirmed it's likely a hernia). It's mostly squishy and doesn't seem to be bothering her. Surgery isn't an option for her at this point because of her other health conditions, and she's also an anxious girl and I don't want her final months to years to have that kind of stress.
I know the risk of strangulation is pretty high and that it's relatively unpredictable. I have her on Miralax now to keep her regular and pain meds just in case she's uncomfortable. My biggest fear at this point is having the hernia become strangulated and having her passing be a painful and traumatic one. My vet said euthanasia would be reasonable at this point, but I'm having a hard time grappling with the idea of putting down a somewhat active, mostly content dog. I am going back to work in a month or so and she'll be alone again for long stretches for the first time in a while, and I know that's going to stress the hell out of her. I know you can't time these things, but I don't want the regret of doing it too late or doing it unnecessarily/too early.
Any guidance or advice would be appreciated!