u/GothiestGoth

She's technically more my mom's dog, which is part of what makes this so hard.

Our dog is a Chi mix, about 13-14 years old (she came from a shelter, so we don't know exactly), and she has dementia and seems to have arthritis.

I told mom I thought it may be time back in November, but mom fought me every step of the way. However, our boy dog unexpectedly had to be put down a few weeks ago, and our girl seems to have gotten worse since then.

She tends to hop when she walks, likely due to arthritis pain. She falls off the couch a lot, but the couch is the only place she can comfortably sleep and we can't deny her that. She doesn't have control over her body functions and will lie in her urine after she pees or track through her poop. She also gets stuck in corners a lot and can't get out. The past several days, she's also not been eating as much.

I told mom about a week after our boy passed that I thought it may be time. She told me to take her to the vet and see what they said. I took her, and the vet didn't address the physical problems, just the dementia. She said there were some treatments we could do, but they may be cost prohibitive.

After that, the vet went out of the room and I started bawling. They came back and I explained that we don't have much money, and emphasized the physical symptoms our dog is experiencing rather than just the dementia related issues, along with the fact that mom and I are exhausted from her care and constant worry. At that point, the vet said she understood and it may be the right decision, and asked if I wanted to put her down immediately. I said no, because mom wants to be there and I wanted more time with our pup.

Mom asked me later what the vet said, and I told her the vet agreed that it was time. This is where I feel especially guilty because the vet didn't phrase it like that, and she also didn't say that until after I had talked about our dog's physical symptoms more in depth.

Tomorrow is the day, and I'm just racked with guilt. I feel like I manipulated the situation, even though I'm so sure it's the best move for our dog. They say it's better a week too early than a day too late, but what if I'm a month too early?

Can anyone offer any insight? Am I doing the right thing here?

Thank you in advance.