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My dachshund Toby is going on 14 years this coming spring and well, he isn't a young puppy anymore. I am so afraid of him being in pain but at the same time he still seems happy. However, he has began to develop odd quirks. He has started eating his poop and pee inside or out no matter how frequently we let him outside, and he won't leave his bed unless we are taking him out or playing fetch. The last thing that is concerning me is his eyesight, last time he went to the vet she told us he was going blind from age.

All this together how do I know when quality of life is not enough?

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    We have a some questions about euthanasia I think you might want to take a look at Considering euthanasia for my aging dog as it is very related. You might even consider posting another answer at the existing question to help you work through the issues for yourself.
    – James Jenkins
    Commented Dec 4, 2015 at 9:31
  • I just reread the answer at pets.stackexchange.com/questions/8006/…, and my own comment on that answer. It's exactly what I would tell you now. I know from experience that this is a difficult decision, and I wish you the best.
    – mhwombat
    Commented Dec 5, 2015 at 22:52

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From a technical point of view, you may wish to consider that if you dog's eyesight is failing badly he may no longer wish to roam around for fear of injuring himself and that is why he would prefer to stay in his bed, but when outside there are large spaces and the risk is lower.

Also, there are lots of things that can be observed from common blood tests (which are relatively cheap), which may give you an indication of weather or not he might be in any pain or if any of his major organs are failing to a significant degree. These are not exceptionally indicative but will often give you some idea of what may be going on. Particularly looking for inflammation markers as indicators for pain, but your vet is the best to advise really, it is a horrible position to be in and my heart goes out to you.

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