[Nathans_Dad]

Ok, here's the deal:

We have two labrador retrievers, one is 13 and the other 10. The older one has been a fantastic dog, an excellent pet. The younger one has had behavior problems (incessant barking) for the last 3 years. She also has severe hip dysplasia and arthritis. Her hips have been worsening over the past few years, at this point she has to "bunny hop" up the stairs because she can't bear the full weight on one hip alone. She also has seizures and is on anti-seizure meds. Her barking has really become a problem, our neighbors have sent anonymous notes threatening to call the police, HOA, etc. We have begun keeping the dogs inside all the time because that is the only way the dog will be quiet.

So, yesterday the older one had a stroke. She is having trouble walking and falls over every 5-10 minutes. We took her to the vet yesterday and the vet confirmed that she likely had a stroke and may or may not recover. She suggested we watch her for 24-48 hours and see if she improves at all before making a decision on whether to euthanize her. My wife talked to me this afternoon and said that she isn't getting any better and has taken several hard falls today. My wife (and this is her dog of 13 years) thinks that we probably need to put her down. She made the appointment for tomorrow evening.

Now then, I spoke with the vet yesterday about the younger dog. The vet is well aware of her problems and the issues that we have had with her. My wife and I are concerned that her behavior will worsen even more once the older one is gone. The vet agreed. I asked the vet if she would agree to put both dogs down at the same time and she said she would.

I think that it would be better to have only one event rather than put one down now and the other down in 6 months or maybe a year (she probably won't make it much longer than that). My wife is torn. She says that she agrees that the younger one is getting worse, but she doesn't have any "clear cut" reason to put her down right now. She thinks the older one probably needs to be put to sleep, we would hate to have her fall and break a bone and be in pain.

What would you do?