One thing I read years ago that has given me comfort every time I have had to put one down,
" We are ALL of their live but they are only PART of our lives".
In the 40 years that We have been married we have put down 4 dogs. 1 Norwegian Elkhound and 3 Pembroke Corgi's. 3 had long 13 and 14 year lives. The last 1 was a 5 year old Corgi with a growth in her abdomen. Couldn't be fixed. I miss her the most as she went way to young at 5.
My 5 year old
Currently we have 3 in the house - 2 Norwegian Elkhounds 1- 6 years old and 1- 15 or 16 years old. There was conflicting dates on the paperwork when we got her. One year difference in the papers. She was 10 or 11 when we rehomed her. And a 4 year old Dorgi, A Dachshund/Corgi mix. Plus a Cog. She adopted us as a tiny kitten dropped of by her mom never to be seen again. Took her in had her fixed. She follows the dogs everywhere they go. They go out to do their business, she goes out with them and does her business. If she is wondering around in the yard I can whistle for her and she comes running as fast as she can. Thus the name Cog - Cat that thinks its a Dog... Its all she knows. She has been around then daily since she would fit in the palm of your hand.
Our dogs are our children, especially since we don't have any kids. So they get special treatment... We have been cooking their dog food for 6 or 7 years now and their quality of life has improved drastically. No issues with weight or joints. If you have a pudgy overweight dog this dog food will skinny them up in a few months and they will act like young dogs again. Our oldest Elkhound jumps up on her hind legs when Sandra is fixing there food. You would think she was 2 or 3 or 4. We cook every 6 weeks for about 4 hours and then bag it and freeze it. A 1 quart bag will feed all 3 of them mixed with dry food twice. Its based on ground turkey and lots of Indian spices. Diced potatoes, Celery, Kale, Carrots and a couple more things I am sure that I am forgetting. She starts the meat in the pot, a big 1/8'' thick home made stainless steel pot, I break out the big mixing bowls and the Mandolin slicer and make quick work of the vegies. Then use my Alaskan ULA knife to dice the Kale. Pretty quick and simple. Uses a couple of eggs and then you have to crush the eggshell as fine as you can get it and through it in too. Last add brown rice and let it sit and cook the proper amount of time. Once it cools we put 1 cup to a quart bag and flatten with a Bacon press so they lay flat and stack neatly.
If anyone would like the dog food recipe I will gladly share it with you. Elkhounds are in the 60 pound range and the Dorgi is around 20. They each get 2 meals along with dry food from 1 quart/1cup bag. 6 meals from 1 1 quart bag. So you can judge how it might work for you. If they act stiff and move slow this is the best thing for them. We also have a Veterinarian/Chiropractor/Acupuncturist for our dogs. You should see her doing adjustment on a horse. its amazing to watch. Acupuncture works wonders on dogs. The results are just amazing and seen quickly.