is anything wrong with my dog? *LONG*?

Sweetheart anyone that says you are a bad owner should be shot. You're not, the issue is your dog is very old, she's 96 years old in human years, that's old, dementia sets in, arthritis, dogs that age have trouble holding it. This is your dog aging nothing more than that, you will need to adjust to the "special needs" an elderly/senior dog needs. Which it sounds like you are trying to be very accomodating and honestly that's all you can do. When your dog is ready to go, she will tell you, you just have to read the signs.

I'm sorry, I understand it's hard, but this is nothing more than your dog getting old.

I read it all. Well, the best thing is to do what you're doing; to the vet for a check up. If she's developed a ravenous appetite and that is why she's getting into the garbage, if she's drinking and urinating more, these could all be signs of diabetes or kidney issues-very common in older dogs. You need to tell the vet what she's been doing and they may recommend some blood tests, etc. She's the equivalent of a little old lady now, so it's probably expected she doesn't want to walk as far as normal. Don't be worried..if you have questions for the vet, write them down so you don't forget to ask, and if they're explaining something and you don't understand, then just ask them to clarify in different terms. Good luck!

As you already know your dog is getting old! We have a 13 year old Rat Terrier that also has tumors and showing some of the same signs as your dog. He has to go outside a lot or he will urinate in the house and he has no interest in going for walks. This is the natural order of things in life! I'm sure you already know your little friend will not live forever! It sounds like you are making him as comfortable as you can which is all you can really do! Good Job and just prepare yourself for the worst and then if you get good news from the vet be happy and celebrate the days you still have with your friend!

Just a friendly piece of advice, but the first half of that was completely irrelevant to your question, and any time it's this long put some paragraph breaks in it. Honest, I'm saying this to be helpful because nobody is going to read through every bit of that, especially with the first part having nothing to do with your question.

The second thing is nobody can guess what is going on with your dog. These are very vague symptoms and, to be blunt, I would have taken her to a vet sooner than this. Just because she's old doesn't mean she might not have a simple to treat issue. What caught my eye was her getting in the trash. Dogs can pick up all sorts of nasty infections that way and at least one of them - histoplasmosis, I believe - can cause balance issues.

Don't put off taking her to the vet because you're afraid of what you'll hear. You can always get a second opinion, and the vet can't do anything without your permission. But it's overdue already and I'd try not to wait until this weekend.

First off, she sounds cute, and you sound like a loving owner. :)

Dogs, and all pack animals, have a hard time with aging as a pet. When they get older they know their eyesite/whatnot is getting worst, and they feel like they are letting down the pack. Especially if your dog thinks of itself as an alpha. She's going through a lot of trauma from the aging process, and it sounds like..sorry..but she probably only has a few months to live. I don't think taking her to a vet would be beneficial, as you said you can't find anything actually wrong with her, and you'll know it better than any vet.

The only other thing I can think of is diet, which would explain trying to eat everything. Other than trying to eat things it sounds like she's being reclusive, so that actually..is very probably it, that her diet needs attending to. As with a human, a dog can eat the same thing for years (big macs, or cupcakes, or whatnot) and feel fine, then one day their liver or arteries can fail, so even if you've been giving your dog sugary treats for years, and she's been fine, you should probably not do that now (I know it would be hard, because it's at times like this when you want to pamper her most..)

In the case you think it could be her diet, then a vet would be able to help by checking blood sugar levels, and deficiencies in vitamins/minerals, and able to prescribe medicine to help with those deficiencies if they're found.

I wish you the best of luck, for both you and your dog. <3

I know what you're going through is really hard, but you're doing the best thing for your dog by taking her to the vet. Her incontinence is likely because of age, and there's meds available to help with that.

Dogs with poor eyesight can still get around quite well with a little common sense help from their owners.

But her getting into the trash is serious. You've got to put it away where she can't get it before she makes herself seriously sick or eats something that's going to cause a blockage. She can't handle emergency surgery at her age. She could have some cognitive dysfunction syndrome (equivalent of alzheimer's) - that could be making her eat garbage, but you can't allow it anymore.

Her not walking much is also age-related. She's more than likely in pain from arthritis - again the vet can prescribe meds for that.

honey your dog is VERY old.

and due to being very old she is going to want to sleep alot.

she will not have the energy of a young dog.

it sounds like she is winding her life down.

you are doing everything you can for her.

unfortunately i would advise you to start preparing yourself for the inevitable.

as much as we would want them to, dogs don't live as long as people

and at 16 years old your dog is the equivalent of a 90 year old.

Seriously, who is going to take the time to read all that?

im not reading that too longggggggggggggggg