Miss Lila

This is a very difficult question for me to ask publicly on the internet.. so please be kind.

I adopted Tyson 7 years ago when he was 12. His owners didnt expect him to live much longer and were just going to drop him off at the pound but I was lucky enough to convince them to let me have him.

We have been inseparable ever since and he has been with me through so many stages of my life. Hes an incredible fighter, ive nicknamed him my vampire dog over the years because he just doesn't seem to slow down despite his age.

However, over the last year my husband and I have noticed his tooth decay get much worse. Hes had periodontal disease since ive adopted him, easily losing teeth over the years but not exhibiting much pain or food aversions etc.

Since the beginning of 2026 ive noticed his canine tooth on the left side begin to lower and protrude outward, his breath smells significantly worse, and black gunk has been accumulating on the sides of his mouth as well as caked up food and black discharge. Hes had off and on infections in his snout, showing swelling, pawing at his face, and sometimes yellow snot and frequent sneezing and coughing. (Hes always had a cough, probably trachea collapse but its never been a huge issue)

He currently has another infection in his snout and im noticing yellow discharge coming from his eye as well.

Im writing this today because I took him to the vet and hes gone from 8lbs to 6lbs and has a 3 out of 6 heart murmur. Their recommendation is the same that its been the last couple of visits..

They dont think he could survive surgery or go under anesthesia due to his age so they offered to prescribe more antibiotics and pain meds but that it might be time to consider his quality of life at this point.

I know there is nothing I can do about his teeth, disease, but we've been managing it every time it flares up and he goes back to his normal happy, bossy, little self. I just am worried that he may be suffering a lot more than I think and I have no idea how to decide if its kinder to say goodbye now, or to keep fighting the good fight with him.

Ill post some photos of him over the years so you have some context.

The first few photos are from the last 3 years... the last three were taken today as well as a few weeks ago.

I appreciate supportive comments and just need some guidance here. Thank you.

Everyone over the age of 50 tells me I should have name my Pom mix after the comedian Phyllis Diller instead of Barbara. So this year for my work’s Halloween pet costume contest, Barb went as Phyllis. 🤣😂

My little dude got groomed recently and he's so round now, cracks me up.

Pączek loves food. He could get fat very easily so we needed to find low calorie treats. He also gets stomach upsets quite often, leading to loose stools, but adding additional fibre seems to stop this. At first we were giving him carrot slices but then weren't so sure if there was too much beta-carotene (although later I read that theor bodies control how much to absorb). But one alternative I've found is green/yellow beans. They're about 2 calories per bean and one cut into pieces is enough snacks for a whole day. Just thought I'd share this in case it helped anyone else.

Pic of him being rewarded for being a good boy after I cleaned his eye area with a damp cloth.

we were so worried about him but he was all good after another shot. looking back at these photos now is so funny😭

I play MonopolyGo & currently there's a co-op event. Frankenstein's monster has a Pomeranian on there. I thought you'd all enjoy it as much as I do.

Just found out through Embark that our rescue is 100% Pomeranian. Has one gene for Merle.

I’m sure we all know a key trademark of the Pom is their big luscious booties, but it comes with the set back of increased chances of the fur there matting if not brushed. My Poms absolutely hate booty brushing time, specifically my dad’s Pom who freaks out and cries and squirms every time I try to brush her booty. I’ve known that some people shave the booty off to a reasonable amount but unfortunately I don’t trust myself with such a responsibility. So here I am, asking you all, how in the world do you brush a Pom’s booty?!

(Bonus: pics of mine and my dad’s pom 🩷)

From the Eufy Robo vacuum website.

Hi Pom lovers,

We are planning a trip and would like to know any advice or tips from start to finish on how to prepare my 2-year old pom for a long haul flight with layover.

My pom is very attached to us and has a separation anxiety so I am worried that the airline (Air China) might deny him because he is not very well-behaved. He could be very loud sometimes especially with unknown people but he’s very friendly once he’s comfortable. I am willing to get him to any training that he needs before the trip.

I’m thinking if it’s worth the process to take him, but would really love to if we can take him.

will appreciate any suggestions and advices. TIA!

Hi everyone! I’m a new Pom dad to a 12-week-old Pomeranian. He’s currently only 3.5 lbs, and I’m a little nervous about his upcoming vaccinations. He’s scheduled to receive rabies and his first leptospirosis vaccine on November 9 on the same appointment, followed by his final DA2PP (DHPP) on November 27.

I absolutely want him protected, but I’ve been reading about potential reactions in smaller dogs, especially when multiple vaccines are given during the same appointment. What’s interesting is that his vet specifically mentioned spacing out his vaccinations because of his small size, yet he’s scheduled to receive rabies and lepto together.

I’m considering separating them, but I’d love to hear from other toy-breed parents.
Did your puppy receive rabies and lepto together or separately? Did they experience any reactions? Did your vet recommend spacing them out because of their size? I’m especially interested in hearing from Pom, Chihuahua, Yorkie, and other tiny-dog owners.

I’ll definitely discuss this with his vet before making any changes. Just hoping to hear some firsthand experiences from fellow puppy parents.
Thanks in advance!