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My 8-year-old dog wobbles and has a watery eye. Is it end of life?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) | Male | neutered

My 8 year old dog has been acting different. He has started to wobble when sitting, left eye is watery and he has it closed and staring at the floor or objects. My family think it time to start thinking about puttin him down because he seem to be a very sickly dog. I guess my question is does these symptoms mean anytbing serious? Is he at the end of life?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 15th, 2020

These symptoms may actually be treatable! The watery left eye can be due to an eye infection, and it's probably painful to hold open, which is why Simba keeps it closed. Wobbling could be due to arthritis, which is common in older dogs. Eight is not old, and before making any decisions about putting him down, I highly recommend having him seen by a vet. The vet can treat him if he has an eye infection, and give pain medications if he has arthritis. This can give him a new lease on life. Please take him into a vet today or tomorrow. I hope this helps!

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