Thanks, Doc. I appreciate the sentiment and advice.

Owen is pushing 17 years old, but he's nowhere near ready to take his exit. Until the last 5 months, it's been hard to convince people he's over 10. He's not arthritic; he's not in pain, and despite his sensory deficits, he still runs happy laps, full-bore, up and down the trail past me. I'm faster on the inclines, but he can out-hike me on the level. Overall, he's in better shape than I am.

When his time comes, I'll do the right thing for him. It sucks, but I've done it for half a dozen friends in my adult life. Owen will let me know. Meanwhile, I just want to do the very best I can to make his life as full and comfortable as possible.

Not every elderly person experiences proprioception deterioration at the same rate. I wonder what the ones who deteriorate more slowly do differently. Hmmmm... maybe I need a seniors forum.