The owner of an extremely senior dog has hit back after strangers told her it was time to put him down.
Niki Ngo, 28 and from Orange County in California, got her family dog, Kiko, when she was 10 years old—and he’s still going strong.
She told Newsweek that Kiko joined her family in 2007, when he was two years old, after his previous owner—the daughter of a family friend—went off to college and there was nobody available to look after him.
And it’s clear that Ngo’s family took incredible care of him—as he is now 21 years old, and despite some arthritis, is generally healthy.
This, however, has not stopped people from encouraging the Ngo family to put him down—just because of his age.
“Sometimes people do ask us if he’s suffering, and when he became more lost, some people did tell us to put him down,” Ngo said. “But we always go based [on] the vet recommendation, because he gets seen monthly—and our biggest concern is his comfort levels and pain management.”
In a video posted to Ngo’s TikTok account, @ngothx on April 25, Ngo stated simply in words over the video: “We will not put down our 21-year-old dog.”
She showed the small, white dog, who walked with some stiffness due to his age, but overall appeared healthy, and revealed that some viewers had been urging her to “put him down” after watching a previous video of hers.
“He gets arthritis shots every month, and this is him fresh from an arthritis shot—he can walk around fine,” she said in the video. Ngo said that Kiko also has “a small bit of dementia,” but still loves his food and the company of his family.
Each time the family takes Kiko to the vet, they enquire about when it might be time to consider putting him down—but are always assured that “he’s in really good shape and still has a lot of good health and life left in him.”
“We’re only going to let him go when he decides to go or he’s in really huge pain,” Ngo finished, as the video showed Kiko strolling around the kitchen, interacting with his owners and another dog.
She added in the caption: “The vet says he still has a lot of life left and to leave him be. We always ask if he’s in pain or if it’s time to let him go at every monthly check up.”
“He gets a monthly arthritis shot, and he eats chicken rice and purple potato veggies,” she said. “Whatever my parents are feeling like giving him for the day.”
Ngo’s video had a big reaction, with more than 35,000 likes, as one viewer who identified themselves as working in veterinary medicine wrote: “I always [say] age is NOT a disease! As long as he’s healthy, age is just a number.”
They went on: “He’ll let you know when he’s slowing down. Yay for healthy old dogs! I love to see them!”
Another said: “I just ran into a lady with a dog that was 25 years old. And he was thriving.”
And as one summed it up: “He’s literally fine, quality of life is a telltale sign, not age.”
Ngo told Newsweek that her parents have always fed Niko purple potatoes as part of his diet, and “swear” by this method of helping to keep him fit and healthy long into his senior years.
Purple potatoes are a type of sweet potato, which, according to PetMD are safe for a dog to eat when prepared the right way, and are packed full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
The potato should be cooked and peeled before given to the dog, as the skins carry a choking risk and can lead to intestinal blockages.
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