Hi, Moms. I have never had to make this decision before. I have 2 dogs; one has arthritis (has for a long time) and is losing weight. Lately he seems to be a lot worse. He is already on all the arthritis medicine he can take (although he spits a lot out so I know he probably doesn't get the full dose, but not sure what I can do about that). He falls on the stairs and has a lot of trouble getting up and down. His tail used to be up all the time; now it is usually down. And he seems to have trouble controlling his bowels, and sometimes doesn't make it outside. (The vet says that's an old age thing and not a health issue.) He also has perpetual eye goo. He lies down a lot and seems a little sad.
On the plus side, he still wants to go for his morning walks and his tail comes up on the walks. And he still plays with my toddler - chasing her when she steals his toys, etc. He follows me from room to room like he always has, even though I know it hurts him to get up and down. And his eyes still look bright to me.
I am 6 months pregnant and I don't want to make the wrong decision (either way) because of my crazy hormones. I cry about this almost every day. Any advice?
When he has more bad days than good I think its a good time to remove them from their misery. It is a very hard thing to do tho.
Please take your elderly friend for a complete checkup. Perhaps some of these situations can be remedied.
I, too, hate to think about these things. My solution has been to be very good friends with my vet. He knows I want to take as good care of my dogs and cats as I can for as long as I can, so he doesn't even bring up euthanasia unless he's thinking we're all out of options. On the other hand, when things come to a crossroads, I have been able to ask, "If this were your dog/cat, what would you do?" and I have trusted what he says.
One of my cats had a really bad year and seemed to be at the end of the road. He developed not one but three serious problems. They involved considerable medication and even surgery at one point (and the costs came out of my savings account, but let's not talk about that). He didn't "bounce back," even on a thirteen-year-old-cat level. Obviously he wasn't well, as the word is usually defined, and it was really a concern. We tried this and that for him, and my friend the vet started talking about "quality of life." But then I took a second look at the kitty; as much trouble as he was having with his issues, he was talking to me, he was eating, he was sneaking out the back door, he was playing (more or less) with the other cats, and the other cats weren't treating him any differently than they normally did. He wasn't interested in dying; he was interested in living. So we let him live! He needed more care and attention, but he lived very happily until his body simply wore out at the age of seventeen.
From what you write, it sounds to me as if your dog, too, is interested in living. He won't live forever - nobody does - but every day is a special day. Give him lots of love and whatever else your vet says will help.
I know exactly how you are feeling. With our dog, we knew it was getting close to making that horrible decision. Before making it though, our beloved dog collapsed and died in my arms one afternoon. It was heartbreaking. Even though I knew the time was near, it was completely unexpected and devastating. I do feel grateful and blessed to have been with him in those last minutes. But I wonder if it would have been better if I would have known it was coming. I would have spent an awesome last day with him, feeding him all his favorite foods/treats and giving him lots of belly rubs. It is hard no matter what.
If you decide that it is not quite that time yet, I highly recommend trying Metacam arthritis medication. Not sure what you are currently using, but Metacam was truly life changing for our dog. Complete turnaround in his behavior. It comes in a liquid with a dispenser and you just shoot it in his mouth. No question whether or not he gets the right dose. We initially gave our dog Rimidyl and he hated it and spit it out all the time. (I guess a lot of dogs hate the taste). We purchased the Metacam online. Here is the link:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pc...
Oh and I don't think you are being hormonal. This situation is truly heartbreaking. I wish you peace in whatever decision you make.
You already know the answer. His quality of life is not what you want it to be, is it? We never want to let our beloved pets go.
As a family you'll need to decide what's the best answer. Pets are lucky in that they don't have to suffer until the end, unlike humans.
I think that when you can say that your dog is having more bad days than good---it's time. You will know when the right time is.
I grew up with pets and I know it's a hard decision. My parents always felt that as long as the animal seemed to get joy out of living, they'd keep the animal alive. The last dog they had got some sort of mouth cancer and they did everything to keep him happy, gave him table food in the end, whatever to keep him eating, but the day he wasn't excited to take a walk in the morning, they knew it was time.
It's not a dog, but I put my cat down last Feb. He had stopped eating, but still liked to cuddle. I woke up one morning and there was blood in a few places. I called the vet and got him in that afternoon. It was one of the hardest things I've had to do, but I never regretted how I made the decision or making it in the end.
Do your best to keep him comfortable and watch for when you can tell he isn't enjoying his life at all. Good Luck:)
This seems to be a hot topic today, as yours is the third post I've seen with similar questions. So, know you're not going through this alone!
It's never an easy decision. My dog also had arthritis from the time he was about three years old. We think he had a degenerative spine disease. He also lost bowel control, but sometimes he would be lying on the floor and not even realize he was "going." He began to drag the tops of his back feet on the floor, and the vet said both things were a sign of losing feeling in his hind quarters. He was also always happy, always wanted to play ball, etc even though it hurt him to walk and he had trouble keeping his balance. I asked my vet how I would know when the right time was. He said, "When he starts having more bad days than good days, then you'll know it's time." I took that to heart, and that's how I made my decision.
Tough decision and always hard to make. If he is spitting out some of the arthritis med, you may want to talk to your vet and see if there is another one you can use, or also add a glucosamine/condriton (sp?) supplement along with it. I have know dogs where changing the arthritis med sometimes helped a lot. It does sound like he is starting to have more trouble, but that he is also happy and ready to go. If you have time to do two short walks during the day, he may enjoy that and it will help keep his muscle built up. Also if there is anywhere nearby for swimming and he likes swimming that can help keeping his muscles in condition without putting any strain on his joints. Our dog is still fairly young, but has some joint issues off and on from sprains, etc. I ended up getting her a balance ball that is made for dogs to help her work on stability and keep her muscles in condition without working her joints much. Other things I have seen that make a difference in older, arthritic dogs include acupuncture, massage (which you can do at home), stretching, making sure there are thicker soft beds to lay on (not that they do 50% of the time).
It is really one of those things that you have to look at day to day sometimes and ask yourself how the dog is doing. Not only is he eating and drinking, but also the wanting to walk and play is important. Most dogs really do let you know when they are ready. One of the main things is to stay in touch with your vet and talk to them about any concerns or changes and having exams more than once a year sometimes helps. It sounds like you already talk to your vet regularly. Also remember no matter what decision you make when the time comes, it is the right one. If you don't already know what to expect when the time comes, talk to your vet before hand so you know the procedure for the hospital and it is one of those things that if the time comes you can usually just call and tell them you need to come in soon. I hope your guy has many more happy days before the time comes, I know it is one of the hardest and also most peaceful things you can do for your friend.
I agree with most of the other posts. We had to make that tough choice a year ago with one of our dogs. My parents have almost always kept the animals at home until they passed. But if your dog is suffering, you don't want to let him keep suffering. With our dog, we were debating about it. Well, we went out of town and my parents had the dogs. They said she seemed to be suffering, then one day she was happy and said well, maybe not. When we got home, my DH had to pick her up to take her out and her breathing was bad (worse than before we left). She didn't even get up to see us when we got home after being gone for about a week (very unusual for her). That's when we knew it was time. The next day we took her in to have her put down and end her suffering. So I agree, if he's having more bad days than good, it's probably time. You know your dog and if he is happy or sad. I know what youre going through and it's tough. Just make sure he isn't suffering no matter what you decide.
this is so hard. it would be wonderful to 'just know' but we love them so, we can't be objective.
i've waited too long so many times. if they give me any signs of joy, i keep holding on. but i don't do it any more. if they're down more than they're up, if they can't move around without pain, and that telltale 'sadness' are all strong indications.
i am so very sorry.
may his passing be gentle, his reunion joyous, and may you and yours find comfort.
khairete
S.
its getting close. my brother fought with this for 2 yrs. he should have put the dog down but everytime he thought about it the dog would come up and kiss him he just didnt have the heart. I had a dog with arthritis also I would put an asprin in a piece of bread(do this with the other meds too) and give it to him. mine was blind in both eyes and everything else. he didnt act like he was suffering so I didnt put him down. if you feel in you heart he is truly suffering you need to put him down. if you dont honestly think he is suffering dont do it yet. you also have to keep in mind can you take care of this dog a toddler and an infant at the same time? sounds to me he is suffering a little. and his only joy is your toddler and his walks.
ask other family who is not hormonal if they see him suffering if enough say yes put him down. if they say no dont do it at this time since it might be your hormones we can give opinions but we dont know the dog and cant see if it is suffering. that is a call only someone who actually knows the dog can call. ask opinions of who knows the dog. good luck and best wishes no matter your decision.
Putting a pet down is one of the hardest things to do. I put my 18 year old cat to sleep over a year ago and still miss her. When making the decision you have to take into consideration the quality of life. It is a hard and very emotional decision, but you have to remember that your pet trusts you to take care of them the best you can and sometimes that means making the difficult decision to put them to sleep. Just remember that no matter what you decide, don't second guess your decision. Just remember that your pet loves you and knows that you are doing your best to help him, even if that means ending his life.
Hi Wendy,
Arthritis, gastro-intestinal problems, and allergies (eye goo) are all food related problems. They also happen in humans eating poor diets. Animals need to eat the way nature intended them. You have dogs, so their bodies desire a wolf diet. Wolves eat their food raw. They don't eat grains, vegetables, etc. Look at the ingredients on your pet food containers. Do the ingredients look like something a wolf would eat?
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
http://www.primalpetfoods.com/
http://www.wolfweb.com/diet.html
http://k9joy.com/TheWolfsNaturalDiet/
Carnivorous animals will eat vegetation when they are hungry and haven't been able to catch their next meal. It's how they survive until their next meal. So wolves may eat berries, but that is not a mainstay of their diet. We've had coyotes eat pears in our yard. That's because they are hungry and need the energy to catch their actual preferred food.
Hopefully, with a better diet, your dog will have some healthier, happier years to share with you instead of being put down.
Good luck,
: ) M. D.
