I know this is off the cuff and I'm going to get a lot of different answers, but I wanted opinions.
With the very sad news about Paul's dog(his buddy at the very least), I am pondering once again the quality of life of my now 13-15 yr old Pug. (Not the one in my avatar). Within the last 6 months to a year, her demeanor and personality has changed and my wife and I are considering the inevitable.
Aside from being old, she checks normal for a dog her age according to the Vet. Here's the thought process my wife and I are having....
Even for a small dog, she's showing signs of dysplasia. Not pronounced, but jumping off the steps/couch, she "wrecks" frequently.
She used to sleep in our bed at night, but she gets hot and wants down a lot. Now she wanders the house at night and for the last year or two we have found MANY spots in the house where she is peeing. Frequently on my son's toys. For a while it was upstairs then the dining room, now it seems to be a closet. The vet gave us some pee pills and that seems to slow it down, but there are spots where the carpet is needing replaced. You can't see it visually, but if you're down on the floor playing, you can definitely sense an odor. This is a 6 year old house.
She can't remember which door we let her out and when she scratches on the other door, I open the one she went out of and stand 3 feet behind her and call, but she can't hear me. Yes 3 feet.
Here's the one I struggle with the most. She has been grumpy for the last year and No ONE can touch her from the mid section back. Vet says there are no problems (physically or medically)but she WILL spin around and bite anyone but me if their hand goes south from her head. Often she will just be laying there and spin and bite at her tail in a pissed off rage when no one touches her. She nips at my son's feet when he walks too close to her and I'm concerned about other future kids. I doubt she could do any damage, but I don't want to take that chance in case she gets a hold of some kid's skin.
We've had several Pugs and they have ALL died happy and OLD. She's the first that's old and not happy.
I know she's only got a few years left in her anyway, but I can't fathom putting a dog down that "appears" normal to the general public. In turn she does seems to have a diminished quality of life. I've never had to put a dog down and am struggling with this.
Sorry for the long rant.
This might be a long shot, but I have a dog with a bad back. I take him in to a chiropractor and he feels great when he gets an adjustment.
Does she walk funny? Surely she is feeling something back there if she nips at anyone who tries to touch her. Have they taken an x-ray? Sometimes the vets are wrong too.
I could tell the whole story, but in short, the vet thought our dog needed an mri and a major operation. It was the chiropractor who made our dog be able to walk again.
Tom
Picking the time and place for your dog's life to end is a tough one. Only you will know when to do it. Talk more with your vet about her remaining time and what to expect as time goes on. Dieing a natural death may be harder to deal with than watching him go to sleep.
I've done both and would much rather see them go to sleep and not wake up than having several hours of blood curdling howels thru the night from pain.
If you decide on euthanasia, ask the vet to come to your home. That way you know she died at home and in peace.
Then remember about the Rainbow Bridge.
we have had dogs my whole life. my sweet mamma can keep a dog alive years past its expected life span. she always says "if they are wagging their tales that means they are happy. and if they are happy they are not ready to go yet." seems to be pretty good advice.
> Sorry for the long rant.
No need to be sorry for the rant. Rant all you want!! :good:
I am with Keith on this one. It's much harder watching them suffer than putting them down peacefully. I've done both and the "watching them suffer" part about ripped my heart out. Sending them to Rainbow Bridge sucked too because I was still losing my sweetheart annimal, but it was also peaceful and in some ways relieving because my beloved animal was no longer in pain and suffering.
Only you can make those decisions and know when it is "time". Follow what your heart and gut instinct tell you.
:love:*hugs* :love:
> we have had dogs my whole life. my sweet mamma can keep a dog alive years past its expected life span. she always says "if they are wagging their tales that means they are happy. and if they are happy they are not ready to go yet." seems to be pretty good advice.
I like this, too! I wish my cats and rats could wag too, though. 😛
A family pet will wag it's tail or attempt to get up to see you even when in great pain and suffering. Sounds to me like the dog is in pain. Unless you can determine the cause and treat that pain, then start thinking about the dog, not yourself, that is what most pet owners seem to do. Rough to have to put down or shoot your best friend. My experience started at 15 when I had to shoot and bury Sandy, my Cayuse Mare, it never gets easier but with owning and caring for an animal comes responsibility to deal with both the joy and the pain.
jud
> A family pet will wag it's tail or attempt to get up to see you even when in great pain and suffering. Sounds to me like the dog is in pain. Unless you can determine the cause and treat that pain, then start thinking about the dog, not yourself, that is what most pet owners seem to do. Rough to have to put down or shoot your best friend. My experience started at 15 when I had to shoot and bury Sandy, my Cayuse Mare, it never gets easier but with owning and caring for an animal comes responsibility to deal with both the joy and the pain.
> jud
Tough advice, but spot on. This pug sounds as if it is not only in pain, but possibly also suffering from dementia. With that combination, the dogs life becomes more an endurance of pain, anger, and fear. If it's to that point, think of the dog and put it down.
When I had puddy put to sleep not long ago, I was doing my best to think of him. He was peeing pure blood and I knew from past experience that trying to get medicine into him was not an easy task. That was the first time I had to put any animal to sleep and trust me, I did not like it, but it was preferable to letting him suffer or try to get medicine into him. I will miss the kid for years to come.. and I am not in a position to get another critter at this point.
Pardon my ignorance, but what is Rainbow Bridge? A heaven for pets?
Steve, I don't know either. My guess would be a cemetery for pets in the population centers.
jud
Check Floyd's 15:07 post in the HEARTBROKEN thread. I don't get goosebumps that easily but I did when I read that.
Steve, don't think I like that. That places the loving pets place in eternity on the choices his master makes through life. The exit from that bridge may not be so pleasant and it might not be fair to the loving pet. Does not sound like something God would set up for animals with little choice in masters.
jud
I was just guessing.
I think I see what you're saying. The animal would have to go wherever the human is headed when they're re-united. I don't think I could say the same about cats, and I don't know much about pet rats, but I'll bet most dogs would follow their masters into Hell if they could. It's just a story but thinking back on some animal friends of mine, it kind of gets me to think of seeing them again, not that it's going to happen.
> Steve, don't think I like that. That places the loving pets place in eternity on the choices his master makes through life. The exit from that bridge may not be so pleasant and it might not be fair to the loving pet. Does not sound like something God would set up for animals with little choice in masters.
> jud
I believe that God has a place for every animal in Heaven, regardless of their life led here on Earth, but that's just the positive optimist in my heart speaking. :angel:
> > A family pet will wag it's tail or attempt to get up to see you even when in great pain and suffering. Sounds to me like the dog is in pain. Unless you can determine the cause and treat that pain, then start thinking about the dog, not yourself, that is what most pet owners seem to do. Rough to have to put down or shoot your best friend. My experience started at 15 when I had to shoot and bury Sandy, my Cayuse Mare, it never gets easier but with owning and caring for an animal comes responsibility to deal with both the joy and the pain.
> > jud
>
> Tough advice, but spot on. This pug sounds as if it is not only in pain, but possibly also suffering from dementia. With that combination, the dogs life becomes more an endurance of pain, anger, and fear. If it's to that point, think of the dog and put it down.
Im with Jud and Evan, but it's not my situation to Quarterback. It's good that your sharing....... I sure as hell don't want to be old cranky, demented, and in pain laying in some bed with my boots off. I'm all for a nice heart attack, while Skydiving over a nice tropical island paradise. If that won't work, then light the fire and drop me in the jet stream!
We had to put down our dog this fall. His health was great, but he would bite at our kids for no apparent reason. The bites happened one final time and we made the decision to put him down. It was the toughest thing I had to do. Our kids only got minor scratches, but didn't want a major one to happen. Best of wishes on your decision.
-G
We (I) had a springer spaniel that had an abusive puppyhood. Most of the time he was happy-go-lucky chasing whatever left your hands; ball, frisbee, stick, blade of grass, etc. Now and then when he felt cornered he would get this dark personality and sometimes snap at people, including us. I never had the heart to get rid of him but we had a fear the whole time that he would do somebody some harm. I took him to dog training classes and worked with him, which he loved but I just didn't have time to make it a full-time job to rehabilitate him.
He's been gone now for over 15 years but I still have recurring dreams where he is somehow still alive but I've neglected him and he's been lurking outside in bad shape for years. I don't know what my point was with this post but it's something that haunts me to this day. I'll probably have another one of those dreams tonight.
I agree with Jud, et al above.......you need a second opinion. Something is bothering the dog, and your vet could be missing it.
