I hope I made the right decision...

[mamaKate]

Not to start family trouble ( ok ==I'm starting family trouble). If your brother is a vet, can he not supply the dog's meds at his own expense? You did the right thing. My Great Dane mix had a stroke and then fully recovered with only natural care and lived another year. Definitely get a second opinion. I know you'll make the tough decision if the time comes.

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote:
I was thinking the same thing. How would he feel if you went to another, more "owner sympathetic" vet? It's not a good idea, too many hard feelings, but I was wondering.

Eight years ago, I found a lab in a ditch on the side of the road. He was almost two and a week later was diagnosed with Parvo. He was so sick that he couldn't lift his head or turn over, much less walk. DH and I discussed it and decided to put him down because we didn't have the money to see the treatment through, and the vet gave him only a 25% chance of survival WITH treatment. As I knelt next to him to remove the collar I had put on him, he hooked his paw over my knee and curled his toes to "grab on." He couldn't lift his head, but he cut his big brown eyes up at me.

I asked if the kennel he would recoup in was big enough for both of us because I was sure DH would divorce me. The vet said I could make installments and he was treated. It took 18 hours on IV and $135 (lower than the vet estimated) but he recovered. He is ten, has killed a few chickens, but otherwise is the best dog I've ever had (and I've had some good ones!)

It was not his time and he knew it. Hang in there, you'll know when it's time.

 

[redhen]

I'm so very sorry...

It is SUCH a hard thing to do... but I would have listened to my brother the vet.
I had a dog go into a seizure and she would not come out of it...i had her put down...
but it was so painful to watch her suffer...
I would put her down now before she has something like that happen to her and her last moments are filled with pain and terror.

 

[danischi24]

If my whole family, including vets & the dog owner/father were telling me that the dog was overdue for euthanasia, I would very carefully examine my own reasons for keeping that dog alive & examine the real situation that the dog is in. Dogs are notorious for being able to hide pain & I would never make the judgment that a sick elderly dog is not in pain because they wag their tails, especially if I hadn't been the caregiver in his older years.
I firmly believe in "a month too early than a day too late" with regards to euthanasia. It means "good death", not dying in panic & confusion during the next seizure or slowly going on with heart etc. pain before it kills them.
I hope your family comes to a peaceful resolution on this. It's so hard to lose one of our furry family.

 

[lishah2000]

I think you did the right thing for now. If the issue is heart related the meds. can really make a difference.

My border collie stopped eating and other than fluid in the chest all the other tests came back in the normal range. The vet started him on heart meds. and a few others for a short time. It was just a guess on his part. They removed the fluid twice in the first few weeks. He did improve quite a bit. He had some more down days, but all in all enjoyed life for 6 more months.

He then had what was sort of like a seizure, but different. He was alert, but couldn't control parts of his body. It was clear it was hard for him. It was upsetting to see him confused. It didn't last long, but caused me some hard thinking. It wasn't much longer before he started to decline again. Tests finally showed a heart issue (he had been seeing the vet and getting lots of tests all along).

He was still able to get around and doing normal things, but didn't have as much energy. His heart started to fail enough for me to see it. Then I decided it was time. He still had a fairly good quality of life, but was losing weight despite eating way more than the normal amount of food. He was having a bit of trouble getting up and wasn't the type of dog to let you help him. I was afraid of another seizure type episode and didn't want him to go through that again.

He probably could have done ok for a bit longer, and even though I didn't want to lose him, I knew it was time. He was only 10. (I have a list of 3 things in my mind that are the most important to the dog and that has always helped me with decisions. They are sometimes different with different dogs, but what I think are very important for that dogs enjoyment of life.) Of course the advice/information from the vet too.

But those extra 6 months the meds. gave us were priceless. So if removing the fluid and getting him on meds is possible I would try it. But in my case I had the tests to make my decisions from (they ran just everything possible in those 6 months because the vet didn't want to give up without knowing why.)

 

[edible_chicken]

Thanks everyone for your support. i believe i made the right decision. i took lady back to my fathers today. he was absolutely tickled to see how well she has recovered. He said she is the most energetic he has seen in a long time. She was jumping around and running, something she hasn't done since summer according to my father. so, i am beginning to wonder if she is diabetic. leading up to her seizure, she didn't eat for a few days except for licking gravy off her food. The gravy was probably barely enough to keep her glucose from crashing.

i do believe we will soon be making the decision to put her down. I told my dad next time she doesn't eat for a whole day, that will be the time to put her to sleep. I do not want her to suffer through another seizure like that again.

Thank you again to everyone for your support!

 

[dmccann]

Bless u

 

[trailchick]

When in doubt, Don't.

When it is time, you will know.

Good luck.

 

[rancher hicks]

Just my thought on the matter. It doesn't appear that you trust the family vets, so you might want to take her for a third opinion by a vet who does not know the situation.

The hardest part with me and animals is making a decision that is best for them, but is painful for me. I started bawling right there in the vets office.

I wish you well,

Rancher

 

[edible_chicken]

here is a video i took of her yesterday. i let her outside to potty and when i came to the patio to let her in, she was running around in the backyard. so i hurried grabbed my camera phone so i could tape it and send it to my dad. he couldn't believe she was running and looking so happy.

View My Video