Natural death or euthanasia? :(

[dekel18042]

Thanks neighbor. I didn't realize you were in AZ but after looking at your avatar with the saguaro cactus I should've figured it out - "duh" on my part.

Just wanted to mention the vet may or may not suggest putting him down. My experience with the good vets at Arrowhead Animal Hospital has been they'll suggest courses of action and let you make the decision, and even if they lean toward euthanasia, it's totally up to you if and when to do it. I had two dogs put down there and in both cases they were very supportive of my decision. The first was a Springer Spaniel (Opie-my best hunting buddy) that had stomach cancer just before he was 5 years old. We found out on my birthday of course - these things never seem to happen at an appropriate time. Anyway the vet suggested putting him down but also told me the alternate course of surgery and chemo which only had a small chance of success and virtually no chance of a decent life afterward. So of course I fell apart and my wife had to do the honors. I'm glad she was there or the vet wouldn't have known what I wanted done. Went to the same place for our cat and had a similar experience, but our cat was 21 years old and had only been having problems finding the litter box about a week before I took him. And then with Chester the vet suggested we run some blood tests to see if he had cancer, which the vet suspected in his throat, but I was the one to recommend putting him down. The vet said I know my dog best so he agreed that was probably the best course of action. I think the vet was more sad than I was. Anyway I'm going the long way around the barn but the point I wanted to make is not to fear the vet because you're in complete control of your decision. He/she will lay out your options and he might make a recommendation but it's totally up to you. And with Chester, he had arthritis pretty bad toward the end but the vet put him on a pain med as needed and Chester really perked up for a good 6 months before the end. Your dog sounds like he might benefit from a similar treatment assuming no other major issues, so I'd at least take him to the vet for that issue and you can feel free to discuss everything else while you're there. That way you likely won't have the pressure of having to make a major decision just right yet.

I know what you are going through. I just lost a heart dog three months ago, a month and a half before his sixteenth birthday and the void is still as big as ever. His last year he was on medications to make him more comfortable and he never lost his will to live, even showing the pup the ropes and becoming his best friend.
Two things that might help. If you have a trusted vet find out what is going on (without bankrupting yourself. Some vets just want to do test after test, so you need a vet you can trust.) then ask her if it were her beloved dog, what would she do. I've asked that question several times and have gotten honest answers.
And the other thing...many will think it quackery but if you can find a good (operative word being "good") animal communicator, have them talk to your pet to get his point of view. He may be ready to leave or he may not. I do believe there are many charletons, but some are spot on. We had one dog I had had to several vets and dog chiropractors (He wasn't old.) Finally I got hold of a communicator who was fantastic (She has since died unfortunately.) and he told her exactly where it hurt and what the problem was. Using that information the vet was able to get him on the road to recovery.
Best of luck to you. I know this isn't an easy time.

 

[ejcrist]

I know what you are going through. I just lost a heart dog three months ago, a month and a half before his sixteenth birthday and the void is still as big as ever. His last year he was on medications to make him more comfortable and he never lost his will to live, even showing the pup the ropes and becoming his best friend.
Two things that might help. If you have a trusted vet find out what is going on (without bankrupting yourself. Some vets just want to do test after test, so you need a vet you can trust.) then ask her if it were her beloved dog, what would she do. I've asked that question several times and have gotten honest answers.
And the other thing...many will think it quackery but if you can find a good (operative word being "good") animal communicator, have them talk to your pet to get his point of view. He may be ready to leave or he may not. I do believe there are many charletons, but some are spot on. We had one dog I had had to several vets and dog chiropractors (He wasn't old.) Finally I got hold of a communicator who was fantastic (She has since died unfortunately.) and he told her exactly where it hurt and what the problem was. Using that information the vet was able to get him on the road to recovery.
Best of luck to you. I know this isn't an easy time.

Thanks for the thought - sounds like we're in about the same boat. Yeah losing my Beagle wasn't no picnic for sure, and like you said, it's still a major void. The only bright spot was that he lived a really great, full life so it wasn't quite as hard as losing my Springer who was just beginning the prime of his - that one was unexpected and really hit home. I think the older they get, the more your brain is preparing you for it even though you don't realize it. About a year ago, before the Beagle started going downhill I told my wife I didn't want any more dogs for a while but then my son brought his dog over temporarily while he was in between moving and of course now the dog doesn't want to leave so here I am again. I forbid my son to ever have another dog out of wedlock after this one.

By the way, I don't know where you're at in PA but I got my Beagle and Springer Spaniel back there when we lived in York County (Hopewell Township). We used to hit the local farm fields pretty hard back there even though the only pheasants we'd come across were the ones our club stocked. There were plenty of cottontails around though. We moved to AZ 10 years ago but I still keep in touch with all the farmers I knew - they were some of the best people I've ever known.

 

[advicecorner]

So I need an opinion on a very hard and sad question. My dog Leroy is turning 14 next month and is a lab, which is really old for that breed. He has suvere arthritis and hasn't been able to move his hind legs for awhile. His hearing is going, he has problems with his eyes and lots of bumps on his body. But he is a very happy dog and loves to be pet and follow people around the house. He has lost weight but never stops eating and drinking and getting excited about treats. His will to keep living makes this decision even harder. To make matters worse I was out of town all week and he stayed with my grandma. When I picked him up today she told me he had diarrhea and was also bleeding. She stopped giving him his medication without my permission probably thinking it was making the bleeding worse. Apparently not giving the medications did help stop the bleeding but he still has diarrhea. His medication is tumaric and a joint supplement so if I stop giving it to him his joints will get even worse! But I can't give it to him if it's causing him to bleed either! I'm almost positive he has cancer. And he would never survive surgery if I took him to a vet. I've debated putting him down for a long time but haven't because my family is so torn on what to do. My dad refuses the thought of euthanasia but I can't stand him being in pain . I'm at the end of my rope and need advice on how to make the right decision for him. I feel selfish no matter what I do. If I euthanize him it's because I didn't want to watch him be in pain. And if I let him die naturally it's because I'm not ready to lose him yet
Which decision is less selfish and best for him? Like I said earlier he doesn't act like anything is wrong and is just happy go lucky. He hasn't given up on life yet so why should I give up on him? Sorry for a long post and thanks for any help or advice.

I totally understand your problem. I have a 13 year old bird dog who is absolutely riddled with small and large tumours. She's already had 3 surgeries prior to remove the extremely cancerous ones but they just keep coming back. She has 3 medium sized tumors on her side that keep bursting open, causing her to drip blood all through the house (luckily we have tile floors!) We have all considered euthanasia but she's so full of life! Every morning when she wakes up she gives us this big goofy grin then she gives us all kisses then goes outside for her potty and morning walk around then she comes in and lays around the house all day. I'd suggest making him a wheelchair for him, we did this for my mother's cat when his hips went. It's pretty easy just look up homemade dog wheelchair then get some good PVC pipes or wood. This should help him move around more and help you get a few more months with him.
Hope this helped!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Quote:
Ugh, I totally know how this goes. I had a little lap dog who was my engagement gift and also an attendant at our wedding. As the years passed she went blind, deaf and incontinent, but she was still getting along as well as she could (though she slept most of the time) and eating well and her problems were manageable through medication and a lot of TLC on my part, so we didn't put her down. The day before our wedding anniversary she stopped eating and I knew it was finally time, but the thought of having to put her down on our anniversary was too much. Thankfully our vet allowed us to bring her in immediately instead of waiting for an appointment the next day. It still hurts, but it was the right thing to do for her.

To OP: I know you'll do the right thing for your pup, whether it be in a few days or a month from now. Just know you're making the decision for the right reason.

 

[chickluvinfreak]

I totally understand your problem. I have a 13 year old bird dog who is absolutely riddled with small and large tumours. She's already had 3 surgeries prior to remove the extremely cancerous ones but they just keep coming back. She has 3 medium sized tumors on her side that keep bursting open, causing her to drip blood all through the house (luckily we have tile floors!) We have all considered euthanasia but she's so full of life! Every morning when she wakes up she gives us this big goofy grin then she gives us all kisses then goes outside for her potty and morning walk around then she comes in and lays around the house all day. I'd suggest making him a wheelchair for him, we did this for my mother's cat when his hips went. It's pretty easy just look up homemade dog wheelchair then get some good PVC pipes or wood. This should help him move around more and help you get a few more months with him.
Hope this helped!

I'm sorry about your dog she sounds a lot like my Leroy :/ I'm not sure how well a wheelchair will work in my house because of stairs and our property is very rocky. But thank you for the idea and I will keep it in mind. I'm hoping some pain medicine and advice from a vet will help make him comfortable untill my family makes any decisions.

 

[advicecorner]

I'm sorry about your dog she sounds a lot like my Leroy :/ I'm not sure how well a wheelchair will work in my house because of stairs and our property is very rocky. But thank you for the idea and I will keep it in mind. I'm hoping some pain medicine and advice from a vet will help make him comfortable untill my family makes any decisions.

You could attach large wheelbarrow wheels thatll just bound over the rocks like he does. It will also make going up stairs slightly easier too believe it or not. If their good big wheels hey should just bounce up he stairs as he goes but they'd have to be proper wheels meant for going over rocky things. My mum's cat lover going up trees so we made sure his wheelchair was light enough to go up with him (though he always managed to kick it off once he was up the tree. Then he'd just lounge there like a cat does lol) though I do understand the problem of making a big wheelchair for a dog. My mum's soft coat Irish setter has serious problems getting up and theres been a few times where he's been outside going potty and hes just collapsed and I've had to carry him back inside. He's so weak that a wheelchair just causes him to crane his back and therefore hurts him more then helps. I hope you find some of this useful and hopefully you guys can make him something thatll help him out