Put my dog down?????????

[carolinagirl58]

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agree with this. I think it's kinder to go ahead and euthanize the dog. I am sure if he had the choice, he would pick that. Chemo is not a plesant thing for a dog to go through and it might not work anyway. I think it's more humane to just let him go.

 

[Kaitie09]

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My aunt had a bull mastiff that lived to 7 years old, but they also put almost $30,000 into him with all the treatments. He had major problems and they always felt the need to treat him instead of putting him down too. He eventually died on the operating table and she felt horrible that they were not able to say goodbye. If you do decide to put him down, you know that at least he was happy for the time he was on the earth.

 

[sourland]

It sounds as if his time has come. It's never an easy decision, but one that we as caretakers are forced to make.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I have found that even in my small pets, like rats, I will no longer do things like try mammary tumor removal surgeries. I don't like the stress of it, and having them put down peacefully just seems like a much better option to me now. I make exceptions if the pet in question is still really energetic and has a lot of fight in them. There was a case with a rabbit where my husband and I ended up paying thousands of dollars (granted, this was largely because the vets in that state were...the worst I've seen), and he still ended up having to be put down. He was stressed and in pain during the process, and we were out of a lot of money and our sweet rabbit. Was that worth it to me? Definitely not. By the time we ended up with a dog who had degenerative epilepsy that made him have explosive aggressive outbursts, we were not as eager to jump into new therapies as we had been in the past. The standard treatments didn't work, and the desease showed rapid progress. We had the option of paying a few thousand dollars to try a surgery to divide his two brain hemispheres that may or may not work. We decided to spoil him with hikes and a cheeseburger...and hold him as he was sedated and then put down. I do not regret that choice at all. I kind of have to wonder at what point I am trying to prolong a pet's life for my benefit rather than their's. Others would have chosen differently though, and I think doing what you feel is right is important. Best of luck to you in this tough situation.

 

[ckseals]

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Thank you "/
After reading all these posts, I think we're leaning closer to letting him go. Dang, it's so hard though. On the one hand I feel like I'll be saving him a lot of suffering, and on the other I feel almost guilty for taking his life. Ah. I hate this. Never had to do this before.

 

[gryeyes]

I have had to assist a few pets make their way over the Rainbow Bridge. I refuse to let them go without my being right there with them as they take their last breaths. It rips at my heart so much, but they were finally at rest in this world, able to chase golden butterflies, dig to their hearts' content and lay in the warmth of the Sunny Meadow.

I believe wanting to keep an animal alive with long term extraordinary measure can be selfish. I am a selfish person a lot of the time.

Your boy has given you love for many, many years. It might be time to give him rest.

 

[4Hchickenproject]

I have a living will because *I* don't want to be kept alive beyond the point at which I can actually have a life. My philosophy is, There are many things worse than death. The act of DYING is one of them. I think there comes a time when our bodies are simply finished. We die. But because of modern technology, we are able to keep each other, and our pets, alive much longer than might be in our best interest.

You have a lot to consider, and it's obvious you have already given it a lot of thought and you have asked for advice and opinions from a great group of concerned people.

I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

 

[lynnR]

Just think, would you feel worse putting him to sleep now and having a lot of good memories or taking a risk and it not working therefore extending his suffering. My opinion, send him to doggy heaven, plant a tree or have a small flower bed on his grave, especially if he's older. That way you just need to glimpse the grave for memories to come pouring back.

Another thing, if you do go ahead with treatment and it works, is there a chance that it'll come back. It's much harder to have the same decision to make a second time around.

 

[86121]

The thing I always tell people is, look at your dog. Seriously take a very long look at your dog, then ask yourself, are they happy? Are they happy right now, and will the meds or surgery be worth the recovery period, to maybe make them better.
If you can say your dog is happy, then let them have a few more days, weeks, or years or however long they last. But if you cant, perhaps its time to do the right thing, end end the suffering.
I just had to go threw this...
My 14 year old whippet, and very first junior showdog, had to be put down a week before Christmas.
I had to sit there and ask myself if she was happy not being able to control her bladder, randomly collapsing, throwing up all the time due to her six diferent meds, and not being able to uncurl herself without pain even on pain med's...Its not easy, and im sure what ever you end up doing will be the right decision.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

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Oh my goodness I am so very sorry for this hard decision you are facing.

I had a quite similar decision to make last spring. My own dog was not old, only 4.5 years. He had a treatable but severe case of his disease and he was in a lot of pain and miserable. I think it is harder to decide on treatment vs. no treatment when the animal isn't old. I've put down old dogs, but to put my beautiful young dog down was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. He could be treated, yes, but his quality of life was in question. And the treatments/medications are so expensive. We chose to let him go. I still cry, I still wonder "what if". But honestly I would choose the same thing if I was to do it all over again. It was mercy for him and for my family.