Pet owners: deciding when to put a pet down

[Vallerina 2]

I've never had to decide when to put a pet to sleep (our last dog had cancer, and my mom made that decision.) This isn't soley my decision either.

Anyways, we have an English Springer Spaniel that is 14 1/2 years old (average life expectancy is 12-14 years.) He has problems walking. He can't really climb up any stairs. He poops indoors all the time. Letting him go outside frequently doesn't do much since he goes in his sleep sometimes. Plus, he just doesn't seem to have control over it. I hate it when my mom has the kids over because I don't want them anywhere near it. Our house just smells all the time.

So (yes, I know, I'm asking for advice on dz.com; I'm just looking to hear others' thoughts), is it time to put our dog down?

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[hooked 0]

That really is a personal decision and never an easy one. I believe when the pet's quality of life is such that they are in pain and suffering it's time. Still it isn't an easy decision and we tend to put it off because we can't bear to lose them. Hugs to you in having to make your decision. I've been there before.

J

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Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

[mailin 0]

If the only problem is inappropriate messing then you should probably come up with another solution to getting him to go outside. Perhaps isolating him to an area of the house thats easiest for hm to get out?

As animals get older it becomes more work to take care of them, much like an older adult - but we wouldn't put grandma or grandpa to sleep because they lose control of their functions do we?

If your worried about him otherwise then the best person to ask is the vet. My personal view on this has been that if the animal is in pain and nothing will make it better then its time to put them down.

A matter of 'convenience' has never warranted that in my opinion, but sadly much of the US doesn't agree with me.


Jen

Arianna Frances

[Vallerina 2]

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Perhaps isolating him to an area of the house thats easiest for hm to get out?

We do that. The problem is that he still poops in his sleep. He'll be outside for 30 mins. He'll come in, and 15 mins later, he'll poop.

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A matter of 'convenience' has never warranted that in my opinion,

I think it's more of a matter of cleanliness and being sanitary...especially when my nephews are over. I don't want them playing in filth, and that's what I feel like they're doing.

Adding on...yes, I am hoping for other options rather than putting him down. I don't know what, though.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[mailin 0]

Then isolate him to an area covered in newspaper.

Its a shame that something he can't control is warrant to kill him If you don't want your nephews around it then don't let them into the room the dog sleeps in. Its hard work, but it can be done.

A friend for 14 years no longer huh?


Jen

Arianna Frances

[ladyskydiver 0]

Puppy diaper?

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[Vallerina 2]

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Then isolate him to an area covered in newspaper.

We've already got him isolated to the back room. Unfortunately, it's right next to the kitchen. We have a small house. I guess the other option would be leaving him outside all the time.

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Its a shame that something he can't control is warrant to kill him

It's not like it's the only problem. He can't walk very well. He falls down at random times. My guess is that he doesn't enjoy sleeping in his own waste as well. Obviously as a dog owner, you get used to cleaning up crap when you have a puppy. It happens. You deal with it. They can't always control it.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[Vallerina 2]

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Puppy diaper?

Tried it. It doesn't work. It also made more of a mess on him.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[jmp2liv 0]

Have you taken him to the vet for an opinion? My cat's, when they got to that point, were on the verge of getting much worse and rather than letting them suffer needlessly, I felt it better to euthanize. Regardless, it is a tough decision.

Good luck!

S

[tsisson 0]

I don't know...hard decision for sure but I knew it when the time came with my dog. If you are having questions, then it's probably too soon. I had to put my last dog down, the hardest thing was for me to hold him while they gave the injection...I still want to cry thinking about it.

I have a 2 year old Lab now who has become a great friend...I will be there for her in the end as well.

What's that poem about the "rainbow bridge". It helped me...

[Vallerina 2]

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Have you taken him to the vet for an opinion?

Yeah, about two years ago is when it started. At first they thought it was his arthritis medicine or something along those lines. I know my mom tried a few different things. At first changing the times he was fed and limiting his water seemed to help. About a year ago, it went back to him pooping and peeing uncontrollably. We thought back then about putting him to sleep, but we decided to wait. I tried the diaper thing. We tried going to the vet. There's really nothing that can be done. His arthritis will get worse. It's almost a guarantee that he will poop in the house everyday.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[YahooLV 0]

Einstein and I sat down about a year ago when he was very distressed. He had all sorts of problems: blindness, diabeties, tumors ext.

I told him that HE had to tell me when it was time to go.

The last time I took him into the vet, he was just going to stay overnight. Things were going very badly for him. I went to see him, and when he came into the room..... I almost didn't recognize him. He knew his time was up, and he "told" me so.

He crawled into my lap, and spent the next two hours just being there.

He was miserable, but being with me, I think, made him feel better.

Together for 11 years. He died in my arms, just as he spent the first two hours of us together, in my lap.

To answer your question, THEY will let you know. Quality of life, embarassment of incontinence, ect... they will let you know.

All of my best.
Curt

http://www.curtisglennphotography.com

[flyangel2 2]

You poor thing. I have never had to deal with that, but was very worried when the vet told me about Rose's cancer. I had her on her death bed. She's doing great right now, but the comfort I found was that Rose would let me know. I was also comfortable with the fact that I had given her a good life and when the time comes, it will be hard, but I'll do what is needed to end her pain. I also think you might want to think about how your dog is feeling about not being able to get around so well, and how she must feel when she doesn't make it outside in time. We let humans die with dignity, why can't we do the same for our pets?

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[Vallerina 2]

Thanks, Mary.
It's definitely not an easy decision. We're not sure, so we're not going to right now or anything like that. It's something we want to be completely okay with before doing. I'm just not sure how much more his health is going to suffer...how much more we'll have to take care of him (I've had to carry him around and stuff sometimes when he can't.)

Sigh...

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[SkydivingNurse 0]

When it's time, you'll know. I've put down a dog and a few rodents I loved dearly, it hurts like hell each time. I wish I could offer some bit of wisdom more helpful than that, but it's all I can think of.
(((Pet loving vibes)))

[wmw999 2,447]

It was really obvious with the last couple of dogs that I had, too. However, there wasn't any of that slow deterioration in either case; within a couple of weeks she went from reasonably healthy for a really old dog to blind and howling in misery from a stroke. The other died of disease, and in his case, too, it was really obvious. Lowest blood count the vet had ever seen in a living dog.

I'll vote for "you'll know," but it's clearly not going to be a clear demarcation the way it is for some people. Love him while you can, and when he just lies there looking miserable it's probably time. If he can still enjoy pissing off the neighbors' dogs (or whatever gets him going) then it might not be.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[SniperCJ 0]

Thats a tuff call. Ive had to do it a couple of times and it doesnt get any easier.

As has been said, it comes down to quality of life for your companion. The incontinence issue is a tuff call. There may be other avenues to pursue, but if it is affecting his life, it might be time.

At 14+ he' s had a good long life and you do him a dis-service if he is in pain or otherwise cant enjoy his life.

Good luck with your decision.

[BillyVance 34]

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If the only problem is inappropriate messing then you should probably come up with another solution to getting him to go outside. Perhaps isolating him to an area of the house thats easiest for hm to get out?

As animals get older it becomes more work to take care of them, much like an older adult - but we wouldn't put grandma or grandpa to sleep because they lose control of their functions do we?

If your worried about him otherwise then the best person to ask is the vet. My personal view on this has been that if the animal is in pain and nothing will make it better then its time to put them down.

A matter of 'convenience' has never warranted that in my opinion, but sadly much of the US doesn't agree with me.

Jen

My wife had a cat that lived to the age of 19. When we started living together, he was 17. He did have a really bad peeing problem the last few years. He could do it standing up, without warning. It aggravated me to no end... but we did our best to clean up after him. It wasn't until he stopped eating like he used to and started losing weight, then one day he was doing the dry heaves several times. He looked so pitiful... My wife agonized over the decision to take him to the vet and put him to sleep. Probably took her 3 weeks to decide. That day he was in pretty bad shape, coughing and wheezing. He also had arthritis and could not jump or climb up on the couch or bed. So we had him put to sleep... It was the humane thing to do. Didn't really want to, but couldn't stand to see him suffer...

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[RevJim 0]

There's nothibng tough about this, Val. I know you better than this, or at least I hope I do. i'll put this in perspective, from my point of view.

A few months ago my Cocker Spaniel Sadie jumped off the back of our sofa onto our (slippery) hardwood floors. She slipped, and twisted her back, sklipping a disk and causing (probably) irreversable spinal cord damage. We didn't notice at first, just that she stopped jumping up to get her treats. She also wouldn't jump in our back door. It got worse. Eventually she was just dragging her limg hind quarters around the house. She is now paralized fro the base of her rib cage down. She was very bad off for some time. She was fighting infections constantly, and her spirits were understandably low. I don't know how she survived, but she did. She also has no control over bodily functions. We carry her outside 3 times a day, since she cannot walk there by herself. We have to express the urine usualy, though on occasion it will flow, and she poops pretty much whenever the food gets through her body, no matter where she is.

After all that, she's still my girl, and still with us.

The comparison i was given was with my mother. If my mother was oparalyzed from the chest down, couldn't walk, and couldn't control her bodily functions, would I have her "put down?" No, I wouldn't, and Sadie is just as much family as my mother, wife, or children are. She has depended on me since she could walk, and now that she's down I'm not about to walk out and give up on her.

Think about it.

I personally don't think there's an option, and I don't think you do either.

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[salling772 0]

val you have a hard decision. i had the same decision a little over a month ago with in a week tobby went from a dog full of life to the time i made the decision i knew it was time went i look at his eyes and he let me know by looking at me . after i made the decision i spen the last sat. with him and on sunday moring i let him go. this is very hard for me to talk about this. some days i walk in to my office at home and still look over a his bed and not see him sitting their with is ball. hope this will help you in your decision

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All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you. J. R. T.

[RevJim 0]

Duh, I also forgot, as long as I am at Rantoul this year (in other words, if I don't have to go back over the road before then), Sadie will be with my wife, daughter, and I. We'll probably get a stroller to push her around in, though was also have a harness we use to lift up her back end (after which she takes off running!)

She'll be waiting for lots and lots of petting!

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[shellybellyfly 0]

Ok, huge dog lover here. If he's suffering, put him out of his misery. End of story. And I know how hard it is, I will be torn apart when I have to put mine down. So sorry to hear of it!

[flyangel2 2]

Rose goes every where with me. Last year we hit SkyFest, SummerFest, and WFFC. Throw in a trip to Aggieland too. This year we'll be heading out to Perris Valley for May

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[RevJim 0]

Quote

Rose goes every where with me. Last year we hit SkyFest, SummerFest, and WFFC. Throw in a trip to Aggieland too. This year we'll be heading out to Perris Valley for May

Yes, Rose is such a sweetheart, just like her mommy!

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[flyangel2 2]

Tell me the truth, it's the eyes that get you, right?

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey