dog owners - need advice

[Steve Butters]

i have a 16 year old miniature schnauzer, and im only 20...ive had her my entire life, since she was a puppy and we bought her from the breeder

she had to have her teeth pulled several years ago, she has macular degeneration and cataracts so she doesnt see very well, she doesnt hear much besides clapping, she sleeps 20 hours a day....and shes gotten so skinny that all her bones are showing

she goes to the vet every year for a physical and this year when we took her the vet took one look at her and asked if we even wanted to bother having them examine her

we said yes and they did x-rays and blood tests and the doctor said the xray looked a lot better than she expected, but it showed that my dog has arthritis in her back and hips and her heart is 2.5x the size it should be

the vet said theres no fluid surrounding her heart which is good, and they did blood tests to check for any bad diseases - we wont have the results until tomorrow

after the vet ive been paying more attention to her because im scared its her time and ive noticed today that she just doesnt seem right...she wanders around like shes lost and she is constantly shaking like shes afraid, and it takes her forever to get comfortable on her bed (we got her an orthopedic bed just to keep her comfy because of her bad bones)

i feel like its time but i dont want to let go yet, and were waiting to see what the blood tests say before making any decisions

she still gets excited and plays with me and stuff and runs around - but the vet says afterwards she is probably in pain from the arthritis

theres a $4 med that we can give her to help her with her arthritis pain if the blood tests come back ok

if the tests come back ok, do you guys think we should get the medicine to keep her comfortable or is it time? i just dont know....going to talk to the vet and get their opinion too when we talk to them monday, but i put her up on the couch with me today on a blanekt and she couldnt get comfortable and wouldnt sleep she was just shaking...right now shes walking around the house restlessly like usual....i just dont know what to do....ive never lost a pet before, let alone one that ive had my entire life...as far back as i can remember shes been with me, so its hard thinking about how it will be when shes gone

what do i do?

Edited March 6, 2011 by Steve Butters

[kawi kid]

This is a hard one.

[Steve Butters]

its like some days shes fine, and others she not....the shaking and stuff and uncomfort could be from her arthiritis, so the meds for it might make it go away....just worried about her enlarged heart and still waiting on the blood tests...if the blood tests come back bad were going to put her down, but if they dont then im not sure what to do...i think the meds might be worth a try - but i want other peoples opinions because i wanna be fair to her

[Bad324]

We had a similar situation when I was in high school with our family dog. In the end we knew how miserable he was all day while we were at school and my mom was at work. When we were home he tried to mask he was hurting but you could still tell he was in a world of hurt so my mom broke down and let his time be up. It was ridiculously difficult since he was a part of the family longer than me but it was for the best

[MidgetTodd]

Put her down, you wouldnt wanna live like that. It's quality of life. I've put 2 down for similar reasons, it's hard but right.

[Mykill]

Im sorry about what is going on. That is really tough man. My only concern is how effective the pain meds would be. I personally would put her down.

Ultimately its your decision and you'll make the right one regardless.

[ohdaho]

Its got to be hard for you and im sorry you have to go through this, but it seems like its time. Shes suffering and your love for her is selfishly keeping her around (understandably so).

Id put her down.

[JStump]

i would give the meds a try but if they dont help i would say put her down.

[chevysoldier]

My dog had bone cancer. Some days she was okay, others she wasn't. It broke my heart to put her down but I didn't want her leg to break and her be in worse pain. She'd still play as much as she could but I could tell her body wasn't as young and healthy as her mind and heart was. You could tell she was happy when I was happy. It's a tough choice but I know I did what was better for her.

You have to ask yourself if you think it's worth it to HER to stand the pain or whatever she is going through. Don't let your emotions get in the way of what is best for your friend. It sounds like she has had a great life, I think it's time for her to be in peace.

[hollywood3586]

wow sorry to hear this tyler.. thats hard.. I'd say that you have had some good times with her and maybe it is her time to go.

[Steve Butters]

My dog had bone cancer. Some days she was okay, others she wasn't. It broke my heart to put her down but I didn't want her leg to break and her be in worse pain. She'd still play as much as she could but I could tell her body wasn't as young and healthy as her mind and heart was. You could tell she was happy when I was happy. It's a tough choice but I know I did what was better for her.

You have to ask yourself if you think it's worth it to HER to stand the pain or whatever she is going through. Don't let your emotions get in the way of what is best for your friend. It sounds like she has had a great life, I think it's time for her to be in peace.

this is my main concern even if the blood test is ok...the vet says with how her heart is enlarging, even though it doesnt have fluid buildup, her heart could just fail at any time without warning....i dont want her to have to die that way, i just dont know how to let her go

[AndyJ]

The thing with animals is that they'll fight as hard as possible to survive til the end, and we can't always tell when it's time because we get so attached to them and want to put off the inevitable.

Without being there, I'm leaning toward it being time if she's just miserable and can't get comfortable.

Very sorry to hear about this, it sucks!!

[Steve Butters]

[gen3flygirl]

Wow these things are always hard. Our min pin had diabities, we gave him shots twice a day for two years until we decided it was his time. In my opinion I would say wait for the blood test and if they come back ok then try the pain mess to see if they help. If not just make sure that you make her last bit of time worth it and just be there for her when it is her time.

[chevysoldier]

.i dont want her to have to die that way, i just dont know how to let her go

Dogs can be so stubborn and so loyal to their owners that she isn't going to tell you when it's time to go. Of course you don't want to put her down, but do you need to? We don't know the dog or the situation, it's your call. But as much as you seem to love her, love her enough to let her go. I picked the time and place my dog passed away at. It was my choice to do it and at the time this all really bothered me. I kept thinking that maybe she had some more time. But I came to the realization after it all that by me choosing when it was her time to go I made sure that her last moments were with the people who loved her and cared for her. She died peacefully and comfortably and not in pain or off by herself somewhere. We got our chances to say goodbye to her instead of it taking us by surprise. :sniffle: Hope this helps you Tyler.

[buildit]

I think those of us who've put a pet down know how hard this is to even consider. I would set in stone the circumstances that would tell you it's time. Otherwise you may continue to put it off till way past when it should have been done. I often view death as hardest on those who remain behind. It is quick and painless for the pet.

[Mykill]

Working in a long term care facility has changed my views on a lot of things. I know I would never want to live in the same circumstances as my patients or let any of my family members. Like 1000rr said its about quality of life. If the quality is so poor or non existant whats the point?

[Steve Butters]

she only has some days that are bad...most days she still gets around fine, she eats, she will run around the yard and play with me...i just dont know....shes been a great dog, and i feel bad putting her down if she still has some time left...i feel like shes always been there for me and now im just killing her...

[jblosser]

Listen to the vet, he can tell you whether the dog's in pain all the time, and he can quantify it into human terms for you.

If she's in pain, do the right thing by her. It'll be tough, I won't kid you, but you seem to already know what needs to be done.

Remember fondly all of the great times you two had together. Time will make things better.

When you're ready, you can find another pup. Not to "replace" her, of course, but to fill that little 'something' that will be missing.

[SWing'R]

I think those of us who've put a pet down know how hard this is to even consider.

It is always a hard decision to put down a pet, only you can make the final decision,

but my opinion based on what you listed is that it sounds like it's time.

16yrs old is a long time for a small dog, I'm sure she lived a good life.

[bandit]

I have two dogs and they are getting older... I think about what I'll do when I am faced with this type of decision. In the end, you have to do what's right for the dog. She'll always be happy when you get home, but if she's in terrible pain when you are gone it'd be best to let her go. I feel for you man, best of luck.

[AndyJ]

i feel bad putting her down if she still has some time left...i feel like shes always been there for me and now im just killing her...

No don't think about it that way man! She's going to keep fighting and trying to make you happy as long as she's alive. It's harder on you, but kinder to her, to let her go comfortably with you there.

For sure, go over everything with the vet tomorrow to make the best decision, but from experience with this I believe by the time we think they may be ready to go, they've been ready for awhile.

Sorry again, I'm sitting here looking at my older grey wondering how long til I have to make that call...

[mojocho]

tough one man. It's not easy for sure.

My wife and I have had to put down 5 dogs since we've been together. One was 17 years old and I think we held on too long. Similarly, she had good days and bad days. On the bad days we'd muster up the resolve to go through with it and then the next morning she be like 5 years younger and we'd change our minds. She had heart degeneration. My wife had that dog since birth and helped her through two divorces of her parents and some really hard times. We held on way too long.

Two other dogs we had together were Greyhounds. A lot of love in short lives. Cancer and joint problems made it a very decision because mentally, they both were alert and very loving to the end.

Another one was another adoption and we only had her a short time.

The last one was a Rottie I had all her life. The typical story of a dog who would jump through a firey building, across country, and hell and back for me and my family. That was the hardest decision I had to make in my life. She was always an arrogant and proud dog. I didn't want her going as just a shell of her former self. I cried for 2 days and didn't get another dog for over a year.

Best hindsight I could give you is that it was the toughest decision I made but don't regret it. To this day my most vibrant image of my wife's dog is that of her last days when she was with us too long. For my dog, the timing was right. My fondest memories of her is taking her camping, fending off a robber

at my dad's shop, and playing ball on the floor with my then 1 year old son...the night before her last.

As you weigh your decision, just don't be "selfish", if you can understand what I mean.

Thoughts and prayers as you struggle with this.

[chevysoldier]

Tyler, there are a lot of people on here that have been through this before. We know what your dealing with and no one is saying it's easy by any means. But we would rather us suffer a little bit so our beloved friends don't have to anymore.

When we found Dusty at the pound, she didn't bark or jump once. Instead she sat at the gate and just shook uncontrollably with excitement. I knew at that second she was the dog for me. Well I always think that my grandfather is watching her for me now. And my wife tells me she has no doubt that Dusty will be sitting at the gates of heaven, shaking uncontrollably to greet me. That's what keeps me strong as helps me remember the good times. It's not "goodbye" it's "see you later"

[scottb]

It is tough, but you will just kinda know when it is time. It does come down to a quality of life issue for your pet.

I know this will probably be the last summer with our 16 year old spaniel. He can hardly see or hear.

Dang Chevy "It's not "goodbye" it's "see you later" I like that.