How do you know when it''s time to put a pet down?

[lilylover]

I have a beagle who will be 13 in July. A couple of weeks ago we noticed she was having trouble having a bowel movement, so we took her to the vet for a routine x-ray to see what is going on in her digestive tract. We didn''t find any complications there, but discovered a tumor on her stomach. We don''t know if it''s cancer or not, but do not want to put her through the surgery to find out.

The past week she hasn''t been wanting to eat her dog food, although she will eat it if I put a treat in it and she will eat any other type of food just fine. She still enjoys her walks and jumps (with assistance) onto my bed at night.

Here are the issues. On the x-ray we discovered that she also has pretty bad arthritis. Also, she has been peeing in her sleep and has accidents in the house if we don''t take her out every hour.

My mom says it''s time to put her down because we are just prolonging the invevitable. Plus, she is peeing all over the carpet. I don''t see her as a dog that is ready to go. When I think of an animal that needs to be put down, I think of one that really seems sick (i.e. has trouble walking, can''t keep food down, etc.) but maybe I am wrong?

Any thoughts on this? How do you know when it''s time? It''s just a hard decision.

 

[sctsbride09]

Oh lilylover, I am so sorry you are going through this. *huge hugs* When my family weenie dog was close to the end, we knew because he wouldnt eat his food, he started to have seizures, wetting/pooping in the house. He had been getting close to the end for about a year, but we couldnt put him down until we KNEW he wasnt have a good quality of life. Is your dog normal in other aspects, maybe just not feeling well? And also is the tumor ON her stomache or In it? (sorry Im dense) My dobi just had a small tumor removed from her throat, and she is just fine. The leaking and potty issues are something that everyone in the family is going to have to pitch in on. My dobi also happens to have genetic "female" problems, and is unable to "hold it" at all.( though she is only 2) This is something that can be dealt with. The big problem I can see is the arthritis, it causes quite a bit of pain, so try to keep her from jumping, going up stairs etc. It sounds like your dog still enjoys life, being with you, what does the vet think of her overall health?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I''m sorry about your dog.

Years back, we had to put our cat down after we found little bumps all over his body that turned out to be tumors. What we did was after his DX, we brought him home and decided we''d wait until he looked like he was in pain. It took about a month before he it was obvious his quality of life had deteriorated to the end.

If your dog has severe arthritis, isn''t she in a lot of pain?

 

[radiantquest]

I know that it is really hard to put a pet down, but really I think that when the animal is in pain it is time to put them to sleep.

 

[swingirl]

Don''t they make doggie diapers? If she is eating and still willing to go for a walk I don''t think she''s ready to go. Such a tough decision to make but if you can keep her comfortable and control the mess with pee pads and/or diapers she might be able to live out the rest of her days at home with you.

 

[elrohwen]

When my dog got old she had many many accidents in the house - she just couldn't help it - but she had an otherwise ok quality of life and she went on like that for year at least. The vet thought it was probably dimentia, but I can't remember if my parents ended up getting the pill for it (maybe they tried and it didn't work?)

Anyway, I typically think a pet is ready to be put down when their quality of life is poor and they just don't seem to have joy for anything. As long as they are still able to enjoy playing or eating or something, I think they still have a decent quality of life.

It's a really difficult decision. ((hugs)) I think you'll really just know when you know, as cliched as that is.

 

[Haven]

Date: 12/17/2009 6:11:38 PM
Author: elrohwen
Anyway, I typically think a pet is ready to be put down when their quality of life is poor and they just don''t seem to have joy for anything. As long as they are still able to enjoy playing or eating or something, I think they still have a decent quality of life.

It''s a really difficult decision. ((hugs)) I think you''ll really just know when you know, as cliched as that is.

I completely agree with this.

I am so sorry that your little pup is getting ill, lily. I know how hard it is to make this decision, and I''m sorry that you''re facing that in the future, too.

We''ve had to put down many pets over the years, and we always say that it''s time for them to go when we''re keeping them alive for *us* and not for *them* anymore. I know that''s obviously a tough call, but you''ll be able to tell when her quality of life starts to diminish. It''s actually tougher with dogs, because they sometimes withdraw just a little bit, whereas cats completely withdraw when they''re ready to go.

Big hugs to you and your sweet pup, lily.

 

[Kaleigh]

I think they show it in their eyes. The joy is gone, and they give you that sad look, like I am soooo not having fun anymore. They stop eating, hide under the bed... They just give you that look. Once you see they are hurting and are not enjoying the comfort you can give them, it''s time...

I am so sorry Lily. It''s a hard thing to do, but last thing you want is for your doggie to suffer , and trust me, they hate peeing all over the place. They have dignity too.. HUGS!!!!

 

[purrfectpear]

Between the trouble making bowel movements, joint pain, loss of interest in her doggie food, and inability to control her bladder, I suspect I would put her to sleep after finding a vet that would come to the house. She could find peace in your arms and wait for you at the Rainbow Bridge.

Your other option would be Rimadyl, pain killers, diapers, and daily bathing. I don''t think that''s much of a life for a best friend? When I''m in pain and incontinent, I''m ready to give it up. I have no desire to be that old person sitting in Depends. I wouldn''t do any less for my dog.

 

[lyra]

The decision is ultimately up to you, but I can share a recent experience. We put our big dog Gator down on Halloween. We had agonized for a few months really, trying medications, hollistic treatments and whatever else we thought might help him. We finally made the decision and had him put down. At that time we discovered that he had in fact had cancer for a while, even though he was thoroughly checked just 3 months prior. We felt bad at having waited even the extra 2 weeks it took to really come to terms with "losing" him. But now, we are glad we didn''t wait any longer, we can see that we did the right thing, and we have very good memories still. We still miss him terribly, but he''ll always be family anyway. Sometimes we have them for a long time (13 years), sometimes for a short time (6 years for another one). Take care.

 

[lilylover]

Thank you everyone for your words. They have defnitely given me some guidance.

I took her on a walk tonight and she pulled forward the whole way and didn''t want to go back home when I decided we had gone far enough. She also sat by us at the dinner table tonight and begged for some of our food (gotta love beagels and their appetite). I just don''t feel like it''s time yet. I thought about it tonight and, really, if she wasn''t peeing in the house I don''t think we''d be even thinking about putting her down. We only know she has arthritis from seeing it on the x-rays. She moves around pretty good, doesn''t ever limp, and still goes up and down the stairs just fine.

Her time with us may be only a few more days, or maybe it''ll be a few more months, but I do know that as of today it isn''t time. Again, thank you all for your guidance. Give all your doggies and kitties a hug, they don''t stay on this earth long enough!

 

[pinkstars]

It sounds like your pup is still enjoying her time with you.

BF''s parents were in a similar situation with one of their dogs. Their female dog had arthritis and she had to be let out a lot more often or else there would be an accident. What seemed to help with her was getting her on estrogen which really helped her have fewer accidents. She still enjoyed her walks though and getting some attention from BF and his brothers.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 12/17/2009 9:03:29 PM
Author: Kaleigh
I think they show it in their eyes. The joy is gone, and they give you that sad look, like I am soooo not having fun anymore. They stop eating, hide under the bed... They just give you that look. Once you see they are hurting and are not enjoying the comfort you can give them, it''s time...

Ditto to this. I''m so sorry you are going through this difficult decision. But your pup will let you know when it is time. I know that sounds cheesy, but the light really does just go out of their eyes - they are no longer enjoying their life. You will know when the time is right.

And when that time does come, please know the most unselfish thing you will ever do for your dog is to allow them to pass peacefully and painlessly, with those they most love and trust around them.

 

[lilyfoot]

Date: 12/18/2009 12:30:10 AM
Author: lilylover
Thank you everyone for your words. They have defnitely given me some guidance.

I took her on a walk tonight and she pulled forward the whole way and didn''t want to go back home when I decided we had gone far enough. She also sat by us at the dinner table tonight and begged for some of our food (gotta love beagels and their appetite). I just don''t feel like it''s time yet. I thought about it tonight and, really, if she wasn''t peeing in the house I don''t think we''d be even thinking about putting her down. We only know she has arthritis from seeing it on the x-rays. She moves around pretty good, doesn''t ever limp, and still goes up and down the stairs just fine.

Her time with us may be only a few more days, or maybe it''ll be a few more months, but I do know that as of today it isn''t time. Again, thank you all for your guidance. Give all your doggies and kitties a hug, they don''t stay on this earth long enough!

I agree with you that it doesn''t seem that it''s time for her to go yet. I think you will know when it is. Good luck to you and your beagle (they''re the sweetest dogs, aren''t they?)

 

[zoebartlett]

I''m sorry that you''re going through this Lilylover. Losing a pet is really hard. I agree with the others that pets often let us know when they''re ready to go. It sounds odd, but I believe it''s true.

I''ll share what happened to our one and only family dog years ago. Sorry for the novel.

When she was 15 (my sister and I weren''t living at home anymore), my parents felt that it was time to let her go. She wasn''t eating, she had developed a few health problems like seizures and other issues, and she wasn''t herself. My mom took her to the vet who had been monitoring our dog''s illness/seizures over time, and he thought it was in her best interest to let her go. My mom made an appt. to put her down, and we were all devastated. Well, wouldn''t you know it, it was as if she had gotten wind of what was going to happen, and the girl perked up. Her illness seemed much better, and she began eating again and acting like her old self. My mom ended up cancelling the appt. and our pup lasted one more year. It was as if she wanted to go on her "command," not my parents''. For the majority of that following year, she was doing well. Just over a year later though, she started slipping (literally and figuratively) and her old issues cropped up again. This time though, it was different. There was a different look in her eyes, according to my mom. It was as if she was finally ready to go. My parents took her to the vet and they ended up putting her down at age 16. It was really hard for all of us but we knew that she went when she was ready.

I hope you don''t mind me writing all that. I know how hard it is. I just truly believe in "listening" to your pets and sort of take your cue from them if that makes sense. I''d definitely contact the vet and talk it through with him/her as well.

 

[Ara Ann]

Years ago, when our beloved lab-mix was getting old and starting to have trouble walking, DH took him to the vet to be put down...but the vet actually said he wasn''t ready! We had him another year, when his health took a sudden bad turn....DH took him back to the vet again, who agreed the second time he saw him, it was time to let him go.

Maybe you could have your pooch re-evaluated by the vet, if that hasn''t been done already? Could she have a bladder infection, was that tested?


I know this is a hard time...I''ve been through it three times over the last 5 years and it is always a deeply felt loss....(hugs).