No matter our politics most of us love dogs. My dog is an Australian Shepherd and is 14+ years old. I have run over a 1000 miles with her. She had an amazing run 3 weeks or so ago but limbed the last mile. The vet told me to rest her and no more running. Went to Holland came back and she still is limping. Went again and now the Vet found bone cancer in her left front armpit. Her left leg is now limb. I was close to let her go today but then she hobbled outside today on 3 legs to go in the yard. She is starting now to lay down in places she used to lay in. She is also eating very well and her eyes are clear. So I decided to hold off, can not undo the decision to let her go. I know it is not an exact science but any input any of you have is appreciated.

Goobear said:

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No matter our politics most of us love dogs. My dog is an Australian Shepherd and is 14+ years old. I have run over a 1000 miles with her. She had an amazing run 3 weeks or so ago but limbed the last mile. The vet told me to rest her and no more running. Went to Holland came back and she still is limping. Went again and now the Vet found bone cancer in her left front armpit. Her left leg is now limb. I was close to let her go today but then she hobbled outside today on 3 legs to go in the yard. She is starting now to lay down in places she used to lay in. She is also eating very well and her eyes are clear. So I decided to hold off, can not undo the decision to let her go. I know it is not an exact science but any input any of you have is appreciated.

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Maybe when you can't get her to move or she is in obvious pain. Sorry to hear this.

My personal experience is that we tend to keep our pets around longer than we should. We all experience the emotions you describe, and we convince ourselves that the pet is doing better and might make a comeback. All perfectly natural reactions.

The question becomes: are we keeping her around for her benefit or for ours? Listen to your vet but also trust your dog - she will send clear signals that she is done and can't go on.

Cherish the memories and remember the great times you had with her - she will always be a part of your family. And when you are ready, rescue a new dog. You will be amazed how quickly a new best friend can help fill the void left by an old best friend.

Good luck and take care and Go Bears!

When to put your dog down checklist helps determine dog's quality of life


https://dogsbestlife.com/dog-health/when-to-put-your-dog-down-checklist/

My 17 year old Jack Russell (Fiona) had degenerative myelopathy. One morning she could no longer squat to urinate. I had her put down in my arms an hour or so later. She had been doing ok up until then. Gosh I loved that dog with my whole heart and soul.

6 months later I got another Jack Russell, born on Christmas Day. Gracie is now 4. I love her just as much. Sleeps on my bed!

Goobear said:

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No matter our politics most of us love dogs. My dog is an Australian Shepherd and is 14+ years old. I have run over a 1000 miles with her. She had an amazing run 3 weeks or so ago but limbed the last mile. The vet told me to rest her and no more running. Went to Holland came back and she still is limping. Went again and now the Vet found bone cancer in her left front armpit. Her left leg is now limb. I was close to let her go today but then she hobbled outside today on 3 legs to go in the yard. She is starting now to lay down in places she used to lay in. She is also eating very well and her eyes are clear. So I decided to hold off, can not undo the decision to let her go. I know it is not an exact science but any input any of you have is appreciated.

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Usually when they no longer want to eat and are in pain is a good time. Just keep an eye on her, she'll tell you. I hope you get all the time you can get with her.

It sounds like she's doing better. Hopefully she has more years to go. But when it does come time, make sure you're in there with her.

As long as your dog is eating and grooming itself and not in pain, I think your good. I would also get a second opinion by another Vet.

DiabloWags said:

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As long as your dog is eating and grooming itself and not in pain, I think your good. I would also get a second opinion by another Vet.

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Good point Wags. If she improves a little more I will do that..

Goobear said:

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DiabloWags said:

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As long as your dog is eating and grooming itself and not in pain, I think your good. I would also get a second opinion by another Vet.

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Good point Wags. If she improves a little more I will do that..

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Not trying to get your hopes up.

Just sharing some perspective from someone that has dealt with his fair share of Vets over the years.

DiabloWags said:

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Goobear said:

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DiabloWags said:

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As long as your dog is eating and grooming itself and not in pain, I think your good. I would also get a second opinion by another Vet.

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Good point Wags. If she improves a little more I will do that..

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Not trying to get your hopes up.

Just sharing some perspective from someone that has dealt with his fair share of Vets over the years.

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I think Wags makes a good point about getting a second opinion. My wife and I have had to have 3 cats put to sleep in the last 4 or 5 years, all from cancer. One developed cancer at the spot on a hind leg where she had been vaccinated, which we learned was a known issue in a small percentage of vaccinated cats and the company that made the vaccine (rabies?) didn't dispute it, just asked to have the medical bills sent to them. I mention that so others will be aware of it and check vaccination sites for lumps occasionally. (Oski003, keep your crusade out of this thread). The other two were misdiagnosed initially by the local vets. The male was diagnosed with a cyst on his chest that turned out 18 months later to be cancer when he was wasting away and losing strength. The proper diagnosis early on may have saved him. I think our vets meant the best, but it isn't easy to diagnose an animal that can't talk and by instinct wants to hide how bad off they are.

We had put our last cat to sleep last Friday because she had bone cancer in her jaw and eye socket. We spent a couple of weeks treating it as a bad tooth and an eye problem. Antibiotics and eye drops didn't help. She had gotten to the point where she could barely open her mouth to eat and couldn't fully close her right eyelid. A CT Scan revealed the bone cancer. She had been in a lot of pain and increasingly lethargic, so after the diagnosis, we had her euthanized later that afternoon. I had to drive her 70 miles for the CT Scan and bringing her back home so my wife could be there when she passed was one of the harder things I've had to do in life. For the last 15 years, she had been devoted to me and wanted to be around me most of the time when I was home. She had a last few hours at home and the anti inflammatory steroids and muscle relaxants they used to get her intubated for the CT Scan made her more active and lively than she had been in weeks, but we knew it was very temporary. She did get her life long dream of a bottomless food bowl that afternoon. She couldn't eat much of the canned food but she could eat the Fancy Feast brothful pouches we mixed in and she didn't stop until she ate all 5 of the pouches we had. When the time came, she hissed at the Vet which was very like her when she was annoyed or scared. She then died in my arms. It hit me harder that anything since my father died about 30 years ago. I took a few days to get over it, but my eyes are getting a bit misty again as I type this. Pardon me for all the detail, but this has been a bit cathartic for me. For the first time in 30 years for my wife and about 20 for me, we have no cat. We both feel we could use a break, but maybe in a year or two, we'll find an older cat that needs a good home.

What I started out to say is that when faced with these situations, we tried to determine the quality of life for the cat. Were they still able to do things they liked and did they still have some joy each day. How bad was the pain they were in? When it got to the point when they were in obviously bad pain most of the time, getting too weak to jump up onto things or play and spending more and more time sleeping, we knew it was the time. Perhaps we could have done it a little sooner for a couple of our cats if we had known just how bad off they were, but I think we generally chose close to the right time. I hope my thoughts help you out during this difficult time you and your loved ones.

Sorry to hear about this Goobear. I hope that she improves and has a few more years of high quality life.

Eastern Oregon Bear said:

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I think Wags makes a good point about getting a second opinion. My wife and I have had to have 3 cats put to sleep in the last 4 or 5 years, all from cancer. One developed cancer at the spot on a hind leg where she had been vaccinated, which we learned was a known issue in a small percentage of vaccinated cats and the company that made the vaccine (rabies?) didn't dispute it, just asked to have the medical bills sent to them. I mention that so others will be aware of it and check vaccination sites for lumps occasionally. (Oski003, keep your crusade out of this thread). The other two were misdiagnosed initially but the local vets. The male was diagnosed with a cyst on his chest that turned out 18 months later to be cancer when he was wasting away and losing strength. The proper diagnosis early on may have saved him. I think our Vets meant the best, but it isn't easy to diagnose an animal that can't talk and by instinct wants to hide how bad off they are.

Our cat Luna, which we had put to sleep last Friday had bone cancer in her jaw and eye socket. We spent a couple of weeks treating it as a bad tooth and an eye problem. Antibiotics and eye drops didn't help. She had gotten to the point where she could barely open her mouth to eat and couldn't fully close her right eyelid. A CT Scan revealed the bone cancer. She had been in a lot of pain and increasingly lethargic, so after the diagnosis, we had her euthanized later that afternoon. I had to drive her 70 miles for the CT Scan and bringing her home so my wife could be there when she passed was one of the harder things I've had to do in life. For the last 15 years, Luna had been devoted to me and wanted to be around me most of the time when I was home. She had a last few hours at home and the anti inflammatory steroids and muscle relaxants they used to get her intubated for the CT Scan made her more active and lively than she had been in weeks, but we knew it was very temporary. She did get her life long dream of a bottomless food bowl that afternoon. She couldn't eat much of the canned food but she could eat the Fancy Feast brothful pouches we mixed in and she didn't stop until she ate all 5 of the pouches we had. When the time came, she hissed at the Vet which was very like her when she was annoyed. She then died in my arms. It hit me harder that anything since my father died about 30 years ago. I took a few days to get over it, but my eyes are getting a bit misty again as I type this. Pardon me for all the detail, but this has been a bit cathartic for me. For the first time in 30 years for my wife and about 20 for me, we have no cat. We both feel we could use a break, but maybe in a year or two, we'll find an older cat that needs a good home.

What I started out to say is that when faced with these situations, we tried to determine the quality of life for the cat. Were they still able to do things they liked and did they still have some joy each day. How bad was the pain they were in? When it got to the point when they were in obviously bad pain most of the time, getting too weak to jump up onto things or play and spending more and more time sleeping, we knew it was the time. Perhaps we could have done it a little sooner for our male cat (or for Luna if we had known just how bad off she was), but I think we generally chose the right time. I hope my thoughts help you out during this difficult time you and your loved ones.

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Thank You for your eloquent post Eastern Oregon Bear.
It's not an easy decision, and it is devastating to watch a family member go.

My final Cal football game as an undergrad was The Play. That one moment has transcended my life to embrace the core belief that there is always a chance that things can work out in a positive manner.

Unfortunately, when it comes to our pets, I've learned that once they take a turn for the worst . . . they rarely bounce back. And most unfortunately, it appears that the typical page out of a Vet's playbook is to go down one diagnostic "rathole" after another when it comes to the process of deduction that leads to a definitive diagnosis. It's been my experience that your points are all very valid, especially when it comes to our pets being able to "hide" how bad off they are.

Again, thanks for posting your experience.
It certainly resonates with a life long cat owner and board member of a non-profit that has created and supported a kitten foster program for a major animal shelter in the Bay Area that takes in 5500 kittens every year.

I've had to take the same kind of "break" that you mention.
But in time, I'm confident that you and your wife will become a cat owner again.

AS another who has always treated pets as family, most of the time it is obvious when their time has come. Their existence is centered around us, they are comforted when near us. Even when in pain they are comforted when we hold them. But when it is time: they no longer react to our attention; it is time to let them go. Last year I lost an elderly cat and my 98 year old mother. For both it was a prolonged withdrawal from life. but when they no longer recognized my attentions or presence, they passed quickly and peacefully. Strive to keep them comfortable at the end; the effort will make the loss manageable.

Thanks all for your advice. Got a second opinion and new set of X-rays. Bone cancer was worse than a week ago. Dog stopped eating. We let her go today .

I am so very sorry.
My thoughts are with you and your Family.

Reflect upon the comfortable and love filled life you gave her and the love and memories she gave you in return.

I lost interest in religion when we lost our family dog.

helltopay1 said:

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I lost interest in religion when we lost our family dog.

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That's odd because God is dog spelled backwards.

I am a cat person and not a dog person, although I did grow up with dogs.

I have lost two cats in the last 6 months and I am probably going to lose another (almost 16) soon. It's been tough, especially as one of them was just three years old and we only had him a year and half.

I have had cats euthanized and I have had them die naturally at home.

Of the cats I have owned, one (an outdoor cat) just disappeared, three died naturally at home, one died at the vet while undergoing treatment, and one was euthanized.

In addition, two of my sister's cats (she lived with me for a time) also died naturally at home.

My opinion is that as long as the animal is eating, drinking, and overall able to enjoy life (this may be as simple as sitting in a favorite chair in the shade) then let it live. It will be pretty clear when the time has come because it will try to avoid you (if it can), maybe can't walk, possibly won't eat, and may even cry out (which is both disturbing and heartbreaking).

I am not sure which deaths have been better. Overall, I prefer having my pets pass at home. I have been paying for a mobile vet to come treat my old cat with the idea that when the time comes he can be put to sleep here in familiar surroundings.

However, having seen some natural deaths I will say that some were completely peaceful but others were much more traumatic. I would rather not relive those. If you see your pet is really suffering then put it down.

The one cat I had euthanized just lay by his water dish and wailed for hours until I gave him some drugs and then he calmed down. We pet him and loved on him for two hours before taking him to the vet to put him out of his misery. I feel like that was the right thing to do because he obviously had no quality of life at that point. He had been in the hospital for a week before that and then we took him home. We got a good five days with him before he deteriorated to the point where I had to make that terrible decision, but I don't regret it.

There is no one right solution, but I do agree that I would err on the side of caution because you can't bring them back once they are gone. That said, I did witness a couple of deaths that I think we could have handled better - and not just my fault but also the vet. For example, I asked for drugs to comfort one terminal cat and the vet (not our regular vet) refused to give them to me. That made his death harder than it could have been.

Also, I agree about giving the pet whatever it wants. When our family dog was sick my mom (who was out of state and living with him) told me he wouldn't eat his food. While there and visiting I was concerned he wasn't eating and I asked her if he ate spaghetti, which (thanks to my dad) was one of his favorite foods. She said spaghetti was forbidden because it was bad for him. I said "Mom, he's wasting away. See if he eats spaghetti." Well, he did and he ate spaghetti for the last 6 months of his life. I think he probably enjoyed that.

For me pets are family. I am sorry you lost your dog. She was lucky to have a concerned owner like you.

Eastern Oregon Bear said:

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DiabloWags said:

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Goobear said:

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DiabloWags said:

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As long as your dog is eating and grooming itself and not in pain, I think your good. I would also get a second opinion by another Vet.

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Good point Wags. If she improves a little more I will do that..

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Not trying to get your hopes up.

Just sharing some perspective from someone that has dealt with his fair share of Vets over the years.

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We had put our last cat to sleep last Friday because she had bone cancer in her jaw and eye socket.

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I am sorry for your loss.

Goobear said:

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Thanks all for your advice. Got a second opinion and new set of X-rays. Bone cancer was worse than a week ago. Dog stopped eating. We let her go today .

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Sorry to hear that.

Goobear said:

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Thanks all for your advice. Got a second opinion and new set of X-rays. Bone cancer was worse than a week ago. Dog stopped eating. We let her go today .

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I'm sorry to hear about your dog. It's a difficult time and it's hard to know when to say goodbye to your pet, but if he had stopped eating, it was probably the time.

Goobear said:

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Thanks all for your advice. Got a second opinion and new set of X-rays. Bone cancer was worse than a week ago. Dog stopped eating. We let her go today .

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I'm so sorry for your loss Goobear. A dog has a soul, and it was meant for you and your family. I'm glad you got to experience life with the pupper, you are better for it.

bearister said:

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helltopay1 said:

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I lost interest in religion when we lost our family dog.

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That's odd because God is dog spelled backwards.

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That is what I always say Bearister!

Sorry for your loss Goobear

Signs that your dog is in pain isn't always obvious. Eating and drinking water is always a good sign but even sick dogs may have an appetite until the very end. My dog continued to go out for walks until 4 days before her death when she couldn't lie down in her usual position to go to sleep. I thought she may have some pain in her legs, hips, or joints but the vet said it could be other things going on internally. She was already suffering from some kidney issues and slowly lost interest in her own dog food and preferred carbs like mashed potatoes and steamed veggies and when she's in the mood, she'll have some meat. Her teeth and gums didn't hold up over time but that didn't stop her from eating. She lived until a couple of weeks shy of her 17th birthday and lived 6 months after being diagnosed with some type of kidney failure. She didn't like to be around other dogs because she was usually the smallest at 6 and a half pounds but she loved people and especially kids. She'd always make eye contact with people as they pass by on walks expecting them to come over to pet her as she knew she was a stunner and could win anyone over with her cuteness. Pico, the super Pomeranian 4 ever and ever.