Losing a dog.

[Janah]

Having struggled with a dog (labrador) with laryngeal paralysis for two years who we actually lost with an unrelated problem at the age of 13. 5 yrs of age, we now have a lab with 'horrific arthritis' vets words not mine. Not hip but stifles and lumber region. She is 11.6 months of age and is on CBD oil, Umove and Metacam and is having physio once a week , down from twice weekly.

When does it all end? I am at the end of my tether. I love my dogs to bits. I have put off holidays and days out to stay with them and will continue to do so as long as necessary. I just feel so wiped out and just want to cry.

 

[conniegirl]

Sorry but i would call time on your current one.
If it is that bad now she is only going to get worse and I won’t let any of my animals suffer.

We recently lost one golden retriever at 17yrs old and had to call time on a 10yr old within the space of 2 weeks.
17yr old died peacefully in his sleep but the 10yr old deteriorated fast as soon as we lost the oldie. The 10yr old had a liver condition that was well managed but he just seemed to give up when his friend died.

 

[Janah]

Sorry but i would call time on your current one.
If it is that bad now she is only going to get worse and I won’t let any of my animals suffer.

We recently lost one golden retriever at 17yrs old and had to call time on a 10yr old within the space of 2 weeks.
17yr old died peacefully in his sleep but the 10yr old deteriorated fast as soon as we lost the oldie. The 10yr old had a liver condition that was well managed but he just seemed to give up when his friend died.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

She's nearly 12, that is very old for a dog by anyone's standards and a vet has told you she has horrific pain in her knees and back. I am sorry for you, its very hard to lose a family member but sounds like its her time to go to be honest, she isn't going to get better.

 

[Janah]

The thing is she still enjoys her walks as short as they are and is generally very cheerfull. It was her mother we lost and she was gutted as we all were. I now sleep downstairs to keep her company. My physio lady is not touchy feely and would be the first to say enough is enough, unlike the vets.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

I'm sorry to hear your problem with your current dog, its heart breaking when we lose pets. I watched the light go out of my previous dogs eyes and although at the time I was incredibly switched off with stress and didn't cry in front of my dog, when I walked through the surgery waiting room to leave and I saw everyone sitting their with their dogs I just fell apart. Thinking of you.

 

[{97702}]

I would also think that her time has come, and it would be kind to make the decision for her if she is in so much pain - I would expect a vet to be better qualified to comment than a physio to be honest

It is incredibly hard when you lose them - I had 4 dogs of roughly the same age, I lost one in mid- 2017, one last September and one last week. I feel absolutely awful, I cry every day because I miss them so much - but I know I put the dog first in every case, however hard it was for me. I can’t imagine ever doing anything else

 

[Janah]

I'm sorry to hear your problem with your current dog, its heart breaking when we lose pets. I watched the light go out of my previous dogs eyes and although at the time I was incredibly switched off with stress and didn't cry in front of my dog, when I walked through the surgery waiting room to leave and I saw everyone sitting their with their dogs I just fell apart. Thinking of you.

So sorry for your loss. really sorry.

 

[conniegirl]

The thing is she still enjoys her walks as short as they are and is generally very cheerfull. It was her mother we lost and she was gutted as we all were. I now sleep downstairs to keep her company. My physio lady is not touchy feely and would be the first to say enough is enough, unlike the vets.

Sorry but you seem to be keeping her going for your sake not hers.
No vet wants to put an animal to sleep, most went into vet science because they love animals. If a vet is saying that the animal is in horrific pain then 99.9% of the time it will be true. I'd trust a vet over most "physios".

11 is old for a lab, let her go now before she significantly deteriorates and her suffering gets worse. the phrase "better a week too early than a minute too late" is one that any animal owner should live by.

 

[Janah]

I would also think that her time has come, and it would be kind to make the decision for her if she is in so much pain - I would expect a vet to be better qualified to comment than a physio to be honest

It is incredibly hard when you lose them - I had 4 dogs of roughly the same age, I lost one in mid- 2017, one last September and one last week. I feel absolutely awful, I cry every day because I miss them so much - but I know I put the dog first in every case, however hard it was for me. I can’t imagine ever doing anything else

That must be most devastatiing, so sorry.

 

[Janah]

Sorry but you seem to be keeping her going for your sake not hers.
No vet wants to put an animal to sleep, most went into vet science because they love animals. If a vet is saying that the animal is in horrific pain then 99.9% of the time it will be true. I'd trust a vet over most "physios".

11 is old for a lab, let her go now before she significantly deteriorates and her suffering gets worse. the phrase "better a week too early than a minute too late" is one that any animal owner should live by.

I have had to adhere to a better to' a week to early than a day to late' with past horses.,,It just seems so much harder with a member of the family, no disperect (sorry can't spell)

 

[Janah]

I have had to adhere to a better to' a week to early than a day to late' with past horses.,,It just seems so much harder with a member of the family, no disperect (sorry can't spell)

The vet did,pass me onto the physio and also suggestied stronger painkillers.

 

[Janah]

The lady in questionj

 

[Cinnamontoast]

We made the decision to let the boy in my avatar go recently, he was deteriorating fast. It’s devastating, they are family members, but it’s the last kindest thing to do. Frankly, if we could do it for human family members, we should.

Horrific arthritis must mean serious pain. I’m struggling with the same issue with the horse currently. I’m going to have to make a decision this year.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Better a week too soon than a day to late is my motto. We have had a lot of labs, overt the years, kept in multiples. The oldest was 15, the youngest 18 months. Our very old school vet in the 70s used to say that if you got a Lab to 10 you were doing well. Things have moved on since then, in terms of treatment but I certainly wouldn't want my 'family member' to be in horrific pain. A responsible owner does for their animal what we can't do for people but often wish that we could.
Of course it's hard but we have to be prepared for the end when we first bring home that adorable puppy and tbh, if we can't face the thought of doing the right thing by it, we really shouldn't get the puppy.

 

[TheresaW]

We lost Aled in February when his arthritis really caught up with him. We’d been out for a lovely long walk on Christmas Day, but he suddenly quite quickly went down hill a couple of weeks after. We were given some new meds for him to try, but I knew they weren’t helping him. I’d made an appointment to see if we could do any more for him, but before the appt came, I just knew he was ready to go. It was so very hard, but the right thing for him.

The hardest thing for us, is the kindest thing for them. Thinking of you. X

 

[skinnydipper]

The thing is she still enjoys her walks as short as they are and is generally very cheerfull. It was her mother we lost and she was gutted as we all were. I now sleep downstairs to keep her company. My physio lady is not touchy feely and would be the first to say enough is enough, unlike the vets.

If your dog is still enjoying life and you are both happy to keep going then you could ask your vet to take a multi modal approach to the pain. There are medications which can be given alongside NSAIDS which have a different mode of action to achieve pain relief. Amantadine is one such drug, it is used to treat pain caused by chronic arthritis and cancer. Your vet would be able to advise you if it was an appropriate treatment for your dog.

CBD oil is a tricky one. It inhibits the P450 enzyme in the liver and affects the metabolism of other drugs. It should not for instance be used alongside steroids.

Putting your pet to sleep when you can no longer keep them comfortable and pain free is a difficult but necessary decision.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

The vet did,pass me onto the physio and also suggestied stronger painkillers.

tbh its not generally the vet's responsibility to call it a day, its yours and ime vets don't usually use terms such as horrific without just cause. But your dog, your call.

 

[TheresaW]

tbh its not generally the vet's responsibility to call it a day, its yours and ime vets don't usually use terms such as horrific without just cause. But your dog, your call.

I really like our vet. When we took Aled in the last time, she said to us, whatever decision we made there and then, we would feel guilty. That guilt would be later on that did we let him suffer, did we do all we could etc. She said she has felt guilt one way or the other for all her animals she’s lost, but she knows she put them before her own feelings.

 

[CorvusCorax]

The fact that you're asking the question in the first place means you're probably considering that it's time.

 

[splashgirl45]

my lurcher was diagnosed with hip arthritis and i knew she had been slowing down but didnt realise why, she was almost 13 and we tried painkillers and they upset her stomach and didnt seem to improve her so i made that decision and have never regretted it . i have had arthritis in my hips and have had hip replacements but i can still remember the pain which was 24/7 and wouldnt wish that on anyone and definitely not my dog. i did it for her and not for me, i lost her in september 2016 and still miss her everyday

 

[Aru]

Making the call on an animal who has a condition that can be managed to a certain extent is always a challenge.

OA can be managed with medications as no doubt your vet has discussed, and generally, we use multiple meds together to manage them best...but that said it is never fixed and is a progressive condition that will only worsen in time so euthanasia is always going to be a possibility if not an eventuality for these guys. Very few pets die peacefully at home in their sleep.

In the end, though it will always come down to the quality of life, for both the pet and the owner. Not Quantity.
There are worse things in life for a dog than a peaceful death with their owner nearby.
Dogs live in the moment so its the day to day life that matters...is there anything for this girl to look forward to going on and what is her day to day quality of life ...more bad and worsening days than good days in the future is not a good QOL for example.
I've found this questionnaire very helpful for people struggling with the when... as it allows you to see exactly what the issues at play are and how much they affect the QOL. When we spend day to day with the older pets it's sometimes harder to access the pet in front of it as it's become normal for them to act the way they do in our eyes.

https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/defau...ionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf

It is never easy. It will never get easier to make the choice. But it is the kindest thing we can do for our pets when the time comes. The problem with dogs is they are always guaranteed to cause us heartache at some stage.

 

[Janah]

She's nearly 12, that is very old for a dog by anyone's standards and a vet has told you she has horrific pain in her knees and back. I am sorry for you, its very hard to lose a family member but sounds like its her time to go to be honest, she isn't going to get better.

 

[Janah]

She's nearly 12, that is very old for a dog by anyone's standards and a vet has told you she has horrific pain in her knees and back. I am sorry for you, its very hard to lose a family member but sounds like its her time to go to be honest, she isn't going to get better.

 

[Janah]

She's nearly 12, that is very old for a dog by anyone's standards and a vet has told you she has horrific pain in her knees and back. I am sorry for you, its very hard to lose a family member but sounds like its her time to go to be honest, she isn't going to get better.

 

[Janah]

Everyone seems to have latched on to vets comments of 'horrific arthritis'. Not horrific pain. She receives pain relief and enjoys her walks, as short as they are and sulks when I turn for home. She has a large garden and roams at will and does.

She remains cheerful and full of life, bouncing at mealtimes, for instance. I will call it a day for her before she becomes critical. I agree with every single person who said a week to early than a day to late.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

tbf you are the one that posted 'where does it all end' with two old dogs and everyone sympathised and then told you where it ended to try and help you. no-one would blame you for calling it a day but you don't want to, so as I said, your dog your call.

 

[meleeka]

My old girl was on Onsor (NSAID) and Codene. The Codene was a miracle tbh and gave her 9 months of being Pain free and happy. . It wasn’t her arthritis that finished her off, but it was in my mind that she would only have got worse. The day she went, we went for a lovely walk in the woods, where we decided that the time had come and we couldn’t bear to see her deteriorate. I phoned the vet and we went straight there and did the deed. I’m pleased that I was able to know what was best and she didn’t have to suffer one bit.

 

[{97702}]

I put the dog first. Always. Regardless of pain relief I would worry about quality of life with any dog who had “horrific” arthritis - in my experience vets just don’t use words like that unless they are concerned.

Of course it is so very hard making that decision, but you owe it to your dog - and the posts you have made prior to today made it sound like you are putting off the choice for your own sake. Now that is simply my interpretation of a written word, but I could never condone such behaviour

Of course I apologise if that is not the case, and I have misinterpreted your words - but as CC said somewhere above, you wouldn’t have asked if you weren’t wondering. And if you are wondering, that tells you all you need to know for your dogs sake ☹️

 

[Sandstone1]

It's a very personal decision. It should be taken by the person who knows the dog best.
Its the hardest part of owning a animal.
I do feel its often advised very quickly on this forum. Yes no one should let a animal suffer but if you know the animal well you will once w when its time.