P3LH
Well-Known Member
I have never been one to query too much when it comes to the decision to pts - I’ve always always lived by the mantra that I’d rather let them go when tails wagging and still happy if I know the outcome isn’t fixable. For example with one of our old terrier bitches I let her go as soon as she was diagnosed with cancer, whereas I had several vocal relatives saying I should have waited. Horses for courses but that’s just how I’ve always been, primarily due to a childhood dog being allowed to drag on for too long.
I am greeted with an unexpected situation and potentially very difficult decision. My younger rough collie, 8 years 3 months and always fit as a fiddle, has started to seemingly lose the use of his back end. It started with slightly splayed back legs when standing up from sleeping and then vanished, returned in the last ten days & progressed to being generally wobbly in the back end, back end ‘sagging’ a little and now resulting in him coming down on his rear hocks when he moves as opposed to his rear paws, and his back legs severely splayed/bowed at times (sometimes worse than others) with a more notable drop in his back end noted in the last forty eight hours. He is otherwise happy and merry. H is still generally active and mobile his back end is simply not normal for him.
We have seen our vet today, who was wonderful as they always are. He didn’t react to any of the manual checking/manipulation of his rear end. There was a reaction when they had one leg pulled up high and pulled back quite far out whilst manipulating the hip which they felt indicated he was feeling some degree of muscle reaction in his flank from them manipulating the hip. His nails are unevenly worn and some slightly scuffed. They feel probably DM, or another similar degenerative disease of the spine. Possibly ataxia but cause of which would be difficult to track. Ruled out anything like arthritis or injury per say. As soon as I took him in and they looked at how he was stood, I knew it wasn’t great. I had feared the worst yesterday.
He has been prescribed anti inflammatories and pain relief for ten days to see if this makes any difference at all initially. More about management than anything and because they can’t give a concrete ‘it is this’ but can give a ‘he presents as this’ so want to rule things in or out. Vet did say it could help stabilise things and get him back in a healthier position and back on his feet properly snd then we could go from there.
Vet made a point of saying ‘I want you to know there’s not a single vet in my practise that would over rule the decision to PTS should you feel that’s right.’ Also seemed expcetionally sympathetic and kept saying things such as ‘I’m sorry you’re both going through this’ which for a very practical mixed practise vet, who has always given it to me straight - took me by surprise. I have been at the same vets since I was born and trust them. A lot. Other than that, we are on the waiting game to see.
He isn’t in any pain that I can note and they don’t feel he is either. He is settled but is clearly finding getting up more difficult. Upon returning from the vets he lay down and didn’t move until dinner time. So some hours. Usually he follows me around everywhere. The sag in his back end is more noteable, it’s what prompted the vet visit as on Thursdays walk I noticed he looked weirdly short coupled - and then could see his back legs seemed to be coming too far under, then when he ran he was coming down on his hocks.
And here we are. I have never found myself at odds with my thought process (probably not helped by the fact he is my favourite) but genuinely don’t feel I know what to do for the best. I do feel the writing may sadly be on the wall, and that whether it’s six weeks or six months I think he’s going to end up going completely off his back legs. but he’s still so bloody happy, eating normally, toileting normally. And he’s not an ‘old dog’ which somehow makes me unable to think clearly. I am at a bit of a loss as I’m sure you can tell, I wonder if/feel that he’ll make the decision for me at this rate.
My initial plan is to wait it out a few days and then reconvene my thoughts hopefully eith a clearer head. So really I suppose I am just writing this out to read it back and try and think about it more pragmatically as both OH and my dear Mum (who looks after the gang a lot) have all read the room and realise this is going to be a hard one for me, either way.
thankyou to CC and skinnydipper for dealing with my messages during the witching hour the other evening when I began to fear the worst too, this forum is quite good sometimes.
This isn’t a great photo and probably doesn’t show much, but it was how it started and was taken three weeks ago, when he started standing in a stooped and splayed way after lying down. It went away and then returned with a vengeance. It is worse/more pronounced than this now. His legs are more splayed out/bowed and seem more difficult to manoeuvre at times with back end swinging - and his back end has drooped more. He is more notably resting/moving on his hocks and not seeming to notice. When we were in the vets and he wa standing he looked like he was squatting. I will not post a now photo as I don’t think it’s right to, this is much better than what we’re now dealing with but gives an idea of where it began.
I hope this all makes sense - most of it is probably incoherent ramblings but it does help to write it all down. And helps me avoid pouring a cider or a gin - which I think would be a bad plan, even though such a difficult day probably warrants it. I don’t even think I’m looking for advice per say as nobody can ever really make that decision for someone else - but crikey this one is hard.
I am greeted with an unexpected situation and potentially very difficult decision. My younger rough collie, 8 years 3 months and always fit as a fiddle, has started to seemingly lose the use of his back end. It started with slightly splayed back legs when standing up from sleeping and then vanished, returned in the last ten days & progressed to being generally wobbly in the back end, back end ‘sagging’ a little and now resulting in him coming down on his rear hocks when he moves as opposed to his rear paws, and his back legs severely splayed/bowed at times (sometimes worse than others) with a more notable drop in his back end noted in the last forty eight hours. He is otherwise happy and merry. H is still generally active and mobile his back end is simply not normal for him.
We have seen our vet today, who was wonderful as they always are. He didn’t react to any of the manual checking/manipulation of his rear end. There was a reaction when they had one leg pulled up high and pulled back quite far out whilst manipulating the hip which they felt indicated he was feeling some degree of muscle reaction in his flank from them manipulating the hip. His nails are unevenly worn and some slightly scuffed. They feel probably DM, or another similar degenerative disease of the spine. Possibly ataxia but cause of which would be difficult to track. Ruled out anything like arthritis or injury per say. As soon as I took him in and they looked at how he was stood, I knew it wasn’t great. I had feared the worst yesterday.
He has been prescribed anti inflammatories and pain relief for ten days to see if this makes any difference at all initially. More about management than anything and because they can’t give a concrete ‘it is this’ but can give a ‘he presents as this’ so want to rule things in or out. Vet did say it could help stabilise things and get him back in a healthier position and back on his feet properly snd then we could go from there.
Vet made a point of saying ‘I want you to know there’s not a single vet in my practise that would over rule the decision to PTS should you feel that’s right.’ Also seemed expcetionally sympathetic and kept saying things such as ‘I’m sorry you’re both going through this’ which for a very practical mixed practise vet, who has always given it to me straight - took me by surprise. I have been at the same vets since I was born and trust them. A lot. Other than that, we are on the waiting game to see.
He isn’t in any pain that I can note and they don’t feel he is either. He is settled but is clearly finding getting up more difficult. Upon returning from the vets he lay down and didn’t move until dinner time. So some hours. Usually he follows me around everywhere. The sag in his back end is more noteable, it’s what prompted the vet visit as on Thursdays walk I noticed he looked weirdly short coupled - and then could see his back legs seemed to be coming too far under, then when he ran he was coming down on his hocks.
And here we are. I have never found myself at odds with my thought process (probably not helped by the fact he is my favourite) but genuinely don’t feel I know what to do for the best. I do feel the writing may sadly be on the wall, and that whether it’s six weeks or six months I think he’s going to end up going completely off his back legs. but he’s still so bloody happy, eating normally, toileting normally. And he’s not an ‘old dog’ which somehow makes me unable to think clearly. I am at a bit of a loss as I’m sure you can tell, I wonder if/feel that he’ll make the decision for me at this rate.
My initial plan is to wait it out a few days and then reconvene my thoughts hopefully eith a clearer head. So really I suppose I am just writing this out to read it back and try and think about it more pragmatically as both OH and my dear Mum (who looks after the gang a lot) have all read the room and realise this is going to be a hard one for me, either way.
thankyou to CC and skinnydipper for dealing with my messages during the witching hour the other evening when I began to fear the worst too, this forum is quite good sometimes.
This isn’t a great photo and probably doesn’t show much, but it was how it started and was taken three weeks ago, when he started standing in a stooped and splayed way after lying down. It went away and then returned with a vengeance. It is worse/more pronounced than this now. His legs are more splayed out/bowed and seem more difficult to manoeuvre at times with back end swinging - and his back end has drooped more. He is more notably resting/moving on his hocks and not seeming to notice. When we were in the vets and he wa standing he looked like he was squatting. I will not post a now photo as I don’t think it’s right to, this is much better than what we’re now dealing with but gives an idea of where it began.
I hope this all makes sense - most of it is probably incoherent ramblings but it does help to write it all down. And helps me avoid pouring a cider or a gin - which I think would be a bad plan, even though such a difficult day probably warrants it. I don’t even think I’m looking for advice per say as nobody can ever really make that decision for someone else - but crikey this one is hard.
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