Need some advice regarding our Dog

[dmccarty]

... he's playing with the other dogs and trotting around. Eats and poops well. Still our happy guy.

Him playing, eating, drinking, pooping and peeing are keys. As long as that is happening, He Be good.

As the time got closer, our dogs have slowly stopped playing, eating would decline, as would drinking. If the dog stops peeing and pooping it is getting to the point where You Will Know What To Do.

My dog started to loose feeling in her back legs. She could still walk but it was hard to stand sometimes and walking any distance was a problem. Playing was not an option but she was still happy and did not seem to be in pain.

We have finished concrete floors to make cleaning up after kids, dogs, and us easy. After a time, my dog would have to pee, and pee now, she would get up from her bed and try to get to the door, but she would pee from the bed, sometimes in the bed, to the door. Not a problem. Let her outside while I cleaned up. This often happened at 0200-0300 and I was not getting much sleep but that is life. The dog was shamed because of this, I could see it in her face, but I never, ever, made an issue out of it. But we knew the time was getting close....

She was eating very little but still pooping. The problem became she could not control her bowels. Her shamed increased as she started to poop in her bed and on herself. By this time, she was barely getting out of bed to drink, eat a bit, and go to the bathroom. She slept most of the time. Eventually, she could not get up to drink, much less eat, and she was soiling herself.

We Knew It Was Time....

When the vet came to do what needed to be done. I know my dog knew what was going to happen and she was ok with it. It stopped her suffering.

She Knew It Was Time.

My father in law had a dog that was declining. He knew it and so did the dog. One day, the dog got up to go outside, and when the door was opened, the dog ran into the woods and crawled deep into a bunch of briars, and died. The dog did not want to die in it's den, and it's last act of love and devotion, was to leave the house and die. My father in law tore his arms and face to pieces trying to get to that dog's body, but he could not get into that mess, and had to leave his dog. Not sure which was worse, the dog dying, my father in law tearing himself up to get to the dog, or not being able to bury the dog as he wanted...

I told him the dog did want the dog wanted and needed to do...

The Dog Knew It was Time And What Needed To Be Done.

 

[2manyrocks]

One thing you can do for an ailing dog is to get a pack of chicken breasts to cook in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour, turning them over about 30 minutes to be sure they are cooked through and through. Cut the breasts into smaller pieces up so the dog doesn't choke itself trying to swallow a whole breast. Give the dog a freshly cooked serving size appropriate to the dog's size. Freeze the rest in serving sized bags to heat up for meal times. That gives them extra nutrition and they tend to like it.

 

[Eagle1]

The Dog Knew It was Time And What Needed To Be Done.

I can relate to that. My first Great Pyrenees lived to be 12+, the last year she was really slowing down (BIG change from her youth) and happy becoming a house dog as she aged. Walks became here going out doing her business and a really short patrol and in she came. On her last day she wanted out, barked the entire front fence line, then came in a locked herself in a bathroom (she did that all the time) found her expired when I had to go a while later. She left this earth with a final warning to everything and died peaceful. Still brings tears, but I have 5 more right now. She now rests on top the ridge overlooking all she guarded in her time.

 

[tacticalturnip]

*personal and poignant stories that totally didn't make me cry*

I don't know what to do with all of these cut up onions.

 

[scootr]

I have a heeler that's just 9. 14 is the average the average old age for this breed. I've had a few. Anyway this dog developed Glaucoma and went blind. Before blindness I did eye meds & drops 5 times a day trying to save his sight. Wife convinced me to let the vet remove the painful corneas and let him live out his life pain free but blind.
I was skeptical but - they are adaptive. And he still finds fun in things he can do. Still excited to go to the barn and feed the cats each morning. Still yaps and heads for the back door if somebody says BBQ. Still chases a ball with a bell in it on the lawn. They are adaptive.
He has learned a few new commands like go right, go left, look out, and go back. It's not what I wanted in a dog but he and I are really close and I know if I went blind he'd be stuck like glue to me. You do what you gotta do for these friends.

 

[JasperFrank]

Even our Vet said the cure was worst then the cause, when dealing with dogs and cancer. Just know, and the dog will tell you, if it is in constant pain. Then do the human thing, and put the dog down. Think of it as a gift, you are giving to the dog. We all die. But we all don't have to all die in abject pain.

 

[Jstpssng]

Still brings tears,

How in the He** did you know that?

 

[copytmpmzl]

Need some advice TBN:

We have three dogs, two Maltese and one rescue Chihuahua. My wife and I don't have kids and these little guys are our family. The dog in question is our male 11 year old Maltese and my wife's bestie, Vinny. We recently took him in to see the vet because he was peeing a lot and drinking a ton of water. He has lost some weight too. As it turns out he has diabetes which I guess is not uncommon in older dogs. During the visit, they found a mass in his scent glands, took a biopsy and it is malignant.

We have been referred to a board certified surgeon, but the consult is not for another 2 weeks (5/17). Our vet also stated that we need to get his blood sugar under control (we have just recently started insulin injections) before we can do surgery. But even getting the biopsy results have been slow. I feel like we don't have time to screw around.

So I'm wondering what you guys think we should do. Wait for the consult and see? I want to do what is right by our dog. He has been the best little friend we could ever hope for, and I don't want him to suffer. But I feel like sitting on our hands waiting for an appointment is going to make any treatment too little and too late. The other thing on my mind is that my uncle died of pancreatic cancer last fall. Even with rapid fire appointments and pretty quick action, he went quickly. I'm not comparing the two, but I'm scarred by the loss. My uncle was very important to me.

Obviously, Vinny is important to both of us and my wife will be devastated. The TBN group here is both highly knowledgeable and keenly practical. I value your opinions on this.
Thanks,
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I'm sorry to hear about Vinny's health issues. It's understandable that you are concerned and want to do what is best for him. Waiting for the consultation with the board certified surgeon is important, as they will be able to give you more information on the best course of action for Vinny's particular case. In the meantime, it's important to follow your vet's advice on managing his diabetes to get his blood sugar under control. You may want to ask your vet about any options for speeding up the biopsy results or getting an earlier consultation with the surgeon if possible. It's also a good idea to discuss with your vet any options for managing Vinny's pain or discomfort while you wait for more information. Remember to take care of yourselves too during this difficult time.

 

[MossRoad]

How in the He** did you know that?

I just thought it was awfully dusty in here.

 

[dmccarty]

I have a heeler that's just 9. 14 is the average the average old age for this breed. I've had a few. Anyway this dog developed Glaucoma and went blind. Before blindness I did eye meds & drops 5 times a day trying to save his sight. Wife convinced me to let the vet remove the painful corneas and let him live out his life pain free but blind.
I was skeptical but - they are adaptive....

Once upon a time, I knew of a poodle that went blind. The owner could, and did, take the dog to work, I think he would freak out if left alone. Anyway, he adapted to being blind. He knew his way around the office, he could find his way outside to go to the bathroom and he knew where to go outside.

The thing that made me wonder was HOW the dog knew how many steps to take before turning this way, or that, then go a few more feet, turn, etc. Kinda implies that the dog could count...