sick pet/when to throw in the towel?

[escavader]

My 10 year old lab,pepper got sick when we went on vacation this year.Suddenly she wouldnt eat,drinks gallons of water a day,and sleeps alot,instead of being active like she always was.Its like someone turned off a switch.She has lost 25 lbs in 4 weeks.She didnt act like she was in pain,so i thought it might pass,until last weekend ,she didnt have strength to get in the jeep for a ride ,or get out.
Ifinally got her in the vet today.Vet noticed something swollen in her belly. she has a very high temperture.Xrays revealed her liver slightly swoolen.Blood test,and urine came back ..vet gave possible senerios, infection,mabey from drinking from puddles while we go walking,lliver cancer etc etc.
We are going to try the route of infection,by giving her medicine.
400 dollars later,i give her her pills,and she throws them up,boy it is discouraging,and heartbreaking.
If the pills dont work the vet has two options,an ultra sound [600 dollars,and may not prove a thing]or exploratory surgery,with a liver biopsy.
Ifeel against the surgery,cause i only feel the worst could become of it,cant see what good could become of it.Just end up with a sick cut up dieing dog.
The wife is unhappy with the spending...400 today ,600 last year to remove some fatty bumps on her.She thinks its time to let go,of course this lab has been my faithful companion since a pup.goes everywhere i go,except work of course,the protector of my children,the gaurdian of my home.Never had to even hook the dog ,always lays in the yard or front porch never to stray
Iguess in straying from my point,i dont think ill be able to spend alot more,but gosh darn it shes like a kid to me.
Iwrite this with a sad heart,and watery eyes,Can anyone offer me up any advice,i cant be the only one whos ever been there.Thanks in advance to my friends on TBN.
ALAN

 

[tallyho8]

Read this thread. It contains some pertinent information. Very sorry to hear of your situation.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/113167-when-time-dogs-struggles.html

 

[Inspector507]

Alan, I feel your pain and remember those tears. My dog Buddy, started having seizures. Before we could treat that, we needed to rule other things. Turns out he had Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia along with the siezures. His red blood cells were being destroyed by his white blood cells. Then he lost all of his fur due to a fur growth spurt caused by the steroids. What a mess he was.

Check Pepper for the color of her gums. And bruising in the ears. Gums should be pink, but not grayish in color. Buddy's liver was slightly enlarged too for some reason, but no cancer showed up on xray or CAT scan. Ultrsound showed no abnormalities. His liver functions were normal. An enlarged liver is something to worry about but if the functions are normal, it lessens it.

If they have done a liver function test and that came back bad, then surgery may be an option to see what's going on, but do the function test first in my opinion.

Currently he is battling Kennel Cough because we took him to be groomed, but we'll be over that soon. He can no longer have vaccinations with his AHA. After that he will be his healthy fat self.

I can't imagine the money we've spent and the number of specialists we've seen so he can once again follow me out in the yard and play.

 

[Bird]

Iwrite this with a sad heart,and watery eyes

Yes, it would be with a heavy heart and teary eyes, but as tallyho8 said in the thread he provided a link to, if an animal is in pain or serious discomfort, and I didn't expect a complete and reasonably prompt recovery, I'd be having that animal put to sleep. I suppose I might do that sooner than many others would, but maybe that's because I wish someone could do the same for me if I were in that condition.

 

[Inspector507]

if an animal is in pain or serious discomfort

I just didn't see that in Buddy, nor did the specialists. If he had showed that, no question. But if he isn't ready to throw in the towel, I couldn't either.

I have made that decision with other pets when the Doc's said it was time. All of those were cats with Feline luekemia. Buddy is my first dog and my best friend.

 

[randy41]

Alan-give the pills a chance to work. good luck.

 

[ultrarunner]

Went through the same decision 2 weeks ago with Heidi, my 12 year Australian Shepherd... she was a very sweet, great with kids and infants... and always the first to see me.

Her inoperable cancer was spreading and she was going downhill fast. Keeping her would have been for me rather than for her... so I held her while the Doc did the I.V.

Sorry that you are going through this...

 

[escavader]

You guys are great.Funny i never read that ,thread tally hoe,really made me bawl.Idont understand why, shes not dead yet,must be the sensitive side coming out that never does.Mabey cause the two young daughters are up set is setting me off.
To be honest i cant tell if shes in pain or not.She wags her tail,and is not wimpering.She just doesnt act her self and sleeps alot.You guys make me believe ill know when its time.Its not time to give up hope,ill try to give her pills again in the morning.Ithink i tryed to feed her too much at once and her weak stomach couldnt handle it.
The funny part is the dog knows me better than i know myself,when she lays her head in my lap she knows im sad.Ican play the tough guy around the kids and not let it show,but that dog knows.
Unfourtunately i think the spouse isnt as fond of her as the rest of us,she thinks of her as just a dog,but im trying to avoid arguing ,it will never turn out good. Its hard to put a dollar sign on a pets life,isurely can think of worse things we spent money on.Ican see her point a little,to sink a few thousand into extending an old dogs life a little,or spending it,and losing her anyway.
ohhh i dont know....horse ahead of the cart
ALAN

 

[shvl73]

Alan, I'm sorry to hear of your girl's health. it is not an easy desicion, but one I will make when there is no hope of recovery and when it is clear the patient has given up. Nancy & I have only our furry, feathered family members and have spent sums of money others thought foolish, to maintain health and cure the ill, all worth every penny to us. I think you'll truly know when it is time, and it won't be based on cost, but when you know you've exhausted all avenues and your dear friend has let you know that she cannot recover. Until that point, I would encourage you to continue to try.
Torin

 

[bearhawk]

It is hard to put a price on a pet. But if I had to with my dog. It would be like that mastercard commercial. He is priceless.

Of course there is always a limit to spending, but would you spend another 400 to see your buddy feeling good again? Maybe 600?

A couple years back I had an orange tabby cat. Now some people are cat people, and some are not. But this was a GREAT cat. he got sick and spent a week at the vets. $1500 and all I got to do was bring a box home.

But there was a chance that he would be ok, and I could not "not try" to fix him.

I did have to make arrangements with the vet to be able to pay him off over the next few weeks.

You are the only one that can make the descision to try to fix your buddy, and if the wife won't understand... A new wife is easier to train than a new puppy !

 

[sunspot]

Suddenly she wouldnt eat, drinks gallons of water a day and sleeps a lot,

Has she been checked for a diabetic condition?

As for giving her the antibiotic pills, the pet store has "pill pockets" that make pilling real easy. They work great with dogs.

Here is the brand my Wife and I use.

Pill Pocket Products For Dog and Cat

 

[cowboy357]

Sad Indeed & Sorry Your going Through this Right now. Its a Real tough decision for sure, But one Only YOU can Make . Being the Caretaker of Many Lil Friends ( As I Beleive No One Owns an animal ) You have to decide Whats best for Your Friend , Most times if There in That shape They have to be in some Misery IMHO . & Its Probably better to Releive Them from it In the Most Humane way. But Thats just My Opinion . Best of Luck .

 

[jinman]

Good luck, Alan. I surely don't know what to tell you, but if you can't get her medicine to stay down, it seems pretty futile. Hopefully, you will be able to try again with good luck.

We just lost a 14 year-old black lab. She was really feeble and finally could not stand up. We had been giving her baby aspirin for her arthritis for over a year. Finally, she just became very lethargic and was going down fast. It was obvious what needed to be done because she was not eating and could not do much more than lay down and pant.

It is not easy to make a decision to put an animal down, but I'm sure you will do your best to help Pepper if you can. If you can't make her better, putting her down is doing the best for her. You'll know when it is time.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I recently went through this with a pet I had for over 15 years. After a three year batlle with cancer he finally got to the point where he could not walk anymore and stopped eating, two days later we had him put to sleep. I know it sounds simplistic but as others have stated already you will know when it is time. Believe me it won't make it any easier...

 

[skargo]

I can relate. My dear old friend Mo-dog was healthy all his life, until one day we found 2 golf ball sized lumps in his neck. Turned out to be lymphoma. We took him to a specialist and he went through Chemo for 9 weeks, he took it really well too.
After the 9 weeks, he was in remission for 9 months, then it came back, and we did another 4 weeks of chemo. This time it was gone for good.
A year or so later, he started drinking non-stop, turned out he had diabetes. We gave him 2 shots of insulin a day, and a strict diet. Although he went blind from cataracts, he still enjoyed a quality of life. We still traveled with him and he would make one circuit around a hotel room and memorized it's layout.

Then one day my wife calls me to come home, as he had a seizure. I came how and held his head as he had another, with tears rolling down my cheeks for him. We took him on that final ride, and even though it was the right thing to do, after he got that last shot, he tried to get up, which broke my heart, and made me second guess our decision.
****, the water works are on now, friggin pets!

Good luck, you will know when it's time, even if you second guess yourself like I did, you'll know deep down it was a GREAT and amazing last gift that we can give our beloved family members, our pets.

 

[dmccarty]

I glanced through the link that was posted to see if I had said anything in that discussion. I had.

Last year we knew my Kelly was going down hill but we did not know why. It took a couple of trips to different vets but we found out that Kelly has Degenerative Myleopathy(DM) which happens mainly in GSD and Wiemerainers. DM is like ALS or MS in humans. Its beyond hard to watch DM turn this hard charging, fun loving dog into a couch potatoe. We did not think she would make it past the end of March. But she is still hanging on.

You know when its time. We decided if she starts to poo and pee on herself we will have to put her to sleep. Just no time to wash her a couple of times a day. BTDT for a week or two with another dog. Don't see how we could keep that effort up for months. With the one dog we had to do this for she was very shamed by the mess. So its likely the dog would give up and then you know its time.

Kelly gets me up a couple of times a night. Sometimes she has to go out sometimes not. But I hear her move so I take her out since she has very little control over her bowels. The finished concrete floors are easy to clean but its not really something you want to do. Certainly not at O Dark Thirty. So I take her out. Sometimes she still makes a mess. Our other dog is starting to need to go out a night so between the both of them I don't get much more then a few hours of uninterrupted sleep a night.

Last evening Kelly got up and started barking. It was the What Are You Doing In My Space bark. It was a deer in the back yard. Opened the door and Kelly somehow managed to bunny hop run after the deer. Her mind is still there but the body is failing her.

Back in Feb/Mar Kelly's bowel problems go bad. We thought this is it and made two appointments with the vet to have her put to sleep. In both cases we canceled since it was not time. I have no idea how much longer she has but I do know now is not the time.

Good Luck. It sucks. No If, And Or Buts.
Dan

 

[4720 OWNER]

Been there, done it. Still have a good dog. Fortunately the last one picked out the next one and helped train. Pound dog. Paid $2000 for a leg full of cancer to be taken off. 3 legged do just fine, but the day he could not get up, he gave up. I had to as well. The water works still flow after 2 + years. He was my Service dog and helped me with lots of chores so we were VERY close. Have to leave for a bit, still a little over whelming, he was better than a lot of humans i have met.

 

[jfh28]

Alan

This is always the hardest thing for a pet owner. It's the price we pay for all the times of great companionship, loyalty, freindship and just plain fun we have together. I will gladly pay this bill over and over again as the reward is worth the pain.

Dogs are notorious for being able to hide pain. Look for signs of restlessness, excessive panting, raised heart rate, constant pacing, and just plain not being able to lay down and get comfortable. Our dogs have always told us with a look when the time has come to say goodbye.

As for the med's different brands and dosages of the same type of med will affect each dog differently. Antibiotics can be particuarly harsh on the stomach. Give the vet a call and say she can't keep them down is there a different dose or brand they can give you. I have found it takes some tweaking to get it right. Our Pyr is very sensitive to med's and it took 3 different trys to get one he could stomach to knock out the lymes he had.

I send my best thought to you and your girl.
Jack

 

[AlanB]

It sucks,

And only you can come to the decision on when it is right for you, and it sounds like you and the wife need to talk about this a bunch more.

That said, I held one of my dogs when he was put too sleep, and do not wish the experience that we had on anyone. Think about it very hard before you do that.

I wish you the best and the strength to make the decision and follow through. It has to be one of the toughest ones we make.

 

[escavader]

Even though i havent met most of you in person,YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST BUNCH OF FRIENDS A GUY COULD HAVE.Its comforting to know im not the only one who has had a tough desion to make,mabey not now ,hopefully she will recover this time.
She kept her pills down this morning and again tonight.Ihad to force feed them,couldnt even fool her in a hotdog.Its a sign of a good dog[and friend]when you shove 3 pills the size of a marble down her throat and she never offered to bite me.When it was over i told her she was a good girl,and she licked my face Irewarded her with an oreo ya i know dont give dogs chocolate
mywonderful wife is pitching in now cooking food for the dog to get her eating.She knows seeing PEPPER like this is hard on me and the kids.She called home each hour to remind the kids to give her a little to eat.We are trying to feed her a little at a time to avoid her throwing up.Its working,shes still awful fussy.If i have to ill buy her some prime rib Time will tell
Thanks for the thoughts,and kind words,if i can someday id like to shake each and every one of your hands.Nothing like the folks on TBN
ALAN