My dog is getting very old. He is 13 this year..wait 12 or 13. lol Anyway his hearing is getting very bad. He will howl at the door almost up until we walk up to him thinking we are gone. He also has started not being able hold his pee... And since he is a 3 legged dog ( accident while a tiny pup) his back leg that is left has bad arthritis. O.K back to the peeing.
Tonight he pees on the floor in the kitchen..I'm so thankful that it is on the hard wood and not the carpet. ( thanks goddess we own a steam cleaner!) I tell the kids to wait in the TV room while I clean it up. Not listening, my 3 year old goes running though the kitchen, I yell for him to stop, and he does right in the puddle. His whole body slips and falls banging his head and most of his upper body in the pee puddle. Poor boy got hurt and was also covered in dog piss. Did I mention he JUST got out of the bath? I carried him up stairs and put him in the shower to clean off the pee. All he said while crying was "I just wanted to get my night night" Ahh little guy.
On the dog subject, I just don't know what to do? I know he needs to see a vet again..but I don't want to prolong his life by just doping him up on drugs so he sleeps all day and I carry him outside to pee ( if I'm lucky). I also DON'T feel comfortable saying when he needs to expire, but I also don't want him to have a crappy quality of life?
Day 8
5 comments:
AWW! So sorry about your dog. I don't know what to suggest.
My 1st pug was diagnosed with arthritis. I felt soooo bad for him. It hit him hard. It's so sad to see them suffer like that :(
Sorry about Auggie, I can just imagine it! BIG hugs to him!
Well, in my opinion.... for what it is worth.
I am not a BIG fan of euthanizing. It is not my place to say when it is time for someone to die. I let nature take its course.
As long as he is still a happy boy I would just leave it alone. I just had my lab pass after about 6 months of being sick with cancer. Although he was sick he was still very happy. Up until the last moment of his life if he saw you come near him he would wag his tail :-)
Aw, your dog is beautiful. I'm with Chris. Don't euthanize unless you have to. It's a horrible experience that makes you second guess yourself forever (even when it's clear there was no choice)... let him go on as long as you can. His quality of life is better than you think it is, even with you carrying him out to pee.
That's a really hard decision. You have such a sweet dog.
I know that vets can give meds that help the dogs not hurt as much and does it help. Dave's family dog while growing up had bad arthritis. With meds, she lived another year or two, and stayed in good spirits until the end.
In my family, my parents put dogs down at the first sign of serious illness (way too early, I think). It still makes me sad to think about it.
But it's still a tough decision, and I'm sorry you are having to think about it. (And I'm sorry you son fell in a puddle of dog pee.) Hugs to you all.
Dani- first off, this is such a personal decision.. I feel for you. I am not "pro-euthenasia" in any way, but last summer, my 14 year old Border Collie's brain was so muddled, she started biting, and I ended up in the hospital for 3 days, and requiring surgery and rehab to get my hand (mostly) back. We had to make this very same decison, under different circumstances, of course. I coudn't justify the risk of one of my kids getting seriously hurt by the dog- so we chose to put her to sleep. I was terrified. I was heartbroken. BUT.. it was the most gentle passing I have ever witnessed. From start to finish, it was maybe 4 seconds. I held her in my arms, kissing her head, and scratching her chin as she went. I am grateful to have been there for her in every moment of her life, 14 years of companionship is no small deal. I guess I just wanted to share the part about how fast it is, and how supportive our vet was. I held her for over a half hour, and we had a ceremony for her at the beach scattering her ashes. I didn't know euthenasia was so quick and depending on your vet, can be done at home, too. Now Im all weepy over missing Haley! It's hard. IF you get to the point in future months or years, know he won't hurt. I will always be grateful for how my vet honored our relationship, and allowed me to hold her, and whisper to her. Much love to you and your doggie..
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