# Would you euthanize a dog in this condition?



## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

I think I probably would. The article says when Daisy hadn't been able to walk for two months her "quality of life was starting to deteriorate." To me, not being able to walk for two months, to probably feel bad most of the time with a malfunctioning liver, to have so many problems - would I be keeping my dog alive for me or for my dog? I just felt so sorry for the dog, just reading the article.

This Month

This is part of it:

"This wonderful story of Daisy and Val points out so many things, from my perspective. Most notably, that decisions we must make for our senior pets are rarely black and white… there are lots of grey zones. Your ability to accept the outcome – whatever the outcome may be – is something you must consider before making decisions in the grey zones.

Also important is the need to address changing lumps on a pet. Daisy has dozens of lipomas all over her body that have stayed the same size. But that one lump that grew and changed illustrates the need to address any mass that is changing or getting bigger. In the case of Daisy’s mass, there was cancer inside a large amount of fat that was causing the rapid growth. There isn’t a needle long enough to collect abnormal cells seven inches into the center of a lipoma that size. The only option was to remove the mass and have it biopsied. And certainly, removing a mass or performing any type of surgery on a geriatric dog with a heart and liver condition is risky.

It’s important to know there isn’t a right or wrong decision or answer in these cases. It’s about making a very personal decision about what you believe is best for your pet. In Daisy’s case, Val opted for surgery and the outcome was a success. The biopsy results yielded yet another diagnosis we’ve added to Daisy’s long list of health issues she appears to be managing quite well at her age."


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

It doesn't sound to me like she is managing very well and a long list of ailments is just not fair in my book. Dogs can't understand we are trying to make them comfortable for a little while longer, they just feel ill, can't do what they used to or are in out right pain. When there are so many things my dog can't do any longer I need to be sure I am not being selfish in keeping him here. I know it sounds cruel but I have been in the position like many of us to have to make that decision. I is very frustrating when people just drag these poor sick dogs along and do treatments and surgery that really don't help in the long run. Let the poor animal rest and remember the good years you had together. JMHO


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

The art of medicine is knowing when to intervene and when not to. Just because a procedure is available doesn't mean it should be utilized. I think too often this grey area is overlooked in modern medicine both for humans and our pets.


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## JLeigh (Jul 15, 2012)

I have a relative who has in the past demonstrated a complete inability to get her pets necessary medical care and to let them go when it's time. She can't stand to spend money at the vet, yet she will spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on alternative medicines for the animal(s) when they get sick. I have NO issues with alternative medicine. The problem is that if you don't know what's wrong with the animal, you can hardly treat it properly with the right alternative medicine. She had a beautiful dog who's leg literally rotted away from a tumor the size of a baseball. Instead of taking him to the vet, she spent hundreds of dollars on alternative medicine while that dog lived in agony. Finally she had him put down, but that dog suffered for months. It was awful. Now I get on her like white on rice about animal care and she's doing much better. I think the turning point was when her cats all came down with some skin problems, and instead of taking them to the vet right away, she self-diagnosed the problem, spent almost $300 on remedies, and when that didn't work she finally caved and went to the vet. The treatment cost? $45.00. And it wasn't what she thought it was. I think that taught her a lesson. 

Sorry if I went a bit off-topic!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

In my experience, the owner knows when it's time (most of the time- rarely it happens that people really drag things out). While I read that story and it seems like an unfair situation for the dog- none of us know that dog. None of us are in that position with that particular dog. So to me it's not a "would I or wouldn't I" it's a matter of the relationship between dog and owner.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

JLeigh

People believe homeopathics are just harmless herbs. They are medicine and part of the true value is making the correct diagnosis. When properly used they are priceless when used without knowledge they are ineffective at best and dangerous at worst. Sometimes a lab test is all you need to get a good diagnosis and decide what style of treatment is best.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

In reading the article it seems strange to me if the dog couldn't walk for 2 months why did she not do surgery sooner. Why would she let the dogs muscles go for 2 months then finally do it? 

I'm like Liz I have never done things like kemo or such as I could just never wrap my mind around how would the dog feel being sick and not knowing why or how long. we as people can make that decision and know that we might be better at some point but a dog can't do that.

When my first basset Sweet Pea got cancer the vet gave me the option to get radiation but I didn't have the money or the time to go the 4 hours it would take to get to the hospital that did that. But that's not the only reason, I just couldn't imagine putting her through that. She had already had 3 surgeries and I finally knew it was all I could do and had to let it take her over. 

It's hard but sometimes we just have to let them go.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

Herzo said:


> When my first basset Sweet Pea got cancer the vet gave me the option to get radiation but I didn't have the money or the time to go the 4 hours it would take to get to the hospital that did that. But that's not the only reason, I just couldn't imagine putting her through that. She had already had 3 surgeries and I finally knew it was all I could do and had to let it take her over.


I have said this very same thing, I watched my own human love ones suffer from cancer and the effects of chemo and radiation, it would really depend on the age of the dog, type of cancer and the prognoses of remission or cure before I ever subjected my dog to any of it.

As for the OP I am going through something similar at the moment with Macy, she can still walk but somedays are a bigger struggle than others, she has DM of the spine, and recently has a partial tear in her acl, she is for the most part healthy other wise and is not in any pain, I do give her meds for stiffness, she is not a canidate for acl surgery nor is there anything that can be done for the DM. I dread the thought of the day I have to make a desicion because she can no longer walk but nothing else is wrong with her. So for now I keep her comfy and am looking into PT to help with muscle strength building and weight lose but other than that it is a wait and see, she is 13 years old and very happy dog


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Yes like wise for me, Maddie is 13 or there about. she is very healthy except for the vet say's she has a pinched nerve in her back and she doesn't have much feeling in her hind legs. One is worse than the other but she seems to have no pain and when she goes at a trot she does better than when she walks.

She's still quite a goer. But not sure what I will do if it come to her not being able to use her hind legs at all, could get a wheel chair. Not sure how well that would be.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

[QUOTE=Herzo Yes like wise for me, Maddie is 13 or there about. she is very healthy except for the vet say's she has a pinched nerve in her back and she doesn't have much feeling in her hind legs. One is worse than the other but she seems to have no pain and when she goes at a trot she does better than when she walks.

Babs has dead nerves in her lower spine, she was having problems going up and down the stairs and just generally moved slow, the neurologist put her on gabapentin, and I started giving her acupuncture and now I can not slow her down she runs around like a 2 year old nut.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

it's not cruel. it's very hard.



Liz said:


> It doesn't sound to me like she is managing very well and a long list of ailments is just not fair in my book. Dogs can't understand we are trying to make them comfortable for a little while longer, they just feel ill, can't do what they used to or are in out right pain. When there are so many things my dog can't do any longer I need to be sure I am not being selfish in keeping him here.
> 
> >>>> I know it sounds cruel<<<<
> 
> but I have been in the position like many of us to have to make that decision. I is very frustrating when people just drag these poor sick dogs along and do treatments and surgery that really don't help in the long run. Let the poor animal rest and remember the good years you had together. JMHO


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I read this article in my email and IMO, without knowing the dog, I'd hav euthed by now. This article hits home because I have put four dogs to sleep fom feb 2006 til June 2011, two from age related issues and the other two from sort of weird, definitely crappy diseases. We choose to bring in senior dogs; the latter two came here as pups, the other two came here as seniors. We have a new senior here now so chances are I.'ll have to doit again, in the next five years or so.
The owner in this story has had this dog for a long time; I imagine its even harder for her to make this decision than for people like me who are somewhat "used" to it.


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