Older dogs. Euthenasia or natural death.

jumpa

jumpa

Well-Known Member
It's about that time. Moe my beagle is pushing close to 17 years. He no longer walks around has much of an appetite or wags his tail when his name is called. I haven't heard him bark in weeks. that's a lot for a beagle. He now lays lethargic. I always wanted him to go out naturally, peacefully in my home , where he knows best, where he is loved. But I know euthenasia is an option for some people who think their pets are suffering. Anyone have experience with choosing between the two.

Unfortunately this comes at a difficult time, I just had to put down one of my other dogs 2 weeks earlier due to numerous uncontrolled seizures within a 24 hour period. She was suffering. I felt euthenasia was justified in that case.

Im around so much death in the field I work. But animal death is 10x harder for me to deal with.
 
Maybe Moe misses the other dog? I'm in the same boat with my Tibetan Mastiff, he's blind, mostly deaf, still wags and gives love but his hips are starting to go. It makes me quit sad to think of the inevitable, but we waited too long with one of our other dogs so we will try not to repeat that mistake. Let your buddy go with dignity and not suffer just because you don't want to lose him, that's the mistake I made and sadly that is my last memory of an awesome friend.

I would introduce another dog to see if Moe shows any excitement before considering anything else. Best of luck, this is indeed a sad topic and I agree about the difficulty
 
My wife works in a veterinary office. She regularly sees people bringing in ancient dogs that have old dog issues and gets upset when the owners refuse to put the dog down even though it's clearly suffering. If the dog is suffering and you know it's not going to get any better, it might be best to let them go. Our dog is 13 and is going deaf and starting to have minor hip issues. We are hoping to get a few more good years out of her, but we will have to put her down peacefully at some point.

One of the hardest things I had to watch was my (then girlfriend) wife and her dad when they put down the dog my wife grew up with. I was also with my wife and her friend when one of her previous horses had to be put down. It's pretty rough and it's going to be terrible when the time comes for our dog, but it's something you go into pet ownership knowing. It's a tough decision, and really only you can make it. It's possible he's just sad and old and lacks energy. If he doesn't really seem like he's in much pain, then it could be better to try and wait it out.
 
we got our first dog last year, but had to make a similar decision with a cat about 4 years ago. She was a stray we picked up and from blood test found out she had FIV and wasn't expecting more that 6-7 years with her, the vet had guessed she was about 2-3 when she found us. She ended up being with us for about 10 yrs. In her final months, she started losing weight, had thyroid issues and couldn't control her bowels. One morning she wasn't moving much so I took her to the vet and found out her body was shutting down. The decision was obvious to put her down peacefully, I think she was in pain for some time and I felt bad I didn't pick up on it earlier. I don't cry, even at funerals, but that day I did, it also didn't help that a friend's mother's funeral was later that day. I don't have any direct advice for you except to consult your vet on options and after that it's a personal choice. Sucks to see anyone getting old, and I hope Moe all the best.
 
oh man... this is tough for me right now... i thought i was going to have to make this decision recently...

my cat's been ill... not eating... not pooping... lethargic... i knew he had some health issues (we've keeping an eye on his kidneys) and i thought this was the end. i made an appointment with the vet for tests and to check him out. Jack (the cat) lost 2 pounds since his last visit (which is a ton when he's only about 11 pounds) and it was obvious he wasn't happy. but he still wanted to cuddle and seemed like he wasn't ready to go yet so i put him in kitty hospital and hoped for the best.

this was also at the same time @Santapez was in the hospital getting his collar bone all worked on. so needless to say i was a mess.

Jack pulled thru and is doing better now. he requires daily IV fluid injections and fancy prescription food but he seems to be hanging in there. i know that when the time comes, my gift to him is to make sure he's comfortable and to end any suffering he's go thru.
 
I too thought I was going to have to make this decision recently with my 16yr old hairy child but luckily it turned out to be a thyroid issue. She's a new dog now.
Good luck with you decision. Suffering is the deal breaker for me.
 
JimN said:
My wife works in a veterinary office. She regularly sees people bringing in ancient dogs that have old dog issues and gets upset when the owners refuse to put the dog down even though it's clearly suffering.
Click to expand...

Ditto on my wife.

We have 4 dogs. and had to put one down a few months ago....and others in the past. The situations are usually never clear cut and thats the worst part. Its hard but you just have to do your best to ensure their quality of life is reasonably good and they are reasonably comfortable. The vets are pretty good about being honest. You just have to be willing to listen. You have to remember its about them not you and thats the hardest part. Its very easy to think you are putting off euthenasia for them in an attempt to give them every chance possible when really is for you.
 
Frank said:
Maybe Moe misses the other dog? I'm in the same boat with my Tibetan Mastiff, he's blind, mostly deaf, still wags and gives love but his hips are starting to go. It makes me quit sad to think of the inevitable, but we waited too long with one of our other dogs so we will try not to repeat that mistake. Let your buddy go with dignity and not suffer just because you don't want to lose him, that's the mistake I made and sadly that is my last memory of an awesome friend.

I would introduce another dog to see if Moe shows any excitement before considering anything else. Best of luck, this is indeed a sad topic and I agree about the difficulty
Click to expand...

I was thinking this Same exact thing. We actually have one other dog but he's kid of an ass (a loveable one though) but they more tolerate each other if anything. They started off as a pack of 4 . Down to two

JimN said:
My wife works in a veterinary office. She regularly sees people bringing in ancient dogs that have old dog issues and gets upset when the owners refuse to put the dog down even though it's clearly suffering. If the dog is suffering and you know it's not going to get any better, it might be best to let them go. Our dog is 13 and is going deaf and starting to have minor hip issues. We are hoping to get a few more good years out of her, but we will have to put her down peacefully at some point.

One of the hardest things I had to watch was my (then girlfriend) wife and her dad when they put down the dog my wife grew up with. I was also with my wife and her friend when one of her previous horses had to be put down. It's pretty rough and it's going to be terrible when the time comes for our dog, but it's something you go into pet ownership knowing. It's a tough decision, and really only you can make it. It's possible he's just sad and old and lacks energy. If he doesn't really seem like he's in much pain, then it could be better to try and wait it out.
Click to expand...

My gf actually works at a vet as well, same views as your wife most likely. He is already on medication for pain. He just seems like a senior at a nursing home who is resting till it's his time.
 
The Kalmyk said:
I love and respect my dog. That's said I'm not going to keep her around because I need it.
Click to expand...

This is a conversation I've had with my gf about moe. If people had the option to be "put down" I feel like they would take that option more often than waiting it out.
 
Both of my cats died late last year, about 4-5 months apart. The girl cat first, after being thin for a while, and her brother after, although he was still kinda chubby. They still ate and pooped and slept and sat on your lap, but you could tell they were getting old by not wanting to jump up on the sink or couch anymore, or chase the laser around. No signs of pain or anything, but they were pretty ancient for cats. I think we got them when I was in 4th grade, so they were around 20 human years old. Pet death kind of made me not want pets again, but that is part of life. I had a ryukin goldfish for about 2 years at some point too and ended up throwing the aquarium and supplies away when he died.
 
I don't have anything for you except I'm in the same boat. Our Lab is 13-15 years old, has a limp, lumps and his hips are going, but he eats and wants treats, goes out for his walks and still barks at squirrels and cats. I'm hoping for some kind of sign that it's time. Out vet says if he's not doing "business" on his schedule that's a bad sign, which has happened. But he's been such a good dog over the years we feel like we owe him a few accidents. I dunno man. It's not that I want to keep him around for our sake, I feel should have as much retirement as he's capable of.
 
jumpa said:
I always wanted him to go out naturally, peacefully in my home , where he knows best, where he is loved. But I know euthenasia is an option for some people who think their pets are suffering. Anyone have experience with choosing between the two.
Click to expand...
You may ask if your vet is willing to come to your home to administer the injection. Mine was willing to.
 
Wow, this thread really resonates. We have been hours or minutes from making the call with our 14 y/o lab several times in the past year. She has at least two autoimmune diseases for which she is on five different meds. Most days she is pretty normal, albeit lethargic, but she has had a coupe severe bouts of vertigo which make her unable to stand, eat or do much of anything. Then, after a couple days she gradually gets better and is back to her normal old self. Dogs are so good at masking their pain, it makes us wonder just how much pain she's really in . She is pretty relaxed all day but typically in the evenings she gets nervous and agitated and looks for self nonspecifically throughout the night. I've read that nervousness at night might be a sign of pain-- something about their formal pack lives and being scared to go to sleep for fear of being killed by a younger member of the pack-- but I'm not sure if there's any truth to that.

Such a tough call. I think most people, anything, wish that they had done it sooner once they have time to reflect on the situation. But when you're in the situation looking your best friend in the eyes, it's so difficult.
 
Guy i used to know sent his wife and kids out for the day, spent the morning digging a big hole in his yard with his aging dog. Got the dog to walk down into the hole and then he shot him in the back of the head with a .45
That's a whole level of manly shit that i could never pull off. People gave him lots of shit for doing it, but he couldn't bring himself to have his dog's last hours be in panic in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people.
I admit i agreed with him after his response, it's surely the best way for the dog. But i do not have that courage. I have a hard time putting down my chickens.
 
Thanks again for the input folks. My dog decided to make the decision on his own and be at home in his bed. He passed away today around 3pm peacefully in his sleep. He fucking hated the vet anyway, probably heard me talking about it and decided to just take matters into his own hand before I brought him in. Always found a way out of going to the vet.

20160722_190548.jpg
 
jumpa said:
I was thinking this Same exact thing. We actually have one other dog but he's kid of an ass (a loveable one though) but they more tolerate each other if anything. They started off as a pack of 4 . Down to two



My gf actually works at a vet as well, same views as your wife most likely. He is already on medication for pain. He just seems like a senior at a nursing home who is resting till it's his time.
Click to expand...
yeah but even seniors like porn and cards, ride out into the sunset with your guns blazing and spoil the shit out of him

edit:
crap, should read all posts before, condolences
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom