I havent been here in a long time. My last post was about my dogs back condition. He has spondylosis which is the formation of extra bone material on the spine. Its causing his spine to fuse and in turn its affecting his mobility and his overall being. We`ve tried to help ease his pain through drugs and other therapy but for every problem the drugs solve they create another. His skin is starting to get hard sores all over and he hasnt eatin properly in about a week. Food intakje is waaay down, he wont even touch his treats. He also lost his hearing in the meantime. Lack of desire to play or walk, etc.. are concerns too.
Its been tough on me watching him go downhill and Im seriously thinking maybe its time to just let him go even as much as the thought kills me. The only thing that keeps me from doing so is I want to make 100% Im not doing this too early, while the other part of me is saying whats the point of having him here if he's just living day to day without much zest.
I guess Im asking for opinions on what some of you would do. He's my first dog and this is a new experience for me. Two different vets have given me two different answers. Maybe the answer is more obvious to people that arent as emotionally invested as I am. Can some of you also tell me a bit about the experience of putting your pet down was like, Im just trying to prepare myself.
Thanks.
I've had dogs as pets since I was born. Needless to say, at my age that means I've loved and lost a lot of puppies in my lifetime. If you're dog is lucky and doesn't get hit by a car or suffer some other accident, they will die of old age.
Unfortunately, usually with old age comes poor health. The larger the dog, generally the shorter their life span. Some very large dogs, like Great Danes only live about 10 years on average. Our Danny, a Lab and Terrier mix is 8 years old. He already has arthritis in his shoulders which makes him limp when he first gets up. I hope he still has a lot of years ahead of him. He is such a sweetheat of a dog....so loyal and funny too.
What I can tell you is this, your dog depends on you for everything, including making a good decision regarding the quality of his life verses just keeping him alive and allowing him to suffer. Afterall, your dog can't go buy a bunch of pills and off himself like we could if our life became unbearable because we were in a lot of pain.
What I can't tell you is if it is time for you to let your puppy go. Ultimately, that is your decision alone. Weigh what the vet tells you and make the best decision for your dog.
This is one of the biggest and hardest decisions you'll have to make. Like I said I've had a lot of dogs in my lifetime. Making the decision to end a dogs life never gets easy. Just insist on being with him when the vet gives him the shot. Some vets discourage this, but I insist on being in the room, petting and reassuring my babies. Don't let your dog go with out you being there for him.
