"Wendy6896" wrote in
lkaboutpets.com:

Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep who is not on his death bed. Our
15+ year old German Shorthair is very much a part of the family but in
the last year or two, his health has deteriorated greatly to the point
that he enjoys nothing that he once did (balls, walking, swimming) and
the only thing that sparks an interest is food. Even then, he can't
have hardly anything beyond dog food. Walking is painful because he
has that condition (the name escapes me) where his spine is
essentially fused together along with arthritis and some hip problems
(his is 90+ pounds). This last weekend, his mouth began to bleed and
it was only then that we noticed he had a growth in his cheek area and
inside his mouth. We decided that it was best to say our goodbyes and
have the vet come to our house this weekend to put him to sleep. It is
devastating to us but the last thing we want to happen is for him to
suffer any more pain than he already does. However, we continue to
struggle with our decision because he is still technically mobile and
as I stated earlier, not deathly ill. I am sorry for such a long post
but this conflict is unlike anything I have ever experienced and it is
hard to know if we are being a good family to him by putting him down.



If a dog is no longer enjoying life, then it's time to put them down. Be
greatful that you can. Humans are not subject to such humanity.

I know the feeling only too well. Over the years we have lost four
German Shepherds that way. However, we felt we were doing the right
thing to keep them from suffering. The first one couldn't even walk
anymore. We actually got her a cart to hold her hind legs up. She was
almost fifteen. The second one had cancer in the spine area and howled
every time she got up. She was 11. The third had a condition whose name
escapes me, basically a demyelinization (sp??) of the spine, and she was
7. The fourth had cancer and he was 11. Each time we cried, but each
time we know we did right by the dogs, and we went out and got a new
puppy to give all our love to. There is no greater love for a dog than
to make sure that dog does not suffer. Leslie

Wendy6896 wrote:
Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep who is not on his death bed. Our 15+ year old German Shorthair is very much a part of the family but in the last year or two, his health has deteriorated greatly to the point that he enjoys nothing that he once did (balls, walking, swimming) and the only thing that sparks an interest is food. Even then, he can't have hardly anything beyond dog food. Walking is painful because he has that condition (the name escapes me) where his spine is essentially fused together along with arthritis and some hip problems (his is 90+ pounds). This last weekend, his mouth began to bleed and it was only then that we noticed he had a growth in his cheek area and inside his mouth. We decided that it was best to say our goodbyes and have the vet come to our house this weekend to put him to sleep. It is devastating to us but the last thing we want to happen is for him to suffer any more pain than he already does. However, we continue to struggle with our decisi
on because he is still technically mobile and as I stated earlier, not deathly ill. I am sorry for such a long post but this conflict is unlike anything I have ever experienced and it is hard to know if we are being a good family to him by putting him down.

Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep who is not on his death bed. Our 15+ year old German Shorthair is very much a part of the family but in the last year or two, his health has deteriorated greatly to the point that he enjoys nothing that he once did (balls, walking, swimming) and the only thing that sparks an interest is food. Even then, he can't have hardly anything beyond dog food. Walking is painful because he has that condition (the name escapes me) where his spine is essentially fused together along with arthritis and some hip problems (his is 90+ pounds). This last weekend, his mouth began to bleed and it was only then that we noticed he had a growth in his cheek area and inside his mouth. We decided that it was best to say our goodbyes and have the vet come to our house this weekend to put him to sleep. It is devastating to us but the last thing we want to happen is for him to suffer any more pain than he already does. However, we continue to struggle with our decision because he is still technically mobile and as I stated earlier, not deathly ill. I am sorry for such a long post but this conflict is unlike anything I have ever experienced and it is hard to know if we are being a good family to him by putting him down.

On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 13:40:41 -0600, "Wendy6896"
wrote:

Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep who is not on his death bed. [...]

Diddy said it all. So, this is just unloading. I'm glad your vet is
coming to your house; it's simply better that way. For weeks, months,
maybe years, you might wonder if you made the right decision.
Eventually, you become certain of your answer.

If you have never seen an animal put to sleep by lethal injection, you
might be surprised--by how gentle and peaceful it is. In almost 100% of
the cases, the animal is asleep, and all suffering ended, in 10 or 12
seconds. Therefore, you must say "Goodbye" before the plunger is pushed.
Because the muscles are too relaxed, your dog will not close his eyes,
but you can do that. Within five minutes, long after all pain,
awareness, even breathing have ended, comes the final heartbeat.

Based on what you've said, it is time. Relieving your dog's suffering is
probably the most loving act you have ever performed.

For whatever it might be worth, everyone here who has ever lost a pet,
feels your pain.

In my humble opinion, the greatest tribute we can pay to a deceased pet,
it to get a new pet; perhaps from your local animal shelter. It might be
out of the question right now; but you'll know when the time is right.

Some one else's signature line says:

"A dog's life is too short; their only fault really."

Michael
Whatever it takes.

Everyone has to decide for themselves when it is time to let their old
friend and family member go.
If someone asks me for my opinion and I beleive the dog is not enjoying life
much, when I beleive that there is more pain than joy in the dogs life, and
there is no chance of the dog getting better - then I tell them that I think
euthanasia is the right way to go.

I see it as if I as the dogs guardian have to shelter the dog from
everything bad in the world - including pain. Pain is something very
subjective even when it comes to people, and to be able to tell how much
pain a dog is in is even harder. If my dog had no chance of getting well and
happy again, and I suspected it was in lots of pain and I couldn't do
anything to enhance it's quality of life, I would say my goodbyes.
I would rather live with the knowledge that maybe I ended its life even if
it could have had a little more time to enjoy here, than live wondering if I
let the dogs last days be painful and miserable.

I see death as a liberator and not just an end, and if there is a heaven I
am sure dogs have one, they certainly deserve one.

Rosa

I feel your pain and remember the huge hole that was left in my heart when I
put my Cocker down. Billy developed spinal problems and could no longer run
after the tennis balls that he loved or run in the woods. Eventually he
suffered a stroke and couldn't even walk.

No, your baby may not be on his death bed, but from your post I can tell
that he is not able to do the things which make him happy and that he is in
pain. It's also clear that you love him enough to make sure that he is able
to leave this earth with the dignity that he deserves.

Putting a dog down is one of the most painful things I've done in my life.
It's only human to second-guess yourself after you've made such a decision.
With time, you will know that you did the right thing. The only ones that
can make that decision are you and your family because you know your dog
best and can tell when he no longer enjoys the things that once brought him
joy. Apparently your vet does not offer much hope if he's agreed to come to
your house to put your dog down. I'll be thinking of you and will be sending
prayers for your peace & strength.

{{{{hugs}}}}

Mindy


"Wendy6896" wrote in message
lkaboutpets.com...
Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep who is not on his death bed. Our 15+
year old German Shorthair is very much a part of the family but in the last
year or two, his health has deteriorated greatly to the point that he enjoys
nothing that he once did (balls, walking, swimming) and the only thing that
sparks an interest is food. Even then, he can't have hardly anything beyond
dog food. Walking is painful because he has that condition (the name escapes
me) where his spine is essentially fused together along with arthritis and
some hip problems (his is 90+ pounds). This last weekend, his mouth began to
bleed and it was only then that we noticed he had a growth in his cheek area
and inside his mouth. We decided that it was best to say our goodbyes and
have the vet come to our house this weekend to put him to sleep. It is
devastating to us but the last thing we want to happen is for him to suffer
any more pain than he already does. However, we continue to struggle with
our decision because he is still technically mobile and as I stated earlier,
not deathly ill. I am sorry for such a long post but this conflict is
unlike anything I have ever experienced and it is hard to know if we are
being a good family to him by putting him down.





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Most vets will tell you that the vast majority of people tell them they
wished they hadn't waited so long to put their old pets to sleep!

"Wendy6896" wrote in message
lkaboutpets.com...
Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep who is not on his death bed. Our 15+
year old German Shorthair is very much a part of the family but in the last
year or two, his health has deteriorated greatly to the point that he enjoys
nothing that he once did (balls, walking, swimming) and the only thing that
sparks an interest is food. Even then, he can't have hardly anything beyond
dog food. Walking is painful because he has that condition (the name escapes
me) where his spine is essentially fused together along with arthritis and
some hip problems (his is 90+ pounds). This last weekend, his mouth began to
bleed and it was only then that we noticed he had a growth in his cheek area
and inside his mouth. We decided that it was best to say our goodbyes and
have the vet come to our house this weekend to put him to sleep. It is
devastating to us but the last thing we want to happen is for him to suffer
any more pain than he already does. However, we continue to struggle with
our decision because he is still technically mobile and as I stated earlier,
not deathly ill. I am sorry for such a long post but this conflict is
unlike anything I have ever experienced and it is hard to know if we are
being a good family to him by putting him down.

I would certainly understand euthanization here and I share your
compassion for your beloved dog. I just have one question: Do
veterinarians treat pain with low doses of narcotics? I raise
this questions because I have an older human family member with chronic
back pain who treats the pain with some narcotic. She does
not appear to be addicted.

If veterinarians do use narcotics then, perhaps, your dog's
pain can be controlled. If they don't then euthanization seems
like the best course.

Most of us will be facing a problem like this with our
dogs. It is tough.

We would not have this conflict if we did not love our dogs
or if we could predict the immediate future. But we do love our
dogs and we can't predict the immediate future.

We all wish you, your family, and your beloved dog well,

--Marshall

"Wendy6896" wrote in message
alkaboutpets.com...
Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep who is not on his death bed. Our 15+
year old German Shorthair is very much a part of the family but in the last
year or two, his health has deteriorated greatly to the point that he enjoys
nothing that he once did (balls, walking, swimming) and the only thing that
sparks an interest is food. Even then, he can't have hardly anything beyond
dog food. Walking is painful because he has that condition (the name escapes
me) where his spine is essentially fused together along with arthritis and
some hip problems (his is 90+ pounds). This last weekend, his mouth began to
bleed and it was only then that we noticed he had a growth in his cheek area
and inside his mouth. We decided that it was best to say our goodbyes and
have the vet come to our house this weekend to put him to sleep. It is
devastating to us but the last thing we want to happen is for him to suffer
any more pain than he already does. However, we continue to struggle with
our decision because he is still technically mobile and as I stated earlier,
not deathly ill. I am sorry for such a long post but this conflict is
unlike anything I have ever experienced and it is hard to know if we are
being a good family to him by putting him down.

(Marshall Dermer) wrote in
:

Do
veterinarians treat pain with low doses of narcotics? I raise
this questions because I have an older human family member with
chronic back pain who treats the pain with some narcotic. She does
not appear to be addicted.



--Marshall


Marshall, I'm really glad you asked this.
Regarding narcotics, if veterinarians prescribed narcotics, there would be
many drug addicts seeking pets from shelters that were in need of pain
relief, and doffing the dog after recieving the desired product.
There are, however, many effective products on the market for dogs.
Metacam, Deramaxx, and Rimadyl for a few.

My old man is on Rimadyl, and glad for it.

diddy wrote:

(Marshall Dermer) wrote in
:

Do
veterinarians treat pain with low doses of narcotics? I raise
this questions because I have an older human family member with
chronic back pain who treats the pain with some narcotic. She does
not appear to be addicted.



--Marshall


Marshall, I'm really glad you asked this.
Regarding narcotics, if veterinarians prescribed narcotics, there would be
many drug addicts seeking pets from shelters that were in need of pain
relief, and doffing the dog after recieving the desired product.
There are, however, many effective products on the market for dogs.
Metacam, Deramaxx, and Rimadyl for a few.

My old man is on Rimadyl, and glad for it.

Actually many Vets will prescribe turitol sp? Which is a narcotic
in the opiate family. Similar to demerol. Blade was prescribed
some after his reaction to deramaxx, after his torsion surgery.

I don't think drug addicts would really obtain dogs so they
can spend money going to Vets for a few painkillers. These
people want large quantities and most of the time surely
don't have the money for Vet costs. But I could be
wrong.

I do know my Vet will prescribe them for my dogs
when or if needed.

Gwen