Is it time to end her life?

Hey all, my family is struggling to make the decision on whether or not it is time to let our 13 year old Basset Hound go.

She stopped eating earlier in the week; has been sleeping a lot more than normal; she is drinking but with the amount of time she is sleeping she can't be drinking as much as she use too; the only time she walks around is when I carry her out side to go to the bathroom, she will walk a few steps pee and then just stand there waiting for me to pick her up again and goes back on the couch to sleep; I haven't seen her poop since two nights ago and even that was not a normal size. She shakes when she is awake and shivers in her sleep. As far as I can tell she doesn't have any overwhelming pain.

We took her to the vet on Thursday and he gave her antibiotics incase she has a cold. Her blood worked showed elevated white blood cells. The Doc said to give him a call if she wasnt feeling better in 4 or so days... which is now. Last night I thought she might be feeling better when I got her to eat a palm of chicken; but today she didn't even want to eat the baby bell cheese (the only thing we have been get her to eat, two a day).

We have an appointment set with the vet again tomorrow. He already said if she doesn't respond to the medication we could start testing for cancer. But to what end; we have already decided that we aren't going to spend 10s of thousands of dollars on chemo just to see her died anyway since she is so old.

The question is do we put her down; or just keep going the way it is now hoping for a turn around. It's not to much of a burden on us, she sleeps all day and doesn't need much attention. Its really about her ... is she better off like this or would she better off seeing what comes next in this life?

a reply to: DanDanDat

Actually....

Dog chemo is pretty cheap.

It cost me $127 for a 4 month course for one of my wife's dogs. If it's a simple mast cell cancer they go away pretty easily.

I'm an eternal optimist when it comes to life (my wife should have died 4 years ago now, stage 4 cancer... cancer free now and NOT because of doctors).

Besides, could be a lot of things.

See what the doctor says tomorrow.

If it's time to put her down then that is one of the big responsibilities of being a pet owner... when to make that call.

Just my opinion.



ETA:... had to ask the wife... it was $127 A month for 4 months... sorry.

Still not thousands...

I would wait and see what the Vet has to say too. I'm glad you are thinking of her and what's best for her. I will be watching this thread to stay updated.

I don't know what elevated white blood cells means for a dog. In humans it could be cancer, smoking, stress, pain...I'm sure your dog isn't smoking. lol

There are many of us here on the site who have lost precious pets and had to put them down as their quality of life had diminished and they were very old. You will get a lot of responses in here, so hang in there.

I have been told by people to put down pets that I've nursed back to health myself.
I say don't give up

a reply to: DanDanDat

I love my dog as much as my kids..
And I would never keep my dog living with pain just for my own sake.

Your dog had a long good life, and its old now.. please do not put in throw all kind of operations and stress.

Give it a hug and say you love it. She will be waiting in heaven with a wagging tail.

The right thing is also the hardest.. but she deserve it right ?

originally posted by: Spacespider
a reply to: DanDanDat

I love my dog as much as my kids..
And I would never keep my dog living with pain just for my own sake.

Your dog had a long good life, and its old now.. please do not put in throw all kind of operations and stress.

Give it a hug and say you love it. She will be waiting in heaven with a wagging tail.

The right thing is also the hardest.. but she deserve it right ?

Thank you all for the advice its appreciated;

I agree Spacespider; we are opting against operations that don't have a clear outcome. What we are struggling with is whether to put her down now or wait longer. I'm not sure which is best for her at this point.

Perhaps some CBD oil will help alleviate some inflammation suffering?

All vertebrate animals have an endocannabinoid system. CB-1 receptors live primarily in the brain. CB-2 receptors live primarily in the body. If a particular area of the body is suffering from inflammation, then CBD can help integrate the entire endocannabinoid system to a better state of homeostasis.

CBD oil will not remedy concerns, but instead would help activate the endocannabinoid system... likely easing inflammation and suffering at the same time.

She has given up. that is ok because she gave all she could for so many years. One thing ...." is she better off like this or would she better off seeing what comes next in this life?" This coming week will tell.

She has no fear in that respect, so there's no need for you to fear either. It's a chance you must take and believe. In this vast Universe, is there not a place for all of creation ? A place awaiting.

If you let Her go, be there with her to comfort Her.

If the dog is not in pain or suffering, then let her die naturally. Putting animals down is only necessary (IMHO) if they are suffering.

a reply to: paraphi

Thinks for the advice. How would you define suffering, or more precisely how do you see suffering in a dog.

The only symptom I can equate to suffering is that she is shaking or shivering.... and she is not eating when she use to gobble down anything that remotely smelled like food.

Im sorry you have to go through this.

Just keep her comfortable.

I wish you the best.

I cannot tell you what you should do.
That is a painful decision only you can make.
Made all the harder because of love.

I can tell you what we did when our dog was ill.
We had a discussion or two with out vet about how to know when it was time....he basically said we would know....
She had stopped eating, and barely drank, even though she had been previously thirsty a lot.
Starving to death was not an option for us....she knew before we did. And we took her to the vet.

Even today this chokes me up!!!!

I wish you luck and strength.

a reply to: DanDanDat

I second Paraphi's recommendation.

How would you define suffering, or more precisely how do you see suffering in a dog.

With my cat, the Vet used a word with meta in it. It meant, she explained, that the pain is enough that touching her anywhere would elicit a complaint ( yowl ). So perhaps if she yelps or complains when picking her up to go outside.

Well, a few years back, my last dog suddenly became very ill and we found out it was a type of cancer with a very poor prognosis. We tried to save her with surgery and it was just.....I can't even think about it without being very sad. I wish we had just put her down when she wasn't in too much pain instead of prolonging it like that. In the end it was a wrenching disaster and it took me a long time to come to terms with it (I was the main driving force behind trying to save her and it kills me to think of what I put her through because I was too selfish to let go).

Again thank you all for your advice and sharing your stories.

It looks like we have decided to let her go; in the end I've thought if this where me what would I want... and I don't think I would want to go through life shivering, not eating and vomiting. I'd want my family to let me go.

Thank you again; I'll let you know what happens.

a reply to: DanDanDat

It is a difficult decision to make and I have made it often. All I can offer you is how I go about making that decision and what I do is ask myself "Is he/she suffering?". The vet can usually answer that question and so can all of us just by observing them. All the best.

Again think you all.

We laid her to rest this morning. It was quicker and less involved than I imagined. I just hope we did right by her.

a reply to: DanDanDat

Defining suffering. Very difficult and you are the best judge. I have lived through five dogs and the decision to put down was very hard for two of them. I have real empathy for your situation, but you know your dog.

My point was possibly mistimed as some people put dogs to sleep because they are suffering or inconvenienced, rather than the dog. I am sure that's not your situation. You are clear your dog is central in your mind. I am sure you know the balance.

a reply to: DanDanDat

originally posted by: DanDanDat
Again think you all.

We laid her to rest this morning. It was quicker and less involved than I imagined. I just hope we did right by her.

As always, sorry it has to happen to anyone (it's NEVER easy). I think in the future you will be glad that you did because even if there was a chance for a little more time, things could have gone very badly and you did the only thing you could to make sure that didn't happen. It was actually the best thing for her with the information and resources that you had to work with.