Think the dog is dying

[Storyofalion]

My friends have gone on holiday, they asked if I could take care of their jack Russel.
He is a 15 year old male, he is so skinny:(
He is under weight by 2 kg , all ribs on show etc.
He does not want to eat the food provoded by my friends, I believe its due to his teeth hurting and the food being too hard to chew for him.
I asked my friends if I could give him different food , they approved.
The dog is being fed by me and is eating fine so far.
The issue is that he is urinatimg everywhere, he urinates every 30 minutes around the house, I have put him in the kitchen because there are tiles so easier to clean , I let him out in the garden every hour, but it does not help .
He urinates everywhere and on his bed too.
I think he is very, very unwell.
He does not look happy at all.
My friends have been informed of the issue and said he is having some issues with his bladder for the last 2 months.
I was not told this , I domt think I would have said yes in the first place considering I have a crawler at home and a toddler:(
I realy feel sorry for the dog, I feel I should take him to the vets , my friends said they do not have an insurance and wont be able to cover the costs for the treatment needed.
He is suffering, not a happy dog , just lies amd urinates around himself.
I cant afford to pay for the treatment myself.
I suspect he may have a bladder cancer.
I decided to just take him to the vets and pay by my credit card because I cant stand him suffering.
The appointment is in the evening.
I have asked my friends what if the vet will advise to put him down, they said they are ok with it but cant afford to cover the fees !
I am ready to cover the fees myself but I dont know how much its going to be and I am so angry and stressed about this whole thing, the poor dog :((((
AIBU to cover the fees for the vets to end his suffering ?

I know my friends will no longer be my friends .cruel

Good idea reporting to RSPCA. I have hadxto do it twice for cats that have not been well looked after.

Your friends are on holiday but can’t afford to pay for their dog’s needs? I’m sorry but they sound so selfish that they don’t deserve to have a dog, if I had to choose between a holiday or treatment for my dog I wouldn’t think twice. You’re showing him more kindness than his owners, it may not be that he needs to be PTS (we have an elderly dog with similar issues) but if he needs monthly treatment they clearly won’t pay it so it might be best.
are you on low income? If you are then you could say you’ve taken over care of a dog and try to register with PDSA

Oh how sad for the dog and hard for you.

If teeth hurt dog may well not eat so if dog comes home with you painkillers as a minimum.

Our dog has baby calpol prescribed by vet so at least that’s not very expensive.

Your 'friends' are awful, awful people. 'Yeah fine put him down but we're not paying for it' (said while on holiday...)

I voted you are not being unreasonable but be aware that as you do not own the dog legally the vet should not agree to any treatment without the owners permission, preferably in writing to say that you are authorised to agree to treatment.
The vet will need to be paid and if the owners can't afford treatment then they may need to sign the dog over to a rescue so that appropriate treatment can be given especially if they have to pts.

Did you discuss this with the practice when you booked the appointment? If not phone them back to see what you need to provide.

Gosh, OP, how awful for the poor dog and for you. Your friends are absolute b*stards for leaving an elderly, clearly unwell dog to go on holiday.... and not even telling you about his condition. They've put you in an impossible position.

And how ridiculous of them to say they cannot afford the vet. But they can pay for a holiday?? They're clearly completely irresponsible, heartless owners.

However, as others have said, I would hold off having him PTS if I were you, even if the owners have given you permission. Being away from home would have made the dog's condition worse. Do you what you can to keep him comfortable, take him to vets for a check of teeth/medication for bladder and present them with the bill.

I’m glad the poor wee doggie has someone like you looking out for him. Your friends sound awful. Good luck with the vet.

How long until your friends are home?

I would seek advice/help from a charity vets, we recently had to put our dog to sleep :( , it was almost £500, we didn't hesitant to pay this to stop her suffering.

What scum they are! You should rethink any friendship, they can afford a holiday whilst being happy to leave their dog to suffer for two months and then offloading him on to somebody they call a friend. Poor dog he deserves so much better. Thank you OP for showing the kindness and compassion that the dog deserves.

They can afford to go on holiday though? They should have used that money to help their dog. Poor thing.

Explain to the vets what’s going on, they might have a charity fees situation in place. Or call up the PDSA for advice.

Hopefully it’s a bladder infection coupled with them feeding him too hard food. He may need teeth out. I’m sorry it falls to you, I couldn’t see the dog suffer either!

How vile. Honestly I'd be contacting a local animal charity and explaining the situation. Pdsa as others have suggested or a local shelter. Your friends have no business owning a dog that they can't pay medical bills or insurance for that's totally heartless and irresponsible of them. I'd ring a local vet, explain the situation and see what they can do to help and at least you could get a check up done. The dog could be urinating because of stress from a new environment, a uti or could be something more serious. Your friends are not your friends or they'd have told you about the issues the dog was having before leaving them in your care I'd have nothing more to do with someone like that.

if the vet can't help without charging you and an animal shelter can't take them, I'd also contact your local dog warden and explain that your friends have abandoned the dog with you, that you're very worried about the dogs condition and don't think it should be returned to them. The dog warden will take the dog to the vet for medical attention and then either pts or bring to an animal shelter for care and rehoming. What you've described is clear cut animal abuse and the dog warden will make sure that your friends don't keep further animals or if they do, they'll do regular checks to make sure the dogs are safe and well cared for. I personally would report them to the dog warden either way to be honest. They've made it really clear what their priorities are and it's not you or the dog.

I really hope that karma comes around and bites these people, and one day they find themselves dying in the worst nursing home the country has to offer, while their kids swan off on holiday.

Don’t pay !!!!

take him to the vets but give the owners details and when they are home they can arrange a payment plan. The selfish bastards can afford a holiday so they can pay over time for the vet care

Your friends were really selfish to leave him with you in such poor condition and it’s awful they haven’t taken him to the vet. Poor dog.

Your friends sound like twats. Poor dog, I wouldn't assume he's dying but possibly senile, uti, can he see / hear? Could be anything going but it doesn't sound like he a good quality of life at all.

Is there a pdsa or rspca animal hospital anywhere? You could take him there.
Under the Animal Welfare Act it is against the law to deny an animal vet treatment.
Rspca may take him. They have taken cats in a dreadful state before.

Was this out of hours? That's a lot.
I had to have my dog put to sleep last year and he was around 40kg and that cost about £150

The vets can't do this. They couldn't enforce the payment plan as its not agreed and accepted by the owners prior to treatment.

In law a pet belongs to an owner, just like a car. You couldn't take someone's car to a mechanic on behalf of a friend and the refuse to pay and you can't with an animal.
It's shit but that's the law.

This is unspeakably cruel.
His owners need reporting for causing needless suffering.
It’s an absolutely awful thing to not have money to euthanise a very ill dog.
Not attending to his teeth is bad.
They sound like awful dog owners.
Can’t afford Vet fees? Don’t get a pet.

Poor you having to do this.
poor dog to have such shite owners.

Payment support links here including PDSA: www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/care/financial.

I would not be able to continue a friendship with someone who prioritised a holiday over a dog's suffering. Awful people.

Elderly dogs can become incontinent. Tablets and medications can control this and can allow dogs a good quality of life for a couple more years. I would let the vet examine him and see what he thinks.

But as other PP have said, don't automatically go own the 'put the elderly dog to sleep' route unless the vet thinks that it is the kindest option.

I have 2 JRT, one of whom is 15. JRTs famously live a long time and have few health issues. Mines a big gummy after having a few teeth out and is going a bit deaf, but otherwise sprightly. Its certainly not normal for it to be so underweight. Mines a proper greedy bugger who is currently on a diet as shes a bit overweight! This poor dog is clearly very unwell and really needs help. You can try Jack Russell terrier UK, a brilliant charity who specialise in helping JRTs at risk of cruelty and neglect. They often help very, very unwell dogs.They have a FB or can be contacted on
07453261416
Or 07809113788

They would be fine for their dog to be put to sleep when they are not there?

This is so horrible to read. One of those family that probably just got the dog as entertainment and never really cared for them as a living pet.

You are amazing.