To put dog down if I can’t afford the vet

[Difficuldecisions]

my situation is, I am estranged from my family so I can’t ask for help. PDSA and other pet charities don’t cover my area. I have checked.
She is 7. I have had her since I was 13. I am 19 now. Parents didn’t believe in insurance. And whilst I was still under age she developed collapsing trachea, and also needed a 3k operation on one knee for luxating patella. She has also been to the vet for eye issues and stomach issues over her life time that she needed injections for, including digestive issues. So it was pointless me getting insurance because of the number of pre existing conditions.
She has now dislocated one of her knees again. And I have no way of affording that not even on a payment plan.
She is in pain but is still herself. I don’t know if I should ask to have her put down.

I’m so sad for you op. Cook your dog a nice steak give him a big hug and say goodbye. It’s the kindest thing to do. I’m sorry you have to go through this alone. X

As others have said find a rescue that will help her and then rehome her 😊

She sounds like a poorly bred pedigree? You could contact a breed specific rescue they may be able to help, or you could give back to the breeder?

Ok vet staff here - I see you say there is no way you can afford the surgery even on a PP, but I will lay out your options in full either way as it might help someone else too. The options are PTS, I am sorry but we have it happen a lot due to finances, it is a very, very, awful sad fact of life these days. A Humm loan or installment plan with vets, or surrender your dog to a charity for the work to be done and your pet put up for adoption afterwards or approach a charity vet ( PDSA) who may be able to do the surgery a lot cheaper, or as an alternative a training school where new grad vets do the surgery much cheaper for learning experience, while supervised closely by experienced vets.

You could also start a GO FUND me and see if anyone is willing to donate towards the surgery, lots of people do.

Before anyone comes at me saying a vet wont PTS a healthy dog, have you any idea of the amount of dogs in rescues and shelters who will never get a home, ones that will end up PTS anyway as the charities and rescues are overflowing with much younger and more adoptable dogs.

This surgery is in the thousands and if you are in the UK great, there are a lot more options than in Ireland. You could also try a bank loan, a credit union loan, or pay the surgery cost off weekly or monthly and keep your pet on pain relief until then
.However, bear in mind once one leg goes, the other usually follows within a year as the good leg is now taking all the pain and stress of the bad leg.

I am sorry ideally we would all have our pets insured but life happens and I am not here to make you feel awful about whatever choice you make in the end.

Chat to your vets and see if they can offer any help at all, even as a training for new vets, but Ortho surgery is a very specialised market and they may not be willing to work with you on money.

You are in a tough situation, but I don't think you have done your research thoroughly- the PDSA operates throughout the UK, so I would definitely look in this.
A dislocated knee is not a life threatening condition, so maybe you should look into rehoming her if you can't afford the operation or even pain medication.
A vet will not be too happy to put down an otherwise healthy dog- plus euthanasia is also quite expensive.
Rehoming her would be the kindest and cheapest option, even if you get over this problem you are probably not going to be in a financial position to get over another- so I would think you should focus on that, and if it's not an option look into euthanasia.

How many of the pontificators on here have actually rehomed a pet with medical issues ?

I did.
I paid ££££ to get the rescue place to accept it.
Then they tried to emotionally blackmail me into contributing towards long term medicines.
I told them to put the animal down.
I do not know if they did or not
but it would have stayed at the rescue for the rest of its life because no owner would take on a pet with that many issues knowingly

I’m really sorry that you’ve been left to make this difficult decision about your dog, you must be devastated. YANBU to be considering PTS in this situation.

I went through similar with my most beloved cat, 13 years ago. She was a rescue cat, I’d had her with me when I was single and she moved with me when I married my DH.

She coped when another cat joined us, though her nose was out of joint. But she couldn’t cope at all when we adopted DD1 and developed a stress related illness. However, she’d always suffered from gingivitis and this became far worse when she got older and the vet told me that she in likelihood also had thyroid issues.

She was 13 years old and could probably have lived for several more years with expensive vet treatment. And we did have insurance. But the vet advised that it would be cruel to keep her alive, when she couldn’t cope with the stress of living with a toddler, and also that she wouldn’t cope with a move to a rescue (which I did consider doing).

In the end, the one thing I could do for her was have her PTS myself, and be with her at the end of her life. It was such a hard thing to have to do, but I had the comfort of knowing that I’d made the right decision for my cat.

I think you should talk to a vet and ask whether rehoming would be a viable option for your dog. I’m grateful to the vet who treated my cat for being honest about this, that the kindest thing to do for her was to PTS, as she wouldn’t cope with being rehomed in the state of health she was in.

Someone may take her and pay her care you'd be surprised personally I would take her to dogs charity dogs home you can't afford it if you could you would she still may have 7-10 years of life she's very young and it should be a last resort only if she had to live like that she doesn't if your on benefits they have to help you . Animal trust go to them We have a few near us they are really good. She is treatable by the sound of it the knee is operable ? the digestive issue is common in most small breeds now not sure if you said a breed. What area are you? Animal trust vets could help you.. I would most definitely find another way I would do anything unless my dog was untreatable and in pain so YABU in my opinion there has to be another way. But I understand you feel stuck. Reach out on a local group they may offer help advice we have a dog sanctuary and responsible rescue that help in these situations.

My heart goes out to you.

Talk your options through with your vet. You sound a very loving dog mum (sorry if I'm wrong with your gender!) and this is a horrible position to be in.

I will only quote something a friend said to me which was very wise: "better a day too early than an hour too late".

Don't get yourself into debt. It's a vicious spiral and your dog wouldn't want you to make life even more difficult for yourself.

Whatever decision you come to, you sound such a responsible caring owner that it would be a crying shame for you never to have a pet again. I understand you saying this but I promise you you'll feel differently in time.

Sending much love and thoughts to you and your dog.

Same.my dogs are my boys.i would be on the phone to vets blue cross,anyone that would have advice.or a rescue.left right and centre,anything to help her,especially as she is in pain.

Do you want to private message and tell me where you are so can see if I can help? I am on mat leave but depending on location, I might be able too

Perhaps you could provide a list of all the rescues that are currently in a position to take in a dog that needs expensive treatment? It would be very helpful for the OP.
Back in the real world…

I’m so sorry for your dilemma

if her quality of life is poor have her put to sleep at the vets in your arms and kiss her goodbye- they will allow a payment plan for this

if it’s fixable ring round rescues - all animals rescue and rehome in Essex may be able to help. They are the charity I support, they always have dogs that need vet work that people contribute. I also got my dog through them, they are incredible people

There really should be a fund for these issues, animals bring so much joy and heartache especially for people who aren't financially stable.
If a charity can help and re-home, why not help people and let the pet stay with loved ones.
Another one of those things that scar the poor on their life journey.
It's no wonder WC people die much earlier

Don't get a credit card op. That's the last thing you should be doing. Just see how she is. If she's in pain take her the vet to see if they can treat the pain. Explain you can't afford to treat at source. They will advise.

I mean if you look, my advice don't give up without at least searching for a suitable rescue.
A friend has just given her cat to a rescue, needed medical treatment. Now rehomed. They aren't all turning them away no need to be negative. Or sarcastic.
PTS is just one option, dog deserves a chance to get rehomed.

The problem is that things like luxating patellas can keep happening, this dog seemingly has conditions that will always need financial resourcing for as long as the dog lives. The OP could get into a financial mess for only a short term gain and then be back at square one again.

It's not life threatening but surgery isn't a dil er bullet, it can happen again or lead to arthritis issues that becomes another form of long term expensive treatment. You are talking about a dog going into a pen at a dogs home and potentially being there for the rest of its life, could you honestly be numb to that if it was loved pet of yours? People are not rushing to adopt dogs with numerous expensive long term health conditions when the rescues are full of healthy dogs!

Luxating patellas can recur and they can also lead to problems with arthritis later on which again becomes an expensive long term condition to treat. Imagine sending your own pet to a dogs home knowing that they will potentially be stuck in that rescue pen for the rest of their life or be put down eventually anyway because not many people would take that dog on over the vast numbers of healthy dogs in the rescues. It's not a nice thought!

Very dodgy advice! If somebody takes that dog on without knowing there's any issues there's a few different health issues that suddenly isn't being treated and when they do find out they've had a dog dumped on them with multiple expensive health issues they then dump it or have it PTS anyway. Nobody of decency should be passing pets on that rely on medication etc without making the future owner aware!

Some on here have to get away from the dreamy idea that a pet rescue will be the answer and that an op will be done and the dog immediately rehomed to live happily ever after.

I think many rescues will be wary about taking the dog in to be honest! Dislocating knees are caused by bad breeding and if the flaw is in one knee joint, it may well start to cause problems in others. Surgery isn't a silver bullet for d problem like this and will likely involve more treatment in the the long term future especially as arthritis is an additional issue.

Add to that all the other health issues this dog has and it's not a given that this dog would ever find an adoptive family! I couldn't put my pet into a rescue home knowing it would likely be sat there in a pen for the rest of its life until the rescue have to give in and euthanise anyway. That's mentally not a nice position to be in for either the pet or the OP.

Who would take on a dog with an untreated dislocated knee?

Most dog lovers if the alternative was being put to sleep.

So you’d pick this dog over the other thousands of healthy dogs in UK rescues? You must realise, objectively, this dog would be very low down on the desirability list and IF a rescue did take them on, they’d likely spend the rest of their life kennelled?

"You are in a tough situation, but I don't think you have done your research thoroughly- the PDSA operates throughout the UK, so I would definitely look in this."

You have to be within certain postcodes near one of their animal hospitals / vets. Where I live for example you're not eligible because the nearest centre is 2-3 hours away.

Yanbu.
Better that than the animal be in pain.