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.

A close friend took on a dog with expensive and various health and behaviour issues, including requiring expensive surgery, so people can and do.

Many breeds have known issues and owners expect to have to invest significant time and money especially as the dog ages.

Surely it’s better to give the dog a chance at a good life?

But it's rare that someone will! This dog with likely have future issues with their patellas and arthritis and add to the gastric issues and the tracheal issues! The country is in a cost of living crisis, very few people are looking to take on a very expensive commitment when the rescues are full of healthy dogs! There's huge likelihood the dog will be in a rescue kennel until the rescue can no longer keep throwing money at the health conditions! You have to be realistic!

That's not reality! Life has become a lot more expensive and not many people want to take on a dog with the multiple long term issues! There the trachea issues as well as the gastric issues and regular injections! The patella issue could become even more problematic if other knee caps start going the same way. This isn't a minor injury, this dog has flawed joints because of bad breeding and that doesn't go away!

You'd have to be very cold and numb to put your pet in a rescue kennel knowing it's exceptionally unlikely to be rehomed! Rescues may not even be willing to take it with all these long term complex issues.

The message I want to write would have me banned immediately. For one why has her trachea collapsed? They don’t just randomly collapse unless under force! What people “don’t believe in insurance” if they can’t afford to pay for treatments for the animal. That should be illegal! So now an innocent animal has to lose its life through no fault of its own?! I see animals lives on the same level as a human, apart from the fact they are completely innocent and defensless and look to us to protect them and take care of them and this poor dog has been failed massively.

You are 100% wrong to state owner fault for collapsed trachea. Because you have no idea. And. Do you think if it was due to mistreatment, that the Vet would allow do to go home ??

Thd 7 yr old can be a breed that suffers this.

Educate yourself
https://www.trudellanimalhealth.com/learn/further-reading/tracheal-collapse-dogs-what-it-symptoms-look-and-how-treat-it

So you pay for treatment if you feel this strongly...

I find this interesting and wonder where those who would take out a loan would draw the line. Ddog has cancer and this year has had 6 months of intensive chemo. Insurance has covered it (all 7k of it) and we’ve topped up. We can pay another £3k from our own money for reassessments and other treatments if cancer is still there but insurance doesn’t renew until September so it would cost us ££££. So far we have paid £1500 on top of insurance. We’ve decided to not do the testing and wait and watch. If he has symptoms return we will make a call but will we take out a loan for a further £7k? No. I love my dog to bits but I also have dc and that would be taking a significant amount of money from them, their opportunities to go to uni etc. you have to put it in perspective. It’s very hard though, even with insurance.

No but keeping a pet that is in constant pain because you can't afford medication for it is selfish, and cruel- you need to find a different solution rather than just dismissing them.

I said to explore the options, that is realistic. You asked if people saying this had personal experience, some of us are saying yes we do, that’s where it comes from.

It’s better than straight to euthanising, which should be a last resort.

It’s irresponsible to take on any pet including adopting a ‘healthy’ ones if owners don’t consider later costs and implications as the pet ages.

Stressing that’s not in this case for OP, who is a young person who inherited her pet.

I wasn't advising rehoming.

I was pointing out the awful truth that whilst most (except Many Pets) insurers will not cover pre existing conditions, IF the OP were to rehome without disclosing health issues (and most rehomes are exactly that, no history), the new owner WOULD get cover, despite the fact that once a vet discovers knee etc problems, it will be clear the dog has had them for a while.

I have had clients in exactly this situation - got a dog from rescue, told the dog is fine, vet checked, no issues, insure the dog... then they see me, I point out the dog is lame on all four legs/both front legs/both hind legs and this has made the lameness harder to see.

Dog is covered for corrective surgery/treatment, despite the fact that this condition has existed the whole time the person has had the dog and before that. They were unaware it had that condition when they took out the insurance, therefore the decent insurers will cover it.

At the end of the day a conversation with rescues won't hurt but it's an option that would put a lot of mental stress on the OP and possibly the dog, dogs can get very stressed when put into a kennel environment.

In my experience rehoming is very stressful for the dog. In a perfect scenario, dog would stay with current owner and treatment would be paid for by an appeal/charity/fairy godmother.

Next best dog is rehomed straight to new home/long term foster and new owner or charity pay.

More likely, even if rescue agree to take dog, the dog has to face treatment and recovery in kennels or foster before being moved on to permanent home if lucky. Then further treatment likely.

The least amount of suffering for the dog would most probably be euthanasia unless perfect solution can be found.

I see animals lives on the same level as a human

That is your personal value system. It is certainly not everybody’s. So people will of course behave differently to you.

So you think it’s fine to get a dog, have no insurance, and then end its life because it gets sick and you cant afford it? Would you feel the same about no medical insurance abroad and a family member becomes sick or a child? As for tracheal collapse that’s a valid point, how and why has it collapsed!

Oh shut up. What a massively unhelpful kick in the teeth to a young person in a really shitty wicket.
Can we take this as your offer to front veterinary care? Not just now but on an ongoing basis in case this (very likely) reoccurs? No? Then just shut up.

It’s. A. Dog.
As above, I look forward to your offer to front veterinary care. I’ll wager you care but not enough to actually do a single thing about it. Nothing but virtue signalling tosh.

I think the collapsing trachea thing just happened because of her breed.. I don’t know what you mean by what did I do to her?
I couldn’t have got insurance for her when I was under age, and I also didn’t know what I was getting myself into and didn’t fully understand the responsibilities.
I understand what you’re saying about taking their life, I don’t want to do that and I feel awful for even considering it, it’s not my life to take but I don’t know what the alternative is I am looking at a bill for thousands and thousands.
No one will take her on she’s too expensive they could just get another dog? she can’t even really walk about now without pain because her condition effects her leg so I’m worried about her quality of life.!

No animal deserves to be kept in misery

It honestly isn't hard to Google about tracheas, it's a genetic flaw inherent in the smallest breeds of dogs! Ever heard little dogs coughing a lot when they get over excited? Well that is a sign that the trachea is partially collapsed.

The OP was a child when her parents bought the dog and failed to insure it at an early age. Where you buying animal insurance at the age of 13?

The OP didn't fail the dog but has been left to pick up the pieces by her parents that failed to ensure the dog, please describe what her options are when the finances are just non existent to manage all these conditions that the dog has?

You think it's kinder to dump it in a rescue kennel for the rest of its days? It's isn't just about hoping someone comes along willing to pay endless thousands, they have to have the right knowledge on at least 4 different conditions that the dog has and the limitations of the dog! It would also have to be suitable home where there likely has to be no other dogs or children to get boisterous around the dog.

What brilliant alternative option are you see here?

You are right to be worried about her quality of life and a good decent owner for considering putting her out of her suffering. Ignore the ignorant trolls on here. Many lay in wait for any opportunity to have a go at someone who’s hurting. They’ll have bigger problems of their own that they’re just off loading on to you. You can’t let them bait you ok xx

I hope you saw my PM...

Collapsing trachea is more likely in some breeds than others, but it can also be a result of injury, typically dogs who pull hard into collars, or dogs who have been subjected to the 'jerk the leash' type of training, especially if a thin slip or choke chain has been used.

For some breeds though, there is a predisposition and simply pulling into a flat collar can be enough and the damage can be done before the owner realises it was ever a risk. It's why I recommend to all my puppy people that collars be for tags only and dogs are walked on harnesses.

Oh, I knew about that and she’s always worn a harness and never a collar

My best friend works as a vet assistant, she says she has seen hundreds if not thousands of pets pts because owners can’t do anything and vets won’t accept payment plans , often for simple broken bones . Vet fees are extortion in the U.K.