Putting a pet to sleep

[Duritzfan]

Hi .. please be kind as I feel terrible about this already ..

we have had a lab for almost nine years - we rescued him so are not entirely sure how old he is but at least ten - and probably older.

We are going to have to move to a rented home for a while and they wont accept him ..I feel that it would be kinder to him for us to have him put to sleep rather than rehome him ..He had a very very rough start and is a super dog and I want to do whats best for him and to be honest I cant bear the thought that he could end up somewhere where someone mistreats him again ..

He is very elderly, has terrible back legs ( has had hip dysplasi since we got him ) and can only walk a little way - he's always been sickly bless him and I don't think that there are many owners who would take on a ten year old dog who cant walk far and is also incontinent several times a week because it hurts him too much to stand ..

I know our old vet who knew him well would probably agree with me, but I am nervous about approaching our new vet ( we have moved ) in case she thinks we are just wanting rid of him ..

He is a super dog and soo gentle .. I just feel like Im in an impossible situation and cant work out what to do for the best ..

Any vets out there/ Or anyone been in a similar situation ?

I agree with you. It's obviously not an easy decision to make.
He has got a lot of problems, and it might be kinder to let him go peacefully rather than through the stress of re-homing

Can you ask your old vet to contact new Vet, or take him to old Vet??

It's a difficult decision but though I'm not a vet when a dog is struggling to walk and is in near constant pain I think that letting them go is the kindest option.

Wow, what a hard decision but probably the right one.

Can you not speak to your old vet?

Would you be considering having him pts if you weren't moving?

The pain,if it couldn't be relieved,would be reason enough imho,as would the lack of mobility. If both were issues unfortunately I'd consider euthanasia to be the only option.

I'm sorry that you're going to have to make such a difficult decision. I had to do the same recently for my dog due to a different condition and I know how hard it is.

Always an incredibly hard decision.

Had lots of experience of my parents having to do it with old dogs and my mother never found it easy.

My view is that once you begin to consider this question, in your heart of hearts, you already know you should say yes. Getting it over with rather than dragging it out is perhaps best for you and the dog.

I've no experience of this and wouldn't advise you but read your post and just wanted to say how sorry I am that you're having to make such a hard decision.

What have the vets said about the pain Duritzfan? Is he on any medication? If not, why not (don't mean that to sound rude, I mean what's the vet's stance on medicating).

If he CAN be relieved from pain by medication, I'll find him a home or totally no kill resscue place if you'll let me... it's what I do as a network dog rescuer (info on me on some threads on here where I've found homes/rescue, happy also to give you my email address and phone number for a chat).

IF his pain can't be relieved, sadly I don't think you have a choice but to say goodbye. I pray that it doesn't come to that and will do all I can to help if you'd like me to.

PS - do I take it that your move is only temporary? As if so and your fella can be helped with pain relief I can find foster care until you can take him back.

Oh god, what a horrible position to be in
Tbh it doesn't sound like he has an awful lot longer left... If Vallhala could help get him fostered somewhere you could visit him regularly, that might be a good option.

But if he's really in that much pain, it might be best to let him go before it gets worse and he loses his dignity.

I'm so sorry, this is a horrible situation to be in.

Hi all, thanks for your comments and being gentle with me .. Everytime I look at him Im sure he can read my mind ..

Ok our move is not intended to be temporary - hopefully the renting bit will be, but we need to sell our house before we can buy another - have to move areas for dh's new job

The dog has a history since we have known him of severe hip dysplasia and he also has a lot fo allergies - he is allergic to all the painkillers our vet has given him and is also allergic to all the treatments for arthritis we have tried - he just throws everything up - he has an extremely sensitive tummy - probably partly due to being starved as a puppy

So no he is not on medication - we just have to keep him as lean as possible so he is on a strict special diet and until a year or two ago we did doggy hydrotherapy with him - complete with lifejacket

However he is now too bad to even do that ..
He has recurrent ear infections bless him too..

He really is a decrepit old boy .. He is so very very gentle and very happy to sleep 20 hours a day .. He cant usually cope with tarmac but luckily we live in a house here with a huge garden so he only ever goes on the grass with a bot of cushioning for him ..He hasnt been able to walk on sand, gravel or pebbles or uphill for about four years ..

OK ..Vallhala - do you honestly think you could find someone willing to take him on ? he is not a cheap easy dog and he comes with a lot of baggage -- cant get upstairs and has a complete phobia about doors being closed - again we think down to his being found locked in a garden shed as a pup..

anyone who took him on would have to be extremely patient and basically just want his company as he cannot go for walks or anything ..

I just cant imagine anyone would be willing .. we have loved him since we gt him so have gotten used to his issues - but to take him on at this stage in his life knowing everything takes a special person ..

If you think you know someone - please I would love nothing more for him to go and spend a little longer being someones companion .He is utterly utterly gentle - a gentle giant - and is a pure bred pedigree choc lab ..he has grown up with kids and cats and adores both .. He is the ultimate gentle giant.

he is also extremely stupid bless him - having eaten whole cans of cat food in the past - tin included - and also has "broken" his tail from being too waggy !

The only pain relief he ever had that worked was a patch - but he chews those off and eats them ...

he's a high maintenance chap !

Hi, duritzfan, I'm a vet and will try to give you my POV (although obviously I can't speak for all vets)

When I see a new owner with an old dog which has a medical history a mile long and is requesting PTS, I would never ever ever think that they are "just trying to get rid of him". You have obviously given him lots of time, treatment and love. If you make an appointment with a new vet, it is common practice for them to contact your old practice for your dog's medical notes, where all the things you have tried for him will be laid out, so don't worry about being "judged". Situations like your come up commonly- especially at holiday times, as people realise that a pet which has been limping along and whose quality of life is deteriorating needs to go into kennels etc. We understand this. There is never a "perfect moment" to let a pet go- sometimes the situation can push the decision to the forefront of the owner's mind, that is all.

It is also worth letting the receptionist at the new vet know that you are considering euthanasia when booking the appointment. I prefer my clients to be direct with me about what they want (although i don't always guarantee I'll give them it!) as it saves having to try to sift the information to see what they are getting at, and removes any confusion, which can lead to courses of treatment the owmers don't actually want, and a sense of frustration. YOU know your dog better over ten years than ANY vet can in 10 minutes, so to me if a client who obviously loves their pet is telling me that pet's quality of life is failing, I tend to believe them. I understand very very few people actually WANT an elderly pet euthanased, and that it takes a lot of courage to even make that appointment and walk in the door, so I am rarely challenging (don't worry- most vets can spot a disgenuine owner a mile off!) and would treat a new client in your position sympathetically and compassionately.

I'm not really sure that rehoming would be the best solution for your old boy, unfortunately , but you will know him best, and know in your heart how well/ not he would adapt. Certainly a foster carer might be a better option, and many warm-hearted souls do do this kind of thing. I really wish you all the best, and hope this helps x

thank you all.. I think you have confirmed what I have a gut feeling about - that it's probably time to be cruel to be kind ..

I think i needed to hear it from someone else -
thank you for being so gentle and honest .

I will call the vet for an appointment .

I think you should try him on medication first and see how he goes before making a rash decision. Pain killers could drastically improve his quality of life if he is suffering from arthritis.

Ahh Duritz, I am so sorry for you. It's such a difficult decision at any time but when circumstances are affecting the timing it is even harder.

I too am a vet and support everything JoolyJoolyJoo has said. Rehoming an elderly animal is often more "palatable" to us humans, but if we forget our own feelings for a moment and consider things from the animal's perspective it can mean upheaval, stress and anxiety. I suspect that your gut feeling is probably right.

If you do decide to opt for euthanasia rather than rehoming/fostering, please don't let yourself feel guilty that this decision has been forced by circumstances. Your dog knows no different, and it is obvious that you care deeply for him and are considering his best interests.

I think the best thing I can do atm is wait until we hear what the vet has to say and what you think you want or need to do next. Am here and ready to help if I can.

Should it be that your little fella can be helped and foster found, would you be able to help with the cost of medication and/or diet? In my experience this often makes a fair bit of difference wrt finding help.

Keeping everything crossed for you.

Val x

Thanks Vallhala

I will contact the vet this week and see what he thinks about his "long term prognosis" and will get back to you ..thank you .. We wouldn't want to foster I don't think - would need to find him a permanent new home as it would be at least 18 months before we could faesibly be in a position to buy a house again .. I am sure we could offer some type of payment as a contribution to ongoing care, but it wouldn't be much - we had him insured from day one which is the only reason we have been able to afford him this long ..

Is there any way of transferring insurance to a new owner ? If there is then that would be the answer and we could maybe offer a years worth of his insurance payments...

to be honest I'd like to do that because then I know he is likely to get all the medical care he needs ...

Thanks all, will report back towards the end of the week ..x

Am so sorry Duritzfan. I had my own lovely lab cross put to sleep less than 6 weeks ago because it turned out that he had pretty advanced cancer of the stomach, liver and spleen. Our vet said that there was a v slim chance of being able to save him and that the trauma to the dog would be unfair. He was only 7 and I was heartbroken but I think it was the right thing to do. He was also a rescue dog. And it was a very peaceful passing, just me, a very kind vet and my dog. Actually, I am in tears thinking about it now, despite having a bouncy new puppy to love and train.

I hope you are be to feel at peace with whichever decision you make.