Would you MRI or PTS without diagnosis?

[Indecisivelurcher]

13yo greyhound x, in pain, seems to be his neck. Possible diagnosis is slipped disc pressing on nerve, or chance it could be something like a tumor pressing.

Treatment for disc would be pain meds and rest and hope it improves. If it's really bad we wouldn't consider surgery I don't think. Likewise if it's a tumor we would be looking at managing pain and when to call it a day, not surgery. This is our thinking at his age and with other health considerations including ibd, some arthritis, and a heart murmur.

The only way to really know which it is and how bad it is to do an MRI. That would involve a general anaesthetic and cost £2.5k. We don't have insurance at this point. It's not just the money though.

My issue I think is, we are trying pain relief now but I'm not sure it's going well. It's only day 2 though so will give it more time. But if it doesn't conclusively make him feel happier, would you decide to pts WITHOUT doing the MRI? Or would you want the MRI as a way of knowing you're making the right decision?

If my friend recognises this, I'll definitely need a stowford at the quiz please.

Let him go - that way, the suffering will be yours and not his. I think that's the best we can do for creatures that love us so unconditionally

It’s always really obvious when someone really loves their dog.
I'm also a big believer in ‘it’s better to let them go a little bit early than a moment too late’.
There will come a moment when the decision becomes easier to make, wait for that moment.

My beloved girl went early December - tough decision but definitely right decision.

That is absolutely dreadful.
So sorry you had to endure guilt tripping by the vet- The head vet of a teaching hospital was absolutely pro quality of life above everything- even if it meant the animal was PTS sooner without extensive surgeries- What's the point when they are likely to only buy a little time?
Who does this benefit when an animal is elderly and having fits like this? Glad you decided the humane option.

So glad you have a nicer vet practice now.

Gabapentin can IME make them really drowsy and not with it, but only for a few days till they adjust.

i agree with everyone else in that if the treatment either way is going to be pain management then there’s no point at all putting him through a GA.

He's got out of bed this morning and trotted to the garden, and looks a bit brighter in the eye, bless him. Fingers crossed the pain killers are doing their thing. He's so lovely. He was a rescue, picked up off the streets as an older puppy, all mangey and full of worms. He's always such an easy boy, brilliant with the kids, he thinks every buggy we see out is his even though they're in primary school now. And of course fabulous zoomies! He loved flyball in his youth.

Sending you lots of love OP.

I think you’re doing the right thing.

We had a similar issue earlier this year, 13 year old lab, generally doing well for her age, but a bit arthritic now, and a bit deaf and her eyesight isn’t as good as it was. Otherwise happy and enjoying little walks, gentle playing, being involved withher family etc. Had an issue (Horners syndrome) …. Could possibly have been a tumor and need surgery or could be idiopathic and get better on its own or with steroids… that could be diagnosed with MRI to see if it was tumours.

We said no to MRI. She was no longer insured and there was no way I was putting her through surgery to remove a tumor on her spine. The vet said that was an entirely reasonable course of action. We agreed we’d give oral steroids and see what happened. It obviously meant we didn’t know what was causing the problem but we weren’t going down the route of invasive treatments. If she got better, then wonderful but if not we weren’t going to start poking and prodding, we just wanted to keep her comfortable and happy. We were very lucky, it got better (who knows if the steroids helped or it would have got better on its own 🤷‍♀️). However, if it had deteriorated, if she’d become unhappy or had pain we would have called time, and our vet was very supportive.

We are lucky in that our wonderful vet is on the same page- at 13.5 now her quality of life is the most important thing and we would not do anything invasive to prolong life at all costs.

I agree with everyone else to try the pain relief. My other thought is that if he seems to be adjusting to the pain relief it might be worth a bit further on trying some massage therapy. It helped my dog a lot. He was always tired after a treatment but did move more easily. see how it goes ask your vet first
The saying “it is better to go at a quarter to 12 than quarter past” is right but difficult to make. I wish you well.

I’d do what you are doing. Just manage pain. It may take a bit of trial and error and more time but it can make a difference.

I would do what you are doing. Give the painkillers a chance to work. If he is still in pain then you would need to have the conversation about PTS.

My 13 year old lurcher has been struggling with his back legs - similarly it is something going on in his spine. My vet said that doing imaging wouldn't change the course of treatment at all and I completely agree.
But he's been doing loads better on a combination of ketamine subcutaneous injections once a month (these are cheap too!), parvale, acupuncture and chiropractic treatments. He has CBD oil and turmeric as well. We did try gabapentin, amidopoline and Librela but they didn't help.

We had a very similar Lurcher with similar background- Absolutely skeletal when found.

Absolute soulmate- Ours loved children- probably because on the (illegal ) site the kids were the only ones to play with her.

She was afraid of adults initially.

Was wormed by RSPCA but not for tapeworm- the proglottids came wriggling out of her bottom .

Treatable and never saw another worm in almost 12 yrs.

Also a vet and personally I could and would not PTS without a diagnosis but it’s an entirely personal decision