When is it time to let a young dog go?

[Bloominginmyfifties]

A family member has a 3 year old rescue cockapoo. He's always had slippy knees but in the last few months it seems his hips are actually the problem.
Google tells us hip dysplasia is common in this breed but the only way to tell definitely is nearly £900 worth of xray.
Insurance won't cover so it's a lot of money and it feels like if his hips are causing pain then an actual diagnosis is neither here nor there. He's on painkillers but the question really is how bad do you let the discomfort get before it's kinder to let him go. He's always been extremely active and there is no way he would cope with being a sedentary dog. Surgery isn't really an option either as would cost thousands with no insurance and he would find the restrictions incredibly difficult. Quality of life over quantity always but he's so young.
Before pain relief he's gone for us a few times when we've had to move him and you can see how tense he is when he's worried he's going to be touched in that area. He's also wet himself a few times when he's moved and the pain has caught him out.
His owner doesn't want to give up on him but also desperately doesn't want him to suffer because they aren't ready to lose him.
Is it best to carry on with pain relief until it can't be increased further and he's still showing signs of pain?

To answer your question the time is now. They 'aren't ready to lose him' is just selfish. Poor dog.

Well I’ll go first and say that they are a dreadful owner to not have pet insurance in place or a means of
paying a huge vets bill , a young dog like that should be given every chance . You can’t possibly know what you’re dealing with without a proper disgnosis & yes that costs money . I hope they don’t ever get another pet with that level of irresponsiblity .

You follow the vets advice; not your own heart. If he’s in agony and there is no solution, the time is now. They can bear a lot of pain - if he’s showing pain, it’s very very intense for him and continuing is cruel.
Sometimes it’s kinder to let them go; not when it suits you but when it suits them, x

Best thing is to relinquish him to a breed specific charity (Spaniel Aid) that can afford to have him scanned and fully checked for health issues. Then they can home him with someone who can cover the expenses and who understand how to manage dogs with health limiting conditions.

Dogs with hip dysplasia can live excellent lives and (and I mean this in the least judgmental way) putting an otherwise healthy dog to sleep just because they can't afford them and aren't willing to stump up the costs to even try is not what a loving owner does.

Sounds like a vet hasn't even got x-rays to be able to diagnose properly and quite frankly no one should be putting to sleep a young dog without doing the bare minimum which, in this case, is x-rays.

Edit: Just to say, I am a firm believer in not making a dog suffer. But it doesn't sound like the owners have even had him scanned and checked properly, and no one should be euthanising a dog without being sure. All they've done is googled. And putting to sleep a dog on the basis of google...words fail me.

That's so sad. Can they ask the vet about charities that could offer help? Would they be willing to surrender the dog?
You say rescue cockapoo, did they get the dog from a legit place? Coul they take the dog back? Or was it just passed on by someone unscrupulous who knew about the issues ?

I agree with @TheHungryHungryLandsharks , the minimum the current owner should do is x rays to find out what causes the pain. Shop around, try and find an independent vet, they are often cheaper! Maybe some family members can help with the costs?

I clicked on this expecting to give a totally different answer based on the title, as I had a young dog PTS. But the difference is I had spent nearly 3 years going back and forward to the vets and had consulted 4 different specialists. It doesn't sound like this owner has done anything other than Google.

They should give him back to the rescue (if it was a reputable one) so the poor dog can get the veterinary care he so desperately needs.
If the original rescue won't take him back, then contact another one like Spaniel Aid as PP mentioned.

The owner may not want to give up on the dog, but they can't leave him untreated and in pain. And to have him put to sleep without doing everything possible to help him first is unthinkable.

If the owner can't even afford x-rays then they need to give the dog over to a rescue who can provide it with the care it needs.

The owner has insurance and the dog has been back and forward to the vets for various issues to the point where the insurance now excludes pretty much everything except accidents and have refused to pay for X-rays otherwise it would have been done.

The dog was rescued by a friend of a friend as a young puppy but they were unprepared and couldn't cope so she took the dog on to prevent it being returned to the rescue for the third time, he was a hyper anxious mess and she has done wonders with him. None of this is her fault and she has tried so very hard but there comes a point where you can't keep getting into debt investigating a condition that probably won't be curable without borrowing and spending many more thousands.

@Bloominginmyfifties in which case she gives it to a proper charity, like Spaniel Aid, who can help.

@Bloominginmyfifties but that doesn't mean she puts the dog to sleep - there are loads of charities who can help in situations like this. If she can't afford to care for the dog then she needs to sign it over to someone who can.

The dogs knees unfortunately slip regularly (can't remember what this is called), and he has been seen by the vet regularly and it's never bothered him. During recent visits his hips have been the area that bothers him during examination and it's just getting worse. The vet says it could be compensating for knees but doesn't know why else it would be deteriorating so quickly. If X-rays alone are £900 plus the expensive pain relief I can only imagine how expensive operations and recovery would be and paying for that is hard enough never mind how she'd work full time and look after him afterwards. Theres is only so much one person can do.
No rescue would take him, he couldn't be rehomed like this.

Spaniel Aid take dogs with severe hip dysplasia. A ten second google will tell you that.

@Bloominginmyfifties

https://spanielaid.co.uk/spaniel/elvis-sa5576/ - hip dysplasia.

https://spanielaid.co.uk/spaniel/croc-sa5571/ - cataracts

https://spanielaid.co.uk/spaniel/milo-sa5125/ hip dysplasia, luxating patella, allergies

They have 15 dogs at the moment. 3 have serious health issues. That is 1/5.

So, tell us again why your 'friend' won't do the right thing by their dog?

A rescue absolutely would take him, as the above shows, so please don't be so dishonest - deliberately or otherwise. At this point it sounds like you're trying to justify euthanising an animal that, quite frankly, has received limited medical care thus far.

The vet 'doesn't know' because your 'friend' won't pay for the x-rays. If they can't afford to look after their dog properly, they should give it to Spaniel Aid.

@Bloominginmyfifties plenty of rescues would take him.

It sounds more and more like you're trying to justify putting him to sleep without actually putting any effort into treating his condition

They need to have the x rays and at least find out what the issue is. It could be something completely different.

I don’t understand why you (or your ‘friend’) don’t actually contact a rescue to ask this. Lots of rescues specialise in either breed specific or condition specific help for CHD. It’s manageable, though maybe not for your friend, and dogs can live happily with it. Why assume this dog wouldn’t cope, you’ve no way of knowing that. See: https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/v6vka2/is_chd_a_death_sentence/

Irresponsible breeders, well meaning but ill prepared owners. THIS is why rescue is overflowing with dogs that need so much medical care.
If you own a dog, having £900 available for emergency treatment is not an unusual requirement.
The country needs a massive crack down on breeding, immediately.

So, only rich people can have dogs?

This is a dog that at 3 years is on its 4th home and they adore each other, he suffers extreme separation anxiety and rehoming would be difficult enough if he were healthy. She would borrow the money and keep going until she was bankrupt, the vets will just keep suggesting things to try. She is saving for the X-rays to get a definite diagnosis but that will not change how things are.
as a kid in the seventies it was pretty much given that your pets were good until they weren't then they went to the vet and didn't come back. These days with insurance and vet chains it seems money is no object and we just keep going sometimes to the detriment of the animals.

No, only people who can afford them can have dogs. That might mean living below your means to keep enough cash in the bank, fewer holidays, a crappier car, less nice things.

You and your "friend" need to stop making excuses. If she can't afford treatment then the dog needs to go to a suitable rescue for help.

If you cannot afford to pay for the medical treatment/insurance that dog may require, at any point in its life, don’t buy or adopt that dog. It’s as straightforward as that. No animal should suffer because a person decided they “wanted” a dog but couldn’t actually provide the care said dog needed.

No, only people who can afford pets should have them. I would love more animals but the cost is prohibitive so I don't. It's not hard.

What’s your objective here? Your friend is prepared to keep investigating and funding treatment, but you think she shouldn’t bother because people didn’t used to?

She's an experienced owner and good but financially she's limited by being a single self supporting woman. Not her fault at all and if it were a child there would be help, it's a dog so there isn't