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?

She sounds lovely OP. I don't think she needs any advice as an experienced dog owner really other than to just do what she is able to reasonably do.

I’m not sure where you got the info from that this dog is doomed OP, hip dysplasia really isn’t the end of the road and = terrible life, especially for a 3 year old dog.

Actually for most dogs with appropriate treatment they go on to live perfectly good, happy and fulfilled lives. These costs are part of being a dog owner. X Rays to confirm the diagnosis, if it is hip dysplasia, you can then try pain relief, joint supplements, physio & hydrotherapy, and if those aren’t providing relief then there is a surgical option. Cockapoos actually tend to recover very well from surgery being a smaller breed, I can’t imagine putting a 3 year old dog to sleep over a totally treatable problem.

Well it seems most of you would be happy to rack up thousands of pounds of debt, give up work, lose your home due to this and all to save a dog that will have very little quality of life at the end of it because a double hip replacement, double knee replacement and the depression that months of confinement and limited mobility aren't easy to recover from.

She has insurance but it excludes conditions that have been treated previously or that may be linked to new issues. It's not the best insurance but it's not the worst either and isn't hindsight a wonderful thing. It would have been better had she not taken him but I doubt he'd be here today if she hadn't, he's been hard work and not many would have coped this long.

I still think a few years of being adored and looked after really well is far better than a mediocre existence being constantly rehomed. And honestly I don't know where all these magic rescues with unlimited funding for medical treatments are because they aren't in our area.

Exactly

Hear hear.

I totally agree with you OP. She should probably let the dog go. I don't see any benefit in passing the problem to a charity either.

Very sad all around.

Correction, I would be willing to go into debt for an animal that I had chosen to take on, failed to get adequate insurance for and now owe a duty of care to. I would do so knowing, as others have said, that the recovery for this is often great and the condition is treatable which would allow this supposedly beloved dog to have many more happy years to come.

Quite where you’ve got the idea that someone would need to give up work for this I don’t know, but you do seem to just be making up excuses for poor dog ownership as you go along.

I truly hope your “friend” does the right thing and uses her googling skills to find somewhere that will actually appropriately care for this poor dog.

Well it seems most of you would be happy to rack up thousands of pounds of debt, give up work, lose your home due to this and all to save a dog that will have very little quality of life at the end of it because a double hip replacement, double knee replacement and the depression that months of confinement and limited mobility aren't easy to recover from.

No. I would sign my beloved dog over to a charity who could at least give him a chance at life, not put him to sleep. HTH.

Is this 'family member' you @Bloominginmyfifties ?

Of course it is. OP knew she'd get a pasting so is pretending to be someone else.

What vet has told you that the dog requires these extensive surgeries? It certainly isn’t the case if this is hip dysplasia- physio, hydro, surgery, and a 3 year old cockapoo has an amazing chance at a totally normal life.

Our old Lab had hip dysplasia, treated, you would never know now that he’d ever had it done! He’s lived a totally normal and fulfilled life and keeps up perfectly with our younger lab and our children no worries at all

Can I just say , ignore the comments saying they are terrible owners for not having vet insurance

What I would advise is this dog is not the best of breed ( health wise ) and has health problems.

Its so hard , seriously , to decide to do the best thing for the dog and the family

My last cocker, cost me an arm and leg, from a very reputable breeder, and yet I had to make the discision when he was just 10. Previously his hips were giving him grief, then hes eyesight and hearing went, then Alzheimers I struggled on for years because he wasnt ready to go - he was still wanting walks , even though I could spend an hour letting him in and out the back door because he wanted out, forgot why, wanted in, and then wanted right back out

When he passed we rehomed a rescue cat. Within a year it was clear he had eye issues, we spent £1k a month having his bloods taken, his platelets removed and put into syringes to use as drops, as well as a fortune on top on different eye drops.. Got that all cleared - he was then found to be riddled with cancer = that's when I said - let him go

My first ever dog, I would have remortgaged the house to pay for treatment - if it had been available at that time. I would have laid my life on the line

Since then Im older and wiser. I love my animals, even the chickens get turn and turn about for cuddles on the lap , and every time I have to say good bye to an animal , it hurts.

But dragging things out ??

with my first, yes I would have been so very selfish and put him through very invasive treatment - for me . With age and maturity I realise I cant keep putting an animal through treatment they dont understand , so for me now, its is my pet having a good quality of life

Im lucky in a way because I live rural and animals, whilst can be very well loved, are treated as livestock so we dont get vets saying we can do this that and the other. They lay it on the line and say it how it is

No one needs to lose their home. Stop being dramatic - this isn't Eastenders. There's no BAFTA for amateur dramatics on Mumsnet.

Everyone is telling you that the dog could go into a rescue. The fact is you and your 'friend' want to do what's best for you, not the dog. Dogs with more serious health conditions than what you have guessed might from your armchair google diagnosing have lived long, happy, lives.

Lots of people have rescue dogs that are hard work. Their solution, when the going gets tough and they are unable to pay £900 to actually diagnose their pet isn't to kill it.

And the dog hasn't had years of being adored. You said yourself, it's had three owners in 4 years - so chances are it'd be fine going to a new home. It's not like your friend (you) are all it's ever known. At least keep your story straight. 🙄

But this dog doesn't have a diagnosis? It's all speculation?!

Have you proved it though? You have quite rightly pointed out that they are happy to take on poorly dogs. Great. Please now share the statistics to show they accept 100% of the dogs referred to them in this condition. Or if it's not 100%, then what percentage is it?

What condition? This dog doesn’t even have a diagnosis.

That did cross my mind.

It's wholly irresponsible to rescue a dog that you can't afford to get treated for medical conditions.

Does it matter? The OP, sorry the OPs family member/friend, can contact multiple charities, if none can take the dog on then that's probably her answer. Unless willing to charity raise in order to fund a diagnosis.
Then they'd be in a position to make an informed decision about quality of life.

It's not about money. I have had my beloved dog put down the moment I was told he had cancer. The alternative suggestion was radical jaw surgery. No way.

I have had my lovely old cat put down when he had his third bladder blockage in a matter of weeks and his blood results were poor, but they were willing to invert his penis and stitch it to his abdomen. No thanks.

This is about a dog who is young and healthy, with an unknown condition, which could be treated or managed well. It's a common condition for the breed, so there are charities who will take these dogs on, treat them, and re-home or put them out for long term foster.

OP has diagnosed...via google. She hasn't even had scans.

So the fact is, a rescue would almost certainly take the dog and get it checked and then make a decision. Right now, it's a dog with joint pain with no diagnosis.

As someone heavily involved in the rescue world (admittedly, mine are Golden Retrievers) with a breed predisposed to joint issues...any good rescue would never turn down a dog based on it's health. We would do our own independent checks, with our own vets, to verify a dogs health. It's literally the first thing any rescue does. Then we make a decision and come up with a treatment plan.

No one is going to turn away an undiagnosed dog, and certainly not a charity like Spaniel Aid which is well known in the rescue world for being amongst the most committed to trying to help dogs.

Don't be disingenuous. I'm responding to a poster (who I have quoted) in regards to dogs that are unwell/need medical attention.

Just in case you do need me to explain, then I mean condition as in a medical condition of some variety.

Hope that now makes sense to you.

Of course it matters. As usual, people throw statements on here like they are a given. My point is that it is not always that simple.

For example, the whole, why don't you just buy a 5 bedroom house? That kind of crap.

It's not always real life and as such, it should be called out or questioned when appropriate.

That's lovely to hear and I hope it reflects the experience most people get in this situation ❤️ ( that isn't meant sarcastically BTW, in case it sounds that way ) x

I find this question a difficult one, usually when we have our pets PTS they are at a ripe old age, having to consider this for a young pet is heartbreaking.

We had a 3y old dog PTS and I felt so guilty, we tried everything, vets, specialist vets and we still had no answers, luckily we had insurance. Their front knees were also going but she did not have hip dysplasia! You need a proper diagnosis. Unfortunately after thousands on scans we never got one.

You need to go by what the vet advises tbh, our hearts will never be ready to make that decision alone.

lots of rescues do take pets with health issues providing their quality of life hasn’t diminished.