Old Dog, WWYD

tamarar5

I know we tend to have split opinions on pet interaction with our babies, but this one is hard for me. My husky is going to be 13 years old this year, and has recently been struggling with a slipped disk in her back. Though we have treated the disk, I suspect she is still in pain sometimes.

I explain this because she has gotten really grumpy lately. If E so much as starts crawling in her direction, she started growling. It used to just be a noise, more like she was saying "don't come near me kid.". But the last few days (maybe a week or two?) She has started actually barking at both my kids and even growled showing teeth a couple of times.

I'm having a heard time trying to find out what to do because I have owned her since birth. She has been my best friend and companion for most of my adult life. Dh and I picked her out when we first started dating, but I kept her.

As much as it breaks my heart, is it time to consider putting her down? Or should I look for a retirement home for her? She does so awesome with adults (except men without beards for some reason. But after she smells them, even clean shaven men are OK.).

I'm probably going to be super emotional in responses, I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out even thinking about this. If we weren't expecting a third, I wouldn't even consider doing anything. I would just continue to keep them separate. But I just don't think I can keep it up with two babies around.

Dannysmama

Oh, @TamaraR4, I don't know you in IRL but I wish I could give you a hug.  How close are you with your vet?  Could the vet give you an opinion about the pain?  Can you treat the pain?  Its a short term solution, but maybe its what she needs.

Maybe try and see if your dog does okay with someone without kids.  I mean, my grandmother had 4 kids and she gets so crotchety around her great-grandkids now, so maybe your dog is just being a crotchety old lady and needs some quiet elsewhere.

That having been said ... you would know as well as anyone that dogs hide their pain from us.  We had an amazing old lab who we lost last year to cancer and in the last few weeks, we'd say, it has to be today, and then he'd do something like his old self and we'd say, okay, not today.  When we brought him in, our vet consoled us as we told her about our struggles and said that true to form, all he wanted to do was make us happy, hence his brief moments of wellness.  I kept telling myself we owed it to him to not let him suffer, that for all of the love he gave us, we had to do right by him.  It sounds cheesy, but you know your dog, and listen to your heart.  (oh, man, and now I'm tearing up).  

Hugs across the miles!  

tamarar5

( Thank you! My heart is just breaking! I keep hoping my parents will take her in but they haven't volunteered yet.

I'm not close with my vet. We've only seen our vet twice because I just switched to a new one that I do like. Hated my old vet. Their solution to everything was either cancer or exploratory surgery. I took my little dog in with s bladder infection and they tried to tell me she needed corrective surgery. The new vet is the one who said we could treat the disk with medicine, and it seemed to work. She is moving fine now but like I said, I think she must still hurt sometimes.

Rosebean

Have you offered her a quiet place that she can go to that is a kid free no touch zone? I honestly think she sounds like she is growling out of pain, which means she is afraid the kids touching her will hurt. I know kids never mean to hurt dogs, but yanking and pulling in the wrong place can certainly do that, especially when it compromises the back. Huskies are also notorious for being very alpha and top dog so her flashing her teeth is she means business. She is trying to tell them she needs space. I would say give her a comfortable place she can go when she needs it. My dog asks to go into his kennel when he has reached his limit. And it gives him time to get his space with out going to the next level. And it's good that he knows he has that space. It makes all the difference in the world.

tamarar5

We do shut her in our bedroom, her preferred place. But, I hate always locking her up. And E is starting to play with the doors so it will only be a matter of time before he figures out how to open them. The problem is that there isn't a place she can just go. We have to block things to baby proof.

She was just so amazing and patient when C was a baby, I never once worried about her. But now I do. And with another on the way... she never was a dominant dog, I have always been top in this family. But she IS old and she probably IS in pain. I'm just so torn because she is my first baby and I want to keep her. But I have to think about about my children, too.

I don't want her to be old. Can I just rewind and make her be that annoying but loveable puppy again?

Rosebean

Awe . I totally know how you feel. We had to say goodbye to two of our seniors over the last couple years. They had been in my life from the time I was 12. One went due to nervous system failure and the other had a stage 6 heart murmur. Both broke my heart. But at least with them, it was time for them to go. It's so much harder making the decision when you think they still have a fighting chance. With the first one who passed, we tried to keep him going for 3 more weeks. It was hard on all of us, but at least we knew it was time to let him go. I think you should just make an appointment with your vet. Bring your dog in and ask if this is beyond pain control with medication. If it is, and her quality of life is being compromised, it is time to say goodbye. And I agree, your kids safety comes first. This should be noted with the vet. They need to know if the pain cannot be managed so that she isn't cantankerous with the kids, then that is not good enough. See what they say. I am sure a consultation will help you make a decision so that in the end, you can say you did as much as you could for her. Especially if you choose to let her go. Big hugs, dear. Very big hugs.

tamarar5

Thanks for the pet bed recommendation. We actually have to replace her bed. I put it outside one day to air it and give it a good freeze (we were having flea problems). Well, of course we got 9 inches of snow that night. So now it's a sloppy, slimy mess.

Now that I've had a little time to really think about it and calm down emotionally, I know that the quality of her life is suffering here with me. There is no safe place that I can put her that doesn't segregate her from the household. House to small and poor design. I think she is old and achy but Not in chronic agony like pain. I'm going to approach my parents about taking her in. That would be the best. My dad adores her. And they have a big house without kids, but they have plenty of space for her to retire when we come visit.

Thank you for all the support! I really needed it today.

Dannysmama

I don't remember the medicine we gave our dog, but it was some strong pain medicine and it did help.  I do know whatever it was could impact liver function, but it was a short term solution for us.  Our situation was a little different because the pain medicine would upset our dog's stomach (cancer), so we were giving him a veritable cocktail of pills every day.  However, I don't remember the medicine being very expensive, and we also used it when he tore his ACL and it definitely helped (although made him loopy!).

Hopefully your parents will take her - my ILs helped us out so much with our dog when he was sick.

Anyway - good luck!  Keep us posted! 

Puck1182

What a tough situation. :-(

I'd say try to rehome her. If your parents are willing to take her in that would be wonderful. You'd still get to see her, and she would have a better quality of life.

But if your parents can't or won't take her, maybe find a local husky rescue organization? They might be able to help you find a good home for her. We actually adopted our pup straight from a family that couldn't afford to keep him anymore, but the next step for them was to contact the Pointer Rescue Organization, because they didn't want to just give him to a shelter.

jesuisfatiguee

That is so hard   She and I have similar opinions about clean-shaven men, apparently

But in seriousness, I would also try to rehome her if possible. That is such a tough situation. My heart goes out to you.