When to euthanize. NBR

Painterlady · February 2014

Our dog, Pepper was diagnosed with lymphoma this past October. We decided to treat it with steroids to elongate his life a bit more and make him more comfortable. He was only give two months tops to live but he proved them wrong lol. Anyway, the steroids are no longer working and he's beginning to get sick. His swollen lymphnodes are taking over his entire body and he's becoming more antisocial. He had diarrhea this morning and there was blood in it. He's still eating and drinking and doesn't seem to be in any pain yet (we can still pick him up and he's walking fine). I have never put a pet down and I have no idea when the right time is. I don't want him to suffer, but I want as much time with him as possible before he goes. Any opinions from those who have been through this? Much appreciate!

Jalee85 · February 2014

This is such a personal decision. For me it would be when the dog was either in so much pain they were no longer ever happy, or when they no longer ate and drank. Some people would decide on if they could not make it outside to go potty anymore. However, if you can pick your dog up this may not have to be a deciding factor.

I'm so very sorry your dog is sick.

deedee1017 · February 2014

I can't offer any advice but I'm sorry.

Painterlady · February 2014

Thanks! I know he's not ready quite yet, but I seriously don't feel he's gonna last another three weeks. He's getting worse every day. I think it is spreading to his organs...his stomach is extremely bloated ugh. It's such an awful thing to have to think about. This has been so hard...especially for my kids. I just want to make the right decision.

StefMurph · February 2014

I made the decision twice before. Once the dog is antisocial or you can tell they are uncomfortable, you can usually make the decision easier. One dog was a male and couldn't lift his legs to pee. When I looked in his eyes, I just knew it was time.

sweettwilight16 · February 2014

We had to make this decision with one of our cats over the summer & it was one if the hardest things I've ever done. He was suffering though & I didn't want him to be in pain anymore. I'm really sorry you're going through this. ((Creepy internet hugs))

jennlin · February 2014

I'm so sorry...I was in a similar situation a few years ago and it sucks big time. He was still loving, and still ate if we gave him "good" (canned) food, but stopped eating his dry food. He could walk, but needed help standing up for a few weeks. We made the decision on a Thursday, made the appt for Saturday...he stopped eating Friday night, and he died on his own, in my arms 3 hours before his scheduled appt. My dog hung on to meet his baby sister (dd was 18 days old).

Totally crying now. Miss my baby. I had him from 4 wks-13yrs.

Chrisanna0508 · February 2014

So sorry you have to go through this. It was a quality of life issue when I decided to put my cat down. He had a cancerous tumor on his shoulder that amputation would not have helped. We decided that when he couldn't get around well and didn't seem happy anymore we would put him down, which is what we did. Putting a pet down is never easy

Painterlady · February 2014

jennlin said:
I'm so sorry...I was in a similar situation a few years ago and it sucks big time. He was still loving, and still ate if we gave him "good" (canned) food, but stopped eating his dry food. He could walk, but needed help standing up for a few weeks. We made the decision on a Thursday, made the appt for Saturday...he stopped eating Friday night, and he died on his own, in my arms 3 hours before his scheduled appt. My dog hung on to meet his baby sister (dd was 18 days old).

Totally crying now. Miss my baby. I had him from 4 wks-13yrs.

Oh god I'm crying now too! This sucks

(

Inn2 · February 2014

We had the same with our dog, Jake. At the end, he'd gone from 75 pounds to just under 50. We even moved him cross country (with 2 cats and a turtle) and he survived 2 home transitions while here. His tumors were mostly on his neck and they told us the day he stops eating, to bring him in. We did exactly that. One of the hardest days of my life. I am sorry, you too, are going through this.

Arod1087 · February 2014

Omg you all have made me cry! I'm so sorry you lost your fur babies!

CousinVicki · February 2014

how do you know he isn't in pain? Blood in diarrhea and the lymph nodes 'taking over his body' would be a sign for me. Our greyhound had bone cancer and seemed fine at first glance , a slight limp, could go to the bathroom, was still eating/drinking but like you said becoming more antisocial. Lying down a lot and panting and pacing (signs of pain). It was time.

Mae208 · February 2014

CousinVicki said:
how do you know he isn't in pain? Blood in diarrhea and the lymph nodes 'taking over his body' would be a sign for me. Our greyhound had bone cancer and seemed fine at first glance , a slight limp, could go to the bathroom, was still eating/drinking but like you said becoming more antisocial. Lying down a lot and panting and pacing (signs of pain). It was time.

This is kind of what I was thinking too. Poor pup and I'm sorry you're having to do this!

Painterlady · February 2014

CousinVicki said:
how do you know he isn't in pain? Blood in diarrhea and the lymph nodes 'taking over his body' would be a sign for me. Our greyhound had bone cancer and seemed fine at first glance , a slight limp, could go to the bathroom, was still eating/drinking but like you said becoming more antisocial. Lying down a lot and panting and pacing (signs of pain). It was time.

I guess I don't know for sure. I've been told the lymphnodes themselves are not painful, but he is more antisocial than usual and isn't walking on his hind legs like he normally does (he's a chihuahua mix...he dances). I'm just judging based in the fact that he's still runs, climbs the stairs and isn't crying out in pain at all when he's picked up or pet. I dont think hes suffering too bad yet...but I don't think it'll be long before it's obvious he's hurting. The vet told me I'll know, so we'll see.

Painterlady · February 2014

@petdocd
Thank you so much...that is really helpful info. This whole post is one big sob story ugh, but it's eased my mind a bit.

bkeane619 · February 2014

It's hard to explain. You kind of just know when you look in their eyes.

cassey910 · February 2014

No advice but I am so sorry.

alylove11 · February 2014

I don't have any advice either but wanted to say how sorry I am to hear this. My heart aches for you because our pets are family members.

MissLauraPants · February 2014

It's so hard to make the decision. My baby developed first a mass on her shoulder that we found out was malignant. We decided to go through the chemo ( I was at michigan state at the time so it was affordable to go through the vet school), then 6 months later she started limping and the doctor diagnosed her with a hurt let that could be fixed with surgery. We decided against the surgery because of her age and the dr thought she was not in pain. When I got back to Texas for the summer I took her to my vet who said that she had bone cancer. He told me she was in tremendous pain even though she never told us. For that week I fed her steak, canned food...anything she wanted and then we put her to sleep. I felt so guilty that I had no clue she was in pain. Anyway you will know when it is time I think.

chelseyestelle · February 2014

I'm so sorry. I've gone through this with my own babies and it just gets to that point when you know. When we put my 15 year old dachshund down a year ago.. I don't know.. You just looked in his eyes and he wasn't there. He couldn't walk. He was going blind. He was having accidents. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. He was my baby since I was 7. Hugs to you.

asilwhite · February 2014

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I with my parents and sister made the decision to put down our family English cocker spaniel a couple years ago and it was the hardest decision we've ever made. But it was time. We could tell he was in pain, he would yelp every time he laid down and he started to try to bite everyone who pet him came near him.

It is heartbreaking to lose your best friend and sometimes even harder to make that final decision.

((Hugs))

MrsStuessyWI · February 2014

My parents are trying to make this decision right now as well and it sucks. Their dog, Willa (or Baby), was my childhood pet as well. We get her when I was 10 and she is now 14. She is a dachshund/chihuahua. They almost put her down in the fall because her back was obviously causing her horrible pain, but then she recovered. So they didn't. It is clear she is confused and forgets to go the bathroom or where she is and where her bed is. She has a hard time getting around and is losing control of her bladder all together now. My dad is a vet and has done everything there is to do to make her comfortable and she is on all kinds of meds. But, they are thinking some time in the next few months it will be time.

My parents are talking about what activities she is still able to do. She no longer enjoys running around outside and doesn't love people as much as she used to, she acts nervous and usually just hides now. That is definitely not who she is so they are enjoying the next few months and then will probably put her down. My dad is still working so he wants to put her down while he is able to do it himself as well.

I'm so sorry and pray you have peace in this decision.

huntjul · February 2014

I agree as always with @petdocd . I do not agree with "you will know when it's time" bc I've seen many clients wait too long. Our pets are by and large more stoic than humans. They suffer in silence, so detecting their pain isn't straightforward. Making the list petdoc talked about can be helpful. Lack of enjoyment of previously enjoyable activities or absent appetite or difficulty walking/urinating/defecating are all reasons to euthanize. With a disease like lymphoma that you know will be fatal, I don't like to wait too long. In the end, those extra few days you may have waited won't mean the world to you (usu bad quality days after a lifetime of good days), yet the suffering can be significant to the dog who doesn't understand what is happening. Sorry you are going through this. My advice is don't wait too long.

cagey22 · February 2014

So sorry! It's a really hard thing to approach.

There are a few things i've heard that have helped me. The first is to mark good and bad days on a calendar and when the bad outweigh the good, is a good indicator of it being time.

The second thing I heard that I really carry with me is that it's better to put an animal down a day too soon, than a minute too late.

Big hugs and good luck. Ultimately, you have to do what feels right for you.

Emilyraymond · February 2014

This is why I don't have any pets. I could not handle having to do put them down or having them die. And deft could not stand to see my kids in so much pain when they are older and loosing their dog or long time family member.

I am sorry your goin through this though. I'm sure it's a very hard decision to make.

huntjul · February 2014

dh13 said:

I'm so sorry you are going through this. My kitten, who we raised from finding him at 2 weeks old, was found to have FIP (the wet version) at 10 months, which is fatal. We spent thousands of dollars and invested so much hope into thinking he could beat it, and sadly, he didn't. We knew it was time when he stopped eating fresh, grilled chicken breast and yogurt. At that point, I was trying absolutely everything to make him eat. I look back and I honestly wish I would have taken him sooner. I feel guilty because I feel like I kept him alive for myself since it was certain he was never going to recover. His last days were very painful and it was so hard to watch. The process of the euthanization was very traumatic, but I wanted to stay with my kitten when he went to the big cat box in the sky. It was the first time I ever saw my husband cry. Our vet was amazing and gave us hugs and cried with us. So the best advice I can give is don't wait until it is too late. I still have not recovered from Rocky's death, but I knew that we tried the best that we could to bring joy to his life like he did for us.

I hope that @dh13 means that it was traumatic to her. The word euthanize means 'good death' because it usually is an easy way for the animal to pass and is rarely traumatizing to the animal. It is certainly far easier than dying of a progressive disease just to clarify so OP doesn't fear the process.

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