today sucks and now I have a question

[lismar79]

We have had our dog buddy for about 8 yrs. He was between 4 &6 when we got him. This past winter he started limping and we treated him with arthritus meds, turns out his shoulder started to buldge out and xrays and biopsy tell us he has a large tumor that is an aggresive soft tissue cancer. The vet said with the type And age there is nothing we can do. We have pills to keep him comfortable. What I am struggling with is how long to wait till we put him to sleep. I don't want to keep him doped up all the time or in pain but most of the time he seems normal just limping...... its an hard decision......

 

[JohnnyB65]

I can’t answer your question because I don’t like to see anything suffer. I had a neighbor who waited so long to have her dog put down that the whole neighborhood had to intervene because we just couldn’t bear to see that poor dog suffer anymore.

 

[lismar79]

I'm thinking a couple weeks at most, the problem is I travel for work and will be gone next week. I want to be there too when he goes....

 

[Falcon70]

I'm so sorry you're in this situation, losing any pet, especially a dog, is extremely difficult. Buddy knows he has a great family.

 

[stojanovski92113]

I'm sorry to hear about Buddy...that's not easy to deal with. My mom waited for the last minute where the vet had to come to her car and put him down because he was in such bad shape, cancer. She didn't want that dog to go but it was the right decision as sad as it was. I can't image what your going through and knowing how much you love your dog and wanting him to be pain free. I don't have an answer but Buddy is very loved and I wish him very well and he will remain with you for sometime.

 

[Jodie]

I am so sorry. It is a horrible decision to have to make. When my dog was in this situation a few years ago, I decided to put her to sleep when I felt she was no longer enjoying life. I wish no one would ever have to go through that. So sorry. My thoughts go out to you.

 

[leigti]

I'm so sorry to hear this. It is a hard decision to make, and I think you end up second-guessing yourself a lot when trying to make it. You have to look at his quality-of-life, is he happy except for limping? Does he still enjoy being around people, eating drinking etc.? My dog is 13 and has very severe arthritis, but with the help of medications she is good most of the time. Talk to the vet about medications options etc. My dog takes tramadol. Again, I'm so sorry. It is so hard to lose a pet. I wish dogs lived as long as tortoises.

 

[Momof4]

I totally agree with leigti. Is Buddy happy to see you and eating? If your dog can walk and still get around and go potty outside than I think you have more time. The only problem is you are going out of town. If it's just a couple days you may be ok but if it's more like 5 or longer than you may need to decide. We just put two dogs down within 5 months last year. The last straw for us was when they couldn't go potty outside when their back legs stopped working.

Our 9 yr old lab has a big tumor under his arm near his armpit and he just started limping yesterday. About a minute before I read this we just talked about taking him to the vet.

 

[ascott]

We have had our dog buddy for about 8 yrs. He was between 4 &6 when we got him. This past winter he started limping and we treated him with arthritus meds, turns out his shoulder started to buldge out and xrays and biopsy tell us he has a large tumor that is an aggresive soft tissue cancer. The vet said with the type And age there is nothing we can do. We have pills to keep him comfortable. What I am struggling with is how long to wait till we put him to sleep. I don't want to keep him doped up all the time or in pain but most of the time he seems normal just limping...... its an hard decision......

That final ride is the worst....the absolute worst event. I would say that if you have pills that offer relief, then great--why get judgy on if it is "right" or not....if the pills allow the dog to be a bit loaded but chill and happy...then give the pills.....just remember, that the pills do horrible things to the kidneys, so when the kidneys have had enough...the animal will go down hill rapidly...so you will likely need to be prepared for the dog to look you in the eyes and let you know he is done....that is a look you will not mistake....but until that should happen, don't do the death watch and sorrow looks at him...let him live it up, eat junk, lay on the bed and all of the other off limit things....give him hugs and rubs and enjoy the moment...after all, if we are all left with some dignity....death is simply a part of life and we should not be cheated out of that moment of a long fulfilling life....well, at least that is my take dear...may we see a pic of your buddy?

 

[4jean]

I am so sorry about Buddy. My heart goes out to you. It is such a hard decision. My feeling is you owe it to him to give him a respectful loving end. Even though it is awful to decide to put your dog to sleep, especially such a loyal friend. You will have to decide for him, when you think his quality of life has deteriorated or he is in pain. Good luck.

 

[lismar79]

Our 9 yr old lab has a big tumor under his arm near his armpit and he just started limping yesterday. About a minute before I read this we just talked about taking him to the vet.

That is where his tumor is

 

[lismar79]

Thanks all, the vet thinks weeks with how fast it grew. He will be eating hotdogs and chicken nuggets everyday till its time.

 

[phebe121]

Aww im sorry its always heard.when i was a kid and my first dog got cancer it was hard but i remember we waited way to long to put her to sleep she was nearly bald and skin on her belly was yucky.id say youll know when its right but really its never the roght tome you want to keep them forever.just dont let them suffer to much.my sister has been a vet tech and the last dog we put to sleep from cancer we had to bag and put in the frezzer are self that was hard to do

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I'm so sorry! It's so hard to our pets suffer. They deserve the absolute best, and I'm sorry you have to make this decision.
Last year one of our mini poodles started coughing and having a hard time swallowing. He couldn't eat, and the vet couldn't do anything.
I'm sorry.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Horrible. Such sad news.

 

[Yvonne G]

Same thing happened with my favorite house kitty, Molly, last summer. A great big growth in her stomach. Food couldn't pass so it came back up. It was a terrible, hard thing to do, but I had her euthanized because of her suffering. I hate playing god, but sometimes it's best for the animal.

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this trauma. Your pet knew it was well-loved, and you gave it a good life.

 

[lismar79]

Thanks all. We put him to sleep last Thursday. Over the last weekend he was hardly walking and was loosing control of his bladder. I didn't want to prolong it anymore

 

[leigti]

I'm so sorry.

 

[mike taylor]

Man this sucks . But you will make the decision when ready. Enjoy your little buddy .

 

[tortdad]

Sorry to hear that.