i want to euthanize my dog. ur thoughts?

[CarolC]

This is a long post, it will not all show in the email notification....

I agree it sounds like she is winding down. She has been a very lucky dog to have someone take care of her like you have. I took care of my 63 lb golden retriever when I was in my 50's. Please be careful during these final months or weeks. In the end my dog needed to be taken to the hospital and I did not ask for help putting him in the car and hurt my back. Then a few days after he passed I reached down to pick something up off the floor that was very light and hurt it much worse, so you need to be careful after your dog is gone as well. If you have medical insurance, you may be able to talk to your regular GP and get a referral for physical therapy to try to correct some of the changes a year of lifting have probably made. I would recommend it. There is usually a limit of the number of sessions you can have on your policy, but if you start in Oct/Nov/Dec and use up your sessions for 2013, you can begin more sessions in 2014 if your doctor thinks you still need them. I was on Aleve for a year (you are not supposed to take it that long) and also helped by an ice pack or a heating pad. A massage is a huge help but they are so expensive and they are out of pocket. Last year I started swimming, that seems to help. Right now you probably do not feel like you can get out of the house for long. You are wrapped up in caretaking and kind of feel like you need to be there for your dog. My dog went into kidney failure in the end. He was 14.5. The vet said the toxins in the blood affect them mentally and he said my dog was ga-ga. I didn't want to believe it but I could tell my dog was kind of in and out mentally in the last days, which included some mindless barking. Please be careful, I wish you the very best.

Here is a lift I made to get my dog into a wheelchair:

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Engine_hoist_for_a_heavy_dog

Here is a car modification I did:

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Automobile_conversion_for_a_disabled_dog

Here is a tip for centering the dog on her bed:

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Center_a_heavy_dog_on_his_bed

[itasara]

My last note here was in Sept. I never, ever thought she would make it to her 14th birthday in april. I certainly didn't count on he making it thru the winter and it was a terribly cold, miserable winter this year. But we took each day as it came. Over time she became weaker, but she was still there mentally for us.
Nights got to be more difficult.I started giving her melatonin at night and sometimes tramadol with it. That helped. Although she was weaker she sill used her front legs to help us walk her in and out with a terrific harness we could not have done without. We had a flat cart to also help us on some days to get her to the shower or outside when she or I were tired. Anyway, I am glad we waited until we had to put her down. She had a very strong heart and a strong constitution. I had never watched a dog be euthenized before, but I always said I would not do it as long as the dog was not suffering and was mentally aware of her surroundings. She always wanted to please us and I think that is what kept all of us going. The day before I took her out..the weather was finally terrific and I put her in the baby pool to give her a bath. She enjoyed it, I am sure. So as I said my thoughts are we have to do what we think is best for everyone involved. When Vera first lost her ability to walk two years before I had two of my children who said, put her down--she is'n't a dog any more if she can't walk. But I am glad I didn't listen to them. We had two pretty good years with her and it was hard on me. I didn't do any traveling, I stopped going to some morning activities, I had to clean up her surroundings (but she rarely peed in the house), she had maybe 3 or 4 urinary infections over the two years which we treated, and I cooked for her a good year before she started eating some dog food again. I stayed with her most of the night sometimes taking her out in the bitter cold weather. But yes it was all worth it. I just wish dogs lived longer and were healthier longer. My youngest son who lived out west wrote to us "all dogs go to heaven, but Vera is an angel."

[critters]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[Christine]

I'm so sorry for your loss. You gave Vera a wonderful life...she knew she was loved...even when others might have given up on her, you were always there to make her comfortable and let her know she was still loved. When the time came to let her go, you gave her that final gift of your love. She left for heaven on the wings of angels. Take care of yourself.