i want to euthanize my dog. ur thoughts?

[savvybag]

So here's my story.
My family adopted a pitbull a few years ago, she was very healthy at first but , maybe ten moths ago, her body began to cave in and she couldn't walk. We took her to a hospital and they said it was a herniated disc and recommended we take her to see a neurologist, we did, they told us the same and that surgery was estimated to cost around ten grand which my family and i couldn't afford. we later had her examined over at northshore animal league and gave us medication but told us she wouldn't walk again.

I've been taking care of her since and her lower body is getting worse and worse. Her groin is getting loose, she's developing rashes from lying down so much, she has scars that won't heal. This is because of her bladder, she has zero sensation from her hips down, so she often pees on herself. I've tried to make her go at scheduled times but even that's not effective. We purchased the wheelchair for her and it is great, however overall, her being outside is only in small increments, majority of the time she sounds her days on my bed or couch, restricted. I've tried drag bags, but none of good quality are made for her.

Honestly it is just too much work for me. I just turned twenty one recently and i wanna go out and live on my own, work, get a good career, but this will be too hard if i have to care care of my dog. she's deteriorating and she's only going to get worse so i'm seriously considering euthanization. I'm first going to take her to some doctors, chiropractor, neurologist, etc. to see the likelihood of her walking again, but based on what i've been told, see, and researched, she won't walk again. And I don't want ot pass her off to a shelter or another family where they play caregiver for the rest of her life until something tragic happens to her body, an infection, broken leg, the paralysis worses, etc and then they would take action when it should have been done before.

I love her. She's the best thing that's happened to me, however, the more I rationally think, the more it seems right to put her down. It's awful, and this period of my life is the most angry i've been, it's time to end this chapter unfortunately.

what are your thoughts on this? am i selfish, are there options i'm not considering, is this the right thing to do? please give me some feedback and thank you very much for reading!

[Bobbie]

Take a look at this link

http://www.scoutshouse.com/wp-content/u ... ittime.pdf

It's a scoring scale that helps you decide. I wouldn't take the scoring scale as absolute truth but it will give you some things to think about.

If you can make any of them better- lower the scores- that may help, but if not, you may have to decide to let her go. You might feel better about it if you make an effort to find her a new home- there are some people who can and will adopt special needs dogs- and if you can't, you'll know you tried.

Big dogs are hard- everything is harder than with a small dog, and you can't leave them in the cart as long since they can't lie down. And females are harder than males, in my opinion, it is harder to keep them clean and harder to keep them dry.

Where is the rest of your family in this?

[CarolC]

And I don't want ot pass her off to a shelter or another family where they play caregiver for the rest of her life until something tragic happens to her body, an infection, broken leg, the paralysis worses, etc and then they would take action when it should have been done before.

If someone else will give her a home, I do not think these problems are likely to happen. What would happen is she would enjoy life with her new family. The paralysis should not get worse, paralysis from a herniated disk does not travel or progress after the dog is paralyzed, the dog just becomes paralyzed from a certain location on the spine down to the tail, and remains that way. A bladder infection usually responds to antibiotics, so if the dog gets one occasionally it normally clears up and is seldom fatal. The sores she has from urine burns and dragging need to be healed up, but if someone can get them healed up then I would not expect infection to be an issue. She is really no more likely to break a leg than any other dog, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

As Bobbie said, a lot depends on her size. If she is a smaller pitbull it is easier to find someone to care for her, but if she is a large pitbull that is more of a challenge. If she has a good personality, that is important, too, because then someone would fall in love with her and want to work with her.

You can find rescue organizations in your area by searching "new york pitbull rescue". You might also want to publicize her situation on facebook. She already has a wheelchair, and people are sympathetic to wheelchair dogs, so I would give it a try. Like Bobbie says, at least you will know you tried.

[Christine]

If you want to consider this, post a picture, her name and some more information about her personality, traits, vaccinations, how she gets along with people, dogs, cats, children. I will post her on Special Needs Dogs Yahoo Group for you...unless you want to join and do it yourself. There are many people who deal with special needs for their pets and still live their lives who might consider taking your girl.

[savvybag]

Take a look at this link

http://www.scoutshouse.com/wp-content/u ... ittime.pdf

It's a scoring scale that helps you decide. I wouldn't take the scoring scale as absolute truth but it will give you some things to think about.

If you can make any of them better- lower the scores- that may help, but if not, you may have to decide to let her go. You might feel better about it if you make an effort to find her a new home- there are some people who can and will adopt special needs dogs- and if you can't, you'll know you tried.

Big dogs are hard- everything is harder than with a small dog, and you can't leave them in the cart as long since they can't lie down. And females are harder than males, in my opinion, it is harder to keep them clean and harder to keep them dry.

Where is the rest of your family in this?

Thanks for the response.
Not to into the test, because of it's broadness, but the gesture is much appreciated.
My brother is the second most important person in my dog's life and he agrees fully.
Still I do consider putting her down a last resort and will not do so until I get more professional medical opinions. thanks again

[savvybag]

And I don't want ot pass her off to a shelter or another family where they play caregiver for the rest of her life until something tragic happens to her body, an infection, broken leg, the paralysis worses, etc and then they would take action when it should have been done before.

If someone else will give her a home, I do not think these problems are likely to happen. What would happen is she would enjoy life with her new family. The paralysis should not get worse, paralysis from a herniated disk does not travel or progress after the dog is paralyzed, the dog just becomes paralyzed from a certain location on the spine down to the tail, and remains that way. A bladder infection usually responds to antibiotics, so if the dog gets one occasionally it normally clears up and is seldom fatal. The sores she has from urine burns and dragging need to be healed up, but if someone can get them healed up then I would not expect infection to be an issue. She is really no more likely to break a leg than any other dog, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

As Bobbie said, a lot depends on her size. If she is a smaller pitbull it is easier to find someone to care for her, but if she is a large pitbull that is more of a challenge. If she has a good personality, that is important, too, because then someone would fall in love with her and want to work with her.

You can find rescue organizations in your area by searching "new york pitbull rescue". You might also want to publicize her situation on facebook. She already has a wheelchair, and people are sympathetic to wheelchair dogs, so I would give it a try. Like Bobbie says, at least you will know you tried.

Thanks for posting.
Can't she get another herniated disc? Isn't that possible? I'm sure it's very unlikely but if she's already gotten one, and yes, i know i'm talking out of my ass.
Yes, she's very happy now, but as we all know, dogs live in the present moment. Good times or bad times they're pretty happy. That's what makes them so beautiful.

I honestly hate the idea of passing her off to someonelse and trying to sell them the idea, and pull their heart strings. It's all circumstantial, and she isn't meant to live like this. If you have a parapeligic dog, or a dog with any kind of handicaps, god bless you. I commend you, and respect you very much for it. However, for this specific circumstance, I believe this is the right thing to do. And I know it sounds terrible, but rationally it seems right. She's extremely dependent, and i do not want to pass her to a person or organization who will just be nursing her until she dies, gets more hurt or possibly euthanized. I know, these are hypotheticals, but so is her finding a new home and living the perfect life. And btw, I hope i didn't come off as disrespectful, just want to share my true feelings. thanks for posting.

[savvybag]

If you want to consider this, post a picture, her name and some more information about her personality, traits, vaccinations, how she gets along with people, dogs, cats, children. I will post her on Special Needs Dogs Yahoo Group for you...unless you want to join and do it yourself. There are many people who deal with special needs for their pets and still live their lives who might consider taking your girl.

Currently, not at all interested. However, the gesture is greatly appreciated. thanks for the post

[savvybag]

btw, you all are very helpful. please keep the posts coming!

[Bobbie]

As the adopter of several paraplegic dogs- I have to say that I would have really lost out big time had Oliver's owner not been willing to look for another home for him. He is my heart dog. There might be someone out there waiting for your dog.

I do understand your reluctance- and sometimes I agree with it- but in your case, where I think you have a legitimate reason not to be willing to go on caring for your dog, finding another home is not necessarily passing on a burden. It could be giving someone a great joy, as Oliver does for me.

As for another disk- maybe, but usually not. I adopted Candy, who had his injury at age 4 (almost) and lived past 13. I got him at age 8. He was never sick until near the end when he had his first UTI (and he still didn't act sick.) I don't see his care as nursing. Even with Maddie, my foster dog, who is more of a hassle being a female, I spend maybe ten minutes a day extra on her. (I should spend 15 and wash her more often but I don't.) Paraplegic dogs can be happy and healthy for a good long life. Candy never ruptured another disk- I hope Oliver doesn't but the way he races around it is always a possibility.

You are right that it won't matter to your dog but it might save you having regrets in the future.

[savvybag]

As the adopter of several paraplegic dogs- I have to say that I would have really lost out big time had Oliver's owner not been willing to look for another home for him. He is my heart dog. There might be someone out there waiting for your dog.

I do understand your reluctance- and sometimes I agree with it- but in your case, where I think you have a legitimate reason not to be willing to go on caring for your dog, finding another home is not necessarily passing on a burden. It could be giving someone a great joy, as Oliver does for me.

As for another disk- maybe, but usually not. I adopted Candy, who had his injury at age 4 (almost) and lived past 13. I got him at age 8. He was never sick until near the end when he had his first UTI (and he still didn't act sick.) I don't see his care as nursing. Even with Maddie, my foster dog, who is more of a hassle being a female, I spend maybe ten minutes a day extra on her. (I should spend 15 and wash her more often but I don't.) Paraplegic dogs can be happy and healthy for a good long life. Candy never ruptured another disk- I hope Oliver doesn't but the way he races around it is always a possibility.

You are right that it won't matter to your dog but it might save you having regrets in the future.

Thanks, Bobbie!
May I ask if you work a full time job, and if so, how do you find the time?

[Bobbie]

I work full time half the year, currently, but I do have somewhat flexible hours and don't leave the dogs for more than eight hours. My dogs are out of the cart when I'm gone, with belly bands, (Maddie will be in an ex-pen as I don't know that she'd keep a diaper on) and in the cart most of the time when I'm home. Big differences- little dogs can use carts in the house, and they stay drier and cleaner in a cart. In some ways the working times are easier- more routine, and routine keeps the dogs regular as far as times they urinate and defecate. When I'm off we vary a lot more. I'm also in my late 50s so having to be home at a reasonable time to take care of dogs is not an issue like it would have been at 21. But there are other people like me.

Another issue would be whether your dog likes other dogs. For me, adding a second dog in a cart didn't add a lot more hassle- same supplies, same routine, etc. But the dogs have to be able to live together. Finding a home for a dog that does not get along with others is much, much harder since most people willing to adopt a special needs dog have dogs already.

[CarolC]

I just want to say, I worked full time when my big dog was down and we managed OK because I came home at lunch to change his diaper and get him up to move around a little bit. But I also want to say, he was a very senior dog and I was not in a position of knowing I might be caring for him many more years, like I think you probably are. I'm not sure how old your dog is. My dog was 63 lbs at top weight and lost some weight in his last year but he was still heavy, and I am not young and had back problems before he went down and I could not lift him. I live alone with my pets and there was no one to help me at all, it was me or nobody. If your dog is 50 or 60 lbs I do understand how you might be feeling after 10 months. I do not think anyone here would fault you for being honest and saying you have reached your limit if you are really to that point.

In addition, you probably are looking at the situation and seeing the sores as part of it. I managed to take care of my dog for 8 months with no sores until he was admitted to the vet clinic for 48 hrs for fluid therapy and they gave him back to me with sores which I had to treat the rest of his life. I know how it makes you feel to see your dog with sores, something about it is just very affecting to the owner. It just makes you want to have a lump in your throat. Somebody who hasn't been there probably doesn't know what I mean, but it may be that you do. It really brings you down mentally, even if the dog does not seem to mind.

So what I am saying is, I can understand because even in a situation like I was in where I was willing to keep caring for my dog and my career was already established and I knew it wasn't going to be forever, I did get worn down. Physically my body experienced strain from lifting. At times I also didn't get enough sleep (that was mostly my fault). When you mention you feel angry, it is not surprising, it is partly mental and emotional, but even if you are young it is probably also partly physical. I should have started taking Aleve way before I did. I would suggest you might want to try whatever pain reliever works best for you for 2 or 3 days and see if it helps. Take it consistently, sometimes the first dose does not quite get it. It is easy to keep giving all your attention to caring for your dog, and not realize you need care yourself. Tylenol works for some people and Aleve works for some people, for some reason different people have different systems and one will work and the other may not. You may not even know which one works for you if you have not had this kind of pain before, so you may have to see which one works. If Tylenol doesn't work after a day or so, try Aleve. It doesn't solve the problem of burnout, but I am saying from experience I did not even realize I should be taking a pain reliever until a doctor told me. You are not at your best for making important decisions when you are in pain or are trying to ignore pain.

I would definitely recommend contacting rescues or posting on facebook to see if someone will adopt her. She would love being spoiled by a new owner. If you are not familiar with the dog lovers community, it may seem impossible that anyone would want a down dog, but amazingly enough, there are people who really do if it's a nice dog. There are people who only adopt special needs dogs, and a million people whose favorite dogs are pitbulls. Your location is also in your favor for finding a home, one that will spoil her and send you pictures of how she is doing. I adopted one of my paralyzed dogs from someone in Las Vegas (I am in Texas). They flew her to me on Continental.

One possibility is to make a goal. For example, if you think someday you might look back and say, "Why didn't I try to find a home" then go ahead and set a goal. For example, say to yourself, "I will email 6 rescues before I make a decision". Or you could say, "It is 10 months since she went down, if I don't find someone to adopt her by a certain time (30 days from now, or at her 1-year anniversary or whatever) then I will make the decision and I will know I tried". That way if you have to make the decision, you will be able to look back 10 years from now and remember that you did indeed try to find a home for her, and you will know you tried.

Also, I would suggest thinking carefully about how much the decision is yours and how much of it is influenced by other people such as your brother, in obvious or subtle ways. For example, there are people who could put down a dog and not have a second thought. Then there are other people who will be sick about it for the rest of their lives. You are the one who has to live with the decision, so you want to be sure you do not let someone else persuade you to do something you can never forgive yourself for. Right now, when you think of yourself, your self image is of a person who has done their best to care for their dog. Afterward, your self image will always be someone who put their dog to sleep, so you need to be sure of any decision you make for your own peace of mind for the rest of your life.

You said they don't make any drag bags that have worked for her. I'm not sure of her weight? This is a commercial drag bag that goes up to 80 lbs, so maybe it would give her some protection.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/walkin-w ... g-bag.html

Also, here is a link that shows a homemade drag bag (they call it a mermaid sack), and I wonder if that would help.

http://fosterdogblog.blogspot.com/2008/ ... about.html

I am not trying to get off the track by talking about things that might seem minor, like pain relief and drag bags, if the real issue is just plain burnout. I am just trying to mention anything that might help.

I should also mention that with my first down dog, who was only 37 lbs, I also got very tired and stressed (I was actually lifting him because at the time I was able to, but I lost weight during that time and I was skinny to begin with) the thing that helped me keep going was to board him overnight once in a while, so I could have a break. It was worth the cost of boarding. I also sometimes took him to the vet for a bath and nail trim, dropping him off first thing in the morning and picking him up near closing time. That gave me all day to do things around the house or just get out for a few hours and have some "me time". It's something else you might consider, to give yourself a little break.

[savvybag]

I just want to say, I worked full time when my big dog was down and we managed OK because I came home at lunch to change his diaper and get him up to move around a little bit. But I also want to say, he was a very senior dog and I was not in a position of knowing I might be caring for him many more years, like I think you probably are. I'm not sure how old your dog is. My dog was 63 lbs at top weight and lost some weight in his last year but he was still heavy, and I am not young and had back problems before he went down and I could not lift him. I live alone with my pets and there was no one to help me at all, it was me or nobody. If your dog is 50 or 60 lbs I do understand how you might be feeling after 10 months. I do not think anyone here would fault you for being honest and saying you have reached your limit if you are really to that point.

In addition, you probably are looking at the situation and seeing the sores as part of it. I managed to take care of my dog for 8 months with no sores until he was admitted to the vet clinic for 48 hrs for fluid therapy and they gave him back to me with sores which I had to treat the rest of his life. I know how it makes you feel to see your dog with sores, something about it is just very affecting to the owner. It just makes you want to have a lump in your throat. Somebody who hasn't been there probably doesn't know what I mean, but it may be that you do. It really brings you down mentally, even if the dog does not seem to mind.

So what I am saying is, I can understand because even in a situation like I was in where I was willing to keep caring for my dog and my career was already established and I knew it wasn't going to be forever, I did get worn down. Physically my body experienced strain from lifting. At times I also didn't get enough sleep (that was mostly my fault). When you mention you feel angry, it is not surprising, it is partly mental and emotional, but even if you are young it is probably also partly physical. I should have started taking Aleve way before I did. I would suggest you might want to try whatever pain reliever works best for you for 2 or 3 days and see if it helps. Take it consistently, sometimes the first dose does not quite get it. It is easy to keep giving all your attention to caring for your dog, and not realize you need care yourself. Tylenol works for some people and Aleve works for some people, for some reason different people have different systems and one will work and the other may not. You may not even know which one works for you if you have not had this kind of pain before, so you may have to see which one works. If Tylenol doesn't work after a day or so, try Aleve. It doesn't solve the problem of burnout, but I am saying from experience I did not even realize I should be taking a pain reliever until a doctor told me. You are not at your best for making important decisions when you are in pain or are trying to ignore pain.

I would definitely recommend contacting rescues or posting on facebook to see if someone will adopt her. She would love being spoiled by a new owner. If you are not familiar with the dog lovers community, it may seem impossible that anyone would want a down dog, but amazingly enough, there are people who really do if it's a nice dog. There are people who only adopt special needs dogs, and a million people whose favorite dogs are pitbulls. Your location is also in your favor for finding a home, one that will spoil her and send you pictures of how she is doing. I adopted one of my paralyzed dogs from someone in Las Vegas (I am in Texas). They flew her to me on Continental.

There is a quote I heard a couple of times, it was from a dog trainer, it may have been Cesar Milan. He said something like, "People think their dog will only love them, but that's not true. If I adopt your dog, I'll give him bacon treats for a few days and he'll love me just as much."

One possibility is to make a goal. For example, if you think someday you might look back and say, "Why didn't I try to find a home" then go ahead and set a goal. For example, say to yourself, "I will email 6 rescues before I make a decision". Or you could say, "It is 10 months since she went down, if I don't find someone to adopt her by a certain time (30 days from now, or at her 1-year anniversary or whatever) then I will make the decision and I will know I tried". That way if you have to make the decision, you will be able to look back 10 years from now and remember that you did indeed try to find a home for her, and you will know you tried.

Also, I would suggest thinking carefully about how much the decision is yours and how much of it is influenced by other people such as your brother, in obvious or subtle ways. For example, there are people who could put down a dog and not have a second thought. Then there are other people who will be sick about it for the rest of their lives. You are the one who has to live with the decision, so you want to be sure you do not let someone else persuade you to do something you can never forgive yourself for. Right now, when you think of yourself, your self image is of a person who has done their best to care for their dog. Afterward, your self image will always be someone who put their dog to sleep, so you need to be sure of any decision you make for your own peace of mind for the rest of your life.

You said they don't make any drag bags that have worked for her. I'm not sure of her weight? This is a commercial drag bag that goes up to 80 lbs, so maybe it would give her some protection.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/walkin-w ... g-bag.html

Also, here is a link that shows a homemade drag bag (they call it a mermaid sack), and I wonder if that would help.

http://fosterdogblog.blogspot.com/2008/ ... about.html

I am not trying to get off the track by talking about things that might seem minor, like pain relief and drag bags, if the real issue is just plain burnout. I am just trying to mention anything that might help.

I should also mention that with my first down dog, who was only 37 lbs, I also got very tired and stressed (I was actually lifting him because at the time I was able to, but I lost weight during that time and I was skinny to begin with) the thing that helped me keep going was to board him overnight once in a while, so I could have a break. It was worth the cost of boarding. I also sometimes took him to the vet for a bath and nail trim, dropping him off first thing in the morning and picking him up near closing time. That gave me all day to do things around the house or just get out for a few hours and have some "me time". It's something else you might consider, to give yourself a little break.

Thanks for taking the time make that post.
I actually own the walking wheels dragbag and hate it. It's in her weight range however not adequate for her dimensions. The custom one looks cool tho.
I'm still not into the idea of having someone adopt her.
I'll be taking her to a medical center next week to have her reevaluated and see which rehab treatment would best suit her.
Thanks to all who posted in this thread. You've all been a great help!!!

[savvybag]

So guys, I will no longer be posting in this thread. If you'd like to contact me, email me savvybag@yahoo.com.
Thanks again, guys!

[itasara]

I wrote my story awhile ago somewhere on this site, but haven't located it yet. I really empathize with you. My dog is my love and she is about 13.5 yrs. She was unable to walk shortly after her 12thBD last year. I struggle everyday with what to do. I never thought she would make it to this point. My neigbor has the same breed (yellow lab) and her dog was one year older than mine. I found out she died last February. Had been dx. with some kind of vein or artery cancer and after 4 months she fell asleep and passed away. My dog has been healthy and not walking has been a challange to her and to us. This happened suddenly one day. In the beginning she could sit up and scoot around a bit but at this point she is laying down a good part of the time and rarely sits straight up, although once in awhile she will. My husband and I decided at her age when this happened that the cost of an MRI and neuro specialist was not very practical. (The average lifespan of a labrador retriever is 12 to 14.) It was not likely even if something did show up that at her age she would survive any kind of surgery. It is VERY difficult keeping her alive and I couldn't do this if I had to work. Unlike the original poster who is young, I am 65 and after this I have no plans to get another pet.I may have dealt with this differently had I been in my twenties. My back is very sore from picking her up to get her out. She has lost weight but is probably around 70lbs or so.She has lossed a lot of weight but she is still pretty heavy for me. I take her outside and inside a few times a day and sometimes walk her from the back yard to the front where she seems to like it better. Her front legs work well or I couldn't continue to do ths at all. Sometime I use a flat type "cart" the move her if we are both tired. She still hears and sees well. She is responsive mentally to us. She is now showing signs of slowing down more now. She stopped eating dog food, so we give her people food..not problem she loves it. I try to hide some dog food in her meals. Sometimes she just picks it out and drops it on the floor! Recently She has needed her bladder expressed by pushing on it so she can pee when we take her out. She usually ends up deficating indoors because she doesn't show us signs like she used to so we would know when to take her out but that is easy to clean up. We have her in a large square we go that was made for the back of cars. We keep her on the lower level where are den is and I tend to spend time with her to keep her company otherwise she does get seperation anxiety. In the good weather I sit outside with her... I can watch tv or use my computer outside, but she just likes me to me nearby. So it is more difficult I'd say for the past two weeks or so. But she still shows us signs of life and despite some who say we should put her down, I don't want to feel guilty until I am sure that she is ready to give up. That my not be much longer. I wish she would go naturally but that may not happen. I cannot picture her being put to sleep while she is still "with us" mentally. I may regret waiting too long, but I'll regret it if I cut her life short too early.