Need advice - how long to wait before ending life?

[amy6574]

Hello,

I have a 12 1/2 year old Pug who ruptured a cervical disc in 2006. The only symptom she had was neck pain (she could walk fine). She was treated with steroids short term which worked great. Since then she has been treated with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (one tab per day) and has been doing great. Suddenly though yesterday she can no longer stand on her front 2 legs. Her condition has worsened. She has no mobility in her front left leg and just slight mobility in her front right leg. We started her back on steroids per the Vet's instructions. He said if she is going to get better it will be within a couple of days. If within a couple of days she isn't better then it doesn't look good. This morning she really wasn't any better. How long should I wait before I consider euthanasia? I hate to see her suffer. I'm also feeling extremely guilty because we have a 10 week old Labrador Retriever puppy who is wild and out of control. I have a feeling that the puppy was jumping on our older pug which exacerbated the neck problem. Thanks for replies.

[critters]

Personally, I think "a couple of days" is too soon to see improvement in many cases, especially more severe ones. You will probably want to see the neuro bb, since this is a neuro problem.

[CarolC]

I would be sure she is crated. I would also definitely ask about a muscle relaxer, if that's an option. If her neck is hurting and her muscles tense up, the muscles could pull on her neck. I would also ask about a pain med such as tramadol or whatever else the doctor recommends. You have nothing to lose right now by pulling out the full arsenal of medication, not just steroids. You want to know you did the best you could. Is she still urinating without assistance? If it was my dog, I would try to give it a little time. Cervical disks can become so painful that the dog is screaming in pain or breathing is affected, but your dog does not sound like she is at this point. If she becomes that painful, your choices are limited. Also, for what it's worth, she may not be too old for surgery. We had a dachshund here who had spinal surgery at 13 or 13 1/2. It sounds like the dogs will need to be separated later. I had the same problem with a young larger dog knocking my older smaller dog off his feet. I had one dog who realized she should not bump him, and another who just didn't get it.

[FYI]

[amy6574]

Thank you for the replies. Yes, I think I've realized that 3 days is too short of a time frame to make such a major decision. We are going out of town this weekend so she will be staying at the vet clinic. I feel a little guilty about that but it is probably the best for her. She will have limited activity there. She is walking now....not very steady. She can walk outside to use the bathroom and she is still eating and drinking fine. She is on prednisone and Tramadol. She doesn't appear to be in any pain....mostly sleeps all day. I think we will give it a couple of weeks and then decide more on our options.

[Bobbie]

If she isn't in pain a front wheel cart may be another option to consider.

[amy6574]

We had to put Sadie to sleep on Tuesday morning. Her condition slowly progressed. She was not able to walk at all and you could tell she was in pain. You could see her muscles twitching from her neck to the top of her head. She was on steroids, Tramadol, and a muscle relaxer. This has been so hard for me to accept. If we wouldn't have gotten the new puppy I'm convinced Sadie would still be alive. I almost feel like I killed her. Sadie ruptured a cervical disc back in 2006 but was on Deramaxx daily and doing great. She was slowing down with old age and she was starting to lose her sight but she was healthy with no other problems. We tried to keep the new puppy off of her but I'm sure at some point when she was trying to get away from the puppy that her neck condition worsened. She spent the last week of her life miserable and not being able to walk and it is all my fault for getting a new puppy.

[SAR01]

I am new here, too, I am so very sorry for your loss. I know the struggles we go through when they have been faithful servants and by our side for so many years, then something happens and we realize the days will be numbered with our loving furkin.

it is the hardest and also the most loving thing we can do if there is pain and no good prognosis. Please do not beat yourself up with guilt, you gave 12 1/2 yrs of LOVE.

but also remember they will , in their own way let us know when it is their time to cross the bridge. (when they are ready)

I don;t know you or your beliefs, but someone posted something about pets and Euthanasia, and I know it brought me a lot of peace.

I am still new here so I don;t want to post a lot of links, but as I look around, maybe I will find the right place to post it.

I hope by now you are playing with a new puppy, or at the very least healing from your lost.

[critters]

SAR--Go ahead and post your links, if you ask me.

Amy--I'm sorry for your loss.

[SAR01]

Not everyone believes or is open to this, but this brought me very much peace in my heart when we had to "help" a beloved pet cross that beautiful bridge of no pain, all sunshine and food all day long. I do believe we can speak with our pets, through the language of love.


this is in one of my forums.
http://innerconnections.yuku.com/topic/10081

(I included my link because sometimes the direct link below is not working.)

or you can go directly to the link here:
http://www.elizabethseverino.com/press/022599.html

(thanks critters)