brigie bear

yes. he's on metacam i think its called? he also has glide in his food as does another one of my dogs - although shes 3, she was horribly abused in her past and her joints are terrible as a result of that. he also recently had an injection of some description - like 'fake' cartilage. OH and I have just had a discussion and we have decided its time to let our old boy go. We are getting a pup on Wednesday and we would love to still have Roy when we bring the new baby home. We have decided that we will give him a week with us living it up as much as he can - expensive steaks for dinner, picnics on the res near our house and plenty of love and cuddles... Then we will give him his wings. Although he seems a little better today I know its just one of those days... today he could be better, but he also could be worse. he's so vague in his eyes from everything as well as the dementia... its like he's already gone in many ways... I also just want to clarify that this has all happened very fast. 3 weeks ago he was running, jumping, playing with toys and wrestling with the other two dogs. This is why the decision is so hard also... It all happened so fast!

He's up and down today... He woke up happy and playful and how hes just laying down not sleeping, just gazing. We've had a few cuddles today which was nice as he hasnt wanted to know me much lately. My vet and I have a great relationship. He's very caring and we speak almost daily. At first when we has very sick last week with the infection I was worried that he was trying to tell me that he may need to be PTS but couldnt find the right words so I jumped in and said "we've made our decision on that matter. We feel that when its time then we'll let him go without another thought because thats what is best for him" and he said "well i think its something that you were going to have to think seriously about very soon so I'm glad you've thought about it, but I just dont think now is his time yet. I dont think he's telling you its time yet." He does and he doesnt. He's like me... He'll look at him on an off day for him and agree with me, but then the next day if hes having a good day, OH (like me) will reconsider our thoughts from the previous day. I think that I will have another talk with our vet tomorrow about it because its just upsetting me so much to see him like this. I am going to be lost without him but I think at the moment he's lost here. Its just also so hard because of his dementia... It makes him a little disoriented so its very hard to tell what he's feeling. Usually (like when he was younger and with my other 2 littlies) I can read them very well - just as I'm sure all of you can with your dogs/cats/etc.. Now he's just so hard to read...

Very true... and strangely enough i used something similar to explain to my husband why i didnt want to treat him... (the meds he needs will zonk him out totally)... hubby got mad with me and i asked him "if you were a 90 year old man and you found out you had cancer, would you go through chemo?" he said no... Its just so confusing as one day hes great and one day hes not...

Thats a very good idea - thanks for that! I think one of the reasons im so torn about the decision is that one day he will be terrible - not move, wet himself, have to feed him in bed etc and then the next he'll be up and about, barking, wagging his tail, following me from room to room... Thats what makes it so confusing! how does one make such a huge decision when the behavior is so erratic? Thank you for your kind words. I'm so sorry for your loss also...

I have found that most vets will not say to an owner that they must give their dog wings. They usually leave it up to the owner to make the choice. I agree with you to an extent there... Though we live in a very small town and our vets know us all very well. He knows my feelings on the situation and he is still telling me now is not the right time. He told me that they take euthanasia very seriously and he doesnt want to jump the gun. He also told me a story about a couple a few weeks ago who he suggested having their dog PTS and they absolutely refused. He said the poor old thing was suffering so terribly and he asked them numerous times. The people got angry, took her to another vet 2 hrs away and she died in the car 10 mins after the vet appointment. I think thats terrible and I would never want to do that to my boy. Then go with your heart, and honestly, don't stop to think how YOU will handle it, focus on how the dog is right now, and that you would be doing the kindest thing for him no matter how you feel. You need to focus on the dog, not yourself, it will make it a lot easier. sorry, i think you may have misunderstood... I meant i dont know what i will do without him - im sure everyone whos ever owned a dog can say that - once u fall in love with them u just cant imagine life without them... please dont judge me or be harsh with me on this topic, its very hard for me and i'm posting this because of that... I don't mean to sound harsh or judgmental, I have faced your situation twice in the last couple of years, so I know how hard it is. But I also know how hard it is for the animal to exist like that, and it's just not fair on them to prolong such an existance. You said it yourself, you know in your heart it's time. And I'm pretty sure everyone here will agree with you. Sorry, I guess I am a little sensitive about it... Its just so hard because I have never had to make a decision like this before... Thats why I am posting this - because I didnt know if what I was feeling was right? I know that I know him best and I know whats best for him and that none of you have met my bub but I am so very confused as this is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made in my life... Not only because I am losing my dog but because I am torn if it is the right thing to do. I mentioned it to my husband and he got mad with me and told me I should let him go in his sleep like nature intended... I dont like the idea of that, I just dont want to be jumping the gun. As you have gone through this before, think back and remember the very first time you ever had to make that decision... Add into the equation that I am 24 years old and he's my first dog and it just multiplies... I am just confused is all and wanted to know if I was doing the right thing... Then go with your heart, and honestly, don't stop to think how YOU will handle it, focus on how the dog is right now, and that you would be doing the kindest thing for him no matter how you feel. You need to focus on the dog, not yourself, it will make it a lot easier. sorry, i think you may have misunderstood... I meant i dont know what i will do without him - im sure everyone whos ever owned a dog can say that - once u fall in love with them u just cant imagine life without them... please dont judge me or be harsh with me on this topic, its very hard for me and i'm posting this because of that... please don't take this the wrong way but i don't think anyone is being harse, you may be a bit more sesitive at the moment. what struck me in your post was that you said that the vet should let you know when it was time to give him his wings. i think this is where your dilema is...your vet isn't saying this. you live with your dog every day and only you know what he is going through. it seems to me that you know it is time for his wings. i wish you all the best in this really difficult time You're right... I am being sensitive. I just dont want people to judge me for this as it is something I have never had to consider before... Its very hard and I am just so confused.

Then go with your heart, and honestly, don't stop to think how YOU will handle it, focus on how the dog is right now, and that you would be doing the kindest thing for him no matter how you feel. You need to focus on the dog, not yourself, it will make it a lot easier. sorry, i think you may have misunderstood... I meant i dont know what i will do without him - im sure everyone whos ever owned a dog can say that - once u fall in love with them u just cant imagine life without them... please dont judge me or be harsh with me on this topic, its very hard for me and i'm posting this because of that...

Thats what I am thinking... I believe in my heart that it is time, but my vet seems to think otherwise... How do I get around that? I ADORE him more than anything and this is honestly so hard (this will be the first dog I will ever have to PTS)... I dont even know how I am going to handle it... I love him so much...

Hi All, I am just after opinions on what you would do in my situation... One of my pooch boys is 14 years old (maltese x) and we love him dearly. He has a heart murmur, has gone 100% deaf, kidney problems which last week lead to him being hospitalised for 2 days on an IV because of an infection which had formed as his blood isnt filtered properly, and he also has cushings disease in his pituritary (sp?) gland. He also has dementia and has become partially incontinent. I say partially because sometimes he wets himself and other times he'll just pee wherever he feels like it... I am very torn with what to do... Last week I thought we were going to lose him and we probably would have if we hadnt done the bloods and found the infection... We knew there was something wrong with him but couldnt put our finger on what it was - there is such a combination of things it could have been... Anyhow, I have told our vet (who is lovely and we adore him - he puts up with a lot of worry from me lol!) that when he says its time to say goodbye then we are ready... It's not the sort of thing we would have to think about as we have already decided that we can't have him suffer. We have also decided not to treat him for cushings. My father had a dog with the same thing and they treated her for it and it was so far progressed like our boys that it did nothing but make her miserable and she died not long after. The thing is... I hate myself most of the time because I get so upset with him for weeing on the floor everywhere... We have just bought our first home 2 weeks ago and already we are going to have to rip out the carpet. I know its not his fault and he has been 100% toilet trained forever- until now and I have no idea what to do... I take him out 10-20 times a day but he still manages to wee inside. His water drinking habits are getting progressively worse - I'd say every day which passes he will drink another whole bowl. Today he drank 6 bowls of water. He drank a whole one in front of me and when he finished he pawed at his bowl, whined and looked up at me for more so I filled it again and hr drank 3/4 of it. I am at a loss with what to do... The vet assures me he is in no pain and now is not his time but I hate hate hate seeing him like this. He was always such a lively, happy dog with so much spunk - so obedient and loving. Now he barely moves, wont look at us in the eyes, wees everywhere and always looks so depressed... Plus his arthritis has gotten so bad as well as his muscles that his back legs are always trembling... What would you do in my situation? I love my old boy so much and dont want to lose him but just hate seeing him like this...

devastating. I am in tears! how shocking... this is why i prefer the company of dogs to humans!

wow that must have been very frightening! i have no info for you, i just wanted to see if there is any more news on him? how's he feeling?

urine off here too! it saved my life! wonderful stuff... piss off is also pretty good, but urine off is the best product i have used. you can also get a urine off black light to find all the dry stains which you may have missed! (also handy for cleaning the bathroom if you have males living with you )

i have PM'd you. Thanks so much!

Hmmm... He is only one... will be 2 in december... his mother was a maltese and father a chi (i have met them both and all dogs were taken from the previous "owners"). He is the perfect weight.. this is one thing i had thought of, but he is healthy in every other way. Its an odd situation because nothing seems to be wrong with him except this... None of the vets had any info for me... and I had a thought that it could be neurological? or would the vet have mentioned something about this?

i dont know too much about it... but my vet told me the more you empty the glands the more you need to. i.e. the more you empty them the more they will fill and need to be emptied manually. in regards to emptying them, if you can actually feel them as you said, grab some toilet paper, and with one hand place the paper over where you can feel the glands... push in and squeeze a little... thy should empty then... my brothers dog scoots when she needs hers emptied, but my mothers just walk over to hr and sook lol...

To be quite honest most of the stuff the vets said was a blur to me as I was so freaked out. I thought he had died and all that was on my mind was having him back and giving him a hug. Though the soft palette thing does ring a bell! Is this a common cause of apnoea? i read through that page... and he has some, but not all of those things... and its not always and all together... sometimes he'll sleep with his mouth open... sometimes he'll snore, sometimes he'll do both etc...

one of my dogs gets very cold and comes to me shaking when she wants her jumper on. when she's cold, her nose, feet and tongue are also cold. I always find that if my dogs tongues arent warm then they are cold... but that could be just me, or just my dogs lol... its not a fact, just the way I tell. :rolleyes:

could you half or third their meal portions and feed them 2 or 3 times per day so food isnt such a large issue for them? if they ate the same amount as they usually do, but half for lunch and half for dinner maybe they could have less of a chance of choking and also meal time maybe wouldnt be so important? what are you feeding them? This could have something to do with it?

One of my dogs has been diagnosed with sleep apnoea... By 3 vets. He is a maltese x chihuahua rescue dog. The vet's had little information on the condition as it is (supposedly) very uncommon. There is also little info about it on the net from what I can find, and also no history of it in either breed which he is crossed. The first time it happened it was VERY scary... he was making this weird snore noise so I nudged him to stop, when he didnt, I looked over at him and his eyes were rolled back and he then stopped breathing... and started again... I finally woke him u and took him to the vet. They held him and had a sleep specialist watch him and he was then diagnosed. I have since got other opinions from other vets who have said the same thing. When he slips into it, he goes completely lifeless like he has no muscle or bones in his entire body - he's totally floppy. I have t shake him to wake him while supporting his neck as it just flopps around. The longest it had taken me to wake him is a few minuted and the shortest is around 30 seconds... Sometimes he can go a month without an episode, but then can have 3 or more in one day. Its less scary now, but it still freaks me out. Does anyone have any info on this? Or have ever experienced it?

it could be her way of saying "not now mum"...

lol i play with mine like this too... they are 1 and 2 and still play like mad with me and with each other. sounds like ur pup is trying to keep the game going!

one of mine actually chews his off. i dont get why he does it and neither does the vet... well actually 2 vets! i just soak his foot in salty wate and put a mini sock on it until he gets over chewing on it...