When do you put a dog down?

by katiekitten 36 Replies latest jw friends

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  katiekitten

  Im at my dads house at the moment and they have this dog thats 14 years old, and apparently this brand of dog has an average life expectancy of 10, so shes had a good innings.

  Now im not a dog owner, so its pretty easy for me to say I think they should put the dog down. My dads wife is VERY sentimental about the dog. I would say she was very attached to it, but for all her sentimentality, she has never walked the dog (its always been my dad) and she is not the one who gets up in the night with a mop and bucket - that'd be dad too. But its her dog and she cant bear the thought of putting it down. She says she loves it too much and you cant just get rid of a dog when they become a nuisance.

  The dog cannot stand up on its own, you have to put a sling under its back legs and then help it get its balance. The dog shits and pisses inside the house EVERY SINGLE night. But when you try and help her get outside she doesnt want to go out. She also cries a lot of the night, a low whimper which get louder and louder until its a bark, if you dont go straight away. Sometimes its because she is sat in shit or piss and cant get up, but at other times you cant work out what she wants at all (maybe shes in pain?).

  My dads wife thinks I hate the dog. Well im no dog lover, but I dont actually hate the dog, I just cant stand to see her like this, a shitting pissing whimpering machine. I am looking after it at the moment because they have gone away on hols, and I have to say I am truly fed up of mopping in the middle of the night.

  Last night she crapped 3 seperate times and smeared it all over the floor and rugs in her struggle to get up and out of it. I have to mop the floor, take the rugs outside to hose them down and take the dog outside (I felt pretty bad because I had to physically drag her out using her collar and the sling behind her back legs, as she didnt want to go) and hose her shitty bum and legs down.

  For the rest of the night (after the third shit) she whimpered, and I couldnt work out what she wanted. I got up twice to see to her but she didnt want anything. Shes got pain killer pills and some pills that are supposed to make her sleep at night, but clearly are having no effect.

  I really think the dog should be put down. But like I say, Im not attached to it.
• 

  PopeOfEruke

  Sounds like it's time.
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  meems1000

  it's really difficult to do but it sounds like it's past time. the poor dog has no quality of life and is probably in immense pain, they hide the pain well but you can see it in their eyes. i am a dog owner/lover and have had to put a few dogs down. your dad can stay with the dog while the vet administers the medicine. like i said it's hard to watch but it's for the best.
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  katiekitten

  I really do think its time, but if I bring it up I sound like a dog slayer!

  (one of the reasons ive been on here so often this week is because I am getting up 3 - 5 times a night, and generally cant sleep after ive had to mop n' hose)
• 

  FreedomFrog

  I would try to talk with her and reason with her. Try to let her actually make the decision, sort of use a bit of reverse physiology maybe? If you or your Dad ultimately makes the decision for her, there will be resentment and bitterness from that point forward. I am an animal lover, so when it came to the decision for us to put the cat down, I had to work through some of my emotions first. I have a 13 year old German Shepherd, I’m sad because her life expectancy is about 15, so I know her time is coming close. I will need to be ready to take her in and have her put down. I hope I can be ready when the time comes… but I will need to feel I made that decision on my own. Being a dog lover is an intense emotion. It’s almost like having love for a child. Some people have trouble letting go.

  For now, can you put the dog in a crate?

  Just my 2 cents...
• 

  purplesofa

  I put my dog to sleep last month.........Its a hard decision to take a life...........not like squashing a bug.

  But he was only going to get worse and was suffering.....the last stages of heartworms. He got a shot and went to sleep..........he did not have to keep hacking up blood, heaving for air, hardly able to walk......he died decently and with dignity and no drama.

  I was a heaping mess but now I feel better about it

  purps
• 

  katiekitten

  Being a dog lover is an intense emotion. It’s almost like having love for a child.

  Too true. There are issues there too, because she has never had kids, but my dad has (obviously) had me.

  She says the dog is like a child to her. But I find it hard to stomach her sentimentality as she never actually does anything for the dog. She just goes on about how much she loves the dog. All the actual loving (walking her when she could walk, clearing up shit and piss, feeding her) is done by my dad (or me, or a girl they pay to come and clean the house).
• 

  katiekitten

  Sorry about your dog purps.

  I think dignity at the end is important.
• 

  TresHappy

  A good dog owner is there for all the things in its dog's life, the beginning, the middle and the end.
• 

  Highlander

  Sounds like the dog is in pain. Does it still wag it's tail when someone walks in the door? If not, I'd say the dog is quite unhappy. Does the dogs eyes look sad?

  If the dog has sad eyes and no longer wags it's tale, and along with the disability, then it's time to let her go.