Ask Me Help Desk - When to put dog down

I have had a cocapoo mix for over 12 years that I adopted at the humane sociaty. At the time they said she was 1-3 years old. For the last 4 months (maybe longer) she has been peeing in the house several times a day and vomits once a day or every other day. She eats good and seems OK, but she is ruining all my furniture and carpet. Sometimes she will pee 20 minutes after she had just gone outside!? Sometimes she will pee in the house as she is walking, making a long pee streak along the carpet. She has many non-cancerous sists on her skin, and many fatty "mounds" under her skin. The Vet has tested for cushings desiese and they were negative results. I am at wits end, and wonder if it's time to put her down. She has had a very happy life so far, but I live alone and it's getting to be too much. Is it time for the big doggy bone in the sky?

Have you tried doggie diapers. My grandma did this with her little dog that had the problems like yours. Of course that doesn't answer the other problems. I would get a second opinion by another vet possibly because one will tell you nothing can be done while another usually knows something that can be done. If there really is nothing that can be done and you see that the dog is obviously suffering and in pain then I say its nap time.

Hi,
This site almost brought tears to my eyes:

http://www.leerburg.com/bridge.htm

It is other people's writings about putting their pet to sleep, with what happens to a dog before they decide to.
My own housedog is 12 yr old, and is still going strong... we are blessed with that.
I do wish you the best, and maybe the site above will help a little.

When to put a dog to sleep is the toughest decision a dog owner makes. I haven't gone through that since 1985. It still hurts. And that involved a dog that lost control of his bowels and bladder. He looked like he was embarrassed over his accidents. It was Ok the last summer when he spent all day sleeping out in the sun.

Each dog is different. I am 20 years older now, and I hurt some of the time. I will base my decision on my 12 year old Aster, not on whether she hurts, but is she enjoying life. As long as she is excited when I pull down the leash, we aren't going to take the last walk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

When to put a dog to sleep is the toughest decision a dog owner makes. I haven't gone through that since 1985. It still hurts. And that involved a dog that lost control of his bowels and bladder. He looked like he was embarrassed over his accidents. It was Ok the last summer when he spent all day sleeping out in the sun.

Each dog is different. I am 20 years older now, and I hurt some of the time. I will base my decision on my 12 year old Aster, not on whether she hurts, but is she enjoying life. As long as she is excited when I pull down the leash, we aren't going to take the last walk.

Aww that's so touching. I hope I don't ever have to put my dog down anytime soon. I should really take more pictures. Hmm... where's that camera.

This story and many of its replys bring me to tears but I am very sad already I am just 14 and my dog the same, the vets say he had a good run but nothing can keep me from missing him my sister is going to put him down of course I have no saying since I didn't own the dog but I did grow up with it. I got my dog rusty when I was 7 1/2 years old and he also was 7 1/2 when we adopted him now my sister is going to put rusty down and now on the eve of the sleep I can't stop thinking of him I Google searched "why dogs are put down" and here I am crying hope I don't die of this keyboard

Brad, I am so sorry you are going through this. No matter what age you are, it is never easy and it always hurts. One thing you should hold onto is the fact that without you and your family, Rusty very well might have been euthanized (put to sleep) in a shelter if your family didn't show up and adopt him. Most people won't adopt an older dog. Through your family's kindness, you all gave him the unique opportunity of an additional 7 1/2 years of a very happy and wonderful life. He was able to live out his senior years in a safe, secure, and loving environment. That was a very precious gift that you all gave to your dog and is something you should be very, very proud of. So, try to keep that in mind and think about this positive effect you had on his life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubyPitbull

Brad, I am so sorry you are going through this. No matter what age you are, it is never easy and it always hurts. One thing you should hold onto is the fact that without you and your family, Rusty very well might have been euthanized (put to sleep) in a shelter if your family didn't show up and adopt him. Most people won't adopt an older dog. Through your family's kindness, you all gave him the unique opportunity of an additional 7 1/2 years of a very happy and wonderful life. He was able to live out his senior years in a safe, secure, and loving environment. That was a very precious gift that you all gave to your dog and is something you should be very, very proud of. So, try to keep that in mind and think about this positive effect you had on his life.

Well thanks ruby but I still feel guilty of putting this down. I don't know, I feel like its wrong why can't dogs pass like the have for thousands of years isn't it wrong that a dog (any animal) is killed by a lethal injection also won't that hurt its poison and isn't there a possobilite that the poison affects the soil we bury him in. the list goes on and on and on. I feel its my fault. When we moved we needed to get a new vet so the second time we went to visit the vet he told us the dogs in pain but rusty was fine he was still jumping around the house and still ate his food nothing like my friends cat that had kidney cancer and was also put down but rusty was fine I don't know why we put him down and I feel it should have been my job to stop it not just rusty's death but all lethal injections what world do we live in that this stuff is tollerated people say "there just dogs" there more than just a dog for me and many other people so as I close up my post I leave with one message "WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE FROM POISON FROM A DOG" I don't think so switch prospective

THIS IS MASS MURDER