My dog is a 16-year-old Shetland Sheepdog/Dalmation mix. He is just...just terrible!! His back legs are going and he is all skin and bone. He is always licking, licking, licking himself...on both sides of him!! You also can't fell ANY meat on him AT ALL. You can see his haunches and feel EVERY SINGLE rib and bone in his body. And, honestly, I feel like he is suffering and we're putting him in EVEN MORE pain every day. His eyes say "I LOVE YOU. AND I KNOW YOU LOVE ME. BUT, I'M IN PAIN. EACH DAY GETS WORSE. PLEASE STOP MY SUFFERING TARA. PLEASE!!" What should we do. I only want to do what is best for him. He's my baby after all. PLEASE HELP!!

FWTB2396

I believe that choosing to put down your pet is one of the hardest decisions a person will ever have to make. And when you know that the time is right, you know when the time is right. No one else's opinion is going to help you make that decision; because this deicision is entirly your own.

I wish the best of luck to you. And you will surly make the right choice - if you really love your dog - you will know what to do, and what is for the best.

quote:

Originally posted by acdxx009:
I believe that choosing to put down your pet is one of the hardest decisions a person will ever have to make. And when you know that the time is right, you know when the time is right. No one else's opinion is going to help you make that decision; because this deicision is entirly your own.

I wish the best of luck to you. And you will surly make the right choice - if you really love your dog - you will know what to do, and what is for the best.

I totally agree with acdxx009. When my dog Blue got sick, their was a chance we could save him. If it was up to me, I would have put him down. In fact, he did tell us that it was time for him to leave. The morning he died, before obviously, he barked like crazy. Yes, they all do that, but he was too weak to do it. When my mother and brother took him to the vet, he died. So your dog will tell you when it's time.

Good luck, and remember, mourning takes a while. Your pet will always know that you love him. Good Luck, and God Bless.

Also, when my dog Blue was sick with an intestinal parasite, he started licking himself and lost weight fast. But don't feel discouraged, Blue also had Heart Worms which made it worse for him. Take your dog to a vet. If your vet says he's too far gone, I'd say humanely put him down. But don't worry, your dog doesn't appear have heart worms, so there is a HUGE posibility that your dog will be saved. Please, take your dog to the vet, and get more then one opinion if you can. Good Luck and God Bless!

Sometimes the best choices are the hardest ones to make.

My 16 year old and 14 year old family dogs had to be put down this last summer a week apart from each other because their health was deteriorating.

Do what is best and most comfortable for your pet.

Thank you guys for your posts. They really helped. Also, I am sorry if any of your dogs are sick and wish them well. I am also sorry if any of you have lost a dog. I believe that we have made the right choice. He is to be put down some time later this year, like June, July, August. It will hard, the hardest thing for me thus far, but I know it's right. The vet will come to our house to put Cocoa down. We don't want his last days to be in a dingy, old vet office.

Thank you. If anyone cares to post here, they can. Talk about your dogs, or if you have to make a hard choice like me. Please do. I just want people to have a place to come and type about...whatever you want to type about.

Thank you to all of you. You helped a lot.

FWTB2396

keep him love him but he is 16 so... he will die soon. try to get him help let the vet know his comdision. hope i help him and you

i say get a puppy like him sins you are puting him down it will get you through the mornig

i wanted to get a new pup when mine died but everyone said morn her and then we'll get you a new one but its been like a year and a half and still nothing and they wonder why I'm always down and stuff. then they tell me well wait til you move out then get 1 but then i wont have time to house train it and everything so I figured that theres no way I'll get 1 til I'm living super comfortable aka retired

Do NOT get a puppy right after your dog dies. If you want another dog, wait a little bit. Especially if you own more then one dog. How stressful! If your dog dies then wait until things settle down a little bit. There are many dogs out there wanting a great home, they're not going anywhere.

quote:

Originally posted by talltail:
Do NOT get a puppy right after your dog dies. If you want another dog, wait a little bit. Especially if you own more then one dog. How stressful! If your dog dies then wait until things settle down a little bit. There are many dogs out there wanting a great home, they're not going anywhere.

I think when you should get a new dog is subjective to the person. If one of my dogs passed, I would get a new dog very soon after.

I guess it would all depend on the person. And I would love another dog after one of mine died. I have two dogs and if one died, and I immediately brought another one into the scene, it has got to be confusing.

quote:

Originally posted by talltail:
Do NOT get a puppy right after your dog dies. If you want another dog, wait a little bit. Especially if you own more then one dog. How stressful! If your dog dies then wait until things settle down a little bit. There are many dogs out there wanting a great home, they're not going anywhere.

I agree, I wouldn't. The day I lost Blue, my ACD, my dad said that we'll get another one right then. I was already crying my eyes out. I had just LOST my best friend...my baby. I got so mad at him. But like Angeleeta said, it's more about the person. But I would wait atleast a week. That way you can atleast research the new dog you want.

God bless you and your dog, but if i was in that situation, i would humanly put him down, because why make him suffer by dying a slow painful death, when he can be put down quickly and humanely. But see if you can save him first. see your vet. pray. and if prayers dont work, than i know he will go straight to heaven!

Has your dog been seeing the vet regularly through this whole process? Does the vet agree that your dog's condition is because of old age instead of other medical problems that could be helped?--or at least make him more comfortable with softer food and/or pain medication, but since he's 16 it seems he's lived a good and long life, thanks to the care you've given him. Every dog should be so lucky!
My vet was also caring enough to come out to my place when it was time to put down Pete, whose cancer had spread beyond the possibility of a cure and he wasn't enjoying life anymore--the same vet was there for Cubby at the end of her 12 years.
It's different for everybody, but for me the right thing was to wait almost a year before I got another dog. I babysat friends' dogs, looked on Petfinder at dogs in my area who needed a home, decided that a mellow older dog was what I should look for---then Oreo came into my life--I wasn't planning on a puppy--now he's the best dog I could have ever hoped for and I can't imagine life without him, I'm glad I didn't rush out and get another dog right away. I think if you wait patiently, the right dog will always find you! Because of everything your old dogs taught you about love and care: Pete and Cubby taught me how to take the best care of Oreo, train him and be his happy buddy---
So sorry about Cocoa, good for you that you gave him a long and happy life.

I had four dogs 2 border collies, 1 Border Collie/Blue Heeler, and 1 Bernese Mountain dog/ Border Collie. The two Border Collies we gave away because where we were moving to they would not have as much room to run around and that would be unfair to them. The Bernese Mountain dog/ Border Collie mix we had to put down and about 2 years later we had to do the same for the other one it has been around three years since our final loss and we are now looking for another border collie. We have pictures all around the house and we talk about them all the time. My cat misses them. We put a picture of them in front of her and she licks it.

Thanks guys, so much. I know it is a little late but I just looked back on this fourm. I'm the girl who posted it. We ended up putting him down. He was 16.5 years old. On July 7, 2008 he will have been dead for 4 months. I wish all your pets health and a long, happy life like Cocoa's. May Cocoa Butter Baker Rest In Peace Forever. Wait for me Fat Rat. Wait.

:'(. I remember when I lost maki. he was a big newfounland, so his liver started failing. I noticed the change in him first. but it was to late. we did everything we could. he went to a bunch of different vets, but then...
then we just had to put him down. he was only 6, or 7. he died february 23, 2006. gaia misses him the most. we burried him in our backyard and we couldn't let gaia see cause then she would dig him out. about 2 1/2 years later we got claire. she's acutally my dog. gaia's my dad's. and I don't think gaia'll stay with us much longer . so he's been death for 4 months? I hope you're feeling better. may he rest in peace.

I think if you want a new dog, you should wait a while. I mean, obviously you know that no other pet can replace one that has been lost. I know that when I lost my cat, I needed some time to get over it. I felt like I was trying to replace him. Nobody could replace him. Looking for new kittens made me upset because it made me think about when he was a kitten. When I was ready, I got a new kitten. Do it when you are ready.

I am also very sorry for your loss and you should know that everybody here is sorry as well, even if they forgot to mention it. They probably have been in your shoes once, even if the situation was not the same.

I once lost a dog. He ran away, and then, years later, I got a new dog. The dog who ran away was a male chihuahua, and now I have another male chihuahua. My older dog was tan, this newer one is gray. My newer dog is older now, with some white hair, but he's still pretty young. He's 4 years old. He can still live a long time. But what you have to know, is that it might take you years before you get a new dog. It took my family years, it could take yours some time to get a new dog.