A warning to those with weak stomachs--this will be a graphic post. Also long, sorry.
I recently heard some disturbing things about my vet. I won't go into details, but it is making me question some of the decisions I made based on his advice. The most worrysome is the decision to put Toby to sleep. Please let me know what you would do in this situation.
Toby was a 14 yr old black lab. He belonged to my husband's uncle. The uncle was moving off his farm in May and couldn't take Toby with. My husband and I volunteered. Toby hadn't been eating well over the winter, and was very thin. He was deaf and had severe arthritis. Uncle hadn't taken him to the vet in at least 5 years, and he hadn't had a bath or been brushed since the previous fall because uncle thought it would be too painful for him due to the arthritis. Toby had laid on his side alot, creating a sore. I found the sore when I brushed him the Saturday night I got Toby. I think the type of sore is called a hot spot--it was red and oozing underneath all the fur. It stretched over his hip and around to his rear. And it was covered in hundreds (literally) of maggots. I removed as many as I could and washed the sore. We took Toby in to the vet Monday. He hadn't eaten anything except 2 treats and 2 peanut butter sandwiches (not the greatest diet, I know, but they were his favorite, and we were desperate to get something in him). The vet told us that the best we could do for Toby was put him out of his misery--the few days he had left would be not worth living in his condition.
I agreed at the time, but now I wonder if there wasn't something we could have done--maybe the vet just didn't want to have to bother with such an old dog. Please advise.
Bookmarks