Is it time to put my Sheltie to sleep?

[CWEST11334]

My sheltie is a very large sheltie...Probably at least twice as large as a normal sheltie. She is almost 10 years old and has with the exception of the 3 months before we got her, been with us. She has always been overweight, regardless of the amount of food we gave her.

Due to the size, she has artrithis, and her left find leg is held on by cartilage only. She has trouble getting up

She does not like to walk very far...she'll walk a quarter of a block and then stop...no amount of encouragement will get her to continue.

She has always liked people (at least up to now)...

Now the problem:

She has begun snapping at people, including myself (I am her favorite) for no reason. She'll be sleeping and suddenly wake up, snapping even if no one is near.

She will also snap at you when you attempt to pet her, for no reason. She won't even let you sniff your hand...if you approach her this way she'll go into an "attack" stance, with ears back.

We think her eyesight may finally be going...which is the reason she cannot identify us...thus the attacks.

NOW THE QUESTION:

Should we put her to sleep? We think she is in pain, and we want to do what's best for her...but we don't want to do this prematurely. Up to now, she has been the ideal dog...but we don't want her to be in so much pain that it isn't worth living.

Comments?

[lv4dogs]

Has she seen a vet recently for a geriatric checkup? I would strongly suggest doing so first. You may find some type of treatment for her and the vet can certainly offer some advice regarding the decision on this issue too.

It's hard when they get older isn't it. I feel for you.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Yes I agree that you should discuss your options with your vet first. Maybe her aggressive behavior is because she is in pain, and if the vet thinks with pain medication she could live a fairly good life then I don't think she needs to be put to sleep.
Everyone has different feelings about putting an animal to sleep, and personally I would only do so if there was no way that the animal could recover or live a fairly good life without too much pain. I'm sorry about your dog . I hope that you can figure something out and that she does ok.

[AllAmericanPUP]

I'd check her thyroid if you havent already....that can be the cause of her being overweight..it can also cause a dog to be agressive

if you dont put her to sleep i'd get her on some liquid glucosamine, syn flex is really great but you can also give the stuff you can get at wal-mart(thats what i give my 13 almost 14 yr old lab and it has done alot for her)

[Flatcoatluver]

I agree that you should talk to your vet first and find out he options

[IRescue452]

Talk to your vet and rule out any pain that can be easily treated. See what is left as to what types of pain she is in that can't be treated. Some people choose to do hospice care for their animals. They somehow think that the animal has quality in its life simply because it can still wag its tail at its owners. I personally wouldn't prolong suffering, if I could treat the arthritis pain but the dog was still deteriorating in other ways I consider that prolonged suffering. You have to make the decision on your own though. Its a tough choice.

[wolfsoul]

This definatly sounds like senility to me. I would talk to your vet and see what kinds of medications or supplements there are to improve your dog's mental acuity.

[CWEST11334]

To All:

Thank you for all your helpful suggestions...

The general consensus is that we should visit the vet, which we will do on Friday, and then make a decision. Many of the suggestions in terms of vitamins/medicines, etc. we are already have been doing for some time in order to make her life better and keep her in less pain.

In terms of her hip/cartiledge...only a very painful operation could be performed...and may cause a "lower quality of life" then she currently has. I doubt that she could endure this type of operation...and would fear that after the resulting operation it would be no better, so I doubt that we'll go this way.

If, after visiting the Vet a determination is made to put her to sleep, then what we'll do is give her a very nice meal last meal Friday night with all her favorite types of food then take her back on Saturday...and then probably have her creamated after letting her go (I'll personally be right by here side petting her if she'll let me, while the vet administers the drugs, so she won't be scared in her final moments...it's the least I can do for her for all the warmth and comfort she has provided).

To AllAmericanPup:

She (Sasha, the Sheltie) does have an overactive thyroid and has been on this medication for many years (since it was discovered by the vet). She also has been on glucosamine tablets for a few years, as well as a high potency multi-vitamin tablet. We have "Trader Joes" out here in Washington and have found both the glucosamine tablets and multi-vitamin tablets to be very good as well as economical.

To IRescue452:
I agree with you 100%. If the life of a dog degrades to the point where she is in constant pain, then it is better to allow her to die rather then prolong her life.

To lv4dogs:

I agree that it's hard when dogs get older, especially with a dog like Sasha. She has been the "perfect" dog for me and family, and a great comfort. For instance when someone in the family is sick or upset, she'll come over and "cuddle" into you trying to make you feel better. It's a hard decision, but we are going to visit the Vet on friday, and then we'll make the decision.

[boxer_babe]

Check with your vet and see if there is any kind of 'cure' for it. I HOPE SHE GETS BETTER! I have 5 dogs, and I cannot imagine what she or he, nor I would be going through if that happened. I HOPE SHE GETS BETTER

[lv4dogs]

I wish you luck at the vets. What ever your decision may be my thoughts will be with you.

[Flatcoatluver]

plz keep us updated!

[Corinna]

Prayers and thoughts going out to you and Sasha> I know how hard it is I had to put my Alert dog down becouse of cancer. He was a springer and only 8 years old,. I miss him so much not only as my life line but my best freind too. But I picked a "good" day when he wasn't cranky and the weather was nice.The vet had a nice park like place and we did it out on this park so he wasn't upset by being at the Vet. It was nice to be able to be in control of how and when to let him go. I too had him cremated ,hubby is making a very speacil wooden box for his ashes. (hubby is a woodworker) Also see about having a paw print made. Its really nice.

[CWEST11334]

After talking with the vet, and discussing all possible options, we had Sasha put to sleep. The vet felt that while some actions might address the pain issues for a short period of time, that there was nothing that could be done for the mental issues, and that it would only prolong her suffering, something that we did not want.

The night before, however, I came home and made her a special dinner (Wet Dog food, which she loves, Steak, and one of her favorite treats, bananas).

I feel strongly that she knew what was coming, because that night, she visited all her most favorite places to lay in the house. She also spent some time on the porch outside "sniffing" the night air.

When it came time for bed, she came over to me and allowed me to pet and cuddle with her. She also went over to my wifes side of the bed and allowed my wife to pet her and say good-bye...as well as her son.

In the morning after she had a good breakfast, and then we prepared to take her to the vet. Surprisingly, she did not put up any fight at all in going...probably because she knew where we were going and she knew that she would be feeling better afterwards. She spent an hour on the outside porch again, watching the leaves fall and "sniffing" the air...and it was a beautiful October day...so it was perfect for her to enjoy.

At 11:15, we got into the car....I lifted her in and had no trouble...I had expected that she might not recognize me due to her having her moments and she might nip at me but she allowed my lifting her 45 pound body into the car with no trouble.

At the vets, I also lifted her out...we then went in and saw the vet. On the vets table, it almost seemed like she had run a marathon between the car and the entry to the clinic. She started falling asleep several times, only to "wake up", raising her head and "smiling" at us. It kind of felt like it was her time to go...that she might go on her own...but that she was waiting for us to give her permission to go trying to insure that we would be all right. The vet listened to her heartbeat and said it sounded irregular...and that she had labored breathing (which could explain why she was so sleepy).

We said our good-byes, and I petted her head as the vet administered the drug....10 seconds later she was gone...Both I and my wife cried like babies, and it took a while for us to leave...we couldn't resist giving her body pets...even though she was gone. We decided we'll have her creamated and will get her ashes in 1 to 2 weeks. When we got home (we both took the day off) our other dog Pansey, a llapso Apso (sp?), was looking for her big sister Sasha, so since it was such a nice day we decided to take Pansy for a walk, one of her favorite things to do...both as a way of getting out of the house and enjoying the dog that remained (not to mention Pansy loves walks!).

Today we spent some time washing Sasha's bedding and vaccuming the house with deoderizer, since it was further apparent that Pansy was still looking for Sasha.

The question now is, should we look for another dog, both for ourselves and for Pansy? It will be impossible to replace Sasha and the special place she had both in our hearts and home....or should we wait?

Comments? If we were to get another SMALL dog, any votes for the type of dog?

[Flatcoatluver]

I am so sorry about your loss. It's so hard sometimes. I think maybe in a couple of weeks you should adopt a dog, I'm sure you can find a small dog, too.

[cyber-sibes]

So sorry for your loss, even when we know it is the kindest thing to do, it's hard, isn't it? i hope you find having Sasha's ashes a comfort. When my Rosie was killed by a car, my husband surprised me with having her cremated, and we buried some of her ashes under a little blue spruce tree, along with some treats. We read poems to her and prayed. It's been 1 1/2 years and I love to go out to Rosie's tree and talk to her. We waited several months before looking for new companion. When it's the right time and the right dog, you'll know it.