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.

[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?