How do you decide when to put down your beloved dog?

Question

My 16-year-old dog had probably a couple of strokes. She has now mobility problems, she sometimes moves in circles, she cannot focus, she has difficulty in eating etc. She is disorientated but i cannot tell if she suffers. I cannot bear the idea of putting her down, though it will probably come to that. The vet said she might get a bit better, though she is not very optimistic. In any case she is old and lived a good life with us... Any advice of when is the right moment? Do I keep her in life only because i do not want her to die?

Answer 1

that dog is 112 years old. im sorry but anything over the age of 100 has got to be suffering. i had to put my dog to sleep last year and its not the easiest thing to do but i would rather have her not suffer for a lengthy time just for me to be happy that kind of selfish. best time to do it as soon as possible and then go get another dog to replace the current one. it wont take away all the pain but it will help.

Answer 2

It's hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet that has been a best friend to you for 16 years. She is suffering because she can not enjoy the same quality of life as before. You said that she is old and has lived a good life. Make an appointment with the vet and have her put down quickly and quietly it's the right thing because she may get worse and truly suffer with great pain and that would be awful. You can plant a nice memorial garden in her memory out in your back yard with beautiful flowers and decorations to honor her memory. The greatest honor to her memory would be to go down to the humane society and adopt a young puppy. It won't replace your beloved pet because you'll always have fond memories but it will bring a happiness to a sad time, and give another dog the opportunity to live with such a great pet owner.

Answer 3

You have to look at her quality of life. If she's not displaying symptoms of pain it makes it a little harder to make this decision. At least then you could say, I'm ending her suffering. But she's having trouble eating, which isn't good. You and your dog have a bond and a connection. They'll let you know when they are ready to go.

I know this doesn't help. But at the end of the day it's just an intuition that signals...hey I have to do this. It isn't easy, and there will be days afterward that although you know that you made the right decision, you'll wonder. But, you have to do what's best for HER. You have to love her enough to eventually let her go. Take a weekend and just spend all your time with her. Take a monday and tuesday off from work . See if your vet will let you euthanize her on a monday during their lunch hours (less people, less questions, less chances that you'll be overcome and breakdown in front of strangers). Then take the night and the next day to mourn. It's going to be hard, and no one wants to have to make this decision.

The fact that you asked this question on the message board, to me, seems likes you know it's time and you just need reassurance that you're making the right decision. Go with your gut and what you can see in her eyes. She understands how hard this is for you.

Answer 4

I know from personal experience on this .
It is the one of the most hardest things I had to do.
My dog like yours was old ,I too did not want to play god and end his life,but it was pointed out to me that i was being selfish by keep him alive.
Look at her eyes she will have the answer in them.
You have already answered your own question she has lived a good life.
let her go with the love you have for her,It will not be easy but in the end it what best for her not you.
Do not let her suffer it just the start soon other things will begin to happen like loosing control of the bowels, lost of apatite these are signs she is tired and ready to go to puppy heaven,say your good byes now and be with her.
she be live it or not is hanging on for you because you cannot let her go ,tell her its OK .
I hate to have you wait until it was too late and find her past away alone in the night.
She deserves better than that. Talk it over with other family members be strong,letting a family member go is never easy,I feel your pain,and know what hard decisions you need to think about,It is the most humane thing you can do for your pet.
As much as it hurts you now just know you provied that dog with as much love as you could and did everything you could. In the end you will know she will tell you just watch her body language. Take care all the best give your girl a big hug from me.

Answer 5

No one can tell you when to put your pet down. But you should know that if she is in pain or if her bad days out number her good ones, the best thing you could do for her is to let her go painlessly. Do not keep her just for your feelings. She could get worse. You dont want to remember her suffering. You will know. Give her all the love and attention you can while you still have her. You decide what's best for her. I would always want to remember the good times that I have had, and not remember the last little while she had suffering bc I didn't let her go sooner. Sorry, I'm not trying to sound ugly...I'm very sympathetic for you. Animals hide their pain well sometimes. You just love her unconditionally the time comes. You will know, her bad days will start to out number the good ones and she will start to let you know. Good luck.

Answer 6

17 is old for any breed the dog has lived a LONG life. The fact that the dog is old with health problems should be a definite yes to putting him down. Please dont be selfish, if you KNOW he is in pain dont let him suffer anymore its just cruel I can tell you love him but there will always comes a time in life when you must do what is best and let go. Im sorry your going through this but eventually you will realize putting him down and stopping the pain is best!

Answer 7

It is so hard to put your beloved pet down. I understand what you are going through. Your pet is a part of your family. I had to put our dog down 25 years ago. This beloved dog of ours grew up with my children. So it was hard on all of us. I was with her when she went to her final sleep. It was hard, but as I held her and pet her I could feel her tension subside and she fell into a restful peaceful sleep. I have never had another dog since. I just can't bare the thought of another lose as great as this one. Good luck to you dear one. It's a tough decision to make. All I can say is don't let your precious loyal pet suffer. She has given you unconditional love. She's not going to let you know she is suffering until the suffering is so great she can no longer hide it. As you yourself said she is old and has lived a good life. It's time to let her go peacefully and without pain. God Bless you.

Answer 8

Just because you don't want her to die doesn't mean that's the best thing for the dog. It seems to me that you need to put her down. If she has trouble eating she must be suffering. Most of the time I would say no to putting animals down but in this case I have to say yes.

Answer 9

I understand how you must feel,but don't do what I did and will never do again.I let my cat die in my house of a stroke just because I did not want to let her go.She suffered and died a horrible death.When your pet can no longer enjoy life and function as before, it's time to say goodbye.Please take my advice,as you'll always regret not helping sooner while you have the choice.

Answer 10

First of all you deserve a congratulations for your dog living that long. You had to have given her great care, and lots of love. Your last gesture of love should be to end her suffering and give her peace. I know it is hard and extremely painful and it is easy for all of us to sit here behind computrs and tell you what to do because it is not our hearts that are involved. I love my dogs so much I would lay my life down for them but I could never bear to see them hurt. In your heart you know the answer but it probally is not the answer you want to hear. Would you want to live like her? Think over the years and remember the healthy happy dog and how much love she gave you. In 16 years she has given you unconditional love and the truest friendship and it is easy to see why it is hard to let go,but let go for her. Return all the love she has given to you by loving her and ending her suffering. When they can not eat, move freely, play, and be a dog its time to let go.