What factors do I use to decide if I should put my dog to sleep?

Question

I just found out that my dog has cancerous Lymphoma. He has a mass growing against his esophagus which is pushing it to one side sometimes making it hard for him to breathe. He also has some kind of infection in his lungs which the vet says that we can treat with antibiotics. He is going on 13 years old and I feel that he has been extremely well taken care of throughout his life. Right now he is acting normally, just sleeping a lot and moving around as is expected for a dog his age. Based on his age I have decided not to operate and I am concerned that I will end up waiting too long or not long enough to make the decision to put him down. Can anyone help me with suggestions on how to go about making the hardest decision in my life? I have only had one pet and have never had to make this choice before. Please help.

Answer 1

I have been a vet tech for years. Sometimes, the nicest thing you can do is to let go. I myself have had to face euthanizing one of my dogs. I will tell you how I made my decision and what I usually tell our clients.
My advice is based on experience and my personal opinions. I want to start by saying that I believe that when the time is "right," euthanasia is humane.
I believe you should weigh the "good" days and the "bad" days. Once the bad out number the good, it is time to let go. I myself, try to put myself in the pets position, I ask myself if I would want to live if I were having the same problems.
Because of the emotional attachment, we tend to "hold on" to our pets. That is understandable and it really is OK. However, your main concern, in my opinion, is your pets comfort. Once your pets quality of life is no longer a good one, allow the suffering to stop. Again, as long as the good days out weigh the bad then it can be assumed that your dog is relatively comfortable.
In addition, if your doggie stops responding to you in his "normal" manner, then take that as a sign that he is possibly in pain. Many people think that if a dog is in pain, then it will whine. NOT SO...most dogs suffer in silence. Only their actions change.
If you decide, that your boy is still having far more good days than bad, then make sure you put him on the antibiotics...they will make his life easier.
As the cancer takes over, he will have more difficulties. All dogs that are at the end of their life, whether it is due to old age or illness, will have days that they "rally." On these days, they act just as if nothing is wrong. They will be happy and active. These days make the "decision" the hardest.
Although this is a very long-winded, I do have a point. Unfortunately, in the end, this is your decision. YOU know your dog and his "normal" personality. Put yourself in his paws, when you know you could no longer have a good quality of life, then why make him?
I am sorry you have to make this decision. Just hold your memories close to your heart. Know you gave your boy 13 terrific years...that REALLY is something!

Answer 2

First of all I am sorry you are going through this with your dog.
I just in October had to put my almost 16 (!) year old Pit bull to sleep.
I had him since he was 8 weeks old, it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.
People told me that I would know when the time was right, that he would let me know and he did.
I am sure your dog will do the same.
Things that helped me to decide is that he no longer enjoyed some of the things he always enjoyed, in my/his case it was checking out the property daily to see what sort of creatures had "trespassed" overnight.
He had also started losing weight and didn't really want to eat anymore, at the end I was cooking Chicken and other things for him trying to get him to eat
He started having trouble walking and laying down.
Towards the end he did not walk much, just enough to do his business
My dog did not have a disease or cancer so I held out so much hope that he would improve, but the bad days started outweighing the good ones by far , and one day he just looked so tired and sad, I knew it was just a matter of time.
It is a selfless gift that we can give our beloved animals, we can release them from their pain and take it on ourself..
As long as your dog is not in great discomfort and goes about his day normally and how it is to be expected from a dog his age I think he is okay, keep in mind though that he has a terminal disease and that once he starts going downhill he is most likely not going to improve.
So a day too early is always better than a day too late

I am very sorry you are facing this and I am sending you strength for the future.

Answer 3

My heart goes out to u.. i put down a dog last year and I had only had him a few weeks.. I can't imagine what u are going thru and how much ur hurting.. Pets become part of the family. It's O.K. to let him go in peace.. He knows u love him and he's had a good life.. The antibiotics will only be a temp. cure.. Eventually he won't be able to eat or breathe at all.. It will hurt u even more knowing he's suffering and watching him suffer.. NOBODY can tell u what to do or how u r supposed to feel... It is the hardest choice u will ever make.. I sincerely believe there is a DOG Heaven and that he will live FOREVER pain free there.. They say if dog's that are normally always wanting to be around u and sit in ur lap and play all of a sudden starts wanting to be alone..and not be touched that it's their time..Some will go in their sleep..others will not... Putting a dog to sleep is painless (except for the owners).. I wish u the best.

Answer 4

This is a very hard decision. I have been there myself.

The important thing is to pay careful attention to whether or not he is suffering. If he is suffering, then putting him to sleep will be for the better.

Give him lots of extra love in the meantime.

If the lung infection does not improve, or goes away then comes back, then his time is up.

Yes, he is 13 years old, but what kind of prognosis did the vet give him if you did operate? In other words, was it the vet's professional opinion that operating was not advisable? If you are sure that your dog has the best quality of life the way he is, then you made the right choice. However, if the vet feels confident that operating would improve his quality of life even if for another year or two, then I would say that is worth it.

Answer 5

If you're waiting for that 'right time' I'd look into his eyes. You can tell when an animal has given up, and it's a sort of warning that they're not going to be around much longer and the body just goes on auto-pilot. Another way to make the decision would be the following.

First of all, if you've decided not to operate it might be best to go ahead and put him down.

The worst thing I've ever done is watched an animal go through cancer. It's horrible to watch your best friend waste away no matter if you're trying to treat it or not. Even though he's not suffering now, he will later, and it might be easier for you to know he isn't going to suffer at all then to watch him suffer just to have him around a while longer.

Also, remember, telling yourself you'll wait until you've prepared yourself isn't the right thing to do. You'll never have enough time to prepare yourself for losing a loved animal, so don't let yourself get caught in that trap.

I'm so sorry, and I hope you make the right decision, I hate putting animals to sleep, but you have to think about how much better it is for them to die painlessly.

Answer 6

I think I would ask myself if the surgery would remove the problem and give the dog a few more years of life without the pain he currently has.
I'd have to make a list with the help of the Vet about the pro's and con's of having surgery or not having surgery.
If the pro's outweighed the con's I'd go with surgery.
If surgery gave the dog another year, pain free, I'd be for it. If the dog would have recovery pain after the surgery but only be expected to live a very short time, I'd go with euthansia.
If the con's eliminated the option of surgery for me, I'd discuss this with the Vet and likely I'd opt for euthanasia because of the breathing difficulty if it is, as you say, the result of the tumor and not the infection..

The infection does not seem to be a factor in the decision because it is treatable with antibiotics.

Answer 7

I'm sorry to read about the problems that your dog is having and I know how hard this must be on you...........I'm pretty sure you can tell if he's in pain and, for me, that would be the deciding factor........It's awful for an animal to suffer and it would be more human, as hard as that is, to put him to sleep...........Since the mass is growing against his esophagus I would think eventually it's going to be difficult for him to eat which is something else I would keep in mind.......

If I may make a suggestion (and I know you probably don't want to think about this at this time but...) if and when you decide what's best for him and the decision turn out to be to put him to sleep get another dog without waiting too long.......It will ease the pain for you and give another dog a chance to be well cared for and loved..............CAT

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Answer 8

i'm very sorry for your situation about your dog. you know your dog best. all you can do is look at the dog. if the dog is having more bad days than good, if the breathing difficulties become worse and he's stuggling for air. and most important, if you look at your dog one day and the dog looks at you and you know it's time. then it is. it's very sad to lose a great friend. you have to look at the dog's quality of life. if you think that your dog would not want to live this way then it's time. this is the hardest decision a loving pet owner can make. it's a decision made out of love. you have provided a great life, comfort and affection. your dog could not have gotten better care. your dog has done it's part, and soon it will be time for you to do yours. this dog has come to trust you for everything and direction in their life. and when the dog's quality of life has become too difficult and painful, the best thing you can do is say goodbye and thank you. again i'm very sorry.

Answer 9

Putting my one year old dog to sleep was the hardest decision of my life and was something that I did not want to do. But after several weeks of putting it off, I could tell he was in a lot of pain. He seemed to get worse every day and I could not bear to see him suffer. He was the first dog I ever had and I loved him so much and his front leg joints had so many problems and he would barely get up. It made me so sad and I cried for a long time. But I knew that it was the right thing to do because it is just wrong to keep an animal suffering when there is nothing you can do to help.

So when you feel that your dog is in too much pain and you have mentally prepared yourself and know that it is the right thing to do. Then it is time.

Best of luck to you and all my prayers for you and your dog.

Answer 10

Well I'd say 13yrs is too old to operate for sure. He would most likely die during the surgery. When he is having trouble eating and breathing and he cannot enjoy life anymore, it would be the time to let him go. Euthanasia is something you should consider when you know that he is suffering.. you know him well enough to know when he is.. Just make sure you are emotionally prepared for it, and keep in mind that you are going to stop his pain. Many people may disagree with euthanasia as an option, but 13yrs is old for a dog.. and you don't want to prolong the inevitable.. especially if he is suffering.