Should I put my puppy to sleep :(?

Question

My puppy is barely 3 months and he just got the distemper virus. He also got pnemonia(sp?) and seizures (turns out he was sick since I got him). The vet says there is less than a 50% chance he'll make it, and if he does it's a possiblity he might be handicapped! He's currently in the hospital... but it's $1000 a day and I can't keep him there forever. It's really heartbreaking for me. I'm trying to keep him in the hospital as long as I can though his condition isn't changing much. Please give me any advice. Thanks.

Answer 1

I am so sorry! There is hope for recovery but it may take a long time and it's not a sure thing. I think the vet is being very honest with you about his chances of recovery. The percentage of puppies that live or die depends on the quality of the care they receive (which seems good for your puppy) and the virulence of the strain. As horrible as it sounds, I think you need to add your financial situation to the equation. Do your best, but don't bankrupt yourself doing it. There is no easy answer - my heart goes out to you.

Answer 2

i'm so sorry to hear about your puppy. I had a puppy put to sleep because of distemper so i understand how you feel. If you can keep him for a few more days at the hospital, the vet may have a better idea on his prognosis. At least you will be giving him a fighting chance. If, after a few days, the vet says that the outlook is not good, you might consider putting him to sleep. I think in the long run that would kinder than him being handicapped all his life.

Answer 3

I hate to bring money into consideration when there is a life (even animals) involved, but there also is such thing as reality and prospective.

Assuming you are a normal working person, you can't possibly keep spending 1000 dollars a day and still sustain yourself. My thought is that for animals, what would happen if the animal was in the wild. For domesticated animals, what would happen when cared for by a caring owner.

Unfortunately, for your pet, according to the vet, the chances are 50/50. Whether if you want to bring him home and take a chance or put him to sleep, THAT is tough call.

I would suggest having a talk with your vet and lookinto what's reasonably possible. If his survival is 50/50 and out of 50, chance of not having serious issue for rest of his life is high, puting him down may be the best option.

It's between you and your vet. I can't tell you what to do. All I can do is try to put this in prospective.

Answer 4

I think it's time to let him go. I had a rat who had pnemonia when I got her. I spent hundreds of dollars on vet bills for her and she lived a pretty decent quality life for a year and a half, but she never completely recovered. Towards the end she started having seizures and suffered a stroke, and it was so hard just watching her go through all that and not being able to really do anything, but hold her so she wouldn't get hurt. And she had trouble walking proplerly without falling over, because of the stroke, and thats when I knew is was time to say goodbye. It was really hard, but I couldn't let her suffer like that. And I know a lot of people would think 'so what? it's just a rat' but she was really a great companion and family member. If his condition gets any worse, I think it's probably best to say goodbye. Just know that he loved you and you did what you could to help him out, but he would be going to a better place. I am really sorry about your puppy. I know you must be in a lot of pain over this. God Bless.

Answer 5

Geez. I can't imagine what you're going through. I would talk to your vet and he should help you decide if it's really worth it. If you can't afford him, and the vet thinks there is a chance, you can hand him over to the vet and they will try to save him and then find him a new home. You should also go back to wherever you got the puppy and demand a refund. Since he was sick since you got him, they are responsible. I would not get another puppy in return from these people though. I really hope your puppy pulls through! I also don't know if this answer helped much. Sorry if it didn't.

Answer 6

If your vet is charging you that much per day then they are bleeding you dry and i would find a different vet. I say this because my dog spent a week in the vets' office for seizures when he got older, they ran blood tests, did brain scans, etc... and it cost $1200 for a whole week for all of that stuff. During that time he was also on IVs for fluid and for medication they were trying him on. Another one of my dogs spent 5 days in the vet's hospital for severe pancreatitis... her levels were so high they shut the machine down. Her bill was over $700.

You can keep on paying to try anything and everything but i would seriously consider what the vet is saying. Ask him what he would do in your situation and ask what the puppy's quality of life is going to be. With my dog who had seizures, the quality of his life wasn't worth having him live the way he was. He was an phenobarbitol (up to 5pills) at the end and he was still having seizures. We finally decided to put him down, not because of the cost but because it was the humane thing to do.

Answer 7

It's a heartbreaking decision, I know. Sometimes you just can't overcome an illness. He is suffering and will look to you for relief. You know what the right decision is; deep down you do. Letting him go is the most loving thing you can do for him. The best thing for you is to research where your puppy came from. Again, you will know what to do with that information. Your vet will help you. You have friends you don't know who feel your anguish. You will have a loving new pet some day when you are ready. Take your time.

Answer 8

Thats really sad - I really feel for you and your pup. Are you able to get another opinion from another vet or a dog breeder? You have the diagnosis so perhaps you could phone a vet or breeder and ask their thoughts.

Also ask your own vet what he/she would do if it was their own dog. Thats often a good way to find out whats best.

Let the experts decide then you can be at peace with the decision knowing you did what is medically best for the pup. They will give you an honest answer if you ask them outright.

If you decide to have the pup put to sleep - be at peace with your decision and know you did it out of kindness, and your pup will thank you that its no longer suffering.

Answer 9

Fifty percent chance is a good chance. You might ask your Vet for instructions for home care of your pet. My dog got deathly ill with pancreatitis and my Vet worked with me to treat her from home. It was actually better than being at the Vet's for her because she was in her own surroundings. But I did have the ability between me and my spouse to provide 24 hr care for her. I had a neighbor years ago whose dog got distemper and they treated the dog at home and he survived and lived to an old age in spite of having been very very sick. He had no lasting side effects from having had that disease. But whatever you decide, you are there and I am sure you will do what you need to do. Take care and sorry about your pup.

Answer 10

It sounds like having him put to sleep would be the kindest thing you could do for your dog. I had a cocker spainel that was diagnosed with cancer & wasn't able to swallow without choking even though I loved him dearly I knew that I couldn't contiue to let him suffer so I let him go. I know this will be a very hard choice to make if you can try doing a pro & con list by making the choice to keep him alive. I know this is not the answer you want to hear but keeping in mind what would be best for the puppy I would recommend having him put to sleep