Very hard decision, what do i do?

Question

I have a dog who is vary aggresive. Her aggresiveness is intermittant and cant really be pined to any specific thing. I have taken her to the vet and he thinks she might have a neurolgical promlem that might be causing her to act like this. I thought it would get better but it has been like this since she was a puppy, she is now 3 years old. She bites and sometimes wont even let us get near her. Other days all she wants to do is give affection. I love this dog to death, she is my baby. If the doctor is right and from what he says is the problem it will not be operable. Do i put her down or let her live out the rest of her life with these intolerable mood swings. I cant live with her while she has unpredictable behavior patterns. It's to much for me and its breaking my heart. Please any suggestions other than a dog training class, been there done that! Thanks

Would i be wrong to feel almost relieved about having to put her down? I have been crying for days at the thought of having to give her away, now that she me might be sick i find it easier to except the fact i might have to put her down then to have to give her up. I never want it to have to come to that it would devistate me but i feel as though it's just easier than giving her up and not know what will happen to her.

Answer 1

I think you know already what you need to do. You can't live with her like this for the next 10 or so years. You can't pawn her off on someone else.

I'm sorry.

Answer 2

First, aggression almost always has an underlying cause. There are many different illnesses you dog could have that could be causing the aggressiveness. One of the main reasons for health related aggression is a thyroid issue. Ask your vet to run a thyroid panel on your dog. If it is a thyroid issue, the problem can usually be balances with a daily, inexpensive medication. Other medical issues include pain (arthritis, hip dyslplasia, etc.), cancer, Cognative Dysfunction Syndrome (mainly in older dogs), and some others.

If your vet has already checked for medical issues, I would advise getting a referral from the vet for a behavioralist. They would at least be able to meet with you, evaluate your dog, discuss some possibilities and most likely give you a course of action to help correct the problem. Behavioralist are different from trainers, they can evaluate the cause of the aggression and work with you on a plan to correct the problem. Often, behavioralist can pick-up on problems, catalyst that are causing the aggression in your dog.

Whatever you do, please to not just give the dog away. This simply gives your problem to someone else...often setting you up for a lot of liability and never actually solves the problem. Out of sight, out of mind does not make the dog no longer aggressive and is very irrasponsible. Also, please look into the option listed above. Aggression is very scary in dogs, but many times can be corrected. Also, until you have sought the advice of your vet and a behavioralist, please do not just drug the dog up. Again, this does not correct the problem, it just provides a quick bandaid.

Best of luck with your dog. Just remember you do have some options.

Answer 3

Have you contacted a behaviorist?
I recently dealt with this because someone couldn't bear to euthanize their dog (after it bit). I took her in and I loved her so much. Her moods swings were violent and unpredictable. She would go from greeting to growling in a second. It hurt so much but I made the decision to give her peace. She wasn't even very old. The vet and 2 behaviorists stated that it was a direct result of poor breeding and that her temperament was flawed. She never even made it through her temperament tests, as she bit one behaviorist in front of me. I was devastated, and I still am (I will always be).
A dog that is aggressive without a proper trigger is not only a danger to people, but generally is miserable itself. Her quality of life, no matter how much you love her, is not what it should be. It is hard but in many ways, it is also the right thing to do.
People will judge you if you decide to let her go, just know you were giving her peace. You were doing the most humane thing you could by stopping her suffering.
Whatever you decide, may you find peace yourself. You'll never forget her. Do things in her honor. You don't need to stop loving her, ever.
I'm so sorry that you have to face this. :(

Answer 4

I would suggest you get a second vet to check her out (they may know something the other vet didn't know)! I would talk to both vets about what you are thinking about doing and I bet they will be able to make you feel better about a decision that could be very hard to make on your own!!! At least by giving a second vet a chance to check the dog out, you will at least know you did everything you could do for her!! Maybe there will be good luck, maybe it can be controlled by some medication that won't make her have bad side effects!!

Answer 5

I went to my Moms house one day and found her beloved terrier she had for years dead of dog bites in her living room. they had adopted a sweet if sometimes dopey dog who never showed signs of aggression but something happened in that house. When I got there the other dog looked at me with glazed over sad looking eyes. My mother had to put him down because at that point his behavior was unpredictable. he may never of harmed anyone again but she had no other choice. As a pet owner you have to decide what is best for your dog and your family. I might make some people mad but your family comes first. Do what you think is best for your family. Don't come home from work one day and find a catastrophe.

Answer 6

Unfortunatly the best thing you can do is put her down. You have to look at her quality of life, not just your own feelings. Do you think she enjoys living like this? Not to mention what do you think would happen if she got out of your house/yard on a bad day? You know how aggressive she can be twards you, what if she comes across a small child? If she were to attack someone else chances are so will be destroyed, plus you will have to pay the damages and depending on her breed and where you live you could face criminal charges. This is really a time for you to look at the big picture.

Answer 7

I personally will put down any dog with human aggression no matter the cause. It is completely unacceptable. I understand your love for the dog but you have to put your safety and the safety of everyone else first and foremost. You do not want to end up with a lawsuit or scarred for life. I may sound mean but at least Im honest. Hope this helps. 8o(

Answer 8

Sounds like a very tough situation.

If you have children then definitely you need to put her down. And really it sounds like there is no other alternative, because if you give her to someone else to "deal with" then you are taking the chance that she may bite or even seriously injure or kill some one else.

Sometimes the right thing to do is the toughest thing to do.

Answer 9

If you can't deal with it, or are afraid of what she may do next --then I say put her down. Don't let her suffer, she loves your family I'm sure and she doesn't have control of the way she is acting.

Make peace with her and her situation.

I know it's hard, I had a dog with a similar condition, I know I made the best decision.

I hope this helps.

Answer 10

If you haven't done so already, get a second vet's opinion? A decision like this is too big to go by one vet's diagnosis.