The time draws near for man's best friend.

[Car-Guy]

Always tough, for me anyway. (I guess it's worse for the dog) Our last "Lab" passed on the way to Vet's office.

 

[ER Eddie]

Aw, man, I'm so sorry. Not sure what else to say except I know (a little) how you feel. It's a very sad thing. I believe in the afterlife for pets, so that provides some comfort. My own dog is 12, coming up on 13, and slowing down considerably. She's still in good health but I know it won't be too long before she passes on.

 

[rayinpenn]

The time draws near for mans best friend.

Ray--such a difficult decision! I am assuming she has been checked by the vet for any respiratory illness. Our fur babies have such an important place in the family. It is always hard to let them go.
Peace and blessings to you and Dusty.

Last time she was in we mentioned the wheezing and he looked at her lungs and they were clear.. “13 is how long my dog lived...and breathing issues” essentially he said -> it wont be long.

 

[Montecfo]

Last time she was in we mentioned the wheezing and he looked at her lungs and they were clear.. “13 is how long my dog lived...and breathing issues” essentially he said -> it wont be long.

So, here is a reason why older dogs pant and wheeze when lungs are clear: Congestive heart failure. Your dog MAY be having heart issues, which causes here to retain water in her internal cavities, and it chokes her by compressing her airway. Do they have an unproductive cough, especially at night.

easy to preliminarily screen for. There is often a heart murmur.

Treating a dog with lasix addresses this and improve their health markedly.

it did for us.

 

[rayinpenn]

The time draws near for mans best friend.

Do they have an unproductive cough, especially at night.

She’s got the cough but not at night and only when she exercises. Ill ask the vet again.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My Maltese had CHF and at 12 had strokes and we had to let her go last year. We also have a 80lb husky/Shepherd mix on 2 pain medication for hip issues. He walks a mile/day. I doubt we will have him in 6 months and one Maltese is 14. It is so hard to say good bye to the best friend man can have. It is the last gift you give them.

 

[bclover]

My pooch Hobbes early this year, the day after the Eagles super bowl parade.
I'm still in mourning.

 

[gamboolman]

The main reason that I have not had pets since moving out of my folks home when I moved to West Texas for the oilpatch almost 40 years ago was because on a trip home with my young bride - I had to take Major to the Vet to be put down. My folks could not do it.

It is like losing a family member to me and is just too hard.

Not to say that in retirement we may not have a dog - but I know that I will get very attached to them - not a bad thing I guess?

We'll see what we see in the next couple of years once we get retired.....

 

[Scuba]

Sorry you are going through this, rayinpenn. We had to put down our 5 year old Pom mix rescue dog 6 years ago. He got a rare form of cancer that we tried to treat, but in the end he went into acute renal failure and the vet said it was time. It’s never easy but with our dog now, we would not wait as long ... it would be kinder to the dog than hanging on too long.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

I would think if it was CHF, the vet surely would have mentioned it before. Worth asking anyway.
It may also, unfortunately, be lung cancer. My going on 19 yr old cat was fine at her November vet visit. A very aggressive cancer was found the next January, just two months later when I brought her in because she was having difficulty breathing. There was no treatment and so I had to make that dreaded decision, as she was suffering.

 

[donheff]

I feel for you Rayinpen. We lost a 12 yo Golden about six moths ago and our 14 yo is in about the same shape as yours. Two days ago the vet mentioned that he was worried about what he felt in her abdomen -- giving us a forewarning that sudden decompensation might be in the near term picture. That is what we saw in the 12 yo, who went from rambunctious to death in 24 hours. It is tough to watch them wind down. We plan to call Laps of Love (home euthanasia) if she gets bad enough but often the demise is so sudden that all you can do is transport them quickly to the vet (we have a 24 hour place nearby).

 

[USA]

The time draws near for mans best friend.

It’s just so darn hard. Our vet said dogs can endure pain without letting you know. We also got the “you’ll know when it’s time”. I do think that could be an individual thing. First sign a few weeks after we knew our dog had cancer, our dog would no longer chase out the back door after a bird or cat. Walks out weren’t the same. Next, no more happy dance when we came home. Finally, he’d turn around slowly before laying down. That was it for us. It just wasn’t fair any more. We didn’t stay when he was put down. I was told the dog would sense our anxiety. Got him as a puppy. He grew up to be butt ugly, but he wagged his tail and broke my heart. I loved that dog. Remember this too will pass.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The last gift you give your dog is to not let them die alone. They will feel your love.

 

[target2019]

We only had one dog (shepherd/collie), and needed to take the dog to be put down. It was more than 30 years ago, but it still affects me. Being there was one of the hardest things we had to endure.
Best wishes to all creatures large and small.

 

[Trooper]

Prayers for you and your best friend Ray. It's so hard to know when to make such a difficult decision. Dogs, because of their DNA, hide their pain and suffering extremely well.

We put my best friend down last January and I still cry. DW and I have recently adopted another, and that has seemed to take the sting away.

 

[kimcdougc]

My family has always had at least one dog. I was not the dog lover but cried when we put our 14 year old golden down. I saw my kids grow up with that dog. I was with her because the kids and my husband couldn't be there with her when it was time. They were too upset.

We rescued a black lab three years ago from a young couple that was in the Army and relocating to Germany. She will be 6 in August. I am forever in love with our Pepper. She goes across country with us in our RV. She goes everywhere with us. I can't imagine our lives without her. I just don't know what I will do when it is time. Don't think I could ever love another puppy like I do her.

I feel your pain. Hope you can let your best friend go when it is time. Humans as well as our best friends all go at some point in life. That doesn't make it any easier and I will be praying for you and your family as you decide when the time is right.

 

[Koolau]

For us, it's always been cats, but we have always waited TOO long. If the vet says "you'll know" when it's time, s/he is wrong - or else we just can't face the truth. In any case, I've always regretted waiting too long since, in reality, we were making the decision for our selves and not for our beloved pets. YMMV

 

[corn18]

It has always been my great honor to help my best friends across that rainbow bridge. They love you with everything they have for their entire lives with no conditions or judgement. They cannot decide when to die. We can decide when it is time. Push aside any selfish thoughts of one more day and rejoice in the last gift you can give them. All dogs go to heaven.

 

[rayinpenn]

The time draws near for mans best friend.

I want to give a little update as I imagine some of you may be wondering how Dusty is doing.
First let me say a big thanks to all of you who shared you personal experiences and your words of encouragement... It helps.

A couple nights ago Dust had a very bad night.. I awoke to her heavy breathing and moving around. I though OMG here we go my fears about a final episode. To make things worse it had cooled off a bit and the fan was in the window so Dusty was able to hear a fox calling in the night. The old gal started barking up a storm. Then I monster thunderstorm came thru. Needless to say it was a tuff night for all...

High 90s here and AC on .. When I walked her (slowly) this morning no heavy breathing. The AC must help but after she cleared her throat a few times. I have no illusions but as long as she’s eating, taking her treats and not laboring to breath It is not yet time.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

As someone who has bid farewell to a few dogs in the last decade, I'd say eating is the crucial signal. When a dog stops eating, it's time.

It happened to our Aussie a couple years ago. The vet's diagnosis was advanced lymphoma. We had a vet who specializes in euthanasia make a house call.

 

[Callitaday2022]

As someone who has bid farewell to a few dogs in the last decade, I'd say eating is the crucial signal. When a dog stops eating, it's time.

It happened to our Aussie a couple years ago. The vet's diagnosis was advanced lymphoma. We had a vet who specializes in euthanasia make a house call.

As someone who has bid farewell to a few dogs in the last decade, I'd say eating is the crucial signal. When a dog stops eating, it's time.

It happened to our Aussie a couple years ago. The vet's diagnosis was advanced lymphoma. We had a vet who specializes in euthanasia make a house call.

We did know when it was time, and agree if they stop eating with cancer it is time. We have lost two dog to cancer and it is always so hard.
My grand mother said the reason cats (dogs) don't live as long as we do is so that we can have lots of wonderful cats in our lifetime.
If you are already wondering about the "right time" you are a great parent and will do the best you can....

 

[Scuba]

We did know when it was time, and agree if they stop eating with cancer it is time. We have lost two dog to cancer and it is always so hard.
My grand mother said the reason cats (dogs) don't live as long as we do is so that we can have lots of wonderful cats in our lifetime.
If you are already wondering about the "right time" you are a great parent and will do the best you can....

Agree about the eating. After our dog’s third chemo treatment, he wouldn’t eat. Brought him back to the vet and our dog was diagnosed with acute renal failure. [emoji22] It was time.

 

[cynicalbuthopeful]

rayinpenn -- I have such empathy for you and your furry friend. Please be kind to yourself right now. DH and I traveling this path last year with our 16-year-old Shepherd. Great piece of advice our vet gave us when he turned 13 --- Make a list of the top 5 things your dog likes to do. When it gets down to 3 (and one of those is eating food) ask yourself if your pet is living with pain managed and enjoying the things they like. We were down to three (eating food/treats, enjoying short walks with one of us, lying about and watching the critters) when he got an infection that we couldn't defeat, and he made the journey to meet his best doggie friend in dog heaven.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Wow 16 is really old for a big dog. We have a 80lb husky/Shepherd mix that is almost 13. He has issues and is on some medications.

 

[harllee]

It's so wonderful how cats and dogs are treated with such compassion and understanding. I wish we could do the same with humans at the end of their lives. I wish and hope I could be treated liked with these beloved pets when it is my time to go.