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Hi, I don't come around these parts a lot but there was a minor emergency in my pet life about an hour ago and because the family veterinarian isn't returning our calls I figured this might be a good place to get some food for thought. My family's oldest pet is a Yellow-Red Labrador whose age we don't officially know, we rescued her from an abusive breeder. She's 13 at the absolute youngest, but judging by her physiology and veterinary diagnosis she's probably closer to 16. Anyway her health has been deteriorating steadily and our family has been waiting for the day when she starts to pass on, and an hour ago she started seizing. I was in the bathroom at the onset. I heard a strange yelp and odd noises, and saw her convulsing; arching her back; her tongue hanging out the side of her foaming mouth; painful diaphragm contractions; yelping noises; stiff leg spasms; and open confused eyes. The seizure lasted about three minutes and less than a minute afterwards she tried to stand up and walk around. During this time her tongue hung out the side of her mouth and she showed trouble using her back legs. They have been weak for a few years but now they were giving out under her. She also showed signs of blindness and was constantly pacing and bumping into furniture. During this period we called the vet's office and were told he would be contacted and return our call. After about half an hour of this she started to drink water from a 'clean' toilet bowl and began to show more solid cognitive function. I have been monitoring her carefully in a low-light environment. She is currently laying on a warm blanket and drooling into a large patch with shallow and wheezy but constant breathing. Her vision seems to have returned and though her back legs are weak she's managing basic locomotion. She responds to our voices without signs of confusion, and if it weren't for the seizure appears to be like a tired version of herself. My question is whether or not it is a good idea to think about putting her down very soon or if a 'wait and see' approach might benefit her. I imagine another episode isn't improbable and she seemed to be in sizable pain. I've spent the past five years used to the idea of her dropping away unexpectedly, so I don't hold any complexes regarding the natural process of death, and really don't want to see her suffer, even if it'll hurt like hell to make her go. Do any pet owners have experience with old, seizing dogs and if so what was the most humane, prudent course of action in seeing them off peacefully?
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Jan 11, 2009 01:24
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 20:55 |
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This is Lucy:  She is a 13 year-old Cocker Spaniel.  She has CHF. Her heart is literally so big that it pushes on her lungs and she goes into awful coughing fits.  She is no longer allowed to walk down stairs or exercise much. I can't even hold her without triggering an episode. She is on an ACE Inhibitor and Cough Tabs, but the Vet was explicit that this is just a comfort measure unless we want to go all-in on expensive procedures and medications. I adore this dog, but I recognize that within the year it will be her time to go. I am saddened, but I made sure to get loads of pictures and video footage of us doing the things she loved well before the CHF became prohibitive, so I have that.  Any advice on keeping her comfortable and "knowing when" is greatly appreciated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is Phoebe Liz:  She is a 10 year-old Cocker Spaniel, unrelated to Lucy but from the same breeder. Both her and Lucy were runts which let my family pick them up at a steal price.  Phoebe is, objectively speaking, the best dog I have ever owned. She is intelligent, athletic, loving as all hell, and has stayed very close to puppy-cute for over a decade. She has also cheated death many times over-- she survived renal failure after eating most of a bottle of ibuprofen, survived getting lost in deep woods at nightfall and finding us before we gave up, had colon cancer detected early and successfully removed, fell through a pool cover in winter while alone and pulled herself out, and just last month ran into a wild snapping turtle in a local park and avoided getting bitten. This is a boss-rear end bitch right here  That having been said, Phoebe has never once lived a life without another dog in it. She went straight from her littler into a home with two other cocker spaniels--Lucy and Joe (passed 2015)--and now lives with Lucy and myself. Phoebe's biggest character flaw is her tension and anxiety. She has a very hard time relaxing and feeling safe, which is a good thing considering her size. When I leave my girls unattended I have to crate them and put a large-breed bark collar on Phoebe to keep her from howling. I hope you can see where this is going:    And Phoebe is aware of Lucy's pain  What tips do you guys have for training an older, tense dog with separation anxiety? I'm sure it will be fine in the long-run, but anything I can do to smooth the adjustment period after Lucy's death is something I will do. Any advice at all. Thanks for looking at my dumb dogs.
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Jul 11, 2017 03:45
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Well, Lucy's taken a turn for the awful. The cough is now nearly 24/7. The meds don't seem to be helping. We decided to put her down tomorrow 
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Jul 12, 2017 16:46
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A box of cats would also be acceptable
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Jan 21, 2018 12:40
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Hey man you asked. I don't know much about ferrets or rodents, so it seems like cats are the best fit for what you described. That's all.
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Jan 21, 2018 13:02
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Of course. I wish I had more recommendations tbh.
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Jan 21, 2018 13:17
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Discipline Question: Backstory: I have a 10 year-old Cocker Spaniel, Phoebe. She is left in the care of my mom about 10-11 nights a month while I work overnights. Phoebe also lived with my mother before I moved, with a similar issue. FILE PHOTO  -------------- Problem: When Phoebe stays with my mother, she loses all her toilet training. She runs off and uses any corner as a bathroom. She's even urinated at their feet while on a leash directly after a walk. Phoebe behaves the complete opposite with me. I am not sure why, much less how to fix it. She isn't abusive towards Phoebe as far as I know, but is verbally nasty and refuses any of my suggestions. I have suggested keeping Phoebe on a leash with her at all times, as my home is much smaller and Phoebe is out of my sight less. I have also suggested newspaper and traditional shaping behaviors. My mother refuses to do either, citing "she should know how by now" and other bits of circular reasoning. Questions: 1. What reasons would cause Phoebe to act perfectly trained with me, but not with my mother? I will give more information if requested. 2. What types of training can help shape her housewetting? 3. How can I convince my mother to put in like, even a little effort toward maintaining Phoebe's training? ---------- Thanks for reading.
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Jan 21, 2018 21:52
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Yeah, that sounds about right. My mother has always been very insistent she knows best when it comes to dogs despite the fact that I raised all three of her cocker spaniels and took them with me when I moved. Training her to train Phoebe is an uphill battle. I think you're right to look into alternative boarding/dogsitting options. I just need to find the extra money and someone willing to work with my odd schedule (a typical 2 weeks will have me working M, F, Sa, Su, M, F). Thanks for the insight. I think I just needed to hear it from a third party.
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Jan 21, 2018 22:55
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 20:55 |
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In other words? No. No there is not. I'm sorry.
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Jun 5, 2019 19:14
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