A friend of ours dog died a few weeks ago from some form of cancer. When they discovered it, the dog went through chemo. I didn't even realize it was a thing. It was extremely hard on the dog and he only made it an extra 6 months.

Was that ethical?

What about if a dog is in its teens and has a cancerous tumor? Is it ethical to make it undergo a major removal surgery and recovery?

ETA at what point is it selfishness on the humans part

I wouldn't want to experience chemo with a 20 percent chance of surviving.

wangus12 said:

---

I grew up on a farm and you just learned to accept the natural process of life.

---

Me too. When it's time, it's time.

We've had a couple of dog cancer diagnosis and each time, it was like "well let's put them down".

Only disagreement at our house was my wife refusing to let me do it. Why pay a vet $500 when ammo is so cheap?

I had to put my dog down about 6 months ago. He had cancer in one of his rear legs. The vet asked us about treatment. I expressed my concerns about putting an older dog through that. I said, that with no guarantees of a better life, that I'd keep him happy until he wasn't. The vet agreed, that he wouldn't put an older dog through that either. It's a tough choice, knowing you're condemning a good friend like that, but I couldn't spend thousands of dollars on a situation where I'm liable to make my dog's life worse.

When you have a pet you've been playing god for its whole life. Part of the gig means you're usually the one who has to decide when its life is over.

Our 13 year old dog has been diagnosed (after numerous tests) with Cushing's Disease. We decided as a family no surgical procedure. Currently on medication regime. We will be monitoring closely her quality of life. Very difficult.

fc2112 said:

---

wangus12 said:

---

I grew up on a farm and you just learned to accept the natural process of life.

---

Me too. When it's time, it's time.

We've had a couple of dog cancer diagnosis and each time, it was like "well let's put them down".

Only disagreement at our house was my wife refusing to let me do it. Why pay a vet $500 when ammo is so cheap?

---

That $500 vet is a crook. I've never paid more than $200 to have a pet put down... and the vet comes to the house. Takes the body, too. Ashes and niceties... an extra week.

Dogs have no concept of death. Funerals are for the living.

We put our first beagle down last year right before Christmas. She went from a limp to paralyzed in a week and we still felt a great deal of remorse for even keeping her around a few hours longer than we probably should have. The thing I learned from asking the Outdoors Board about knowing when it's time is "if you have to ask, you already know the answer."

Our other beagle currently has pancreatitis and it has the potential to be really bad news if she doesn't turn around in the next few days. If we have to go down the path of further intensive treatment, the first question we will ask is what her chances are for survival with a good quality of life. It's about her quality of life, not ours.

In the past 2.5 years we have had the following:

Mother in law died.
My mom nearly died of sepsis when MIL was in hospice.
Father died of dementia complications. 6 horrible months.
5 aunts and uncles die
Wife's family had multiple kids staying in hospital
Twins will be born this month.

When our 11 year old dog became temporarily paralyzed with a slipped disc last month, it was a no brainer to cough up $8000 for surgery and rehab to prolong her life. She may walk and run like both her legs are in a cast but she's a fighter!

T&P to several posters here dealing with all they are right now.

All the best.

It didn't happen. He's just trolling. It's what he does.

Had to put our dog down while half of my family was out-of-town. He had been in and out of the vet for multi-night stays a few times. The last time he had a major problem at home, he had just fallen over. Almost as if he simply passed out. We heard a thud on the kitchen floor and found him lying on the tile floor.. That was after he had been outside and apparently got confused while on the back deck. Instead of coming to the back door, he went behind a piece of patio furniture and stood there...sort of lodged himself between the wall and the furniture piece. It was weird.

The vet said he was just too old (17-18 years). I don't remember exactly what was wrong this time, but the vet concluded through discussions with us and her examination that he's surely in pain. In the prior overnight vet visits, we wondered if he'd pull through and whether it was time to put him down, but he pulled through.

In the last months he would usually go off by himself rather than be around any kind of people-gathering and frequently lost control of waste functions.

I regret not putting him down earlier so that his last few months wouldn't have been so painful to him, and all of the family would have been present to say goodbye.

maroon barchetta said:

---

It didn't happen. He's just trolling. It's what he does.

---

Bailey. Yorkie. Lived 16 years. $98 at the vet... another $100 for in home. Another $100 for the cremation... paw prints... ya know.

The only downer was the vet ran half-hour behind. Not a big fan of scheduled death.

FO

JamesPShelley said:

---

maroon barchetta said:

---

It didn't happen. He's just trolling. It's what he does.

---

Bailey. Yorkie. Lived 16 years. $98 at the vet... another $100 for in home. Another $100 for the cremation... paw prints... ya know.

The only downer was the vet ran half-hour behind. Not a big fan of scheduled death.

FO

---

I was taking about fc2112

Sorry you didn't catch that

maroon barchetta said:

---

JamesPShelley said:

---

maroon barchetta said:

---

It didn't happen. He's just trolling. It's what he does.

---

Bailey. Yorkie. Lived 16 years. $98 at the vet... another $100 for in home. Another $100 for the cremation... paw prints... ya know.

The only downer was the vet ran half-hour behind. Not a big fan of scheduled death.

FO

---

I was taking about fc2112

Sorry you didn't catch that

---

Sorry... completely I missed that. And, I don't even know what "that" is.

However... if there was a clever in your response... share! Always I'm up for a laugh.

We found out our dog had cancer in September last year and didn't even leave the vet with him that day. We took the kids with us to the vet, knowing there was a chance he was very sick and we would have to say our goodbyes, but there was no way we were going to try to prolong his life. He was obviously sick and, as devastating as it was to us, it seemed more cruel to keep him going. I felt so much guilt once we found out how sick he was - not because we made the decision to put him down, but because we didn't do it sooner. I know he had to be miserable.

fc2112 said:

---

wangus12 said:

---

I grew up on a farm and you just learned to accept the natural process of life.

---

Me too. When it's time, it's time.

We've had a couple of dog cancer diagnosis and each time, it was like "well let's put them down".

Only disagreement at our house was my wife refusing to let me do it. Why pay a vet $500 when ammo is so cheap?

---

Yeah that's a big ass no for me. I've done some things but could never do that to a pet.

JamesPShelley said:

---

maroon barchetta said:

---

JamesPShelley said:

---

maroon barchetta said:

---

It didn't happen. He's just trolling. It's what he does.

---

Bailey. Yorkie. Lived 16 years. $98 at the vet... another $100 for in home. Another $100 for the cremation... paw prints... ya know.

The only downer was the vet ran half-hour behind. Not a big fan of scheduled death.

FO

---

I was taking about fc2112

Sorry you didn't catch that

---

Sorry... completely I missed that. And, I don't even know what "that" is.

However... if there was a clever in your response... share! Always I'm up for a laugh.

---

OK. Now I get it.

I'm sorry for the confusion

Having been through this several times, I'm not going to judge anyone else's decision on when it is time. Nobody knows their pet's day to day behavior and moods like they do, and nobody has to live with the choice with such personal consequences like they will.

Not sure what the trolling accusation was.

the vet bill was $500.

And I've shot plenty of dogs over the years.

fc2112 said:

---

I've shot plenty of dogs over the years.

---

Did you make them watch as you threw their trophies in the trash?

Having to make the decision to put a pet down is both the greatest Blessing and worst curse of being a good pet owner. Unfortunately it almost always just feels like the curse part.

It's all about quality of life for the pet. Does the medical decision bring them relief in any meaningful way?

AceAggie05 said:

---

I had to put my dog down about 6 months ago. He had cancer in one of his rear legs. The vet asked us about treatment. I expressed my concerns about putting an older dog through that. I said, that with no guarantees of a better life, that I'd keep him happy until he wasn't. The vet agreed, that he wouldn't put an older dog through that either. It's a tough choice, knowing you're condemning a good friend like that, but I couldn't spend thousands of dollars on a situation where I'm liable to make my dog's life worse.

---

We had the exact same situation too with our 12ish year old rottie. Cancer was in the front -- and with it being a weight bearing leg and with how much she hated car rides, it didn't make sense to have her suffer through amputation and chemo when it only could extend her life for a very short period of time. We kept her comfortable with pain pills and the second that limp came back, we knew it was time. She was my heart dog, loved her so much!

Had the same decision little over 2 years ago, on my wife's birthday.

Our 14.5 year old mini schnauzer, Sully, woke us up with either feces or puke all around and on him. He hadn't been showing any signs of sickness til then, or nothing out of the ordinary. Called the vet, had to be assured they wouldn't try and talk me out of putting him down. Our daughters said goodbye, and I took him in.

I will always sleep well knowing that the last sight he saw on earth was me. Still gets me emotional typing about it. He was a great dog, and all my girls had ever known. Miss him daily, but it was without a doubt the right decision. When you know, you know. You have to do what is right and let them go when it is time.