Difficult Decisions - Page 1

This is the sort of dilemma every dog owner dreads. My 12 year old male GSD is slowly losing the feeling in his legs, especially the right leg, due to pressure on the nerves from arthritis in the spine. Two nights ago, he slipped when coming in from outside, due to his feet being wet, and he must have hurt himself. He is now afraid to go down the stairs (4 of them) to go outside. He cannot feel where he is placing his feet.

Other than this, he eats like a  horse, and still presents his toys to anyone who comes into the house, asking them to play with him.

There is a chance this could be corrected by surgery, but we all know what that's gong to cost...

The $64,000 question: what would YOU do if this were your dog? Would you pay the money to give him a better quality of life for the next few years?

The other question: he must be in pain. This would likely be equivalent to sciatica in a human. If you decided not to do surgery, at what point would you decide to put him out of his pain?  

Edit: we are going to the vet today, and I will likely ask for a referral to a neurosurgeon and have a workup done, or at least ask about what this is all going to cost.

I've been in this situation twice in the last 30 years, but with the other dog, the decision to euthanize was easier, a she also had a bacterial infection in the spine, as a result of the decreased blood circulation, so surgery wasn't an option. She was also incontinent of her bowel movements as a result of the pressure on the nerves.

it's very hard, but with the age of the dog I couldn't  justify spending too much on a dog of this age... I recently (last year) spent approx £4,000 (almost $7000) and the dog died of something about 3 weeks later. 

As a point, glucosamine, chronditin, ester-c, MSM may ease his pain somewhat. 

Sunsilver, I am sorry for your dilemma. I had a very similar situation with my 14 year old female. She was older and surgery was not going to correct her condition but,,,, she made it especially easy when the time came to make that decision. It was a labor of love caring  for her the last two years, but I have zero regret. She was worth every inconvenience and bit of time and energy :) Despite her debilitated condition she still had the GSD spirit :)  she had good and bad days, but ,,,

Anyway, I struggled often with whether or not I was making the right decision to let her continue struggling to perform the most mundane tasks ( like getting up,'walking, squating to go to the bathroom, playing, etc ) Anyway. I just wasn't ready and she didn't seem to be either and something told me I would know when she was. Long story short ~~ it was unmistakable when the time came. She no longer had that "GSD" look ,,,, her spirt of pride and such was dimmed and my friend needed me to ,,, well you know :(  

At your males age, no I wouldn't put him through that ,,,I would just let him live out the rest of whatever time he has left and he will let you know when the time comes,,,jmo because you asked.,,,

Something which I found to be very helpful with my older dog when she started to experience some issues and she lived until almost 16, I started using these when she was almost 12. The first is a product made by Conklin called Senior Dog Supplement, this product has very good ingredients and they get a fairly quick response to it. The other product I used is made by Terry Naturally/EuroPharma and can be found at the local health food store, it is called Curamin (not the extra strength). This is the number one product and has won 19 awards, it is amazing for pain and inflamation. I gave my dog 1 in the morning for a week and increased to 1 two times a day, the response to this product is pretty fast. The Curamin also comes in a powder form but if your dog is good about taking pills mixed in with the food the capsules work very well. Hope this helps

I had a dog (GSD) that broke his foot and needed sugery to correct the problem...The Vet suggested I also put him on a product  called..."Gluquestrian"...It's powder/granular for Horses...but this might also help with any dog and their joints...I now use it on this dog and on my 10 1/2 yr old...You can find it in some Feed Stores...It's around $95 for a container of it....

The act of putting your dog to sleep...I feel is a very personal decision and you will know when the time is right for you and your dog...You know your dog the best and know when his/her "quality of life" isn't what should be and it's time to do for them what we can't do for each other...

Something to think about is: When are we doing something for our dog for Us or for our Them...

~Bob~

I really feel supplements aren't going to help much. This isn't a problem with the joint moving, it's a problem with a bone spur or something similar pressing on a nerve. NOTHING I give him by mouth is going to fix that and restore moblility. All I can do is treat the pain.

so sorry Sunsilver...either way you go the end will come eventually and its a decision none of us want to make, i think this one is completely on your shoulders, you know better than anyone what is the best for you and him, being in denial about it is understandable, we all been these.....i am so very sorry you are at the point of that decision...i wish u all the best and hope you know that even though most of us never met you in person we do care...:).

Sunsilver,

This is the most heartbreaking part of having our beloved dogs as a part of our lives.  I have been in your shoes three times.  Senior dog slowly losing the use of his legs.  Is there a way to put down some cheap area rugs to help with the slippery floors?  How about some outdoor rugs/floor mats for the concrete?  Is there a way to put a ramp over the 4 steps leading out of the house?

As others have already said, you will know when it is time to say goodbye to your old friend.  If he were my friend, I would not subject him to extra veterinary testing.  Vet visits are stressful and I would want to minimize any additional stress on my old friend.  I would ask the vet about a daily pain reliever/ anti-inflammatory medicine to minimize pain and discomfort, but I would not consider surgery.  Keeping my friend comfortable and happy in his old age and slowing body would be my focus if he were my friend.

We all are getting older and, hopefully, we will all grow old with love, dignity, and comfort.  In each of my three previous dogs, ages 15, 14, and 12 1/2, there was a look in their eyes that was unmistakable, telling me that the time to part had come.

I've been in this position, but for a different problem. I accommodated my dog's physical limitations in every way possible. I put in a handicapped dog ramp outside, so no stairs, and I helped him up and down it; I put in a box step so he could get up and down from my bed; I helped him up and down into the car so no jumping; I got a firm memory foam bed for him on the floor for his comfort and ease of getting up; and I made sure my other dogs didn't bump him or knock him over.

I also went with pain meds as needed. At that point, I didn't care about any long term problems with the meds as his quality of life was the most important consideration and as an old dog, it didn't matter.

no way would I do any sort of painful, invasive surgery on an old dog. They don't recover well and they feel pain so much more.

it does get to the point where the meds don't help enough and all the accommodating in the world isn't enough and you will know it's time. 

Prednisone helps with the swelling on the nerve.  If it is being pinched, then the nerve is swelling in response making it worse.

Pred can make a difference.  Does increase water intake though.  Also an old compound that has new interest is cissus quadrangularis.  It is more for joint relief in active individuals but my wife is using in on here 12 year old dog with a shoulder problem and when he's on it you can't tell he has a problem.  Ran out of it and reordered.  Took three days to get here and it was painful to watch him walk by the third day.  He's back on it and moving normally.  There is a ton of scientific research being done on it and it is all positive with minimal side effects. That's how my wife found out about it is through the research journals.