Quality of life and the mobility issue

[Bridget]

After watching the video about the 19 yr. old therapy dog and reading the responses, I am wanting to know about your opinions and/or experiences on how much lack of mobility affects quality of life. When considering euthanasia, I know "quality of life" is the important thing; however other than the "they will tell you" response, I often wonder how to judge quality. I believe that dignity (another hard to explain concept) is important, including whether the dog can do the things a dog is supposed to do, which perhaps includes walking on his own. But, I have heard of many dogs who seem to get along perfectly well with a cart. This is an issue that may become personal to Heidi and I someday because of her HD, although she is in good shape at this time. Any responses are appreciated.

[Stogey]

I can only relate to my GSD Charlie who gave us 12yrs of love and companionship. For the last couple of years of his life we gave him daily aspirin and vet supplied prescription drugs to help out with his hips.

I awoke one morning to find him dragging himself across the floor to greet me. My heart broke ... I still tear up thinking about it ! I woke my wife up and we made him as comfortable as possible and called our vet. She met us in the parking lot of her office, we said our goodbyes and gave him a final hug around the neck. He passed on laying across my lap.

It's truly one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make but his best days were far behind him and was his time to go home.

I so do pray there is a Doggie Heaven ... for Love of Charlie ...

[crisp]

Originally Posted by Stogey

I can only relate to my GSD Charlie who gave us 12yrs of love and companionship. For the last couple of years of his life we gave him daily aspirin and vet supplied prescription drugs to help out with his hips.

I awoke one morning to find him dragging himself across the floor to greet me. My heart broke ... I still tear up thinking about it ! I woke my wife up and we made him as comfortable as possible and called our vet. She met us in the parking lot of her office, we said our goodbyes and gave him a final hug around the neck. He passed on laying across my lap.

It's truly one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make but his best days were far behind him and was his time to go home.

I so do pray there is a Doggie Heaven ... for Love of Charlie ...

I just got teary eyed reading this. I can't participate in these topics. I get too emotional.

[r1200mike]

My October waited for me to get home from Iraq, He then went downhill rapidly. He was unable to walk just days after,I just could not stand to see him suffer. He was my First GSD. He was also my best friend. I will miss him. He was 13 1/2

[middleofnowhere]

Mobility isn't it for me - it's something different, some philosophical thing. One dog was unconscious, another was in pain with advanced cancer that we caught too late, the next had gone through kidney issues, was no longer eating anything and clearly needed to be released, another had a recurrence of hemangio sarcoma & would be very uncomfortable, in a great deal of pain and die within a day or two. Those are the ones I had euthanized.
With Barker the Elder (she was not euthanized) I knew that when she no longer wanted to go to the barn it would be time. Fortunately for me, she went to the barn two days before she died. She was past going on any rides with me but she loved going to the barn and seeing the horse.

[elisabeth_00117]

My oldest crossed the bridge last month (July 6) at 13 years old.

We woke up one morning with her unable to lift her back end and she was having issues moving her front paws.

She went from playing in the pool one day to unable to move the next.

When she started having some laboured breathing and was whining.. we made the hardest yet easiest decision there is... to help her cross over the bridge.

I sat with her alone in the back room where she was sleeping and just watched her and just knew that I couldn't let her life end with suffering.

We brought her out to my Dad's house (she was at my Grandfather's with me and my youngest Stark) and laid her under her favorite tree.

We sat with her, cuddled her, told her how much we loved her, groomed her, petted her and let her eat some treats that she was never allowed to have (chocolate, etc..). The vet came out to the house and after we all said goodbye we cuddled around her, stroking her head, kissing her face and gray muzzle and she passed. Head on her front paws, peacefully..

It was heart breaking but at the same time her passing was so peaceful and serene that it really just echoed what her life was like and what we thought of her - perfection in dog form. She was such an amazing girl that we wanted to honour her by letting her life be pain free.

I still cry when I look at photo's or hear a silly story about her but I know we did the right thing. I don't want to have any of my fur-kids live their life out in pain.

[selzer]

I think it is something completely personal. I may think that someone should give a critter a chance at recovering, or I might think someone should put that poor thing down. In fact dogs and cats that have been burned bad, I generally think they should be put out of their pain. But others feel differntly about it. It is something I try not to judge one way or the other because no one knows the animal but its owners.

I agree with middleofnowhere that it depends on the dog. My cat was unable to move at all. I was lifting him in and out of the litter box. The thing that got me was this cat was always fastidiously clean. The only time he was not was when he had a bite wound from some wild critter absess. The rest of the time he was terribly clean -- hairballs everywhere because of it. When he could no longer move, he was no longer cleaning himself. I had to put him down because I knew he was not feeling good enough to do this. And it was certainly time, he was only getting worse and worse. The vet said to call her when I was ready to put him down. I waited too long. I also think I needed the time to come to grips with putting him down.

[valb]

Mobility was a big part of my Tamsen's quality of life... especially
at the end. She was a three-legger for almost the last four years
of her life, and while she could still go out and squat to potty at
14 years old, it was with my help, and a sling and it finally got
to where yes, she did look at me and "tell" me and I didn't want
her to get so far down that she would lose dignity. She still
enjoyed her meals, but her days were so long, she just laid on
her memory foam bed and that was about it. It was a very
difficult decision for husband and I to make but we finally did
it... do I think she could have lasted longer? Yes, but again,
she was so courageous, I couldn't bring myself to let her have
any less than what she had then.

Elisabeth, Tamsen got bacon strips and a dish of chocolate
ice cream that last day...

[KZoppa]

my dogs LOVE to race back and forth around the house and the yard. When the day comes that they can no longer run and play and have fun like they do and they give me that "look" (I'm sure we all know the look), then its time. When an animal can no longer move about on their own or is just so sick you know in your heart there is no coming back, its time to go. It really depends on the animal and the owner. When i was 14, i had to have my best fur friend since i was 5 put to sleep. Princess (cat) just got so sick so quickly, that despite our efforts for two days with vet help to hand feed her with a syringe and help her use the litter box, she just wasn't getting better so i made the most difficult decision i have ever made in my life. She went to sleep peacefully on her favorite blanket and though it was extremely hard to watch the best friend i'd ever had go to sleep never to wake up again, i know it was the right thing to do. When the time comes that my Zena dog can no longer run and enjoy playing in the snow like she does and she gives me that look, it will be hard but it will be right. You know the animal best but after seeing that video, i still stand by my opinion that when that dog lost his ability to move around on his own without a whole great deal of assistance, it was past time to let him go. He could hardly move his head. He was past his time to go and i believe keeping him alive despite "bringing happiness to others as he did" was cruel on the handlers part.

[Pleopard]

As a friend once told me after the passing of one my own dogs. "God would not create such a perfect creature then leave it behind." They'll be waiting for you.