My Dog is Dying, what should I do?

[FerrariTruck]

My 15 year old black had a seizure today at 8:30pm. I heard a terrible noise which was actually him tring to breathe. he was shaking vigoursly. All i could do was hold open his mouth so he could continue breathing, My dad came out once he heard me yelling. After about 10 mins he was slowly coming back and breathin normally but he felt very weak and couldnt stand up.
we rushed him to the vet. once we got there they quickly evalulate him and tell us they will need him to stay the night in case he has another seizure. In order for him to stay one night its gonna run me about 600$. Its not so much the money that concerns me, i mean i would trade anything for him to live another 15 years but because of his age i think its a losing battle. who am i to decide if he lives or dies though. I think that even if he makes it out tonight he will just start suffering. **** I really dont know what to do.....he's been my best friend since i can remember, I dont even know what else to say

 

[SRT-10 OF SWEDEN]

My brother ...

I cant give you any advice what to do ..

But i will give you my love and support and i know how you fell have been their my self..
It is always hard and sad when our pets are getting old and sick..

Much love and support to you my brother....

Stefan

 

[Django]

Lord Jesus, help us.............

I have had many beloved pets in my nearly 60 years......

The most gut wrenching fact of life on earth is that everything dies... Every person, every animal, every tree...every beloved pet...

There is no avoiding this fact....

Make your pet as comfortable as possible...Love him forever after he has gone home to be with God...

I personally believe in a loving Creator who's goodness and caring for His Creation surpasses life and death... And if there is a great hereafter for us all, which I believe there is... Then we can rest assured that we will all be joined together in the great life to come ... and that includes ALL of our loved ones...including our beloved animal friends.

We will be together forever there.

You'll not escape this trial, brother. But your heart will become a larger place in which God's love can live on this earth. It will make you a more caring and generous spirit... and that is a very good thing.

I pray that God will give you peace...And after your heart is first broken.. He will rebuild it .... He will accomplish His Will more profoundly in and through you because of it...

Amen

Django

 

[Hotrodmike]

Sorry to hear Bro . Might not be as bleak as you think .I had a Springer and he was my favorite bird dog and as he aged he started to have seizures . Sometimes weeks some time months between them but lived a good 5 years after they started . Do be very careful around any animal seizing as they tend to have jaw motion with maximum strength and unknowingly will set thier canines right throught your hand . It's basicly a major muscle contraction ,hence breathing problems lack of energy is cause that about like running 4 miles at top speed . I will say I think 600 a nite is a bit out of line .Good luck in what ever comes .
Have A Kind Day
Mike

 

[VNM PWRD]

I went through some thing similar with one of my dogs about three years ago he had seizure and lost use off his back legs. He is still around and a big part of the family just not to mobile. Keep your hope alive
God bless

 

[KRAZYSRT10]

I worry about this day for me and for my son. We have a Black Lab that drives us nutz but we love him so much. I feel your pain bro...I do. In the grand scheme of things, this is your decision, not ours.

I know you are hoping that we will give you the right answer and that everything will be okay, but we cannot.

We dont know what will happen tomorrow and neither do you. I know this sounds harsh, I truly do not mean too. But Life is good and death is part of it as well. Love your puppy, hug your puppy, and if you feel that in your heart your puppy is suffering....make your decision.

I hope that your pup (I always call mine puppy even though he is 4 years old) makes it through all this unharmed but do know that at 15 years old, your Lab is in his later years. Sometimes, it hurts to be old.

Whatever your decision, we will support you. You are family, and your puppy is our family. Be strong...and contrary to manly beliefs it is okay to cry when your best friend has to go to a "better place"......

 

[FSTJACK]

Mike,

Matters of the heart must be decided with the heart not the wallet.

Make whatever you do a family decision, as it will affect the entire family.

When I was younger (34) my wife got a cat from her mother, and I did not much like that cat.

Well a year later we both got sick (me and the cat) and that cat was my buddy for about 2 years when I was bed ridden with Fibromylgia.
I got better and the cat got better. That cat lived many more years and died at age 22. The loss was terriable especially as we had to have him put down. It was however the kindest thing to do as he was suffering.

This is one of the hardest decisions you will ever have to make and there is no good advice.

Decisions that affect our hearts are the hardest. Listen to your heart, that is what makes human beings special, our compassionate nature.

 

[hashash]

I hope you get through it fast , these are tough moments for sure .

my rottie is 12 years now and his health is declining every day , i am afraid of this day

 

[ILtemprd]

Sorry to hear Bro . Might not be as bleak as you think .I had a Springer and he was my favorite bird dog and as he aged he started to have seizures . Sometimes weeks some time months between them but lived a good 5 years after they started . Do be very careful around any animal seizing as they tend to have jaw motion with maximum strength and unknowingly will set thier canines right throught your hand . It's basicly a major muscle contraction ,hence breathing problems lack of energy is cause that about like running 4 miles at top speed . I will say I think 600 a nite is a bit out of line .Good luck in what ever comes .
Have A Kind Day
Mike

Im sorry to hear this. I agree with Mike, I had an Akita that went through the same thing. Very hard to watch your buddy go through this. It turned out to be part of our lives once it started. She lived several years with these episodes of seizures, weeks sometimes months before the next one would hit her. I noticed that holding on to her and not letting her flip around to keep her from hurting herself, and talking to her through it would help shorten the duration. Very painful thing to go through for both of you. Its like the brain misfires and the dog has to go through a re-boot. Its was the longest damn 10 to 15 minutes of my life when it happened, and several hours of recouping to get her energy back up. Very heartbreaking. I hope it is just this and nothing more serious. My best to you both.

 

[mauiSRT/10]

Ferrari, I feel you pain dude. I had to make the difficult decision to take my cat of 17 years to my vets for her final visit on Aug 31 last year. I cried my eyes out........it was so hard but it was the right thing to do. The poor thing was suffering and her time had come. The vet was so kind and reassured me that I was doing the proper thing for her. I loved my little Simese cat. Its the only cat I have ever had.

If your dogs time has come.......know you are doing the right thing.

$600 a night seems outrageously high. On Maui they charged $25 a night and everything costs more here. I dont know what to say about that.

Good luck Mike

patrick

 

[Silverback]

One of the sad facts of life is that we will outlive our pets.

Right now you have to wait and see what the vet has to say, and then make a decision. It may be something that medication can address, or it may not. As some have said, they went through the same thing, and their pets lived for years afterwards.

Regarding the $600.00 for the night, I'm suspecting that includes the testing that they will do to see if they can determine what caused the seizure.

Thoughts and prayers are with you, and your furry buddy.

 

[DrPierceMD]

Sorry to hear about your little one bro.....

I have had to put down a lab that I had for years and it is not an easy thing to do. I just hope that it doesn't have to come to this with yours.

Best wishes....

 

[SilvrSRT10]

One of the sad facts of life is that we will outlive our pets.

Right now you have to wait and see what the vet has to say, and then make a decision. It may be something that medication can address, or it may not. As some have said, they went through the same thing, and their pets lived for years afterwards.

I feel for you and hope that this is an isolated incident and your pet comes home healthy and happy.

I don't believe in making a pet suffer. If they are near the end and are in pain or there is no turning their situation around, I think it should be ended. Just last week we had to have our 16 year old cat "Spike" euthanized. He was suffering and not getting any better after a number of vet visits. Again, Sorry, I know what your going through.

 

[GySgt USMC]

Sorry to hear about your friend, Ferrari. These guys have given you some great advice.

I have two Great Danes that are in the early stages of thier life (Male is two and female is 8 months). So although Great Danes usually live in between 8-10 years, I already find myself dreading the day that they pass on.

That being said, I promised myself that if either one of them got sick to the point that thier quality of life was drastically reduced then I would have to do what's best for them and not what's best for me. If I can put myself in thier place and think for a second that I would not want to live that way then it's time to let them go.

I say that because as well all know, it hurts like hell to lose a loved one but what we have to keep into perspective is that they are in a much better place once the have moved on and the pain and suffering is no more.

I will be praying for you, Brother.

 

[DRamSrt10]

bro, i feeling your pain. but i am sorry i dont know what advice to give you maybe you could take your dog to vet for check up. i am praying for you and your dog. hope everything is okay. much love and support to you from me

 

[Django]

Ferrari,

I do hope your doggy recovers and is returned to you.....

I guess my first response was just so emotionally charged that I neglected to mention this in my initial response.

Of course, I would spend the money, virtually any amount of money to save my precious animals. In fact, I've just recently spend thousands of dollars to save my dog Willow.. and will continue to do so.... anything to save her or prolong a quality of life... We adore our animals...each and every one.

I kind'a felt that, in your initial post, you described a situation with a beloved pet that was of considerable age and you were without sufficient resources to face a potentially long treatment.....

I do hope that my words were not taken the wrong way and I pray that your beloved pooch gets well soon....

Tim

 

[NBT]

My 15 year old black had a seizure today at 8:30pm. I heard a terrible noise which was actually him tring to breathe. he was shaking vigoursly. All i could do was hold open his mouth so he could continue breathing, My dad came out once he heard me yelling. After about 10 mins he was slowly coming back and breathin normally but he felt very weak and couldnt stand up.
we rushed him to the vet. once we got there they quickly evalulate him and tell us they will need him to stay the night in case he has another seizure. In order for him to stay one night its gonna run me about 600$. Its not so much the money that concerns me, i mean i would trade anything for him to live another 15 years but because of his age i think its a losing battle. who am i to decide if he lives or dies though. I think that even if he makes it out tonight he will just start suffering. **** I really dont know what to do.....he's been my best friend since i can remember, I dont even know what else to say

My prayers with you and your companion. I dread the day I again have to deal with the decision. (Our Rottie is 9, and I hope for two more good years).

Years ago, we were faced with the same difficult decision, and relied on the humane thing to do... which was to make sure our dog Callie never suffered... It resulted in us having to put her to sleep... about crushed us, and it was one of the most difficult things we ever had to deal with

After it was done... she was at peace, and no more suffering.
I hope it does not come to that for you, and your companion.

Good luck, and God Bless.

 

[QuickSilver]

These things have a direction of there own.... your heart will know what to do when the time comes.
It's going to be a day-by-day thing.

Be strong,
Jerry

 

[K-80-123]

From one dog lover to another.....I wish you the best.....they are part of the family....and those are really tough calls.

 

[Bone]

It's tough times my friend. Sorry to hear it. Just keep remembering the good times you two had together.