Bummed out about my dog

[Master Capper]

My 4 yr old Boxer has had swelling in his leg for the past four months and I have taken him to numerous vet's and they all have put him on steriods and antibotics since they couldnt find anything in the x-rays. Well after racking up nearly a grand in medical bills I took him to a clinic that specializes in dog diseases and is suppuse to be the best around, well they called me this morning and saidthe dog has a tumor in his leg and has a mass of possible cancer in his lungs. Basically, he has anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months to live without chemo, and even with chemo the success rate is less than 10%! At this point what is the best thing to do for the dog, I dont know if I should put him down immediatly so that he doesnt suffer, should I keep him for a while to see if it gets worse or should i have the chemo done?

 

[TBONEZ0295]

wow...........thats a shame! I'm sorry !!!!

Its hard to say what I would do. If they are only giving him a 10% chance to survive after chemo that is very slim! I THINK what I would do is enjoy him untill he seems to be in pain or the swelling gets worse . Then I would have to put him out of his missery

such a hard decision for you to make , one can only say what they THINK they would do , without actually being in that position.............

good luck with whatever you do!!!!!

 

[Trossi3389]

man,that fawking sucks bro! ( I'M SO SORRY TO HEAR THAT ) i would try out the chemo and then go back to get 2 different opinions on what to do next..again,sorry and good luck...

 

[Wilson]

Well, I really feel for ya on this issue. I was in a similar situation about 10 years ago.....At the time, I had very little funds and my dog was old and suffering...I had to take my pistol and shoot him in the head...brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. But, I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do.

Every time I watch "Of Mice and Men"...it upsets me. No dog or living thing should have to suffer.

 

[boilermaker]

MC, sorry to hear about your dog. I can't say for sure what I would do in your situation. I have a 6 year old English Bulldog and love him like one of the kids. Being realistic I guess with the % of improvment the vets are giving him, I would just enjoy him as much as I could for the rest of his life. Sorry again to hear this as I know how depressed I would be. Hope everything works out. Boiler

 

[RAYMOND]

sorry to hear about your dog , i feel for you , as i know i love the shit out my dog .and would hurt me if he was sick, don't let him suffer if things get worst

 

[ctownguy]

MC, from experience it would be best to put him down. The money you spend wiil not aleviate his suffering and you have to think about the cash, but more importantly you have to put your feelings aside for him and not let him suffer.

My wife and I had a similar situation about 12 yrs ago and we chose to try and keep our little dog and we were sorry we did, he sufferred so much for another 8 months, just because we couldn't bear to let him go, not to mention the couple thousand we spent to prolong his sufferring.

It's such a hard choice, good luck with yours and really really sorry this happened to your dog.

 

[dogface]

MC, from experience it would be best to put him down. The money you spend wiil not aleviate his suffering and you have to think about the cash, but more importantly you have to put your feelings aside for him and not let him suffer.

Whole heartedly agree. It'slightly different when we suffer as we can communicate our desires, and we understand our pain and why? Dogs although smart tend to suffer without an outlet...that's where our common sense should enter into the equation. Love the dog enough to enjoy several days together and spoil the crap out of him, then hold him as you put him to sleep for the last time.

Very hard to do as I am a lover of pets, but at the defining moment...I chose to serve my pet and save him the pain.

TSI

 

[selkirk]

MC first of all sorry you had the big vet bill, this should have been spotted sooner probably.

my first dog was a black lab, his leg swelled up and the vet told me it was cancer and the dog would lose the leg probably and would die shortly after.

the dog was 15 years old and I had him for 13 years, it was a sad day when I had to take him to the vet to put him down. the dog was loyal until the end.

lost a scotish collie in march which I had since 1997 she was 13 years old, they live 9-15 years. was barking and just stopped she had a stroke. Scotish collies are great to have and great around children.

anways a few days after the stroke she passed aways in her sleep, that is the best way to go and saved me another trip to the vet, did not suffer.


would suggest you spend a few days and then put the dog down, not fair to the dog to go through a painful death for no reason. then go and get another dog.

have a new dog (german shepherd half scottish collie).

by the way advantages of pet ownership, studies have suggested that people who have pets are more mentally healthy and children that grow up with pets are less likely to develop severe allergies.....


thanks
selkirk

 

[SixFive]

man, Wilson, reminded me of Old Yeller there! I've killed many animals over the years, but no way I could shoot my own dog.

Sorry about the dog, MC, but u didn't mention in your post that the dog was in pain, just that there was swelling. If he isn't hurting (whimpering when he walks/stands/lies down), I sure wouldn't put him down. We almost always associate C with pain, but that's not always the case.

 

[Blitz]

Grill him up a nice steak, let him enjoy it and then put him out of his misery. It's not easy, but it's the best for the dog. I've had to put a couple of my dogs down. Cried like a 3 year old girl each time... good luck and my sympathy to you...

 

[NickiD]

I am so sorry.... I hope things turn out for the best possible ....

I am a dog lover myself

 

[maverick2112]

MC..........I am so sorry for the bad news. I have 2 dogs myself and dont even have a clue as to what advice to give you.
Again, I am so sorry and if it helps keep typing and let us know what happens. Thats the best thing about this place ......Its like we are all one big family and although we may all disagree from time to time we all really care about one another. Good luck and if it helps to write.........keep writing...........

 

[Mjolnir]

my thoughts are with ya.
god bless.

 

[Chain Saw]

My sympathies also. My Dad had a dog for several years. Darn thing followed him everywhere.

Dog got sick and he had to put her down. My Dad died about three months later. Doctors said it was pneumonia. Mom and I think it was from a broken heart.

I've never had a pet. Don't want one. But I sure understand your pain. Give it a pet for me.