"Here is a poem that I found a little while ago, very fitting for Father's day. It was written by someone that I know quite well.
The Working FatherBy Bjorn Faknam
He wakes afresh each new morn,With body clean and hair short shorn.Then goes to…"
At what point do you put down your dog?
Haven't posted in here for a while. I won't make this a cry fest, as now isn't the time. I've discussed this with my father since our first dog, Otto, has been coming up in age. I'll try not to write his life story, and just give a little background information: He's made life pretty hard on himself. His worst and lasting injury was running full speed in to a wrought iron fence, throwing him backwards and damaging his vertebrae.
He's now 12, and has trouble getting up stairs and squatting to shit. He can walk just fine. This past month though, he's started to shit wherever he pleases, and can barely control it. He's starting to lose his dignity, and as my best friend that I've had since I was 6, I don't like seeing him like this to say the least.
Now, I put down another dog myself last year after it killed livestock, both the alpaca and the dog I raised, and it was one of the hardest, most fucked up things I think I'll ever hav
e done. I'm going to let a doctor do this one, but I'm unsure as to when to say "enough is enough."
Other than watching him struggle to take a dump in the yard, he's not apparently suffering, but I hate seeing him like this and will not let him die on his own, looking like a frail, pathetic excuse for a dog. A buddy of mine did that to his dog, which I also loved, and I am not about that at all. It's a shitty thing to have to think about, but I'm not letting this go.
I've surprisingly kept my composure while typing this out. He's the most dear thing in my life, but I know I have to say good bye to him soon. It'll have to be done sometime after the holidays, so I'm making every second I had with him count.
I'm sure many of you men have gone through this before, and hope to get some good food for thought.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jesse Ruggles on -
I don't think I can say anything that hasn't already been well said by others, but here's my wording of the same sentiment offered already.
Last year I had to put down my dog (a samoyed) who managed to hit 20 years old. I was 7 when my family got her. She was there through all of my childhood and adolescence. I can't express how hard the decision was to put her down. It really came down to what was best for her. She started having the pooping everywhere problem like your dog, but we just dealt with that. It wasn't until it was obviously very painful for her to stand up and move that we made the decision to put her down. As a family we decided it wasn't fair to force her to suffer that level of pain constantly just because we were going to have a hard time coping with her not being there anymore.
Best wishes, and prayers for the tough decision.
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Permalink Reply by David F. on
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We had a springier spatial when I was young. She suffer from arthritis one day my mom gave her Advil or Tylonal and she perked right back up. The doctor told us it would kill her. But the arthritis meds really where not working nearly as well. My mom chose to give her an other year as a spry happy dog. The human medication did destroy her kidneys about a year later. She went quickly within about a week. Was it the right choice? It was the choice made and our dog had a good year.
When my cat was going out and having a hard time breathing due to a growth in her, cuddled her for a night and in the morning we put her down. She was an old foundling who had a rough start at life and a very good run after we adopted her.
My line is if the animal is in more pain then comfort and it is affecting their behavior. If you can afford to fix the problem, if you can, by all means do so if it will be better for the animal in the long run. If not, exercise the privilege we have to end their suffering as pet owners.
Oh and it hurts like hell emotionally Don't "Wane Up", cry, a real full cry, as one man said let the snot show your chin who is boss.
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