End of life care advice
I need some advice and I don’t really know where to turn.
We got our family dog Chip, a male Maltese, about 7 1/2 years ago from a pound. He’s now about 10 1/2, give or take. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur shortly after we got him. He’s generally lived a good life in a safe and loving home. But about 6 months ago he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The initial signs were coughing and slight lethargy, had a seizure once, and even collapsed from what I assume was general weakness after coming up the stairs after a bathroom break. We’ve done what we can to make him comfortable. They gave him anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. He’s been on Vetmedin and Furosemide for about 4 months. He seemed to be doing well on the meds for awhile, getting a bit of pep back in his step and the cough was subdued a bit.
But now, within the last week or so, he’s been having it rough. The cough is back, wheezing for prolonged periods of time, especially when he gets excited at things like treats or when I get home from work. He is tired a lot (but is energetic some other times), sometimes not even wanting to get out of bed or off the couch. His stomach is slightly bulged, though he has gone from 13 lbs in his prime to about 10 lbs now. His appetite is about the same (we have always open fed).
I know the end is coming for him. And I’m devastated, as is my wife and 2 daughters. I’m also scared. I’m sure many here understand, but he’s my best friend in a house otherwise full of women. Funny to think I never even wanted a dog. But I digress.
I guess the advice I seek is how to proceed. I know that taking him to the vet one last time is an option. And I don’t want him to suffer, above all else. But I don’t know if he’s really suffering. I also don’t know how my family would react to finding him one morning. Or worse, my special needs 18 yo daughter coming home from school to an otherwise empty house and finding him herself. My wife, a veteran with PTSD, is adamant on keeping him with us as long as possible. But I also feel she would listen to reason if I had to have that discussion. I’ve never had a dog before, and I’m simply unsure what to do.
Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I need some advice and I don’t really know where to turn.
We got our family dog Chip, a male Maltese, about 7 1/2 years ago from a pound. He’s now about 10 1/2, give or take. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur shortly after we got him. He’s generally lived a good life in a safe and loving home. But about 6 months ago he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The initial signs were coughing and slight lethargy, had a seizure once, and even collapsed from what I assume was general weakness after coming up the stairs after a bathroom break. We’ve done what we can to make him comfortable. They gave him anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. He’s been on Vetmedin and Furosemide for about 4 months. He seemed to be doing well on the meds for awhile, getting a bit of pep back in his step and the cough was subdued a bit.
But now, within the last week or so, he’s been having it rough. The cough is back, wheezing for prolonged periods of time, especially when he gets excited at things like treats or when I get home from work. He is tired a lot (but is energetic some other times), sometimes not even wanting to get out of bed or off the couch. His stomach is slightly bulged, though he has gone from 13 lbs in his prime to about 10 lbs now. His appetite is about the same (we have always open fed).
I know the end is coming for him. And I’m devastated, as is my wife and 2 daughters. I’m also scared. I’m sure many here understand, but he’s my best friend in a house otherwise full of women. Funny to think I never even wanted a dog. But I digress.
I guess the advice I seek is how to proceed. I know that taking him to the vet one last time is an option. And I don’t want him to suffer, above all else. But I don’t know if he’s really suffering. I also don’t know how my family would react to finding him one morning. Or worse, my special needs 18 yo daughter coming home from school to an otherwise empty house and finding him herself. My wife, a veteran with PTSD, is adamant on keeping him with us as long as possible. But I also feel she would listen to reason if I had to have that discussion. I’ve never had a dog before, and I’m simply unsure what to do.
Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
My little one, 17 years old, same breed, too had heart failure and in finding that they also found a mass on her liver suspected Ca. So this was one year before. It was difficult to tell if it was Ca or heart that made her chest/stomach swell. No a vocal dog but as soon as I saw she was experiencing pain - tiny groans, I planned for her passing for, really when ever the vet could make it and friends and my daughter could say goodbye. She never liked going to the vets so I wasn’t going to put her through that. Within that week we gave her a gentle passing at home via mobile vet. I had shaved her front paw the night before. My biggest regret was I was not doing it sooner. I realised just how low and unhappy she had become. Thinking of you 