Putting him down

[wareagle15]

My friend was moving and couldn’t take their senior dog with them. In April she said she didn’t think the dog “had until June” and was begging for someone to take him in. I offered to take him in, noting that it would just be for a few months because I start working in the fall. She was super appreciative and dropped him off in May. Here we are in October. The dog is very sweet and a good boy, but comes with the issues of any senior dog. He’s blind and deaf. He has lots of potty accidents - he knows he should go outside but sometimes just can’t hold it (we use diapers but it doesn’t catch poop).

I really wanted to be this dogs last stop - he deserves comfort and love in the last phase of his life. He’s been bounced around a bunch due to his owners own issues. No fault of his own. He’s a sweet boy but his health issues are starting to be overwhelming. Daily pain pills. I’m constantly cleaning up messes. It’s hard to find someone to care for him. I’m always worried about him. I feel a little misled by my friend. He’s old but he has some quality of life - he goes on the occasional walk and eats just fine. Otherwise he mostly just sleeps.

I don’t know what to do.
A) Care for him until he has truly reached end of life. It’s not ideal but is it the right thing?
B) Find another home through a senior dog rescue. I feel so bad schlepping him off to another new place. He already is so confused.
C) Put him down.

I’ve talked to the vet and she basically said it’s time when they don’t go on walks anymore and are clearly in pain. His pain is managed and he likes walks.

I’m open to any advice. Again, he’s a great dog but I’m overwhelmed by the care at this point. Not sure what to do.

Edit: I put him down earlier this week.

 

[oldwoodsman]

@wareagle15 Look up the HHHHHMM Quality of Life Scale. It is intended to help provide criteria for making the decision as to when quality of life is too poor.

 

[wareagle15]

@oldwoodsman Thank you, that did help. According to the scale, he still has good quality of life! So that’s good to know.

 

[everest]

@wareagle15 I’m sorry you’re in this position. Taking care of a pet with health conditions can really take a toll on a person. It’s exhausting even when it’s a pet you’ve had for years; this sounds like more than you signed up for.

Does your financial situation allow you to hire someone who can maybe help out with him? Or help with other stuff you need to get done each day so that you don’t feel so pressed for time?

Otherwise, reaching out to a senior rescue sounds like the most compassionate thing to do. Don’t blame yourself for this - you’re not the one who failed this dog, your friend is.

 

[wareagle15]

@everest Thank you for your very thoughtful comment. I also have my own 4 dogs. I recognize these are all choices I’ve made, so I’m doing my best to be responsible.

I can definitely look into that. I have a housecleaner who comes monthly but maybe I should have her every other week.

Thanks again

 

[opaquepurple]

@wareagle15 Sometimes I wonder if we put our dog down too early. She could walk, she loved eating, and she was a genuinely happy dog. But she was also a lab, and all of that is just kind of their personality. Sure she walked, but it was so hard and painful for her. She still loved eating, but her joints didn’t allow her to squat to relieve herself anymore, meaning she would have to be hosed off after every bathroom trip. And she was so happy all the way until the moment of her death because she just loved people, and she especially loved her people. But even though she walked, ate, and was happy, she still had no quality of life and in my opinion, that’s what matters. Maybe this old friend still loves walkies and maybe dinner time is one of the best parts of his day, but that doesn’t automatically mean he has a good quality of life. If you’re considering it seriously, have a vet make a house call or take the dog to her. That’s what we did and even though my dog still functioned as a dog, the vet that came to us agreed that euthanasia is a dignified way to go and not every dog needs to be completely disabled before considering it for them. I hope this helped and I really feel for you right now.