My silly little dog has a problem

subi-crosser · #1 12-26-2010, 12:05 AM

Louie has a problem that can't be corrected. A year ago, he had a 'pin' installed in his lower jaw due to a 'degenerative' bone desease. At that time, the vet pulled 5 teeth from the left/lower side of his mouth.
Over the next 6 months, the 'pin' failed and he lost some teeth from the right side.
He does not seem to be in pain, but his lower jaw is about 1/4 inch lower on the left side, he has no lower teeth till he gets back to the molars.
He can eat soft food, is not losing weight.
This dog has a mouth that is just over an inch long, so 1/4" is a LOT of drop!
As the bone degenerates, his lower jaw receeds. It is now about 1/4 inch behind the top.
His 'attitude' is different, but he still 'fetches' his toy.
Am I being 'a bad steward' for not putting him down?
Should I wait till he shows signs that his pain is effecting his 'quality' of life before I make that trip?
I can see a lot of change in his overall appearance. His fur is losing all the 'shine'.
He's still 'happy', but I don't want him to suffer.
He's 9 years old. I brought him home when he was 3 months.
What to do??

svxAL · #2 12-26-2010, 02:02 AM

give him a good life untill u know he is in pain. poor lil guy

Alycone · #3 01-02-2011, 05:18 PM

If there are still things he enjoys and there are more good days than bad I'd say keep him going and wait for him to let you know when he's had enough. Vets seem to give out more pain medicine for animals nowadays, so if he does start to have pain you should be able to help him with it. Cherish the time you have now. As long as he's eating the soft food and not getting lethargic or malnourished I'd guess he's doing ok.

I had to put my 21 y/o cat down last year - I would have preferred to have done it about a week earlier but my mother (he was her cat too) wasnt ready, so I finally had to insist. I feel kinda bad about that but he wasnt in a lot of pain, just sick n tired with bad kidneys. It seems like most people in this situation looking back on it wish they had done it a tad earlier. Unfortunately there's usually no perfect time.

Good for you for trying to do the right thing by your dog.

(shiny fur - for cats I'd say add some fish oil, dont know about dogs)

subi-crosser · #4 01-02-2011, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alycone

If there are still things he enjoys and there are more good days than bad I'd say keep him going and wait for him to let you know when he's had enough. Vets seem to give out more pain medicine for animals nowadays, so if he does start to have pain you should be able to help him with it. Cherish the time you have now. As long as he's eating the soft food and not getting lethargic or malnourished I'd guess he's doing ok.

I had to put my 21 y/o cat down last year - I would have preferred to have done it about a week earlier but my mother (he was her cat too) wasnt ready, so I finally had to insist. I feel kinda bad about that but he wasnt in a lot of pain, just sick n tired with bad kidneys. It seems like most people in this situation looking back on it wish they had done it a tad earlier. Unfortunately there's usually no perfect time.

Good for you for trying to do the right thing by your dog.

(shiny fur - for cats I'd say add some fish oil, dont know about dogs)

He's still a 'pest' with wanting us to throw his toy, so he must not feel too bad. We do give him tuna, so he's getting some.
Thanks.

subi-crosser · #5 01-10-2011, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subi-crosser

He's still a 'pest' with wanting us to throw his toy, so he must not feel too bad. We do give him tuna, so he's getting some.
Thanks.

Brace yourself! I got him to 'smile for the camera'.
Ugly dog smiling.....

subi-crosser · #6 01-10-2011, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subi-crosser

Brace yourself! I got him to 'smile for the camera'.
Ugly dog smiling.....

I wasn't BS'ing ya! This guy has a problem!
I LOVE him! He is my best friend that lives here.
I don't want him to suffer! This boy weighs in at 8 pounds. The pic, depending on your settings , is actual size. His head is just about 3 inches wide. He stands about 10 inches at the 'withers'. 2 hands, for the horse people.
I have so many problems to deal with! Now, my 'buddy' is rotting away while I watch!

subi-crosser · #7 03-28-2011, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subi-crosser

I wasn't BS'ing ya! This guy has a problem!
I LOVE him! He is my best friend that lives here.
I don't want him to suffer! This boy weighs in at 8 pounds. The pic, depending on your settings , is actual size. His head is just about 3 inches wide. He stands about 10 inches at the 'withers'. 2 hands, for the horse people.
I have so many problems to deal with! Now, my 'buddy' is rotting away while I watch!

I think that Louie is fast approching his 'experation' date.
He has been 'attacking' my wife when she attempts to pick up the granschild from my arms. He 'attacked' me tonite, but I'm not sure of his 'motivation'
Since he has no lower jaw to ' Attack' anyone,but insists on attacking anyway, and I am getting tired of his 'attitude', He may 'go down' this weekend.
It is only a matter of time till his mouth will not allow him to eat.
If he had a better 'attitude', I would be more willing to make concessions.
He is 'attacking' the people that LOVE him!
That has to be coming from his pain,.

RIP Louie, 5 days in advance. Louie is going to 'demise' on saturday.

Alycone · #8 03-28-2011, 11:02 PM

Sorry youre loosing your pet

sometimes elderly animals seem to go into attack mode randomly - they just flip out like a reflex, my vet said it can be due to dementia, old brain just doesnt process like it useta

ensteele · #9 03-29-2011, 12:35 AM

Jerry - I am so sorry to hear about Louie. It is never easy and I have gone though this a few times myself. Take care.

subi-crosser · #10 03-30-2011, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subi-crosser

Brace yourself! I got him to 'smile for the camera'.
Ugly dog smiling.....

I have been throwing the 'toy' for him for over an hour now.
I think that he is 'aware' that I have decided to kill him, and has been trying hard to 'convince' me that he does not want to die yet.
He has only had ONE 'attitude' since the post.
I KNOW that the day will come soon.
LOOK at the pic! That mouth cannot 'feed' a dog much longer!
At this point, because he gets soft, high protine food, he's still a fat little guy!

Dead dog chasing cat, dead dog fetching toy, dead dog 'enjoying life'. Dead dog getting a 'pardon', at this time. (But he still looks like noone 'ownes' him, because he will NOT allow any 'maintenance' to happen).

subi-crosser · #11 09-13-2011, 10:08 PM

I am on a roller-coaster today. I am way up, because of the events at city hall. I am way down because Louie woke me up at 3:00 am. I noticed that he has an 'abcess' under his left eye If Louie was a normal dog, it would be off to the doggi...e Dr and get that tooth pulled. Well, Louie is not a normal dog. Louie has a degenerative bone desease that took his lower jaw last year. 2 1/2 years ago, his lower jaw was replaced with stainless steel rods and pins, then the bone that the pins was attatched to went away. He is my 'Pal'. He's sleeping under my chair right now! I have been expecting this day for a long time. As a 'good shepard' of my 'flock', I have to make the call this week. I'm afraid that I have to put him down....If the abcess doesn't cause him too much pain before then, he will go to Hi Rock animal hospital for the last time saturday. If he looks to be suffering, it could be sooner. He's a BUTT HEAD!! But I LOVE him! I put him in my shirt pocket when he was 3 months old and drove home. That was a decade ago. I miss him already and he's snoring at me 2 feet away! I chickened out last time.

I copy and pasted this from another site. Re-Runs for some of you. Well, I got another 10 months out of the little butt head! There is nothing left to hook stainless steel to in his mouth. He only wants to 'fetch' 2 times before he puts that nasty toy away. That abcess is about 1 inch long and high on a 1" snout. It's time....

wohnson89 · #12 09-17-2011, 04:35 PM

You have a good heart sir. I have three "silly little dogs" and the thought of going through something like this almost makes me cry. Your are a very brave man.

subi-crosser · #13 09-17-2011, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wohnson89

You have a good heart sir. I have three "silly little dogs" and the thought of going through something like this almost makes me cry. Your are a very brave man.

Fever broke, abcess went down. Back to his 'normal'. Instead of all this roller-coaster stuff, I would rather find him dead in his bed!
Every time I convince myself to 'do it', the little guy does a 180 turn!

He has been 'pestering' me for the last 3 days! He won't even let me hug my wife! Right now, he's sleeping under my chair! 3 days ago, he was in misery. Now he's the same old BUTT HEAD!

What to do?? Do I put him down on a 'good' day? Do I stay on the roller coaster?
All my other dogs have gotten hit by cars, bitten by snakes, ran away or been stolen.
I had a wonderful dog that I had to have put down when her spine gave up.
That was 20 years ago and I still miss her!

Louie is a fighter! 6 pounds of 'FURY'! DAMN!!! Toughest little guy I ever MET!!

SHISVX · #14 09-23-2011, 09:58 PM

you know when it is the right time. no one can explain it to you. i wish i could have had the courage to put my dog, Belle, to sleep. she suffered for no reason, luckily for only a few days. she was my first dog. since then i have put three animals to sleep. not bragging rights by any means. i am just saying that when it is time you will know. i know how hard it is to say goodbye to someone you love. it is even harder if they can't tell you that they are suffering. since you have had the dog for so long, i am sure, you know that animal very well. my dog, Bosco is 9 now, and i can't imagine life without him. i have no children, so he is my baby.

i wish you luck. i am right with you with the heaviness of the decision. just think about how you would want things to go. if you were in the same position.

Kelli