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On August 01 2010 10:53 Sfydjklm wrote:
Are you insane? Keep it around? I'm not keeping it around, i'm just not killing it. I don't have a God complex and i don't think i have the right to decide who dies and who lives.
Hi. I've had to put down several animals in my adolescence because my mother was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to. As it happens, so am I, but there is a breaking point, and it has nothing to do with inconvenience.
Spoiler'd because it's a little gross and sad. My dying cat story.
+ Show Spoiler +After over $2,000 in vet bills, my 18 year-old cat Rusty had a growing cancer in his stomach. It was to the point that it was the size of your fist, and he would regularly howl in pain (5-6 times per day, for about 10 minute stretches). In addition, he was incontinent and had lost control of his bowels... we had to clean feces out of carpet and off tile several times daily, all while Rusty was getting thinner and sicker-looking, despite force-fed food the vet prescibed. We were giving him several kinds of medication, but his condition kept getting worse, and he always seemed to hate the medicine and even eating in general.
When I looked into that cat's eyes (I was about 14 at the time) I only saw pain and shame. He barely even responded to affection anymore at that point and had lost every ounce of dignity he had. It might be my child imagination, but it seemed like he stopped making eye contact toward the end... and yet still my mother loved him too much to put him down.
Sure, we could have let him live out his pain and shame for maybe a few months... maybe he'd make it a year before natural causes took him, but he was utterly miserable, anyone who looked at him could tell you. As his best friend, I made the choice to have him euthanized, and I held him until his last breath, looking more peaceful than I had seen him in years. And yes, I cried for days.
An animal cannot tell you it doesn't want to live anymore, so yes we are burdened with playing God with our pets. As far as cruelty goes... There's no question in my mind that it would have been FAR more cruel to let Rusty keep living.
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That said, I'm very sorry for your (soon to be) loss, Chrispy. It sounds like your puppy would only continue to be miserable and in pain if you let her live... I can't imagine having to make that choice for such a young pet. I agree with Susie though, spoil the heck out of her before Tuesday!
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is awesome32280 Posts
On August 01 2010 11:07 Sfydjklm wrote:Show nested quote +On August 01 2010 11:05 lilsusie wrote:On August 01 2010 10:47 Sfydjklm wrote:On August 01 2010 09:49 lilsusie wrote:
Aww.. as a 9 month old puppy, not being able to run around and do mischievous puppy things is not the way she should be living. Even after surgeries and replacements, a dog wouldn't be the same =/
that's exactly the issue with all of you monsters. Oh my toy wouldnt be the same, time for a new one. ... A dog wouldn't be the same as in he wouldn't be able to run around freely and with the confidence that a dog should have. You apparently know nothing of animal psychology and how dogs work. You cannot compare a human and a dog, the way we work is different. You cannot put a dog in a wheelchair all his life; you cannot keep a dog to his bed forever either. A dog needs to be free to run, dig, jump, scratch - all with their legs. You, sir, are the monster if you wish to keep your dog around while its in pain. It's not about the "omg I can't take care of a sick dog" but rather what is best for the dog. I suppose then one should just let the dog that is in pain out into the wild and have him get killed "naturally"? How is that any better than allowing him to die peacefully in the safety of a vet clinic? I covered all those points you made already. And there are plenty of dogs who run around with those wheel carts attached and have decent life.
Did you even read the opening post? This dog doesn't have a leg problem.
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I'm surprised someone would think putting the dog down is selfish when in my experience it's usually the exact opposite.. The selfish ones are the ones that try to prolong the animals life despite its suffering. It's sad in your case because your dog is so young but as long as you took care of him and treated him well when you could, there's nothing else to be done really.
You can tell when a dog is no longer itself, be it old age or whatever. I've had two dogs I had to put to sleep. One went blind and would no longer move, just lay there. The second which I lost last December was I think showing signs of hip displasyia. She had a huge fatty deposit on her side too which made it worse I think. Her legs would give out, but she wouldn't even complain, just fall over and lie there panting. She almost looked embarrassed it happened but it was so sad. It came about so fast too, she was super energetic her whole life then in about a few weeks her legs went out, she had breathing problems etc.
It's just natural, why put them through the weeks/months remaining of a miserable life when they are used to so much more. I think it's the selfless last act of a good owner
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On August 01 2010 10:45 Sfydjklm wrote:Show nested quote +On August 01 2010 10:07 IntoTheWow wrote:On August 01 2010 09:29 Sfydjklm wrote:On August 01 2010 09:15 BlackJack wrote:On August 01 2010 08:58 Laerties wrote:
What the hell? You don't see ppl in wheelchairs getting put down..... why the hell would you put down your dog because it has hip problems? Seems like the easy way out to me. Instead of working with your dog to give it the best life possible your going to kill her. Thats how I interpreted it. Human's can still do 90% of their daily activities in a wheelchair, a dog can't do anything without its legs. A better example would be comparing it to someone paralyzed from the neck down. This is the humane thing to do. A dog can still love you even if it cant run. It's like oh i cant play fetch with it, lets kill it. You're an asshole.:X Dog's don't have the psyche of a human. Dogs try to hide away all the pain because if they cry it makes them look weak (from their instinct point of view). My dog came home after a long surgery, I carried her home with the just made stitches and she wanted to get up continuously for 3 hours, even though she was drugged up from the surgery and weakened because she didn't ate much for it. When I asked the vet he told me about that. So even though the love may still have it's happy moments, it's still very hard say "he will live a normal life" in a wheelchair. A human has an intelligence to objectively analyze things and put other things aside. Animals don't work the same as we do, so we can't really put ourselves in their place. Deciding to put a pet down is a very hard decision, and it's not about "not wanting to have a crippled pet in home" but to save them from the pain. All that said, I don't know the details for this case, but it sounds pretty bad. I would talk to a vet to know how good / bad the situation could get. You notice how you contradict yourself? First you describe how an animal feels and then you say we cant put ourself in their place. Putting pet down is a decision you have no right to make. It is in no way in more sane then having sex with an animal. It's just something commonly accepted because it's more convenient than looking after a sick pet. Blaah, sick pets arent fun!
Do you really think that the main reason people put down their pets is because they don't want to look after a sick pet that can't play catch and not because they want to end its suffering?
Sick pets aren't hard to look after. When my pets get sick they mostly sit in a dark closet or bathroom and cry all day. How is it hard to look after a pet that can't walk? They are just going to sit in 1 spot and atrophy for the next 15 years. Of course whenever you walk past them they will be wimpering for you to help them but you could always explain to them "I can't do anything for you so suck it up." I'm not sure if they will understand that though.
Humans choose to end their lives all the time. I guess this is a luxury only for humans because animals don't comprehend suicide like we do?
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On August 01 2010 11:09 MadJack wrote:Show nested quote +On August 01 2010 09:10 FyRe_DragOn wrote:
yeah because his dog would totally be able to live in a wheelchair, if there even was such a thing for dogs. The dog can barely walk, its life is pretty much hell. If it were living in the wild it wouldnt last a day. For me, life is life. But maybe you are right, killing your pet so that they dont hurt anymore, and so you dont have to see them and feel guilty, seems reasonable. They should do that with humans, too. I think my uncle should be put down due to his last stage lung cancer...
if your uncle was a dog id agree.
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that sucks so much  really sorry to hear
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My dog is sleeping in my bed behind me and it just kills me to think of the day when I have to put her down
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On August 01 2010 11:09 MadJack wrote:Show nested quote +On August 01 2010 09:10 FyRe_DragOn wrote:
yeah because his dog would totally be able to live in a wheelchair, if there even was such a thing for dogs. The dog can barely walk, its life is pretty much hell. If it were living in the wild it wouldnt last a day. For me, life is life. But maybe you are right, killing your pet so that they dont hurt anymore, and so you dont have to see them and feel guilty, seems reasonable. They should do that with humans, too. I think my uncle should be put down due to his last stage lung cancer...
I'm detecting an ever-so-slight hint of sarcasm, which suggests that you're strongly against putting pets down in any circumstance.
Hmmmm, yeah... are you familiar with this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case
Also, this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignitas_(euthanasia_group)
If you're absolutely opposed to the result of the Schiavo case and the purpose of Dignitas, then I really don't have anything to say to you.
But, if you can actually see both sides of this issue, then just consider that dogs can't exactly decide this stuff for themselves, and sometimes humans have to. Sure, it's a fine line that separates a god complex from a responsible decision. Just don't treat it like it's so black and white, where you're on the morally righteous side and everyone else is awful and heartless.
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Been through that, but not with a young puppy. You could look for a home for her instead. Someone might be willing to take her in, anyways. Had 2 dogs with dysplacia, they lived a long time. One ended up needing Rimadel and taking daily glucosamine, but that can help for them as well.
Really what I would like to suggest however is get a dog from the pound. Mixed breeds rarely have the problems that a pure breed does.
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are you the guy who makes dubstep on youtube?
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On August 01 2010 08:58 Laerties wrote:
What the hell? You don't see ppl in wheelchairs getting put down..... why the hell would you put down your dog because it has hip problems? Seems like the easy way out to me. Instead of working with your dog to give it the best life possible your going to kill her. Thats how I interpreted it.
The difference is a dog can't just find another hobby. A dog can't load up a DVD of Stargate SG-1 when it's bored. A dog can't wheel itself into the workshop to make a new cupboard for the house. A dog can't sit in front of a computer playing StarCraft, or working on a book about the hardships and triumphs in their life.
A dog finds enjoyment in running, in being physically active, in hunting small animals and cars, in walking and running with its family. If you've ever had a dog, you'll know how INSANE they get when you bring out the leash or ask if they want to go walkies.
To the OP: I'm terribly sorry you have to go through this. My first dog, a beautiful Collie, was an escape artist, often sneaking away to visit other dogs or go exploring. Finally disaster struck and he was hit by a car, came home limping. The vet said the internal damage was so severe that the best thing to do was to put him to sleep. He was nine years old, physically active, and affectionate.
That was a pretty shitty fucking day.
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Oh man that sucks
T_T
such an early age...
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On August 01 2010 09:29 Sfydjklm wrote:Show nested quote +On August 01 2010 09:15 BlackJack wrote:On August 01 2010 08:58 Laerties wrote:
What the hell? You don't see ppl in wheelchairs getting put down..... why the hell would you put down your dog because it has hip problems? Seems like the easy way out to me. Instead of working with your dog to give it the best life possible your going to kill her. Thats how I interpreted it. Human's can still do 90% of their daily activities in a wheelchair, a dog can't do anything without its legs. A better example would be comparing it to someone paralyzed from the neck down. This is the humane thing to do. A dog can still love you even if it cant run. It's like oh i cant play fetch with it, lets kill it. You're an asshole.:X
You people are either assholes or a bad readers. OP is upset about losing his dog already and you say this about him? Go ahead and disagree with his decision. But don't belittle it by saying that he's selfish or heartless.
The point is not that the dog can't play with him. The point is that the dog is in pain. That is why it is being put down.
This is nothing like a guy in a wheelchair. This is basically like a guy who takes no pleasure from life, who is in constant pain, and has no hope of getting cured.
Yes, the dog can't tell you that it wants to die. But it can't tell you it wants to live either. We make the best decisons we can given the circumstances.
My parents and I had to put our old dog down. Yes, he could live, but like this dog, he couldn't walk. His hips were completely gone. He could barely eat either because his teeth were infected too. Even if he had survived the tooth extraction, he would still have been unable to walk.
All he liked to do was to walk and eat, and one day he couldn't do either. It was terrifying to come out of the house and find that he had collapsed and had been lying in the mud and rain for hours.
Should we kill an animal that takes no more pleasure from life? Maybe you don't think so. But that doesn't alter the fact that this was a difficult decision.
Now you can say that you disagree with the decision OP is making, and with the decision my family and I made. But don't tell us that we put our dogs down because we are somehow selfish, or that we did it because he didn't fit our definition of what a dog was supposed to be, or because it was too much trouble.
You can say that you think the dog would prefer to live. But don't you belittle what is a very painful, very difficult decision.
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This is a painful decision, but it is the right one.
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T_T I'm glad my parents didn't put me down when I turned out to be a complete retard. Sorry for your loss though.
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I'm so sorry that you have to put your dog down =( Your decision is tough but the right choice. We also have a dog named Maggie that's about to turn 1 and I just cant imagine having to put her down.
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I've seen several labs get put down from something like this..... I love labs- have a mix myself. It's always depressing to see them be put down.
I'm sorry about your dog man.
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On August 02 2010 07:42 Bub wrote:
I've seen several labs get put down from something like this..... I love labs- have a mix myself. It's always depressing to see them be put down.
I'm sorry about your dog man.
Yeah, isn't hip displaysia genetic in purebred labs? I have a golden retriever, and she had some bad hip displaysia. She took some meds or vitamins or something when she was younger, and now it doesn't hurt her as much, I think. She still doesn't like stairs, though.
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Sfydjklm be quiet. This little dog is in excruciating pain and you think ending its pain by the only realistic means possible is having a god complex? minor cases of hip dysplasia are terribly pain, this puppy has a major case. this puppy won't ever be able to enjoy running around outside or playing with its family. how fair is that? 10-15 years of horrible pain for something you love because you don't want to have a god complex?
you sound like a insanely insensitive cold bastard.
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EPT
