Why do vets keep old dogs alive?

This poor dog. Please let her go in peace

No, it is not abuse, just sad that they would let the dog be in pain. They are cleaning the dog, but the dog cannot control their bowels so to me it is cruel to keep them going without dignity.

ISRR, dh and I have a combined 19 years’ work at the spca. We interacted with the animal cruelty division routinely. What is going on is not cruelty that can be reported on.

Forget about the waste, what about the pain this dog is in.

I would call the vet and tell them you are reporting them for animal cruelty. This dog yelps when she is handled, that means excruciating pain and that means over the top fear.

Please intervene!!!

Doggiemom, yeah, I’m wondering exactly how the wheelchair is even to be utilized without the dog dumping or peeing in it…

I will tell you a little story. London was our 15 year old Golden Retriever. She loved food and treats. We had gone out one day and came home to puke everywhere which was odd. We found London in our den splayed out. I tried to give her a treat and she refused and she could not get up. We took her to the vet who at first said she had a very bad case of vestibular disease and needed IV therapy for about a week. We had her on a gurney because she couldn't walk. The vet felt her abdomen and went pale. I could tell it was bad and asked, "Is it cancer?" The vet said "Yes, most likely her spleen. We could do x-rays and operate." I bit my lip and sighed and said, "She's fifteen doctor, wouldn't it be kinder for me to let her go then put her through all that?" My vet's eyes filled with tears and she said, "Yes, that would be the kind thing, but I wasn't sure to suggest it." I sniffed, told Mark, and we both agreed that putting a 15 year old Golden through what could be horrid wasn't right, so we let her go peacefully.

Vets might not want to suggest euthanasia and it isn't clear cut 100% of the time. I know with doggie dementia this is hard when a dog isn't "physically sick" but is "not there." However, I wanted to be a vet at one time and if I saw an animal that had to lie in his or her waste for a long period of time, I would suggest letting them go. We have to remember that dogs age more rapidly than we do, so a dog that is a medium sized dog and 12 years will be in their late 50s! Crazy, I know, but real love is being strong enough to let someone go. Our pets can't tell us how bad they are hurting or when they're ready to go.

I think senior pets for seniors can be okay depending on the age of the pet and the senior. For example, someone who is say 65 caring for a pet that is 8 or 9 would be fine. Small dogs aren't considered senior until age 9, larger and extra large 7 or 8. I think it can be fine depending on a lot of factors including the senior citizen's mobility and cognitive function and the same with the pet.

As big as an animal lover as I am, I think it would be kinder for your folks to let the poor dog go. A wheelchair is tough on a dog, especially if they become disabled later in life. Many people use a "drag bag" versus a wheelchair and to me this is just as cruel as the animal will still be in his or her own waste and can develop sores from dragging themselves. If it was a fairly young dog I would say that a wheelchair might be okay, but did you know that the owner still has to help wheelchair bound dogs "void" their bladders?

@freqflyer, while it’s true that older dogs have a tougher time being rehomed, a person already receiving care is least likely to decide that it’s time for the dog.

PeggySue2020, why the SPCA says that is so the pet doesn't outlive its owners. It is very hard to re-home an older pet as it's an emotional toll on the pet.

SPCAs often float the idea that senior dogs are best for seniors when in fact exactly the opposite is true.

Amen, RealyReal. No real animal lover could bear this for an animal they care about. I deal OK with our cruelty to one another. As humans we have defenses. I cannot bear to see cruelty to animals. Cannot bear it. I suspect we are not alone in the population.

Peggy, I have heard it all now.

It breaks my heart to see asinine treatment for any animal that left to its own decision would find a hole and go to rest.

Pretty sad state of affairs when we are not as bright as an animal.

Shame on your in-laws for torturing this poor dog. I hope it dies soon and as peacefully as it can dying in the nut farm.

Oh brother. They’re getting it a doggy wheelchair

Owners keep old, sick dogs alive. The veterinarian can’t make the decision to euthanize a pet - only the owner.

I'm on my 4th dog. With each of the first three, we had to make the heart-wrenching decision to put them to sleep.

Vets don't "keep the dogs alive" in the sense to which you are referring. They tell the owner what is wrong with the animal, and then offer the best support they are able to based on whatever decision the owner makes. My vet didn't advise me what to do in each case, he just laid out the diagnoses and our options (with the likely outcomes) and let us decide. Much like a human doctor does with a terminally ill patient.

What I expect happened was your SIL asked the vet if a dog "could" do well with limited use of its back legs, not if their dog "would" do well. And then ran with the answer. Just as people here have done with their human relatives.

When my SIL decided to add a 5th cat to their family, I told her that my son and I would no longer be able to attend functions they were hosting, because we are both allergic, my son being highly so. I said it without rancor or judgement; they can own as many cats as they like, but we will no longer visit. We've held to that line.

Maybe you should consider doing the same, and not attend those function in the same house as the ill, incontinent dog. Save yourself some aggravation.

Peggy,

I am so sorry. I feel sorry for the dog.Their vet is crazy!

"Sil texted that the vet said “the dog will do great with or without its hind legs.”" That vet is SICK and your FIL, MIL and SIL are even sicker. What are they going to do cut off it's legs? It's one thing if an animal is in an accident and they save it's legs but this is completely different. I feel so bad for this dog. A herniated disk is not going to be fixed by the dog not having legs. That is a back issue and very painful for humans, I can only imagine how painful it is for the dog. This really pisses me off.

Sil texted that the vet said “the dog will do great with or without its hind legs.”
Sp was right in that the in-laws project themselves onto the dog.

Just heard from sil after reaching out. There’s another doggie visit to the vet today.

This could also be a way to ease into the debate of even if medicine could do something to prolong life, should you prolong it? I have seen threads on people who have dogs that are 16 or older that get cancer. They will spend thousands on treatments or alternative medicine. I love, love dogs, but I also think it can be cruel to keep an animal going that it is already going to be very old (16 years is about 80-100s depending on breed and size) and sick. I have talked to people who literally feed a super old dog through an eyedropper. I ask them "Do you really believe their spirit would want to be here?" Many people falsely believe all old dogs will die in their sleep, I really wish it was, but sometimes an old body needs a little help letting go.

More on the projecting: Mija was my 17-year-old Chihuahua with kidney failure. I had been giving her sub-q fluids for two months, but she kept losing weight like crazy and was not her spunky "I will kick your butt if you look at me wrong" self. Mark said he couldn't see her on the bed with how skinny she was and how hard it was for her to even lift her head up.

It is, I suspect, the owner keeping this going. It is time to recognize that it is cruel to a dog, who knows nothing of life and death, to keep it here and suffering in this manner.
I know of no vet who would keep such an animal going in this manner without the adamant demand of doggy mom and dad to do so. This is exceptionally sad to hear about. This is to my mind the height of selfishness to keep an animal going because we cannot let it go. I hate to say that about someone clearly grieving, but it is what I believe.

Mark saw our old dog Polly as a reflection of himself in many ways and actually a couple others. He even said at one point when Mija, the very first dog I owned, was dying of kidney disease "It's like watching the future of my death." I think we do a great disservice keeping our pets here if it is kinder to let them go. I finally convinced Mark to let Polly go when she was banging her head everywhere after having another stroke. The vet said she most likely had a brain tumor for a while. When a dog can no longer hold their pee, I don't think it is kind to keep them here. Abby, a Saint Bernard started having issues where she could not longer move her back end and began peeing and pooping herself as well as not being able to become regulated from diabetes (she was 13). We kindly let her go.

Many people will tell you to not euthanize unless there is no other choice, but when a dog's quality of life declines to such an extent that they merely exist, then the most loving thing is to let them have a peaceful death. I have stayed for all my dogs having to be euthanized: Mija, London (I lost them three days apart), Abby, Kawaii (two months apart), Inuyasha, and Polly. It is calm and peaceful.

As others have said, it can be their own fears being reflected in the dog as they age. Mark reflected many of his own fears in the dogs especially those with kidney disease.

SP is right in that the dog is a reflection of the in laws in that they collectively see it as a recipient of the medical and home care they receive. Every soiling is cleaned, just as it would be with Depends. The dog still “recognizes” them as does the 100 year old mom with a feeding tube who has her son in law clean her.

There is already so much animal cruelty. What a tragedy it will be if it becomes a norm for pets to be subjected to prolonged medicalized deaths as humans are.

You are right. It is partly due to money but there are 2 other factors here and they are the same factors when dealing with people.

#1. Doctors are trained to CURE. They are not taught how to talk to a person, the family about options. I was discussing with a vet when I brought one of my little guys in because of a back issue and they actually told me they are starting a Hospice program for pets. That is a start.

#2. People do not want to "give up".
"We" have been sheltered from death, it seems a taboo subject. Partly due to "modern" medicine and see issue number 1 above. I think that is changing slowly.

I know someone that spent $10000 on treatments, surgery and rehab on their dog. Yup 10 thousand. Now I am a dog lover and it would break my heart to have to make that decision but honestly I can not afford 10K. And there is no assurance things like that would work. And just as with people Quality of life is as important as Quantity of life.

I may be guilty as well. I had a 16 year old German Shepherd she had a lot of problems but she looked at me one day and I just knew it was time.

There are times when you have to let your Head rule your Heart not the other way around.

This should be moved to Discussions.

No way I’d have stuck around for a poop smelling dinner. Nasty. That said, my daughter just told me about a coworker who recently spent $20,000 for sinus surgery for her dog. Vets do what they do because humans demand it. We’ve had many pets that we’ve loved, but there are certainly limits. I often quietly wonder when I hear these stories of exorbitant measures on a pet, if the humans would feel as strongly about a child

The dog is a metaphor for your MIL and FIL both of them are doing everything and anything necessary to keep themselves alive at any cost to their own quality of life. FIL is incontinent - MIL who the hell knows what her ailments are.

The poor dog is the only helpless one in this situation because he can't speak up and tell anyone he is in pain and is just done. Though I suspect that when MIL and SIL clean the dog and he yelps that any movements are very painful for the poor dog thus the crying out and yelping.

Your SIL has been enabling the in-laws for years - gotta keep that steady pay check coming in for her, so it makes sense that she is going to do whatever the FIL and MIL want - common sense and common decency be damned.

Right now the only one suffering is that poor dog. The vet can't just take an animal from their owner - no matter how much of a dumb ass they may be. So they can only make suggestions. Though some are in it for the money like your SIL and will continue to recommed treatment and procedure and on and on.

Honestly you are your significant other are the insane ones in this scenario because you stayed for Easter dinner with the smell of poop and urine wafting in the air. Who wants to eat in an environment like that? I would have excused myself from the day and told them the exact reason why. Someone has to be the voice of reason. Too bad it wasn't you and your SO.

I'm thinking this is more the owners not wanting to put him to rest than the vet

Not being a big fan of many holidays, (Easter being one), good for the dog.