Question by JennyH: I don’t know if I should put my dog down….need advice please…?
My dog, he is a pekignese will be 16 this December. I love him, like he is my own child. I bought him when I was 15. He is now deaf and he can not see very well, he runs into walls…but, he recognizes me when he sees me, he’ll wag his tail. He has very bad arthritis, he can barely get up and down the stairs, he has fallen down my stairs numerous of times and his back leg give out when he walks through the house through long periods of time. I’ve tried keeping his water and food up stairs in the kitchen, but that won’t stop him from wanting to roam through the house. The biggest problem is, he pees and poops all over the house…my carpets are ruined. I take him outside and all he does is sit by my back door and bark…while I’m sitting outside with him, then he will go right on my kitchen floor right by the door when I bring him back in. Also, he snaps at us when we try to pick him up to give him a bath or to bring him outside, he won’t go on his own. He just looks pitiful, I took him to the vet and he said his heart and kidney functions are incredible for his age, but he has arthritis really bad in his lower back, and back legs.

I feel so bad for him, he looks miserable all day…and then he’ll get a burst of energy and act like the little puppy he use to be (not physically)…almost like he’s happy to see me wags his tail and lays by my feet. I feel so bad, I just don’t know what to do for him anymore…the meds the vet gave us aren’t working for his arthritis, and with him going to the bathroom everywhere it’s not a health enviroment for us to live in. Is it time for us to put him to sleep?

Best answer:

Answer by Aime
He sounds like he’s lived a beautiful life, it may be time, if he hasnt been able to move very well and such you may want to do it, its really sad but i think its time :c

Whatever you do, your dog will understand its for his own good, and he’ll be happy in Doggy-Heaven. :3

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Question by Kenneth Alexander born 6/5/10 <3: My dog is very sick, I need advice!!?
hey there. I have a 12 year old pomeranian, and just yesterday she was doing fine! Basically, she has arthritis so she’s on rimadyl (the vet actually lowered her dose from 75mg or 25mg because she’s lost some weight) and also she had to get stitches due to have a cyst that popped and she was prescibed antibiotics.

my dog was on the antibiotics for about 2 weeks and I was supposed to keep her on them until the recheck, which is on Tuesday this week. just this morning I woke up & she had thrown up in 3 different spots, and has been throwing up foam. The vet told me to stop the antibiotics if she throws up – I haven’t given her any of her meds today because she looks SO ill.

I have no idea what to do, she’s sleeping now & she hasn’t thrown up since this morning – but she won’t eat or drink anything and she just looks really crappy even though yesterday she looked perfectly fine.

Please help!
Btw – she’s up to date on all of her shots, there’s no way she could have rabies or any other disease.

Best answer:

Answer by rockstar
Sounds like something you’re going to need to bring up with your vet.

It could be a side effect of the antibiotics, she could have eaten something in your yard that was harmful, basically, you, nor anyone on this site will be able to give a diagnoses.

Try to keep her as hydrated as possible until you can get in to see a vet, or at the very least call one.

Good Luck.

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Question by Shory’s in love!: Problems with new owner of dog, need advice quick!?
So I had an adult Bull Terrier that I loved dearly. Her name was Missy, and my fiance and I owned her for about 6 months. We loved her to bits and peices but I had just started to go to school full time and he did as well, so we did not have enough time to give her as much love and attention she deserved. So I had sold her to a lady who said she knew all about Bull Terriers and loved them. I trusted her word and sold her for $ 200 which is a great price, I did not want to sell her for a lot, pretty much just to get money out of all the supplies that I gave to the lady. About five days after she buys her I got a call from a number that I didn’t recognize so I didn’t answer. Than 1 week later the buyer of my dog called saying she took Missy into the vet, and she has a mild case of Arthritis. She said the vet also thinks she is about ten years old, and I know for a fact she is Three, I have her paper work and all. Before she bought Missy, I told her how terrified she is of vets. Missy would NEVER bite a person, ever! When she is in a vets office, she gets very skiddish and jumpy. When the vet reached to touch her back leg, it hurt her so she jumped. He stated that she TRIED to bite him. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t, but she than begins to tell me he wants to put her to sleep because of it. I said I would not allow that, and I said I would pay her vet bill, and give her money back, and I would drive down to get her. She agreed, when I called her to find out when I could come down, she lived about 2 hours away, she said Missy had stayed over night at the vets office, because the vet said she was endangering her family. I said I would be happy to meet her down there and pick her up there. She said she would call the vet and let him know we are on our way down. She never called me back, so after about 45 minutes, I called her, she said, with no sympathy at all by the way, ” Oh he already put her to sleep, I called you three days ago and you didn’t answer so I gave him consent to put her down!” I had no idea what to say. I was sick to my stomache, and was hysterical. I hung up on her. She than called me back asking when she could get her money back and her vet bills paid! I am now not willing to pay them, am I wrong? I know the dog was hers now, and she chose to do what she wanted, but I am livid about all of this.

Oh and it turns out, the vet that put her down rescues Bull Terriers, and when the owner before me had to replace Missy, she called his office, and they said if he feels like they are not good enough show dogs, he will most likely put them down.

Should I just repay her, or stand my ground? Thanks and God bless you all!
Well I absolutely would have kept her, but have you ever had you and your fiance been in schoool full time, paying school expenses, and only getting paid a small amount? I wanted the dog to have a better home that I was giving her, do not judge me.

Best answer:

Answer by Wakey
it was her dog at the time, she needs to pay.

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Question by Becky: I need advice about my elderly dog and meds.?
Hello everyone!
My dog Lucy is 13 now and I’ve had her since she was born. In the past couple weeks she has fallen 4 times. She hasn’t been hurt thankfully, but I know she’s old. She gets around a little slower as all aging dogs do. I give her 3 to 4 aspirin a day because she has arthritis. I can’t afford the crazy high prices of the pain meds anymore from her vet so they said I could give her aspirin. I wonder if she could be getting too used to it now, like maybe I should try Advil or Tylenol? What do you all think? …or should I stick with her aspirin routine?
TO: Shelter puppies rule….No I’m not irresponsible. My Vet, that she has been seeing for 13 YEARS, told me to give her aspirin every 6 hours for pain and stiffness due to arthritis. Find out what you’re dealing with before you go calling names.
BONZIE…Thank you for that. I am planning on calling her vet Monday morning. I was hoping to get some good advice til then
SHELTER PUPPIES RULE….you’re an idiot for real. I haven’t been on this thing for 3 months. YES I gave her a glucosamine pill for a while, there was nothing wrong with it, I asked my VET. I don’t understand why you came to attack me and call names but you sure are making a fool out of yourself cause you have no clue what happens in MY house. I’m not some kid that can’t afford the vet, grow up and find someone else to bother. I do not have trouble paying my vet bills…who the hell are you to say such things? I have had this dog since BIRTH, she is my family…you have no clue so shut up. No wonder I don’t come here. You don’t know as much about dogs as you think you do…you’re showing your ignorance honey. Later.

Best answer:

Answer by Shane
Yeah try new things, everything works differently on different people/dogs.

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Question by Claire: Arthritis advice?
I have recently been diagnosed with arthritis, having been to the doctor complaining of a pain in my left thumb and joint. Also my knees often feel stiff and I avoid bending down. I am fifity, work full-time (often standing for long periods of time) and take moderate exercise, walking the dog etc. I am a little overweight – perhaps a stone or so.

My doctor has told me to avoid swimming breastroke as this would involve doing the wrong movement for my knees, but has encouraged me to lose weight and to continue with the walking. She has also told me to take 1500mg of glucosamine sulphate a day. Unfortunately I cannot use sopical pain killers or ibuprofen etc., as I am allergic to salicilates/non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs. I can however take paracetamol.

Please advise what I can do to alleviate pain and improve my condition? I feel this has suddenly come upon me and that I am too young to detiorate like this. Is weight a factor with arthritis? Can acidic food worsen it?
Sorry, I meant ‘topical’ and not ’sopical’!

Best answer:

Answer by Gentleman
I am not sure that weight is a factor with arthritis , but it’s an extremely good start to shed as much weight as you can according to your height and remain level . Extra weight will wear your joints down much faster . Your Physician’s recommendation to take Glucosemine is proper . However being over the age of 55 myself and exercising all my life I would may be suggest to try fish oil 3 6 9 it will help to lubricate your joints . I do not take Glucosemine any longer only fish oil and it also helps fight my bad cholesterol and adds to my good cholesterol . Perhaps you may want to ask your physician about it and see what she has to say . Have a smaller portion of food in a small plate as well stay away form sweets . Acidic food shouldn’t have anything to do with it again some people are more prone to arthritis compared to others . It sounds that your Doctor is giving you the right advice and you are taking the proper steps . Have great day and good luck

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Question by aninocentangel: Advice on socializing a puppy?
At what age can I cut back on the socializing, or am I Cruella DeVille daring to think I can cut it back?
Here’s the whole situation, just so you won’t think I’m mean and evil. I am mean and evil, just not to puppies. :>

I was in a car accident several years ago. As a result I do a lot of walking to help maintain flexibility in my leg and reduce cramping and muscle tremors. I like to walk with my dog, but her arthritis is starting to make it difficult for her so I adopted a puppy to keep us young and moving and to take some of the strain off my old dog when the puppy is old enough. The pup has been loads of fun and we loves her very much.

She’s now 6 months old (still too young for a long walk) and because she has somewhat of a timid personality I’ve been taking her to the dog park 4x week for the past 3+ months to socialize her as per the ASPCA vets’ recommendations when I adopted her. It’s been great for her but because I don’t have time to take my walk on the days we go to the dog park my leg has been bothering me a lot lately. For the first time in years I have been having severe cramping along my old scars, and my jeans aren’t fitting so easily these days either. I’ve been trying to walk around the enclosure but it’s not enough and I have to do a lot of stop/start and dodging which is bad for my knee. I really need to get back to walking flat out at least 3 miles per day again.

Due to my schedule and the hours the walking trails and the dog park are open I’m pretty much stuck with a two hour window during the week, but on the weekends I have hours and hours. Unfortunately I can’t do all my walking on the weekends without damaging myself, would it work to do all her socializing then? She and my old girl do play together, and she plays with the neighbors dogs too.

Since my old vet retired a few months before I adopted her I’ve continued taking both her and my old dog to the vet at the ASPCA, so I called to ask what they would recommend. I don’t think they quite understood the situation because they told me that if I can’t properly see to her needs I need to return her to the pound. Um…kay…

So here’s my question. Is she old enough to still be properly socialized if I only take her to the dog park once or twice on the weekends or would I be doing a disservice to my puppy and I need to take her back to the shelter as suggested?
Either way I think I’m going to find a new vet…

Best answer:

Answer by Eddy
well i thought 3 times was to much and was thinking that how do you have they time to walk while at the park with your dog but i do think you have the answer to cut it down to 1-2 times on the weekends im sure the puppy wouldn’t mind to much and its not good to suffer like it seams you are

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Question by Sue: Advice on getting an older dog to get along with a younger dog.?
I have a deaf 13 year old Shetland Sheepdog. 3 months ago I adopted a coworkers 6 year old collie-mix. For the first few months they got along fine, the older one basicly established herself as alpha and proceded to ignore the new dog. Luckly the younger dog, despite being part collie, is very submissive and not hyperactive. I alway feed and greet the older dog first to keep it clear she is alpha. Unfortunately the older dog has recently started snaping, unprovoked at the yonger. At this point my other dog has not retailiated but I’m really not sure how to handle this situation. The older dog has never been agressive in the past put between loosing her hearing, arthritis and the fact that her eyesight is starting to go I can see why her personality is changing. Right now I smack her snout when she snarls and tell the pet the other dog and tell her shes a good girl to reenforce her good behavior of not snarling back. So far this aproach has not really worked. They have not actually fought yet but I would apreciate any advice on how I shold handle this situation.

Best answer:

Answer by Hallie
If you ask me, the older dog is getting nervous about losing her eyesight and hearing so she is making sure the younger one won’t attack her or try to become the leader.
Or it could just be crabbiness that comes with old age. Sometimes.

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Question by miss_amy018: Advice needed about exercise for overweight arthritic dog..?
I have a 5 and a half year old Chihuahua. She has arthritis in her hip because she broke it when she was a baby. She also has the condition that occurs commonly in small breeds where their trachea collapses/partially collapses causing them to cough. She weighs about 11 pounds should weigh 6-8. I want her to lose weight for her health, but it’s very difficult because she isn’t able to do a lot of physical activity (because of her hip and trachea). I hear that swimming is one of the best things for her and we’re getting a pool this summer, so I’ll be able to get in it with her. Anyone know of anything else?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Thanks to those of you who answered!!

Best answer:

Answer by Alyeria
There’s not much else besides swimming that will help your dog without putting strain on her limbs and chest, you can always change her food a little bit so she’s not eating as much or so she’s eating healthier. I think you should just stick with the swimming or talk to a vet about it as they might know of some excersizes you can do with her to improve her blood flow and movement.

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Question by msJ: Pet/Dog Insurance??? Any suggestions, advice?
I’ve got three small dogs, two pekingnese and one chihuahua. They are all adults from the age of 5-7 years old. I have been taking one of my pekingense to the vet lately for various problems, such as bladder infection, she has arthritis in the hips and knees…I am now looking for a good pet insurance for all three pets. If anyone has any good suggestions of a certain company or if any are bad pet insurance companies to deal with please advise. Thank you!

Best answer:

Answer by ragdolltb
I use the vet at Petsmart, Banfield. Their basic wellness plan runs about 20 a month per dog, but age and breed makes a difference too, i think. The good thing about it is that you dont have to pay for the medical costs up front. the drawback is that you can’t take them anywhere else. with most pet insurances, you pay out of pocket, then submit a claim, and they pay you back for it about a month or so later.

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Question by coonrapper: Any advice on choosing a wheelchair for my dog?
He is an Old English Sheepdog who has severe arthritis in his back, I have to help him to stand up, and carry him up and down stairs, he has trouble walking as he has no muscle mass on his back legs, he is currently on meds for pain. He loves to walk, but he falls all the time, so I would like to help him enjoy life more by making him more mobile.

Best answer:

Answer by K… P
Go to:
www.dogkarts.com

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