Question by Amanda Me: How could I help my dog?
My dog is about 9 years old. He is overweight. He is a mix of a pitbull and black lab. He is in pain all the time just by moving from one place to another. We don’t over feed him. He has had a problem with his back legs, hip area for a long time. My parents say that he has arthritis. My parents haven’t called the vet and they are thinking about putting him down if he doesn’t get better. (and I really don’t ant that.) What would the vet say? (When I ask my parents about call him they say they just might put him down. :[ ) What would be good to give him for the pain? We give him K9 aspirin. Any other information you think I might have forgotten that you think would be a good idea please let me know. Thank you.
We can’t take him for walks. He is to strong and breaks the leash.
I keep telling my parents they need to call the vet but they seem to not want to listen to me. I really really time 345678 don’t want to put him down. He is sad but he still has an apatite. And when we sit with him and pet him he gets happy and wags his tail. I’m going to show my mom what everyone is saying and hopefully she will do something. So thank you. If anyone has anymore info or something let me know. Thank you.

Best answer:

Answer by SmaRRt One
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Question by Rachelle: Need help deciding if it is time for my dog?
I need help deciding whether or not to put my 9 year old lab mix to sleep, because my family and I can’t agree on a situation, and would like some opinions. He’s a great dog, and a beloved family member. He has his up’s and downs, but lately things seem to be getting worse. First he has a lot of arthritis in his hips, and has trouble walking most days, and other day’s he’s walking around like nothing’s wrong, and on the days he is in pain and limping, he doesn’t walk too far, have to bring food, water to him. He acts perky when he sees a dog walk by, or he knows he’s going for a ride in the car. But other than that, he acts more depressed, and he doesn’t like going outside much to do his job, because he doesn’t like to walk too far or be outside very long, likes to sleep more than usual. He moans, because he’s in pain, give him aspirin, but that’s only temporary comfort. He acts senile more and more, forgets what were doing, or acts like he can’t hear me when I take him somewhere. He runs away from me when we’re on a walk, when he’s having a good day, like someone once said, maybe he’s running and trying to find that place to die? I would love to wait until he can’t walk anymore, but he’s around 90pds, and a pretty stubborn and testy dog, I couldn’t pick him up and carry him in the vet. Any, helpful opinions would be appreciated, that I could discuss with my family. I just don’t want to let him go because I see him having another bad day, but don’t want him to suffer either or be selfish.
Thank you.

Best answer:

Answer by Dunfilly
Oh, I feel for you! Being a dog owner is like having kids – they’re such a part of the family, and it’s so tough when the time does come… Also, not being about to talk to them seems to make it even worse, because you have no idea what they are feeling or thinking. I would suggest talking with your vet and getting his/her suggestion as well. Sit down with your family (I would include any kids if they are old enough, as the dog is their family as well) and decide if it’s for the best of the dog. If he/she is living a poor quality life right now, it may very well be in his best interest, but again, it’s something that the dog needs to tell you and your family. He’s lived a wonderful life, and only the ones close to him know best. Sending my very best to you and your dog!

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Question by Jill C: what can i do to help dying dog?
My boyfriends dog has been very ill for aboout a year and a half now. It started off with constant ear infections, which became a hacking cough, which for the last year hasn’t gone 5 minutes without coughing. Then seizures started shortly after the coughing. The thing is even though he was sick everyone thought he would get better- although they should’ve taken him to the vet and theres no excuse for that. he was still enjoying eating, playing and was happy. Then a few months ago his arthritis took a turn for the worst and he struggled to walk, not to mention the smell of infection coming from within- it smells liek rotting animal. For the past two weeks he has stopped eating and drinking and walking- he lays in the same spot until someone moves him- he lost bladder and bowel movement control – he continues to seizure and is in a lot of pain suffering-to put him down is impossible for them tho-but this dog is in unconcievable pain- any vets- or centers in bergen county nj u reccom.?
by the way there is no convincing his mom to take the dog to the vet- i guess shes against it- but we’ve suggested it for months- my boyfriend even offered to take it ourselfs. I would report to the ASPC, but they take good care of there other animals- so i wouldn’t want to put them in danger- I just don’t understand why this dog hasn’t passed yet- also, the mom isn’t uncaring – she seems to really care but she can’t put him to sleep she feels to guilty.

Best answer:

Answer by mmcrobinson
Sorry they need to be reported for animal neglect. The dog obviously needs to be taken from them and to a vets.

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Question by Lily Ann: My friends’ dog needs to pee!? Please help him pee!?
Chaos is an Anitolian Shephard who was recently diagnosed with Arthritis. They sent him home with a prescription for Prednizone and said he “had good years in front of him” (as in “don’t worry-he’s fine”. When Chaos came home, more problems arose: he was drinking more water than usual, began dribbling pee constantly, pee sample was taken in & they found a mild bladder infection, put on antibiotics, night before the last dose of antibiotics-bit by spider, got taken in the next day because he’s a large dog and was stuck in a depression in the ground (she was unaware of any spider bite until she was able to get him up), he was put on more antibiotics for spider bite, he couldn’t walk much so his bladder filled up, was taken in to empty 1ltr of pee from his bladder, and so on…Now, a few days later-Chaos’ bladder is swollen and she needs some advice on how to help him. Is there anything she can do at home to help him relieve himself? Are there any home remedies to encourage him to pee/ma
…make him get the urge? Herbs, maybe?

Best answer:

Answer by b_bardi99
yes, she needs to express the bladder, but are you sure, Chaos does not have stones in the bladder?He may need a catheter put into the bladder.
The vet should have shown the owners, how to empty the bladder at home!
Check this website:www.dodgerslist.com
they are very helpful, and have a bunch of links for home-care for sick dogs.

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Question by Molly: Help with old dog? He doesn’t have to be put down, does he?
Ok, we have an English Bull dog, he’s a wonder family pet and we all love him a lot! There’s no medical issues with him, but recently he’s lost bladder control and is peeing randomly everywhere. (especially when he eats/drinks) He’s 12 years old (the average life span being about 8-10 yrs) so he’s kinda old. We don’t know if he’s just old and should be put down OR if he my have a bladder infection, but I’m not sure about that because he’s a male. Also, it’s incredibly difficult to get him to the vet because he cant get in or out of a car anymore because of his arthritis, even of we help him. He falls up and down stairs too. Another thing… He smells terrible all the time (yes, we do groom him). We know bulldog’s aren’t the best smelling breed, but for the past year he literally smells of death… he just reeks!

[oh, and if your wondering if his peeing because he's not house trained, that's not what's wrong. He's very well house trained]

We don’t want him put down.. but we don’t want him suffering either. Any Ideas?

Best answer:

Answer by Sarah S
I think it just may be time to put him down. It isn’t uncommon for dogs to lose control of their bladder when they get older. They actually have doggy diapers for it. But the fact that he is also falling down stairs is a real indicator that he is nearing the end. See if he seems in pain. Also when he pees does he know to move or does he sit in his pee, because that is another sign that you dog is nearing an end. I know it is hard but I think you should take your dog to the vet for an opinion. Make him comfortable and remember your dog has had a long fruitful life. Best of wishes.

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Question by Sass: Why is my dog trembling and lethargic? Please help?
I have an 8 year old terrier mix that I recently adopted from a bad situation where he was kept outside all of the time. I was given no vet records, and wasn’t sure if he was going to work out, so he hasn’t been to a vet yet; though he seemed healthy until just today.

He was fine this morning, but later on someone was petting his back and he yelped a few times. He proceeded to go lie down- he was trembling and his body was tense and rigid. He eventually calmed down, and I even took him outside ( tail wagging and all), where he peed and was excitedly sniffing around the yard like usual. Once he got back inside, he was lying around again, very lethargic and still a little tense, but no more trembling. He went up the stairs to the second floor later on, and after that, he was trembling again and was very rigid. He has since calmed down, but is again, very lethargic, and he hasn’t eaten all day, except for a few dog treats.

I have no idea what could be going on with him- he was perfectly fine up until now and nothing has really changed. One thing I want to mention though, is that occasionally when I have taken him outside for walks, he would start limping on one of his front legs, and he even stopped halfway up the stairs to my apartment holding his leg up and wimpering. I assumed it was salt in his paws, so I wiped them clean when we got in and he seemed fine.

What do you think this could be? I was thinking maybe arthritis pain or something like that? Or is it possibly more serious? What are some things I should look for or try to do for him? Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks for the advice so far. It seems quite clear now that he starts trembling after going up or down the stairs, which is is now reluctant to do. Is this indicative of arthritis pain?

Best answer:

Answer by future vet
If its Lethargic then it has a disease.

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Question by kali: Help picking out dog food please?!?!?
My mom’s dog in on Purina One Senior (horrible horrible food!). He is going to be 14 in January. My mom pays $ 18 for an 18lb bag (I think it’s 18lbs). I want to switch his food to something better. My mom has money problems – a lot of debt from college, divorce, raising three kids. She can’t afford more than what she is paying now. I’d love for him to be on a food such as a holistic one and I was planning on paying the difference in price but I got laid off. Blah. Is the costco adult/senior food any good. I know the puppy one is pretty decent. Otherwise what is a food that is about $ 20 for 20lbs? He is not active at all. His joints are not the best. He doesn’t even really get up to greet me anymore when I come home to see him. He’s a little chubby but that’s because he isn’t active and he eat when he wants how much he wants basically. He doesn’t need a special weight formula food. We are just gonna start measuring out his food. And please don’t say take him for a walk or play with him… trust me I try and he is just getting old and stiff and joint pain arthritis-ness. His back legs also give out sometimes and his spinal cord has been pinched (it’s fixed) so we were advised not to exercise a lot. He is a lovely mutt, beagle cocker mix of some sort. So any food suggestions? Thanks.
Canidae is expensive… atleast here it is. That was the one I looked into first. It was on the cheaper end of the really good brands. Not cheap enough though. I believe the chicken soup one was about the same price but I’ll double check next time I’m out. PURINA IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look up the ingredients!
Good point about paying more/feeding less. I didn’t think of it that way but Canidae might work out after all! And I bought some for him to try before I lost my job and he loved it and the treats.
I called all the carriers in my county there are 7 or 8 places and it was $ 26 for the 15lb bag and $ 48 for the 35lb

Best answer:

Answer by darksong17
I don’t know where you live, but two of the most affordable high quality dog foods I know of would be Canidae All Life Stages and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul.

Edit: If he is getting old and stiff, it might do him good to have some glucosamine supplementation in his diet. Most senior dog food formulas have glucosamine included in them.

Edit x2: Kevin, what planet are you from where Purina is a good dog food?

Darksong~

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Question by Hollywood Thrill: How to help an old dog adjust to a new home?
We finally brought my fiance’s dog to our house. He’ll be 15 this October so he’s definitely old. He’s also a Lhasa Apso (sp). He’s never lived anywhere but the house my fiance grew up in so this is totally new for him. He won’t stop wandering around since he’s clearly confused. We’re taking him to the vet next week because he’s got arthritis and limps and has really icky eyes and his hearing is going, etc. He seems like he’s somewhat disoriented and senile which he hasn’t been like before we brought him (he was totally fine at his last home even today when we were there). We also tried to give him half a tramadol but he wouldn’t eat it with peanut butter or cheese which is odd because this dog lives for cheese.

So what are some good ways to help him adjust? It’s just really sad right now watching him wander around aimlessly like this. He’s not really even sniffing anything, just wandering. And not eating cheese is just really weird. Any advice?

Thanks
My fiance’s parents didn’t take the best care of him. His eyes would get so bad they’d get totally glued shut with gunk. We got him a new bed since his is 14 years old but we put the blanket that we had on his old bed on the new one and he slept on it fine last night. He can see pretty good still even with the gunk in his eyes so we don’t think he’s going blind just yet.

His parents *would* keep him, but they’ve been wanting him to drop dead or for us to take him for awhile now. Not to mention I’m obsessive about dog health and whatnot so I’m taking him to the vet this week to see what all we can do to make him feel better and younger and will get whatever medications they recommend. So we know it’s not ideal but he’ll get better care with us and I know my fiance was sad to not have him since he’s so old and it was all lost time with his dog.

Best answer:

Answer by Animal_luvr
dogs can sense your emotions like if ur worried it can sense it and also feels worried.
if your scared about how it’s gonna adjust it can probably sense it and the dog is scared itself it helps if you stayed calm.
another trick is to reward the dog in some way every time it enters the home like saying god doggy or giving the dog a small treat that way it will eventually pick up on the theme and enjoy coming into the house.
and maybe the dog is happy to be wherever you are
(like my dog every time we live and bring stuff in the car she thinks were leaving her, when we actually moved she stayed underneath the moving truck all day in the hot sun)

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Question by easyenough: How can I help my mom get over the looming death of our dog?
We’ve had this dog since I was 3. I am now 14. Our dog is a Bichon Frise. I feel that within the next year or so, our dog might pass. This dog has really been there for her since all the divorce kind of stuff and just being there when she’s down. I see this could be a serious blow to my mother and myself. Is there anyway I could help if our dog does in fact die??? What should the next step be? Buy another dog, to show her that she can have another companion? The reason I think this is looming is, she is going blind in both eyes and seems to have some sort of arthritis. Thanks for all the help!

Best answer:

Answer by The Giver
grieve with her, comfort her and tell her that death is a part of the life cycle and that it is ok to pass on. also, that you guys by moving on and not always being sad is a gift to your dog, for your dog im sure wouldnt want your mom to be miserable for the rest of her life.

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Question by Ashlyn: Help!!! My dog is in a lot of pain.?
My dog is a red heeler who just turned 10. She has been limping on her front right leg for a little over 2 months now. We checked it when we first checked her leg, we noticed that 3 of her nails were curving, so we trimmed them. A week later, we checked again and there were 2 more nails that were starting to curve so we clipped them. It’s been a month and she’s still limping. When I went to wake her up this morning, I noticed that when she got up, she tried limping on both feet and its worse than before. When she laid down, her left foot started throbbing for a couple minutes while she was trying to hold it up licking it very softly. I think she might have arthritis? Any suggestions. My parents are not budging to take her to the vet either because well go bankrupt.

Best answer:

Answer by LetsGoBucs
Kill it

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