Should i put my dog down? (old, sick, emotional)

For fuck sake.

There comes a point when medical intervention stops being a positive, caring thing, and turns into abuse and cruelty. Every living creature dies, and just because medicine can keep a body functioning at a basic level for longer, that doesn't mean everything possible should - or must - be done.

The expected lifespan of a Golden Retriever is about twelve years. The fact that your dog is a mix might affect that, but canine lifespans are usually related to the size of the dog, not the breed. He's had a good run, and it's extremely unlikely that he will miraculously become better.

The poor dog isn't being kept alive for his own sake, he's being kept alive because your mother can't see that the responsible, kind thing would be to let him go to sleep one last time. She's being selfish, and this is really about her own feelings, not the dog's welfare (or yours).

When I first met my wife, her mother had a geriatric Shih Tzu. He'd always been an aggressive shit due to bad treatment when he was a pup, but he was a totally obnoxious little asshole by the time I first met him. Which was hardly surprising, since he had multiple health issues, the most obvious of which was some sort of ulcer around his anal area which make him reek.

My stupid mother-in-law wouldn't consider having him put down, even though he was hell to live with, couldn't be touched, could only hobble around, and clearly was a very miserable dog. I think at least part of what that was about for her was that, being elderly herself and not in the best of health, she somehow made the connection between the dog being euthanized, and her fear that someone might decide to have her put down one day.

The veterinarians, of course, were happy to continue taking her money to keep the pathetic dog alive, no matter how crap the quality of his life was. Eventually, the dog had some sort of stroke. When he was lying there incapable of doing anything but breathe, my mother-in-law finally accepted that the poor beast should be put to sleep, rather than be allowed to waste away for another week or so.

Which just confirmed what her reluctance to do this earlier had really been about. The dog was unconscious, and so he wasn't suffering any longer, but she couldn't bear to look at him in the state he was in, so she brought that to a rapid conclusion.

Obviously, the fate of your dog is in your mother's hands, and if she wants to keep on spending money on him and refusing to see the reality of how he is, that's up to her. How you deal with this clearly depends on the dynamic between your mother and you aand any other family members who are involved in his care or have to live with him.

For some reason, your mother feels the need to keep the dog alive and she's unable to let him go. Maybe you need to talk to her and try to figure out what's really going on in her head.

I think its time to do the right thing and put the poor dog out of its misery. 14 is a pretty good age for that breed of dog.

I'm going to be harsh here and say let him die. Don't keep feeding him electrolytes. Pick him up and place him in a nice, warm place where he's comfortable. Then tell him it's fine if he goes. When my Charlie passed away, he refused to go until I said it was alright. You and your mom are probably the only reason he's clinging to life at this point. He isn't happy. Your mother is prolonging his suffering.

Yeah She says she doesn’t want to play “God” and feels guilty after putting her other two down. But one had serious cancer, and the other had heart failure, and was a loss cause since by the time we found out they were at their end.

She is now trying to buy a scooter so I’m just hoping it’ll work out. Since he can’t use most of his legs and is about to force him to. I at least her want to take him to the VET to get an IV, but she says it’s too expensive. Even though those wagons cost more than a typical vet visit. I hope for wishes or prayers she changes her mind, for the dog’s sake. I’m sorry for taking up your time. Have a blessed/amazing day/night !!

Thanks for your opinion and honest response. I just told her an hour ago I think he should be put down. She is agreeing to it this Saturday. Now he can’t eat, and she knows when they can’t eat they usually die (we have a history of animals dying after aneroxic behaviour).

She wanted him to die naturally a year ago, but he is a fighter. But now he is given up but can’t go by himself. I understand she wants him to live, she loved this one dog that was born 2 MONTHS before me and loved it more than me sometimes. But she died. And since the dog I’m talking about now looks like her and her offspring, she kind of relates and loves him just as much.

I hope she actually goes through with it this time, because every other time she went off when the dog got up by itself and such

We struggled carrying him to the bath. We have to pick him up for him to drink water, and even force feed him pills, and food now. And now he is basically paralysed from the back, and Normal from
The front. He is at his last days, and his whole mouth gums are black to the point it’s like he doesn’t have oxygen there. And he makes weird noises and I can’t take it.

So yeah I had the courage to tell her after both of your posts. I almost didn’t go through with it. So I thank you for telling me. I love animals, even wanted to be a vet. But I can’t stand seeing sick, suffering, or dying animals. I love them too much, and they’re so innocent creatures.

***Update***

She is now not putting him
Down. I need to force feed him
Electrolytes every hour. She kept force feeding him water and when he moved his head, she thought he shouldn’t go. I’m just going to wait until he dies because I can’t stand to see him and I’m tired of her at this point.