esther5

Yes, we have a euthanasia service set up . The vet will come to our home just so it's more comfortable for him since he hates going to the clinic. They can take the body for cremation and give us the ashes because my mom would like that option.

Yes, he's been on pain medication for about three years now. We have tried alternate medications but he often has a sensitive reaction to a lot of medication such as liver damage, rash, and diarrhea. I agree that phone consult might not suffice. I talked to a vet today, and did not get much input. I'll try to schedule a home consult ASAP

Unfortunately, he is unable to get into a car and we think it would be very stressful to bring him to the vet. Also he hates going to the vet, and we don't want to put him through that. We tried calling our vet today but they don't offer any phone consults.. So we may consider paying for a vet to do a home visit, although its a hefty fee.

It's just difficult to assess his pain or show my family that he is in distress because when he is laying down, he looks completely normal., still panting and sometimes begging for food. Otherwise, just sleeps the rest of the day.

Thanks for everyone's support, I really appreciate it I should add that my sister has offered to accompany him continuously, meaning having him sit a few feet away so that she knows when he seems to want to get up. She is also willing to hold him constantly with the harness while he walks around outside or gets water. She ordered a wheelchair so that he might be able to go on longer walks. In my honest opinion, I don't think its worth prolonging his distress. But I think he still enjoys eating and going on walks . Also, he hasn't had any falls today. If my sister can pick him up and carry him/use the wheelchair to help him walk throughout the day, is that enough to say his quality of life is worth keeping?

I have 13 yo family dog who is some type of Shepherd mix, but a large dog approximately hundred pounds. He was diagnosed with hip dysplagia when he was 7 and underwent a surgery at that time to help him walk. He has been on heavy pain medication since. For the past three-four months, he has been suffering worsening mobility most likely due to his hip dysplagia with significant muscle loss in his hind legs. At this point, he is unable to get up by himself and unable to walk more than five minutes unassisted. He is also incontinent and suffered at least six falls in the past few days often while trying to go #2. The thing is, he still has an appetite and seems to want to go outside. We started using a make-shift harness in order to lift his hind legs. We are considering getting him a wheelchair for his hind legs. As of now, we have to monitor him constantly so that we can hear him whine when he wants to get up. He mostly sleeps all day, but considering his limited mobility and who knows how much pain he is in, we have been back and forth considering putting him down. However, this is our first dog, so we don't really know when it's time. I was hoping to get feedback from this community about your thoughts or experiences with dogs with similar situation. Any help is appreciated, thanks!