Anyone PTS their dog for defecating inside?

[cheribob]

I have a 15 1/2 year old male Maltese. He is blind & can't walk too good. He can no longer jump up on furniture. He is real unsteady on his back legs. He has hardly any teeth left.

He still eats OK. Other than eating and c******g all over the house he just sleeps.

I just can't take the cleaning up anymore. Everyday I have to come home from work & wash the kitchen floor. When I am home he has the run of the house but then I have to clean up after him throughout the rest of the house.

I know the Rule of Thumb about 3 things. He stopped doing only 1 thing which is going for walks.

He does shake a lot. He is on Rymadyl. Other than that he seems fine.

As the weather gets colder it is just going to get worse. I take him out before work. Mostly he just stands there. Then when I bring him inside he defecates. I am not looking forward to standing out there as the temperatures get colder.

Has anyone else been through this? I guess I am looking for someone to tell me that it is time. The vet just said that the time was up to me. It would be a lot easier if he were really sick or could no longer walk at all.

[Love4himies]

I can imagine the frustration you must be going through right now, but this is a serious decision and is permanent, no changing your mind afterwards. You really have to think how you are going to feel afterwards if you do have him PTS due to inconvenience, not necessarily health reasons.

IMHO you should investigate other ways that you can control where he deficates, like crating. I am not a dog owner so I can't offer you any advice but I am sure others will have very good suggestions.

[badger]

What does the vet say? Is he incontinent or just forgetting his previous training? If it is physical, have you thought about a change in diet; it might reduce the frequency.

All other things being equal - if he still has a reasonable quality of life and is not in too much pain to meet you at the door - it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. But I agree with love4himies, factor in your own comfort level. I really feel for you and I'm glad you decided to talk about it here.

[want4rain]

i dont know what to say either. my parents and i made the decision to PTS our cockers because of similar reasons. they lived over 800 miles away, they did a good bit of traveling and my step mom had severe headaches. the puppies (im sorry, they will ALWAYS be puppies to me.... even at 16 years old) kept pooping and peeing on the floor because they didnt have the energy to make it out side, they would be surprised or they just simply didnt like how cold it was. they both were on more than a handful of drugs just to keep them alive, neither had sight or hearing.... navigated by smell and touch.... it was just time. those two were kept alive by love and sunshine... and not much else.

i wouldnt kennel. at that age, your dog cant control it in a kennel if he cant in the house. it would be cruel to make him sit in it all day. maybe you can confine to a smaller room with good ventilation and a heating pad?? is it runny?? maybe a stool hardener? changing the time he eats so you can better predict when the BM will occur?

i wish you the best on this. its a hard decision. ask yourself a few questions... will you feel guilty about it in a few months after you have forgotten how much of a pain in the a** it was?? is he really uncomfortable? how would YOU feel if you were in his paws??

sorry.

-ash

[Purpledomino]

I'll give you my opinion from what I read in your post. First of all, I know first hand how difficult a decision you are facing, and sometimes doing the best for your companion raises doubts and is very troubling.

It sounds to me that your pup's quality of life has deteriorated enough to seriously consider euthanasia. He is blind, cannot walk steadily, cannot hold his bowel, and doesn't do much other than sleep. Dogs by nature are very stoic, and sometimes as caregivers, we are looking for the right time to make that hard decision. An illness may not happen, and he possibly will be able to walk until the end.

My views may not be the same as many, but I choose to end my pets life while I still have the chance to make it a humane end. I personally won't wait until my companion is too far gone, and indeed suffering. To hang on for your own sake is not in the best interest of the animal sometimes.

My heart goes out to you, consider talking to your vet regarding your boys level of comfort. He may give you some insight as to his well being at this time to help you with your decision. Take care.

[cheribob]

Meet me at the door- no, he does not do that.

Want4rain & purpledomo, thank you for your posts. He is confined in the kitchen when I am not home but he messes from one end of the kitchen to the other.

Today on this website I found an article, "Dog Defecating indoors". It basically says that orthodic problems like arthritis can make it difficult for a dog to squat to defecate. Another cause could be Canine Cognitive Disfunction (CCD) "as mental function declines and awareness of their surroundings decreases, such that the dog loses any concept of the inappropriateness of its behaviour." I have thought for a long time that he has CCD. B/c he is disoriented (going to wrong side of door, etc.) he sleeps very deeply during the day & paces at night, forget housetraining & no longer interacts with me (or at a minimum).

I spoke to my Mom today & she said I should PTS. She said that he must be in a lot of pain if he won't let me touch or pet him.

It is very difficult, I can't tell if he is "suffering". Just sleeping on a soft bed & eating doesn't seem like suffering to me. But when he just shakes I know he is in pain. I just don't know what to do. Everyone says "you'll know". But I don't know.

That is why I came here.

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by cheribob

Meet me at the door- no, he does not do that.

...he is disoriented (going to wrong side of door, etc.) he sleeps very deeply during the day & paces at night, forget housetraining & no longer interacts with me (or at a minimum).

...She said that he must be in a lot of pain if he won't let me touch or pet him.

...I just don't know what to do. Everyone says "you'll know". But I don't know.

That is why I came here.

Our 15 1/2 yr. old Peanut was disoriented, blind, deaf, pacing non-stop, unable to control his bladder/bowels, and finally, he snapped at my niece when she went to pet him gently. We took him to our vet at the time and she ran her hands along his spine at which he let out a huge cry and tried to bite her. I knew he was in pain. I think we waited because I refused to admit it and wanted to prevent my own pain from missing him so. But I was not being fair to him. That was my experience with our first ailing senior dog.

You will know when it's time, cheribob. It may not be today or tomorrow, and no one can tell you when. That's between you and your pup...until then, and afterwards, we're all here for you .

[mummummum]

Cheribob ~ what do you feel in your heart? Is he happy? Is he content? Does he take pleasure in his life? Does he take pleasure in being with you?

I was blessed in that I knew it was my grrrrl Tai's time ~ I heard her voice quite clearly. But there's no shame in not hearing it and it doesn't mean you love him less or are less in tune with his needs and wants.

From the title of your post, it almost seems as if you are determined to blame yourself for making a decision to end his life on what is a trivial matter. But everything else about your two posts tells me that you know he is at the end of his life and are looking for help in releasing him.

At the end of Tai's life I asked her what she wanted. Then I spent three days and nights with her celebrating her life and our life together. And I convened her death in the best possible way so that I could ease her suffering and her passing.

Death does not have to be a terrible thing Cheribob. Sometimes, especially after a long and wonderful life such as your doggy's, the end is welcomed with serenity and a peaceful acceptance.

[Dracko]

What does PTS stand for exactly?

[growler~GateKeeper]

put to sleep (euthanize) :sad:

[cheribob]

mummummum,

In answer to your questions - I don't know if he is happy. I think he is content, but no, I don't think he takes pleasure in his life. I am not sure if he takes pleasure in being with me.

Sometimes, if I am sitting on the sofa he will sleep at my feet. He does sleep next to me in bed. I had a problem with him falling out of bed until I made him sleep between DH & me. Then my other Malt, Muffin sleeps between DH & me at the bottom of the bed. That is when Casey quit falling out of bed.

Thank you so much for your post, mummummum, I had never thought of it that way. "Does he take pleasure in his life?" I would have to say definately, no. He hasn't for a long time.

But I think like you did, I will take some time to say good-bye.

[mummummum]

Enjoy your time Cheribob. You are making lasting memories and saying goodbye in a way most humans aren't afforded ~ you are doing a good and righteous thing. When they ask only that we love them, this is our last act of true love.

[Hogansma]

A lot of us have been there and it is not an easy decision. I made an appt for my girl and also cancelled it a few times before the final appt. Please do not feel guilty about it if you do decide to help him end his life. It can be a final gift to him. I've just been through losing my best human friend to cancer and nature can be so very cruel. I wish you peace in your decision and lots of good memories.

[Purpledomino]

Originally Posted by mummummum

Enjoy your time Cheribob. You are making lasting memories and saying goodbye in a way most humans aren't afforded ~ you are doing a good and righteous thing. When they ask only that we love them, this is our last act of true love.

Very well said.

[cheribob]

Casey took a turn for the worst last night. I heard him coughing & woke up. Apparently he had urinated in the bathroom and then had slipped & fallen. He could hardly walk.

Then there was more urine in the kitchen as well as feces in the dinning room. Plus one of the cats had vomited in the dinning room. I got all that cleaned up. (Did I mention I keep a bucket of Lysol at hand at all times?)

I tried to give him some lamb treats but it took several tries before he would eat them. I changed his belly band & let him outside. He stumbled around for a few minutes & then I brought him back inside. I put him up on the bed. (He can walk down the ramp off the bed but he can't get back up.) It was a long time before he was able to ease himself into a lying position. He was half sitting, half lying & shaking. His head was hanging down.

I gave him a baby asprin & 1/2 a Dog Gone Pain. He finally went to sleep. I felt terrible waking him up but I needed to walk him before I left for work.

I carried him out to the fire hydrant at the end of the block. Ususally I let him walk back. Tonight I carried him. When it was time to enter the house he fell off the stoop.

I am going to call the vet this morning. At this point even I can see how he is suffering.:sad:

Thank you everyone for your posts.

[Winston]

Cheribob! I am so sorry you and your baby are having such a hard time! I can only tell you that you will know when it is time to end any suffering....

We here at Pets.ca are here for you! If you feel the need to chat! we are here!

Cindy

[luckypenny]

Many s for you and Casey.

[want4rain]

:sad:

[Frenchy]

I'm so sorry :sad:

[coppperbelle]

I think he is telling you it is his time.

[growler~GateKeeper]

:sad:

[rainbow]

[cheribob]

Thank you everyone. Casey went to the Bridge this morning. My only comfort is that the vet said if it were his dog he would have done it a lot sooner.

So now Casey & MiMi (my white cat RIP 09/18/07) are at the Bridge together. He always loved her.

[clm]

I'm so sorry about Casey. At least you know he's not suffering anymore.

Cindy

[Love4himies]

to you. Must be so hard to loose two beloved furbabies so close together. If you feel up to it, do you have any pictures you can post?
Casey
MiMi

[Winston]

Cheribob! My heart goes out to you~! Be assured that Casey and MiMi are running aound together at the bridge...pain free and full of peace!

RIP sweet ones!

Cindy

[Purpledomino]

I just want to offer my condolences. What you have faced is the hardest part of loving a pet.

[cheribob]

Over the weekend I was reviewing Casey's vet records. I saw that his BUN levels doubled between April 2006 and April 2007. They increased from from 26 to 47. So I realize now that he was a lot more ill than I had realized. This also helps me deal with my decision to euthanize.

[mummummum]

Cheribob ~ you did your best, And that's all life can ask of us.

[Shaykeija]

for your pet. I know how you feel right now. Just remember you fur kid loved you.....