Should we put our dog down?

No one can tell you what's right for your family.

What I can share is my opinion....it is very hard to say goodbye to a loved one, but it is excruciatingly difficult to watch them deteriorate and have no quality of life, knowing that the only reason you keep them around is because you're unable to summon the strength to allow them to die with some dignity.

Carts work well with smaller breeds and can be very difficult to train larger breeds to them. They don't "get into it", you place them and strap them into it in the morning and leave them in it...not terribly comfortable all day long, huh? It can take months of physical therapy to teach them how to walk with it, and no, it does little to aid in getting outside to pee/pooh if the reason they're loosing control is due to a degenerative spinal cord...he no longer feels it when he has to go, so he won't be carting outside to do it. Your house will begin to smell and you will begin to resent him...not very fair since it's not his fault.

As heartbreaking as it is, it may be time to love him enough to let him go before you resent him...he deserves that. I'm very sorry you've gotta go through this...11 isn't that old, which makes it more difficult. Best of luck in making the decision and in dealing with the choice you make...God bless.

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I know a couple of dogs that use carts, but not for what you are describing. It's never an easy decision, but if the dog is hurting and not enjoying life. It's the right decision to make. You and your dad need to point out to your mom how the dog is no longer enjoying life. It's hard and there is no good solution.

So sorry for you and your dog. I'm sure she was a loving family member for many years and i now how badly it hurts.

11 is getting pretty old for a big dog. Even if he is not in pain he sounds pretty miserable. He cannot be very happy. Dogs get to a certain point were they just have no quality of life & it is more humane to do it. This is ultimately a very personal decision that nobody can make for you. You really just have to sit down with the vet & your family and try to make the best decision for the dog. It is never easy.

I'm sorry, but yes, it is time. One of the most loving things we can do for our pets is put them down painlessly and with dignity when the quality of life is no longer there. Your dog isn't happy, and he isn't comfortable. I can understand your mom's reluctance, because it really hurts to lose a pet. But keeping him confined to the yard and away from his people will feel to him as if he is being punished.

He is 11. That is a full lifetime for a big dog like a shepherd. Give him his peace. You will hurt for a while, but he won't hurt any more.

Not putting the dog down is selfish.

He's suffering and scared, and leaving him outside all the time if going to seem like a punishment. It sucks that the dog is messing in the house all the time, but as you say, he can't control it. If your mom really wants to keep him, then she should be happy to pick up his **** all the time.

If you can't afford a walking cart, then

your paralyzed dog will have to drag itself

around and it would terribly hard for it to

use the restroom. Not to mention, because

it is a small dog, you cannot carry it to help

it use the restroom.

Honestly speaking on my part, I would put

him down. It would be extremely hard for him

to live comfortably and very hard on you all.

My prayers are with you. I'm very sorry for

your situation.

I also had a problem with my dog, he was blind, deaf, and had allergies. It was hard to decide what to do, but then we thought about it. It's been 2 years since we put him down. We really miss him but were

moving on with our lives, i think you should put your dog down. And its hard to say, that. But pray for him and maybe he will get better, even though the vet. said it couldn't be cured, it can help if you pray.

I'm sorry about your dog. ! and i hope he/ she gets better, I love all dogs, and i know where your coming from. & nobody in our family wanted to put him down, but it wasn't about us, it was about him.

Lots of dogs manage fine with carts, but they are otherwise healthy.

The incontinence is a problem. Surely you wouldn't banish an old, sick dog from the house? Putting him down would be kinder.

You love this dog, right?

Last year, before the mylopathy, would you have considered euthanasia?

I think the answer to the euthanasia question is no.

Why are you considering it now?

Because inside you realize his quality of life is slipping, you are staring to become afraid he will suffer.

In your heart the fact that you are even asking this question tonight tells me that you know it is the right time to euthanize this dog.

I'm sorry. This will be a difficult thing to come to terms with.