My dog is sick

[juiced_94gt]

Well I have a 15 year old German Shepard/Chow Mix and as of two days ago he will not eat one bite of food and as of today he wont even drink water, for the past year he has had hip problems which i supplement with joint and hip pills and i give give anti-oxidants daily, im only 25 so i was 10 when i got him, as a puppy...this is one of the saddest things in my life because he has been with me for so long and through so much, right now he wont even get up, the past couple of days my mom says that he seems like he falls forward when he get's up so i carried him to the dog house last night, what would you guys do??? would you have him put to sleep??? i hate seeing him like this but i don't know if this is his time yet

 

[AznStanger3v]

one of my dogs is dying as well. i've had her since i was 6 and im 20 now. she has become very overweight for her size, she can barely crap, she's deaf now, and has this HORRIBLE skin disease as well as tumors all over her body. she still seems like a happy dog though, but my mom and dad are talking about putting her down. i personally dont think that it is right for anyone to choose. I know she might be suffering, but its God's will on how and when they go, not ours. make your decision on what you feel is the right thing to do. i just cant live with the thought of killing animals, let alone my dog for 14 years

 

[wytstang]

Sorry to sad but a few years ago my sheppard died on me after 15yrs you got sick and bairly ate. Well what tore me apart is that last thing he did was drink water out of my hand then looked at me then closed his eyes and died. I still get choked up by just thinking of it, personally I would put the dog down if you have the heart for it (I didn't). Have you talked to a vet and asked what they think is going on?

 

[juiced_94gt]

No havent went to the vet yet...the only one close to me is an ******* and wants to take a thousand dollars from me everytime, the only reason that im even considering putting him down is because of his age, and he seems very very sad at this point, he wont even drink water out of my hand, i tried that about an hour ago, he wont even smell his food, and like i said, he wont even walk, he will get up just to move to the shade but he wont come when i call him, and when he does get up he seems like hes barely standing...DAMN it make me feel like complete s#!t.

 

[wytstang]

Sorry to say but it looks as if his time has come, prepare yourself it's hard losing a long time faithful friend unfortunatly I know the feeling . Cheers and good luck

 

[WhiteStallionGT]

Damn really sorry hear man. I've got a chow/shepard mix also. He's 6 years old. These dogs are very loyal and they do what ever you tell them to, even though they can be stubborn at times. Good luck with everything man, losing a dog is very hard.

 

[parchisi]

Dude, I feel your pain. My dog is getting near "that age" and I'm not looking forward to it. But I think that if you really care about your pet, you can realize the time is up and all you can do is stop the pain. You've given him a good life, you've had good times together, and now its time for him to journey into the great unknown.

I don't envy you at all and I'm not telling you what to do, but I just hope you get through it well.

 

[MysteryMachine]

Sorry to hear that man. Good luck with what ever you choose.

 

[lostkid]

i'm sorry to hear about this man. my chow past away over the summer.i've been working at a local vet clinic for the past three years and i'm goin into the profession. i've seen this type of thing many many times. first i would take hime to a vet and make sure. believe i know how an animal is part of the family. but it always better to ease one down a littly early than too late. in most cases putting a dog down is really the last good thing you can do for them. i really am sorry for you and i know this isnt easy. i wish i could help more

 

[juiced_94gt]

Thanks guys, yesterday i bought him new food and treats which he seemed to like, i fed him a canine pain pill with ham and he ate it, and also got up to drink water, he seemed a little better after water and eating but it's like his right front leg is bothering him and when he walks his head is tilted towards that leg almost like when we have tooth aches, i wonder whats wron, im going to take him to the vet first chance i get this week probably on tuesday. thanks for the support and i hope he gets through this i need him next to me with the top down.

 

[lostkid]

good to hear, maybe it isnt anything to bad....good luck

 

[Yobi1Kanobi]

good luck man....hope he feels better

 

[juiced_94gt]

Well i just came back from the vet and he gave him two shots, one anti-inflamatory for his arthritis, and one antibiotic because he said he has a ear infection and thats probably why he walks with his head tilted, he also gave me 4 prescriptions to give him plus he drew blood to to do blood tests, so i have to go back tomorrow to see what the blood tests reveal. I hope he makes it through ok, and i hope that when the infection in the ear goes away he will walk more normal.

 

[SeventyMach1]

Good to hear it's not as bad as it first sounded. Keep us updated man ..... I hope it all goes well.

 

[wytstang]

Sounds like he will be just fine.

 

[juiced_94gt]

Well i just came back from the vet foer the results of the blood work they did, his liver and kidneys are fine but he was way down on calcium, and his thyroid something, i got all the pills he have me and said it's just because of old age, now i will go back next week to see his improvements, but his head is still sideways, i hope that goes away.

 

[WhiteStallionGT]

My dog has a failing thyroid. He is 10 now and he was diagnosed with it when he was 8. He's been taking thyroid pills for a couple of years and he's actually more active now than he was when he was 5 years old. He used to have a horrible skin allergies because of his thyroid, but now that it's better its like he's a new dog.

His sight and smell are deteriorating though, it's kinda sad. I'm just getting myself ready to lose him, he's already 10.

 

[juiced_94gt]

Ok it could be two things, he has a slight ear infection which could be throwing off his balance, which im treating with antibiotics and ear drops, but most likely its IDIOPATHIC VESTIBULAR SYNDROME all you guys with older dogs should google this, it's pretty weird but it says most if not all dogs recover from this severe looking syndrome, im glad i didnt put him to sleep, plus he's trying to walk around now and drinks water on his own, all around he does seem alot better than last week, i'll keep you guys posted. THANKS TO EVERYBOY FOR YOUR SUPPORT, I NEEDED IT.

 

[Car Nut]

That's awesome that he's OK.

I was reading through this post and just about had to skip to the end to find out what the heck was the problem. Awesome to read so many great stories and experiences that others have with their dog.

I had to put my 17 year old golden retriever to sleep a couple years ago. There was no other alternative, because he had broken his back. Definitely the hardest thing I'd ever done, cause I had this dog since he was a puppy.

I've got two dogs now (Samoyed and terrier mix). The Samoyed has a file at the vet which must be a foot thick: snake bites, broken foot, internal surgery, intenal lumps removed, and many things related to throwing up and crapping all the time. Actually, the Samoyed is very healthy, but when she decides to swallow a sock, wife's panty hose, or who knows what, that's when she has issues. She also has a deep, deep love for snakes, opposums, chipmunks, cats, squirrels, and racoons. The costs got so ridiculous that we now have insurance on both dogs which saves us big money on most any vet visit. The last $3,000 surgery episode ended up only costing me about $400, so that's way cool.

Keep us posted and hope all goes well.

 

[MysteryMachine]

Glad to hear its getting better man. Anything that seems unnormal with my dogs I call the vet right away. With them being so small i don't take a chance on waiting