Is it time?

OwaynOTT

Very sad situation here to be thinking about putting our dog Sparky to sleep.

He's an old dog but no one is sure how old but the vet reckons he's at least 12-13.
He's had a bad few years health wise. He's been afflicted with lupus, arthritis, collapsing trachea and an enlarged heart.
He's been to vets on numerous occasions and has tried all sorts of medications and remedies.
It's his breathing down to his trachea that's causing problems. Nothing seems to be alleviating it and it's affecting his lifestyle.
He now has trouble going for walks. Much much shorter than even 6 months ago and he has trouble getting enough oxygen into his system, so sometime I have to carry him home.
He's constantly coughing, wheezing and hacking. It's use to be linked to getting excited and walking him cleared it up but recently he's just coughing all the time.
Just been listening to him go at it for the last hour in a really bad way. I'm not sure he can even get a decent sleep anymore.
It can't be comfortable for him.
My partner wants to keep medicating him and trying new drugs but I think she just can't bear to lose him.
The vet said that he's okay and he just keep going until his heart stops.
It's breaking my heart to see him in pain and in distress and not being able to help him.
I feel guilty even thinking about putting him to sleep because sometimes he seems, not okay exactly but not as bad. More and more he's just hacking and wheezing like someone with consumption or whooping cough.
When or what is the point where it's time to consider putting him to sleep? He's suffering and I think it's affecting his quality of life but the vet doesn't agree but he's not hear at 1.30 am hearing sparky suffer.

DBB

My beloved old Westie died due to a not dissimilar problem op. In his last few hours he became very, very distressed in the middle of the night due to breathing difficulties, and as I was on the phone to the vet arranging to get him to her so we could let him go, he died of a massive heart attack.
Whilst dying of a heart attack isn't such a bad end in itself, the lead up to it the night before he died was deeply distressing as he just couldn't get enough oxygen into himself, and I have huge regrets about not letting him go before it got to that stage. Like your dog, his descent was gradual over a few months and he was being medicated and still in good form... But his last few days were hard enough, his last night was awful.
By leaving it until it got to that stage, all I was doing was buying time for myself, and all I bought was a couple of weeks.
It's really, really hard to let them go before you know it's absolutely necessary, and the lead up to it is horrible emotionally, but there is some comfort in knowing you minimised the distress and panic the dog would endure if he's allowed to die by natural causes. This applies particularly when it comes to chronic respiratory difficulties that are only going to get worse.
I'm a bit surprised by your vet tbh.

Ms Doubtfire1

The one thing I always ask myself is: Am I prolonging life or am I prolonging death?

In your case I would almost think it's the latter.He's old and there is virtually no chance of improving. Pumping meds down his system will of course suit the vet - some vets just are like that,thankfully mine isn't.

Here's what I would do:
- seek a second opinion.

- get the strongest medication available for him and do all his favorite things one last time.

- Than, if the second opinion does agree with your own assesment...let him go.

> I wish you all the strength in the world, this is a very very hard thing to do<:(

muddypaws

OP, I'm going through very similar with my old girl Indy at the moment, she has laryngeal paralysis, so her breathing sounds laboured all of the time. At 3am yesterday morning I decided to take her to the vet later on and have her put to sleep, she was up most of the night, and her breathing seemed very difficult for her. However, she then fell asleep and slept well, woke up around 10am, had her breakfast and was bright eyed and bushy tailed. I think due to the humidity being higher at night in Ireland, it makes any breathing difficulties worse, and personally I also think that as there is no other noise going on, it sounds worse than during the day, even if it actually isn't.

Yesterday Indy had a lovely potter up and down the line, flirted with a young male dog and seemed happy enough. Today however she is licking her paw, then crying, but due to her laryngeal paralysis, the howl isn't coming out properly, so I'm thinking next week is definitely going to be the time. I don't want to let her go too soon, but I also really don't want her to go too late. She has dementia as well as the breathing and thyroid difficulties, so I think night time is also more difficult for her, she gets confused when the lights are all off.

It is such a hard thing to do, some people will tell you that your dog will let you know when its time - that doesn't always happen. Better two weeks too early than two minutes too late is a hard but true maxim I think.

Best of luck with your decision, and enjoy whatever time you have left together. Take care.