Old dog and tumors (border collie, shepherd, labs, vet)

[Dashdog]

I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine. She and her family have been puppy raisers for Guide dogs for the blind for many years and have raised many labs a golden or two and a German shepherd puppy for them. Her own dog is one of the Golden's that did not pass guide dog school. She and her husband continue to raise puppies and currently have a year old lab that could go back to guide dogs any time in the next few months. About 1 yr ago Guide dogs called them asking if they would be interested in taking in one of the puppies they raised that after many years as guide dog was retired and the blind owner was having medical issues so could not care for her she was about 13.5 yrs old. They did not hesitate and took the old girl in. She has been a great old dog but the other day was not acting well so a trip to the vets showed her kidney and liver values were high and further tests showed she has a tumor on each kidney and on her heart She is 14.5 yrs now. The vet wanted to do a needle biopsy but my friend said no as what would they do with the information they got as there is no way she will put a dog that old through surgery.

She called me and we talked about it and she feels they owe it to the dog to just keep her comfortable until the day comes that they put her down. She did say I am just afraid we may do it too soon. I told her what my vet said years ago when a dog of mine had cancer that while today might not be the day that from this day forward there would be no wrong day as things will not get better but will only get worse.

I so admire them for raising all the puppies they have knowing they have to give them back and even more so for taking the old lady back in so she has gotten to spend what is left of her life among people that love her .Tonight my heart breaks for them as I know the coming days , weeks maybe months as who knows will not be easy but that is the price we pay when we love a dog, a cat really any living thing including a human.

All of this is going down just as their youngest daughter graduates Vet school (UC Davis) later this month and moves to Arizona to work with Dairy cows.( she is a large animal vet that loves cows)

[beer belly]

Being experienced with dogs, they should be able to tell when the time has come.....quality of life is priority, and I'm sure this is their train of thought also. My heart goes out to them.

[zugor]

So many of the old black labs that I adopt come with at least one lump and my current oldest, who will turn 15 in just 15 more weeks has so many that one of his nicknames is Mr. Lumpy. The two new girls that I got a couple of weeks ago both have some and one had surgery to remove one that on aspiration looked suspicious but turned out to be benign.

I love what your vet said about when is the right time. I've gotten better at letting go a little sooner, rather than try and eek out every last second, until they were unable to walk or to eat and clearly suffering. I have been grateful that in a few instances I was able to take them home for a few days, get some final pictures, indulge them with some special foods and a stroll down to the creek for a last splash or a short romp in the snow and give my heart a few days to prepare and say farewell.

I've never regretted my choices, the only one that still hurts is when my heart dog went from chasing a tennis ball in the morning to dying a few hours later at home because the emergency clinic was over an hour away and I could see that he might not even make it and I did not want it to be in the back of my Suburban while I was up front driving, but in my arms feeling loved.

[RtuWe34]

What a pity.

[twelvepaw]

Originally Posted by Dashdog

She called me and we talked about it and she feels they owe it to the dog to just keep her comfortable until the day comes that they put her down. She did say I am just afraid we may do it too soon. I told her what my vet said years ago when a dog of mine had cancer that while today might not be the day that from this day forward there would be no wrong day as things will not get better but will only get worse.

I know this situation too well, and it is always heartbreaking. I went through this with my 18 year old border collie in his last year. He had always been healthy, no visible issues, still loved walks and play, so I was watching him and making sure he was comfortable. One night he went downhill very quickly; I had the vet come to the house in the morning to euthanize him.

I still feel guilty now almost a year later because I worry that he suffered that final night (and possibly before that), and I should have chosen a day to have him put to sleep before it became clearly necessary. I now agree with your vet- as difficult as it is for us to choose a day to schedule a euthanasia, that is what I will do in the future (when appropriate of course). Even as I write that I know there is no hard and fast answer, and I have the utmost respect for your friend who is giving this old girl a comfortable final resting place.