My 14 yo pug is on the decline (1 Viewer)

[BustedKnuckles]

My 1 eyed deaf pug now has chronic bronchitis. Her name is Tiki and even after all her issues she`s the happiest dog ive ever had. My question is has anyone dealt with chronic bronchitis regarding a pet? She`s at the beginning stages and the vet says she could go 6 months or a year...but i cant watch her suffer trying to breath. I may have to apply the last act of love and put her to sleep soon. Right now she still has good days but she pants constantly for the most part. As most of you can imagine im torn and will be devastated having to let her go.

 

[joffer]

Sorry GB. Always tough

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Putting a pet down sucks. I think you'll know when the time is right

 

[Pots]

You said she's still the happiest dog around. That tells you more than anyone else here can tell you. Yeah she might struggle breathing but if she's still having enjoyment out of life, why would you want to rob it from her? That's not an act of love, that's an act of ignorance.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

You said she's still the happiest dog around. That tells you more than anyone else here can tell you. Yeah she might struggle breathing but if she's still having enjoyment out of life, why would you want to rob it from her? That's not an act of love, that's an act of ignorance.

im not going to put her to sleep unless she is seriously suffering...christ if i had it my way she would live forever...i dont want to put her down at all...ever....but im not going to keep her around to make me happy....im just asking if anyone has had any experience with this chronic bronchitis and what i should expect

 

[RUSF18]

Sorry to hear. Best wishes.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Sorry GB. What a sweet girl.

 

[John Bender]

Best wishes BK. She's beautiful. Keep her around as long as you can and lean on us for support when the time comes.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

Best wishes BK. She's beautiful. Keep her around as long as you can and lean on us for support when the time comes.

Thank you JB

 

[Pots]

You said she's still the happiest dog around. That tells you more than anyone else here can tell you. Yeah she might struggle breathing but if she's still having enjoyment out of life, why would you want to rob it from her? That's not an act of love, that's an act of ignorance.

im not going to put her to sleep unless she is seriously suffering...christ if i had it my way she would live forever...i dont want to put her down at all...ever....but im not going to keep her around to make me happy....im just asking if anyone has had any experience with this chronic bronchitis and what i should expect

It wasn't clear what you were asking at first, it sounded multi-purposed. Unfortunately I have no experience with this ailment and wish you and your dog the best.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

We've talked dogs before, my 14-year-old Westie is deaf now and he has kidney disease. He's just a super dog and he still enjoys life like Westies often do.

As long as he still is responsive and he's not in pain, I'm all in to keep him around. He has his good days and his bad, but mostly he's still awesome. Our days are numbered though, I think we both appreciate this.

Have fun, take to the finish line with style.

 

[IC FBGCav]

My 1 eyed deaf pug now has chronic bronchitis. Her name is Tiki and even after all her issues she`s the happiest dog ive ever had. My question is has anyone dealt with chronic bronchitis regarding a pet? She`s at the beginning stages and the vet says she could go 6 months or a year...but i cant watch her suffer trying to breath. I may have to apply the last act of love and put her to sleep soon. Right now she still has good days but she pants constantly for the most part. As most of you can imagine im torn and will be devastated having to let her go.

I feel for you brother, mine is going on 14 I know there is about year left and I am searching for what to do. She has developed a breathing thing that we hope are allergies, but just put her on meds. She panics and her breathing gets really labored............I know how helpless I feel when it happens to mine so I know you must be crushed too. My girl loves, eggs, I came to the conclusion when she wouldn't eat them it was time.........but then I realized it is not just her state of mind, it is her legs and body breaking down. She would just be a head and eat eggs.

I have made ramps and steps for her. I don't know how I will know when is the right time to put her down, but I know her best, and I know I will know when that time comes..........if that makes any sense. Either way all the best. Cav.

 

[IC FBGCav]

You said she's still the happiest dog around. That tells you more than anyone else here can tell you. Yeah she might struggle breathing but if she's still having enjoyment out of life, why would you want to rob it from her? That's not an act of love, that's an act of ignorance.

im not going to put her to sleep unless she is seriously suffering...christ if i had it my way she would live forever...i dont want to put her down at all...ever....but im not going to keep her around to make me happy....im just asking if anyone has had any experience with this chronic bronchitis and what i should expect

This is the problem, they don't speak and you never know how bad it is for them. I heard my dog cry once. She had two acl repairs, a blown up ear, and tore a nail completely off coming up brick stairs. The only time she cried was when the vet stuck her with Novocain in the toe where she lost the nail. I am sure she has been in pain many other times but I could never tell how much, she is just a tough #####.

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

I've got a couple of 3 year old pugs, Roy and Mabel. I'd only owned large breeds before these two and never thought I'd bond as much with them but, damn, they're charming little dogs.

My best wishes for Tiki. Enjoy your time with her.

 

[tonydead]

14, almost 15 year old here. Bad hip joints as he really leaps to start walking. Sleeps most of the time. Deaf for sure. I'm positive he would have given up years ago if it wasn't for our 2 year old lab. She seems to know and makes a point to go get him and get him going. As soon as he can't make it up strairs on his own we are going to take him in.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Oh and my Scottie is named Tikka! Similar name, hopefully not a similar dog. She is so cat-like and strange, while the Westie thinks his human. I have one dog and one dog who thinks he's my kid.

 

[tonydead]

Fwiw Ive put two dogs down in the last 5 years. The first was obvious as his kidneys suddenly failed and went from perfectly healthy to limp and pissing blood. The second suddenly dropped half her weight in less than a month and glossed over eyes it was clear she had no idea what was going on. You will know when it is time. The thing to remember is the vet might offer all options. Don't let your love for dog cloud your judgement. Super expensive treatments aren't really practical on an old dog that has probably been suffering for years. GL.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Fwiw Ive put two dogs down in the last 5 years. The first was obvious as his kidneys suddenly failed and went from perfectly healthy to limp and pissing blood. The second suddenly dropped half her weight in less than a month and glossed over eyes it was clear she had no idea what was going on. You will know when it is time. The thing to remember is the vet might offer all options. Don't let your love for dog cloud your judgement. Super expensive treatments aren't really practical on an old dog that has probably been suffering for years. GL.

I had the opportunity to get my Westie a treatment for his kidneys. The more that I read, the more I thought it was just a ploy. I've never spared any expense for him as he's been on an expensive skin steroid treatment for years, but that has tangible results. A 14-year-old dog is old, as much as I'd like him to live until he's 30 I know that isn't going to happen. I pretty much just appreciate every good day he has, because there aren't a lot of them left. I have to get him up fishing at least one more time, he loves to fish. In three weeks he's going.

 

[firstseason1988]

Dude with a pug.

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

Back in April, we had to put down our 14 year old Boston Terrier due to a prolonged illness. In retrospect, we should have put Corky down 6 months earlier but he was the best dog we ever had and the decision to end his suffering was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make for the selfish reason of not wanting to say goodbye to such a loyal pet. It was not easy, but once we made the decision it was a great relief so see him not have to suffer any longer. Yes, it still sucked. Yes, there was a prolonged grieving process even though it was the right thing. Yes, I still think about Corky quite often. But, it was the right thing to do. You'll know when it is the right time. It will suck. You will grieve. But you will have peace knowing you ended the suffering.

Sorry you are in this position, it is not a fun place to be. One thing that helped us through it was we memorialized him - kept his ashes and still have the urn with his name on it and a stuffed Boston Terrier toy next to the urn - sounds creepy, but the kids wanted to memorialize their pet.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

I appreciate all the responses more than you can imagine...ive already looked into where im going to have her cremated and have decided to have the vet come to my house to end her suffering when an if its time...best case scenario is she goes in her sleep peacfully. Some amazing stories of love in this thread...again thank you guys.

 

[Fuller]

Sorry to hear, man. I have a Boston Terrier that will be 15 in a couple of months. She's blind and mostly deaf (the nose is super-bionic though). She still seems happy and loves to eat so we believe she still has a good life. I can't even think about the day I have to put her down. I hope, like you, that my dog goes peacefully w/o me having to do it, but I know it doesn't always work out that way.

 

[Eminence]

I've got a 14 year old Shih Tzu. Great dog, still lively. Cringing for the day he starts to noticeably slow down.

 

[jamny]

That's a bummer BK, but as others have said, you'll know when the time is right. Our boxer, who had a heart condition from 2 years old, died in her sleep at age 7. While it spared us the ordeal of having to put her down it did take away our ability to say goodbye. Always sad to think of her dying alone in our living room as we slept in our bedroom. I can still hear my wife's voice when she called my name after finding her. I knew what happened right away.

It's good that you are making plans too. Much easier to get it done now.

GL bro...

 

[AAABatteries]

Sucks BK - you've given her a good life, when the time comes remember that.

 

[Fennis]

Give her a scratch behind the ears for me. I hope she stays as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

 

[JohnfrmCleveland]

I had to put my rat terrier down a few months back. He had been going through chemo for over a year, but had reached his limit on treatment. The whole cancer thing was a tough decision, because he seemed perfectly healthy when in remission, and you can't put a dog like that down. But just a few weeks out of his first round of chemo, it came back, and we had to decide on whether or not to re-start it. So we had a healthy-looking dog (active, eating, etc.) as long as we kept up the treatments, which were about $100/week. In retrospect, I'm not sure I would have gone through the treatment had I known that he wouldn't get a few healthy, treatment-free years out of it. His quality of life was OK during treatment, but that's a lot of money down the drain, too.