My Fox Terrier is 16 yrs old, she has been on pain meds for the last couple of years, It is her hips.I can only give her 1/2 or the pill or she will throw it up, even if I split 1/2 am and 1/2 pm. She lets out a scream at random, sometimes in the middle of the night. She stays on the couch most of the time, but she is getting where if she is having a problem jumping up on it and I try to lift her up she tries to bite me.

My husband is very ill and this dog screaming gets to him. Today she bit Ike 2 times. She was in one of the dogs beds and he decided he wanted to be with her and before I could get to him she bit him on the upper back and as he was trying to get away she got him on the lower back, no skin broken and after some babying from mom he was off to play.

My Pug tries to protect Ike from her as she does nothing but growl all day long ,at him. My poor husband gets so tense and upset. We got Ike , I had no idea it would make her twice as mean. Now that she is trying to bite me I am feeling it is time for us to put her down and husband agrees.

I have never spoken to my Vet about this before, so I have no idea if she would put her down. She still eat well, but life with her is becoming very difficult. She has been a good dog til the past 2 years. Do Vets put dogs down upon request? I just don't have the nerve yet to call the vet, but afraid when we think it is time if she will do it.

My husband has stage 4 lung cancer so he doesn't feel well most of the time, that is why he gets upset . Just wanted to explain that.

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Ike born Aug 15 2012

It sounds to me like you have given this some serious thought. I can't imagine a vet not agreeing to help a dog through the last journey given that your dog is elderly and in constant pain and does not sound like she has a good quality of life. It is not like you are asking your vet to euthanize a healthy 2 year old dog just because you want to go on vacation (when I was a vet tech we had people ask this).

I am so sorry you are having to go through this. It sounds like you really have your dog's best interests at heart. There really are worse things and ways to live than a kind euthanasia.

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Thank you it just hard to call our Vet and ask her, she always want to send her to a specialist for something. To see what more can be done. I guess I have to get up the courage to call and just tell her it is time and needs to be done. Problem is she looks good just to look at her , then I feel quilty. I am laying awake at night thinking about this. You have made me fell better about this.

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Ike born Aug 15 2012

I sounds like she is in a lot of pain and that is why she is lashing out. There comes a time when you have to decide what is best, and even though there may be specialist who could help is it really going to be best for a 16 year old dog who is obviously in a lot of pain? I think you are being totally reasonable based on what you said here. Call the vet and tell him she is in a lot of pain and can't get up onto the couch anymore, that she is miserable and you want to put her down. Be honest on the phone that it is what you want to do and you don't want to put her through anything else. If they have a problem with that get a new vet. It doesn't seem like you are taking this lightly or just putting down a dog because you are tired of them, the vet should see that.

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I agree with the above. It seems like she has gotten to a point where her pain is impacting her quality of life. Just as elderly humans get cranky when they are sick or in pain, so do elderly dogs. At 16, she has lived a good, long life and you don't want her to suffer if she doesn't have to. I would call your vet a be straightforward- she is 16, in tremendous pain, and unable to live her normal life any longer.

I know it is a terrible decision to have to make. It is hard, but she has lived a long life. You definitely have done right by her for her to live to 16 relatively healthy.


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Thank you all so much for your advice, and understanding how i feel. I have been wrestling with this for awhile.

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Ike born Aug 15 2012

YOU tell your vet what you want done. Ive never let a vet tell me what to do. He tells me what is wrong and *I* decide what I want to do if I havent already decided before I get there. Too many people just go along with the vet no matter what. They dont always know the story, and are not walking in your shoes. Sounds like the poor ol thing is in terrible pain all the time. You do what YOU feel you need to do, and TELL the vet what she is gonna do, you are the one paying. Sending to specialists lots of times is just 'kick back'.
pam in TX

Yes it is 100% YOUR decision. A vet will euthanize on request. They also can not force you to euthanize if you don't wish too.

It sounds like the pain is what's causing her to act out so much. For now, try giving her the pain medication with some food. I am guessing it is an NSAID which can have a lot of stomach and GI side effects.

I know this is a very hard decision to make when it's your own pet. If you do decide to euthanasia, I would fully support that decision. It is so hard to see our little ones in so much pain. I think the best thing to do would be to make an appointment with your vet and get her re-assessed, as well as discuss everything you just mentioned here (remember, they can't force you to do anything you don't wish to do).

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