My dog is dying, should i help him along?

My dog is around 15 years old and has this tumor growing out of his chest and another on his side this is affecting how fast he moves, and to top it all off he has fleas' but aside from being itchy he is not suffering. should i have him put to sleep or just let him run his course? (opperations are out of the question(too expensive))

[TheMainEvent]

Well it's really up to what you feel like doing. But I'd wait until he seemed like he was in pretty consistant pain.

[[censored]]

seems like the fleas should be easy enough to take care of.

If he's not suffering and it's not placing a financial burden on you I am unsure why you are even considering putting him down.

[MoreWineII]

I'd say yes.

[zoomOut]

oh man that is really sad. I feel bad for you. Can you let him ride it out for awhile? Seems a shame to put any pet down unless there is no other possible option. No pet should suffer because that is really sad.

[SippinSoma]

Put him to sleep. He deserves what's best.

EDIT: I'm assuming the tumors would cause him a slow but certain death.

[Blarg]

Cancer is usually thought of as terrifically painful. Your dog can't really express his pain, and they're too stoic to express it if they could. But I'm sure his quality of life has dropped enormously. I don't buy that just because their expressions seem normal, they're not in a lot of pain.

I'd put him to sleep. And think of it as a kind of kindness and loyalty.

A lot of people keep their animals alive for their benefit, because they can't face what should be done, or because they tell themselves the animal would of course want to live on, or is in no pain. They may say they're thinking of the animal, but really they're just being selfish.

My opinion anyway. If I was an old dog sprouting tumors, with limited mobility and nothing to look forward to but inevitably more pain and disability, I wouldn't want to stick around and wait for it and have to live through it.

As a person, I'd sacrifice my happiness for that of the dog. It's the least he's earned with his loving companionship.

[Duke]

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(opperations are out of the question(too expensive))

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This is one of the reasons that I would never have a pet. If I did, I'd expect to treat them as another family member. I don't think anyone would say this about their family.

~D

[Jeff W]

I had to put my beloved dog to sleep on Sunday. He was suffering from melanoma and bone cancer and was slowly losing his ability to be a dog. He could no longer go for walks and was having trouble eating.

Here (http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/euthanasia.htm) is a link that was helpful to me in making my decision to euthanize him. Good luck, I wish you the best.

[Talk2BigSteve]

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(opperations are out of the question(too expensive))

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This is one of the reasons that I would never have a pet. If I did, I'd expect to treat them as another family member. I don't think anyone would say this about their family.

~D

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I agree with that statement, I have an English Bulldog named Winston Churchill Pictures of Us (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=2606451&page=&view=&s b=5&o=) He is my baby, I would never make a decision for his well being based on the size of my wallet at the time.

Big Steve /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[[censored]]

Blarq has a good point. I assumed the vet had said the the tumor wasn't yet causing the dog pain. My decision entirely depends on how the dog is doing.

[Joseph Busti]

I always thought you were black, I dont know why.

[ QUOTE ]
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[ QUOTE ]
(opperations are out of the question(too expensive))

[/ QUOTE ]

This is one of the reasons that I would never have a pet. If I did, I'd expect to treat them as another family member. I don't think anyone would say this about their family.

~D

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with that statement, I have an English Bulldog named Winston Churchill Pictures of Us (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=2606451&page=&view=&s b=5&o=) He is my baby, I would never make a decision for his well being based on the size of my wallet at the time.

Big Steve /images/graemlins/cool.gif

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i am 16, i have a paper route that pays about $180 a MONTH and i am the only one in my family with a ligitimate job in a family of 5. to me a wallet is almost nonexistent