Folks

Never a need to post on this forum before. I have a 13-year-old Airedale Terrier named Justin. Within the past year he has gone to favoring one side (legs) and getting hard to get up (hips). Also he is doing much of his business in the house (where he lives mostly).

I guess what I want to ask is how long might we still have Justin around and...


...what do you do with a deceased pet? He is my first ever pet and the kids are dead set against putting him down "early". Since Airedales rarely complain (although he is definitely a whhiner about getting his face combed out) I don't know how to gauge pain level.

All advice appreciated. BTW, if I have to bury him in the yard I don't know about that either.

My name is Barry.

I HAVE AN AIRDALE THAT IS ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD. DON'T KNOW HER EXACT AGE BECAUSE WE ADOPTED HER FROM A FAMILY THAT COULD NOT TAKE CARE OF HER. SHE ALSO IS STARTING TO SHOW HER AGE, TROUBLE GETTING UP, LOSS OF APPITITE, ETC. THE END MAY BE NEAR, JUST DON'T KNOW.

IN THE PAST I HAVE HAD OUR DOGS CREAMATED AND SPREAD THE ASHES OVER THEIR FAVORATE PLACE. THERE IS A PET STORE IN OUR AREA THAT OFFERS THE SERVICE. ASK YOUR VET, THEY MAY KNOW OF THAT SERVICE IN YOUR AREA.

PUTTING AN ANIMAL DOWN IS ALWAYS A HARD DECISION. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WE TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR PETS WELL BEING. I FOR ONE WILL GO A LONG WAY TO TAKE CARE OF MY DOGS, BUT WHEN THE TIME COMES YOUR DOG WILL HAVE A LOOK IN THEIR EYES THAT WILL TELL YOU WHAT TO DO.

Thank you.

Barry,
Sorry for the situation you're facing. We put down our 13 year old Standard Poodle, had him cremated for about $100.00 (check with your local crematorium or funeral home to see if they know who handles pets) and spread his ashes around the property.
We replaced him with an Airedale female. Awesome breed!

Good luck.

I really appreciate the input. My breeder screens her lines for hip problems but things change with age (at least for my body). I've told my gals to love on Justin every day and that it may be time to let go. He doesn't "talk" except when he wants help getting up. He'll go outside unless it is still raining. Whew!

Vet says he is okay for now with Rimadyl. As long as Justin is interested in food, aware / attentive to smells and so on we aren't "there" as far as end-of-life. We discussed options.
Symptoms could be blood clot, tumor, (who knows) but a stroke isn't likely. He just collapses because he doesn't want to use front and rear left legs and the right side tires quickly. Justin was down to fifty pounds so we upped his kibble a bit. We're all relieved for now. Thanks!

Barry

Had a vet put down a dog for me once.

A later visit with another dog found me walking him to empty his bladder. We ended by the dumpster. Several yellow bags with corpses in them. Bothers me my buddy ended in a dumpster.

Take him home and bury him yourself. Or cremate him.

And tell the vet to forget about the sympathy cards. It was a bummer to get those cards, I didn't need a reminder.

Tough times ahead.

I've cremated our boys. They are in my home office in urns on my book shelf. Collars over the urns and pictures next to them. My guys are not going to a dumpster.

When the time comes it's tough.

quote:

Originally posted by youp50:
Had a vet put down a dog for me once.

A later visit with another dog found me walking him to empty his bladder. We ended by the dumpster. Several yellow bags with corpses in them. Bothers me my buddy ended in a dumpster.

Take him home and bury him yourself. Or cremate him.

And tell the vet to forget about the sympathy cards. It was a bummer to get those cards, I didn't need a reminder.

Tough times ahead.

I've had 2 dogs cremated and always wondered how I know for sure that I'm actually getting my dogs ashes back. It's the sceptic in me I guess, but what's to keep the vet from pocketing the money and giving you the ashes out of his fireplace, besides his ethics and conscience?

My old pointer is a once in a lifetime dog. We are all really attached to the old fella for some reason and it's not because he's ever been such an obediant companion. He just has something about him that you can't help but fall in love with. At 14 years old, he's starting to show his age. He is skin and bones and won't gain weight regardless of how much kibble and table scraps he gets, but he still gets around better than dogs half his age and runs like the wind every morning on his daily run. When it's his time to go, it will truely be a day of loss for my family, he is a member of the family. We've already decided to burry him in a plot at a pet cemetary, which some think is a crazy idea due to the cost (around $1500), but I think it will help ease our minds knowing that our old friend wasn't tossed into a dumpster or in a ditch. I have no reason to believe that any vets would do such a thing in the name of money, but I doubt many vets actually do the cremating in house either.

Had my old Callie dog (AWS)cremated and burried the urn right outside our favorite blind where she would sit and wait for the ducks to fall.

375win

You'll know when it's time, because it hurts too much to see them trying to keep going.

quote:

Had my old Callie dog (AWS)cremated and burried the urn right outside our favorite blind where she would sit and wait for the ducks to fall.

One of the best endings imaginable for a faithful huntin pard.

Barry,

I've always had boxer's, but the experience is the same, I'm sure. My last one lived almost 12 years. In his later years he began to lose his bowl functions, had stiff joints, dragged his feet, and had trouble squatting to do his business. We did everything we could for him, but eventually he got to the point where he was unable to support his own weight and would fall over and be stuck until we helped him back up. We always hoped he would just go to sleep and never wake up, but eventually we had to come to grips with the idea that we would have to put him down ... it was a very hard day for us.

Our current boxer is beginning to experience the same signs of age as our last (he's about 10). Once he goes past the point where he doesn't have the same quality of life as he once did, we'll send him to doggy heaven too. It's just not fair to keep a dog alive when he's unable to do basic things like lift his leg or walk.

Barry, I think what you need to do - and it's hard - is evaluate if Justin still has the same quality of life he had a few years ago or if he's staying alive merely because you don't want to put him down. Airedales, like boxers, have a sense of duty to watch over their family that extends far beyond any age or physical limitation ... they never make it easy on us.

As hard as it is to put your dog down (whenever that day comes), there is always another dog waiting for someone to give him a loving home. Dogs are like women, you'll always find another one that steals your heart; unlike women, a dog will never break your your heart.

We said goodbye today. Justin was surrounded by love and family at a different vet from what he had known. The ashes should be back in two weeks. It is hard but we did right by Justin. (The vet said like his own dog, they hate worse than just about anything to go on themselves, and we dealt with it until spring break.) The Rimadyl helped to ease things along the way and we each got to take our time with him this past month.

Thanks for the advice and all, again. I won't respond to this thread any more FWIW. God bless...

Barry,

I'm sorry to hear about Justin. Just take heart in knowing he's in no more pain and in a place where he has all the bushes he can pee on and bones he can chew on.

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." Will Rogers

- Alan

Barry,
Very sorry for your loss.

Barry, I too am sorry for your loss! Putting a dog to sleep is ALWAYS something that is done reluctantly, with a heavy heart, and with many tears, for those of us that are truly human anyway.
Peter.

I lost a pet about 18 months ago. Cremated and spread his ashes in the ocean.

Opted not to spread them on this property nor bury them here because I'm not sure how long I'll be living here. Always an option that I might sell and move.

And so, pick a spot that's not a "constant reminder" but where you can visit fairly easily. National forest is an obvious choice, scatter in a favorite river, hiking area . . .

My pet had cancer and died about six hours before I was ready to contact the vet. It's an impossible decision.

I'm not ready for another pet. Still too attached to the guy I lost. That takes some working out too.

My thoughts are with you, and with your loss.