Connie, I knew what you meant.

Rich, thanks. Teagan's not as bad as that article, but on the otherhand, I don't want her to get that bad either. It's really hard to strike the right balance.

She seems happy though.

Jennifer,

Just wanted to say I'm sorry your going through this. Have you tried any natural products to try to help alliviate some of her discomfort? My 9yr old Shep has hip dysplasia in one hip and a total hip replacment in his other hip - I used to have him on Rimadyl but I just heard about so many bad long term side effects I finally took him off them. I give him salmon oil, vit e, ester c powder, synflex and yucca root which is a natural anti-inflammatory and hes doing pretty good right now. I'm sure you probably give some of that already but wanted to throw it out there to help a fellow dog lover. Also, when i was at the vet a few months ago with one of my other dogs we got to talking about hip Dysplasia and they have a treatment they do where they give vitamin B shots directly into the hip and have (supposedly) had great success with it-maybe ask your vet if hes ever heard about that?? - I will be checking more into it and doing research on it because I have not heard of it but it sounds promising and my old man is getting to the point where he might need something more. I think this cold weather is hard on their hips I'm sure.
I know its heartbreaking when you look in those eyes....I know the feeling

Anyway, thats my 2cents
Take Care

Jenn,
So sorry to find this thread... I was in your shoes a few years ago with our old family dog and it was excruciating trying to weigh out all these options - some of which we'll just never be certain about. The good days make you feel horribly guilty for even thinking about it, and the bad days make you feel horribly guilty for not making the decision sooner...

I hope your trip to the vet at least sheds some light on what Teagan's current crate wetting issues are, and hopefully there's a relatively easy way to make things better for her in this regard. That aside, just keep a close eye on her average quality of life - the vets can tell you only so much about her physical state, but she'll count on you to notice everything going on in her head and heart. No one knows her better than you.

And may I say again (I know I've said it before) Teagan is SOOOO lucky you found her. The decisions you're dealing with now may be very painful, but without someone to care for her and respect her so completely (as you do) her time would have most certainly come more prematurely. Whatever happens, she's got the best person in the world looking out for her, and I'm betting she knows it.

Here's to many more years with her...
~Natalya

I hope it's not that time Jennifer. I know how tough this is for you, I'll be pulling for you and Teagan.

Thanks you guys - I really appreciate it. Hopefully we can pull through this.

Kathy, Teagan is supplemented as well as pain meds - not with all the stuff you mentioned, but some and some other stuff as well. I will ask the vet about the vitamin B shots.

Hi Jennifer,

Unfortunately, this is NEVER an easy question to answer, and almost impossible to answer without some emotions getting in the way.

I have lost 4 girls. 2 had to be put down and 2 went on thier own. Both ways suck. If you make the decision, you will go through a period of time second guessing yourself. If you don't make the decision, you will still be second guessing yourself. Either way, the guilt is inevitable.

The two that I had to make the decision for, well, it was obvious that they were near the end. The other 2 weren't so obvious... they were sick but I just couldn't do it... I wanted to try "one more supplement" to make them better. They just took it out of my hands and did it on their own.

The best you can do is be honest with yourself. Make the decision based on the question if you are keeping her alive for her or for you. There will be emotions... there can't NOT be with a decision like this.

My heart goes out to you. I am sitting here tearing up just thinking about what you are going through. I know you love her... she knows you love her. We all know you will do what is best for her.

She will forgive you whatever you decide.

Hugs to you both.

--Kel

Hugs to you Jennifer. They are never supposed to get old like this

Do you use a high quality supplement aimed at joint pain? They usually include other natural anti-inflammatories along with the glucosamine/condroitin/MSM

I have heard very good things about cetyl-m advance. I saw a working dog with terrible arthritis from a tick borne illness. On the cetyl-m he had no apparent pain and was still an active worker.

I use "Joint Strong" with my almost 11 y/o Border Collie. Without it she is stiff, sore and showing her years. On it she runs, jumps and plays hard with my other two with no apparent soreness afterward.

Ask again about Adequan I know of a few people who have said that this has literally been a lifesaver for their arthritic dogs.

If her bladder issue is due to incontinence rather than a bladder infection, there are meds you try to help get a handle on that.

Jennifer I have been going through this with Thor too. The indecision is hideous but the mental fatigue is worse. I've made some minor accommodations for him which require only a small amount of effort on my part but sometimes I feel so emotionally exhausted that I think it would be easier if he were gone. What an awful, selfish thought but I've had it and then I am consumed with guilt.

What has helped is realizing the thought was just that; a thought in a moment of weakness. It doesn't define me or in anyway reflect on the relationship I have with Thor. The guilt is not worth holding on to.

I feel like I am suffocating when I think of him not being with me; he has been my constant companion for 10 years. And he's a damn good one, pain in the ass that he is.

So I have made a decision and in that I am much more serene. He had an accident in the car coming home from his surgery last summer; the 1st one he had since he was 9 weeks old. I know I'm not supposed to put human emotion on a dog but he was mortified! If he lost his ability to potty; it would take away his dignity. For me that would signify it's time.

The other criteria I'll base my decision on is, as has been mentioned, am I keeping him alive for me? And also, is he engaging in life or just living for me?

I'm not sure if that criteria fits for you and Teagan; if not I hope you can at least take comfort in knowing you're not alone. Please keep me updated on Wed.'s appointment.

Jenn, I'm so sorry that you are in this position. I can't help you make any decisions, but maybe I can share a couple of experiences that will help assuage any guilt you may be feeling. It's true that guilt does not belong in this decision.

I have had to have a rescue dog euthanized sooner than I would otherwise because of his difficult temperament. He had bone cancer in one of the long bones of his leg. Had his temperament been more biddable he would have been a candidate for amputation and probably could have lived years longer than he did. As it was, I knew that trying to manage him through the surgery and recovery, followed by the adjustment to three legs would have been hell for both of us. As much as I loved him I couldn't put him through it. Sometimes a difficult temperament has to be a consideration, as bad as we may feel about it. There's nothing horrible about a difficult temperament being considered in the decision-making process.

I had an older female rescue Dobe (actually she belonged to my daughter) who had terrible spinal problems. She was always sweet and cheerful, no matter how much pain she was in. She finally became so incontinent and had such trouble with eliminating in spite of meds that we made the very, very difficult decision to let her go. She was probably the MOST difficult decision because there was no defining moment and she was such a sweetie, but we couldn't watch her hobble around and soil herself anymore. It was awful.

I hate situations like this where there is no defining moment, no imminent 'thing' happening that forces a quick decision. It's SO much harder when it's less defined and acute. It's never an easy choice, but this is the worst.

I hope you find a pharmaceutical solution to Teagan's discomfort so that you don't have to think about this so immediately, but if you don't, I know that whatever choice you make will be made with love. You've demonstrated your dedication to Teagan over and over again in your posts, so don't doubt yourself.

Thank you all for your support, suggestions, and thoughts. I really appreciate them all, and have a bunch to talk to the vet about Wednesday. Kristel, it's good to hear your experiences. Kelly, thank you. And Mara and Sheila, thanks, it's good to hear from people who have dogs in similar situations.

I will keep you all updated on Wednesday. No peeing in her crate today, yay!