I really like your answer about being part of the family. He is like one of the kids. And your kids needs will always be a higher priority than your own.

I also have to add, I wish we had the option of getting put to sleep. I would much rather be gently put down then suffer as some family members have until the bitter end. As hard as a decision that would be, I think it would have been what my Nana would have wanted as she suffered with colon cancer. The day she passed she was unrecognizable. We are lucky to be able to give our pets that gift.

I do not think the worth or value of a dog to its owner can be quantitated. My dogs are my life. I am one of those people that would jump in an iced over pond to save one of my dogs. As the judge I clerked for used to introduce me, "This is Ingrid. She has four dogs and no husband." :-)

With that said, I agree with Michael that one never knows what one will do until one gets there. I have indebted myself to the tune of 5 grand trying to save a 2.5 year old dog only to have to put him down two years later and I have made the heart wrenching decision not to drive 500 miles to get an MRI for my heart and soul dog at the age of 11.5 years old because of his age and because it was not financially in the cards at the time only to have him pass away two weeks later. Neither decision was easy to make and I think that I will question parts of each decision until the day I die.

I try to remind myself that worth and value is in the eye of the beholder as well. In my line of work I have come across people from all walks of life. I have seen pets that are not cared in the manner that I would care for them but that are valued highly by their owners who love them dearly.

I believe that individuals like ourselves who choose a lifestyle where our animals are central to our social lives, our hobbies, and in some cases, main companions, that we are so involved with our animals that we lose sight of the fact that just because someone feeds a dog Ol' Roy or does not have the financial stability to do anything beyond basic veterinary care does not mean that they do not value their animals.

So I guess at the end of the day, I don't think worth can be judged adequately until one has to cross the bridge of having to make a hard decision. For myself, I try to be that trite saying - be the person your dog thinks you are.

Great post Ingrid.

 Quote: barbara schuler

Great post Ingrid.

Agreed.

I know that you had to go through a huge loss with Poe recently.

For those of you that don't know me, and may think I need to walk a mile in someone else' shoes and make that decision for a young dog, after putting everything into it - heart & soul (and finances I'm still paying off) - "Toro".

I am so sorry about Toro Phaedra. That post made me cry. If it helps at all, know that your story and experience is now helping another young dog and owner try and make the right choices

I am grateful for the wisdom shared on this forum in regard to canine end of life decisions. I truly understand that the dog's needs must come first, regardless of our own pain. I am not one who believes in extreme measures that have only a chance to prolong life, but I say that as a person who has never had to face that question. Will that opinion hold if put to the test? Not sure.

I would just like to state here how very, very grateful I am for this forum.

Me too Betty!
This forum is responsible for helping me in so many ways.
I am so grateful for the collective wisdom of everyone here.

 Quote: connie sutherland

"Personally, I only have as many animals as I can provide fully for."

Me too. But what if I were hurt, or lost my job, or whatever? What if my human child(ren) suddenly needed my resources?

And "fully" ..... if one of my dogs needed $35,000 worth of medical care, I couldn't do it.

I'm not even sure what "fully" should mean.

I do make personal sacrifices so that my dogs eat the most healthful diet I can provide and have dental care, regular checkups, overnight care in their own home if I travel without them (at $115 a day) ... but there's no way I can tell myself that I could provide everything they could ever possibly need.

I'm old and have seen many people's fortunes go from zero to great and vice versa in very short periods, often, it seems, on a roll of the dice of fate.

"Is my enjoyment of my animal more important than their enjoyment of life?" No.

"... how much is too much - Pain? Treatment? Money? Stress? Life style change?"
I guess it goes back to two points above: Do I have the money, and is the dog still enjoying his daily life.

Or as Ed has said, can the dog still eat, potty, and sleep, all in comfort? If not, I'm asking myself some hard questions immediately.

A tough topic!

I apologize for plagarizing your answers, Connie, but I really don't think I could have said it any better.

I took a leave of absence from working as a nurse so that I could care for my Springer, Joshie, the last year of his life. He needed extra care being deaf and having difficulty seeing. he also suffered from the affects of labrynthitis which made it a little difficult for him to walk (very wobbly). He was not in pain. He still ate, went outside to wander around as well as go potty. I also got him sessions at a local dog therapy swim place "Splash Dog" so he could enjoy the warm water and exercise and swim without possibly causing any pain to him - and because I knew how much he loved to swim. I spent that year working at a local feed store 1 mile away so I could make trips home if I needed to. It was the least I could do for him. He'd been my best friend for 16 years and had saved my life twice. The morning he got up and I knew he'd either had a stroke or was in some sort of new pain I made the very tough decision to let him go peacefully.

I guess what I'm saying is I'd go to any length within my power to give my dogs the life they deserve - warm, happy, well fed, regular medical care and any emergency care that is within the realm of my financial being. That being said, I will never let one of my animals suffer.

I always ask myself the question, "If it was me, would I want to live this way?"

I think you do the best you can with what you have. I know dogs that live with homeless people who have incredibly happy and fulfilled lives. I've also seen dogs that live with wealthy folks who are off-the-charts neurotic because their owners give them 'everything' but have no concept of what their dogs actually need.

When it comes to resources and experiences, I try to look at things from the dog's perspective instead of my own. It's really easy to ascribe a human value system to our dogs, but it's not an accurate portrayal of the truth. Emotional resources and the knowledge to PROPERLY care for an animal are far more important than financial resources IMHO. Dogs don't really care how much money you have, as long as you are prepared to do what you need to when an emergency arises.

I'm not dismissing the need for financial resources at all, but it's not at the top of the list for me. I believe that if the animal is prioritized as would be any other beloved family member, the best choices will be made. I say this, of course, assuming that a person with limited resources hasn't acquired multiple animals that are being neglected because of finances. That's when it becomes really unfair to the animal.

I'm also not a huge proponent of 'life at all costs' thinking. I know people who have had very old dogs that could barely move, were in pain, going blind, and essentially not enjoying their lives at all, but the owners just kept medicating them and taking them to the vet to keep them alive. For what? So they wouldn't have to feel the pain of losing them? To me, that's not fair.

My dogs have been worth everything to me. I could never place a value on them because each of them was priceless and irreplaceable. I would do (and have done) everything in my power to ensure that their needs have been met and that they lived fulfilling lives. I may not have put their needs above my daughter's needs, but certainly above my own. I'm like Ingrid: I have a dog that I spend all my time with, and no husband

What's the other thread?