Today we took our poor little dog to the groomers. When I picked him up, he was stinky, still had long hair, and she just took my 25 dollars and told me to bring him back after this latest round of antibiotics. She could not bathe him proper or clip him because his skin is badly infected. We wanted him clipped so we could get the medicine to his skin better.
So I took him to the vet today and told them that NO more excuses, I wanted him properly diagnosed. I told them that it was time to scrape his skin, put it under a microscope and figure out how to fix him or I had to put him to sleep.
This has been a rough day. I've been fighting for this little dogs life for 8 years. First I had to nurse him through parvo and I had to fight with a know it all Veterinarian that wanted 5000 dollars to treat him AND she told me that she would only have a 50/50 percent chance of saving him. She wanted a 2000 dollar retainer up front. Since I didn't have it, I demanded antibiotics, some subcutaneous fluids under the skin, and took him home. I went 3 days with ZERO sleep at all. I pushed fluids every few minutes round the clock until he was down to 9 ounces, cold to the touch, unable to swallow or lift his head and close to death. THEN, I pushed fluids every couple of minutes, in his rectum. For 3 hours I fought to get fluids into him. He suddenly sat up and wanted to eat.
Sadly, his immune system has NEVER been the same. He's had mange all these years and several veterinarians missed it. I had to figure this out on my own and I HATE that it took this long. I've tried all kinds of meds, soaps, new vets, potions, vitamins, and you would not believe some of what I've done. Every time he started to get better, he got worse again.
Today he is bleeding over 25% of his body, has lost 1/3rd of his hair, and miserable. BUT, what did they find when they scraped his skin? MANGE! It's NOT contagious. It is treatable. So it looks like I have escaped the terrible decision, at least for now.
Now for the question... How do you decide when the suffering is just gone on way too long? Have I been cruel all these years to let him suffer this way? What if the treatments don't work?
We have definitely gone through the elimination diets in hopes of it being an allergy. There's very little we haven't tried, other than this treatment we are on now. I have high hopes.
When I say his hair is largely gone, I mean his skin is ooozing a crusty stuff that makes the hair disappear. Between the yellow ooze and the bloody spots, he's a mess. But he's already feeling a bit better today I can tell. The antihistamine they gave us must be better than the one we have been using.
Momma, I went to several vets and spent hundreds of dollars trying to find the answer. I finally turned to homeopathic means of treatment and even believed at one time he probably did have mange. But the vets never seemed to think so. I had to read about skin scrapings online. Not only that, but the people in this office prescribed prednisone a few years ago. Steroids mess with the immune syndrome and since it's a weak immune syndrome that makes them get this problem in the first place, that was wrong to do. I didn't know and at the time it brought him temporary comfort. That is what this vet said today. She wondered why he didn't have skin scrapings done in the past. Maybe he just wasn't bad enough for them to think of it? I don't know.
Before today I had no idea that there was such a thing as a dermatology vet. It just so happens that this bright, bubbly, young woman we saw today is new to this practice and she called herself a dermatologist. Lucky me :)
yes Monica, that is exactly what he has and what he is on as of today, a long with a lot of other stuff :)
Grandma, I've suffered with skin and nail fungus for years. Wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if we found out that it was something easy to treat after all? I hope for all of us with bad skin that it gets figured out.
Well one thing for sure is that every time we've gotten him at least enough better that he wasn't digging or itching, he would be excited and want to play fetch and be more active. I know he's a happy dog when he's not miserable. We've just never gotten to that happy spot for more than a few days at a time and sometimes a week or so. I have high hopes. But they told me that treatment may take up to 6 months and in one way or another we may always be taking proactive measures to keep him from getting this bad again. KNOWING will change everything.
I have a cousin that is 40 and she has a terrible skin condition, she's suffered with it forever, but she's glad no one has put her to sleep so far ;)
Hopefully now that you know what it is things will be much better.
I would put my pet down when life was no longer joyful for him. I just don't believe that a pet has to suffer long term. I had a cat who had cancer in her mouth. The vet said that when she kept her head below her shoulders and just lay around without playing it was time to let go. I expected doing so would be difficult but once we'd said good bye I felt relief that she was no longer suffering. Yes, we mourned her but it was good to let her go.
You might read the Advance Directives choices for humans. It sounds like you've kept your precious dog alive longer than doctors would keep a person alive who had advance directives to let them go if they had to be kept alive by artificial means, had to be force fed, would be confined to bed comatose, etc. Those were the conditions my mother had. Fortunately we didn't have to make that choice.
I would seek out a second opinion from a dermatology specialist before making any final decisions. That option has always been available to you, and I am sorry if your regular vet hasn't made you aware of it. But ideally they need to be board-certified to be truly considered a "specialist" - they can't just call themselves that.
I agree with Marda. I would not consider putting any of my pets down until they appeared ready to go. As long as they are willing to fight then so am I, but once life has no joy for them or simply existing is torturous...then I would hold them tight and let them go to a more peaceful place.
I don't know if this is the same condition that your dog has, but I had an 11 year old dog diagnosed with demodectic mange. The veterinary dermatologist put him on a daily dose of liquid ivomec (the active ingredient in Heartgard, but much stronger) and within about 3 months his skin was clear and healthy, and he lived another 5 years.
All the best to you and your little friend, whatever you decide. There isn't really a right or wrong answer to the "when is it time" question. I know that lot of people say that you'll know when it is time, but that hasn't been my experience!
I had a dog that had a terrible skin condition for years, pretty much his entire life. We never did really figure out what it was, but he was always happy, goofy, full of life, and otherwise healthy, until one day his personality took a complete 180 and he became lethargic, had no interest in eating, and gave warning nips if you touched him. It turned out he had developed bone cancer. (No relation to the skin condition.) When we took him to the vet, and they pumped him full of meds and fluid for a few days, and he still was acting like that, instead of his old self. THAT'S when we knew it was time to put our dog down. NOT when his hair wasn't growing in, but because he had bone cancer, and he was apparently in so much pain, that he was no longer himself.
On another note....I noticed our dog seemed to "shed" almost all his fur every spring and then regrow his full coat every winter. Is this what your dog is doing? I know our vet told us to feed him fish oil pills, and we looked for dog foods that would promote a full and healthy coat. I have also been told that hair loss in dogs can be from food allergies in their dog food, especially grains in the dog food. I know your dog food should only list whole meats in the ingredients list, and they should be at the top (chicken, beef, lamb, not "beef product"). I know since we've switched pet foods, our dogs' coats have gotten prettier, and my chi-pom's eyes have actually stopped weeping.
Being a pet lover I understand how hard it is to make a decision to put a pet down. It sounds like you've been very good to your pup and I'm sure he's very grateful. Your amazing for doing all you have for him. Don't give up yet. Give the treatment a try for him. Just make sure that he is enjoying his time on earth. If it get to the point that he's hurting 100% of the time and there is no end of the pain in site then you may need to let him go. Just enjoy the time you get to share with him and make him happy while you get the chance.
Im just curious if you have ever brought him to a dermatology vet? There are vets that specialize in dermatology. Or if you have a veterinary school around, they might have students that would love to work with your dog.
As far as putting him down. I think your pet always lets you know. When they stop eating, that is a huge sign. You have not been cruel. You have been doing everything you can to make it better. Good for you for doing everything you have and prayers to you to be comfortable with the decisions you continue to make.
It's tough I know. I had a dog that I probably let go on too long. I finally had her put to sleep a year ago in November. She still had a healthy appetite right until the day she died so I thought she still had some joie de vie in her. This sounds like something that should be treatable. Have you tried a veterinary dermatologist? If the treatments don't work, then maybe it's time. I don't think you've been cruel. I think you've really gone out of your way to help him and try to make him comfortable. Euthanasia for a skin condition wouldn't occur to me until I had exhausted all options. Good luck.
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It doesn't make since the vets haven't done a simple skin scraping to determine the diagnosis of mange until now. There are two forms of mange, luckily your little guy has the non-contagious which is easier to treat. Have you ever tried a different vet? I worked for a vet and this is usually the number one thing they can do.
As for putting an animal down, is it in constant pain and discomfort? That is the ultimate answer. I have seen MANY animals put down, that should not have been, for simple things like diabetes or roundworm or small wounds that are totally treatable. I have seen even more animals NOT put down that should have been, b/c the family was too selfish in their worries of missing the animal and not realizing they animal was in excruciating pain and deserved to have a peaceful ending.
