Need honest opinions about putting my dog to sleep

[Avalonholly]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and to forums but, I need help making a dicision. We have a dachshund, 12yrs. old, female, that's just been diagnosed with bladder stones. The Veterinarian also said that she has the beginings of cateracts and her teeth are wearing down or in bad shape. We've had her for a little over 4 yrs. and I took her in after trying for about 3 yrs. to get pregnant but couldn't. Long and behold, I got pregnant, and unfortunately haven't been giving Mercedez (the dog), as much attention. My two older children and my husband are the ones in charge of walking her but, I pay for all the Veterinarian bills, most of her food, and grooming.
For the past 2 or 3 months now Mercedez has been peeing in the house. We have beige carpet and my husband's fed up with her. He thinks I should skip the surgery that will total to about $400.00 in the Humane Society. My heart tells me that's wrong, because she's not terminally ill, it's not an outragious price, and like my mother's been saying, it's said that she was my companion before the baby came into the picture and now we're going to get rid of her because of something that can be fixed. Another thing is, I've heard that when dogs go blind, they can still get around well with their sense of smell.
What are the opinions here? Should I put her to sleep? I don't mind someone adopting her, cause financially we're tight right now, but no one's wanted to adopt her. So I feel that we need to keep her until she passes away of natural causes or another problem in the future, cause I wouldn't pay for any second surgery in the future. It's just my husband that's putting preassure on me to get rid of her. HELP!

[bitterrootbullies]

Originally Posted by Avalonholly

Hi everyone. I'm new here and to forums but, I need help making a dicision. We have a dachshund, 12yrs. old, female, that's just been diagnosed with bladder stones. The Veterinarian also said that she has the beginings of cateracts and her teeth are wearing down or in bad shape. We've had her for a little over 4 yrs. and I took her in after trying for about 3 yrs. to get pregnant but couldn't. Long and behold, I got pregnant, and unfortunately haven't been giving Mercedez (the dog), as much attention. My two older children and my husband are the ones in charge of walking her but, I pay for all the Veterinarian bills, most of her food, and grooming.
For the past 2 or 3 months now Mercedez has been peeing in the house. We have beige carpet and my husband's fed up with her. He thinks I should skip the surgery that will total to about $400.00 in the Humane Society. My heart tells me that's wrong, because she's not terminally ill, it's not an outragious price, and like my mother's been saying, it's said that she was my companion before the baby came into the picture and now we're going to get rid of her because of something that can be fixed. Another thing is, I've heard that when dogs go blind, they can still get around well with their sense of smell.
What are the opinions here? Should I put her to sleep? I don't mind someone adopting her, cause financially we're tight right now, but no one's wanted to adopt her. So I feel that we need to keep her until she passes away of natural causes or another problem in the future, cause I wouldn't pay for any second surgery in the future. It's just my husband that's putting preassure on me to get rid of her. HELP!

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Ok, you asked for opinions so don't be upset if you get some

In my personal opinion the answer is no, you made a commitment to this dog when you adopted her. Taking in an animal is a lifetime commitment, it is not something you can "throw away" when they become inconvenient. You adopted her as a surrogate child and now have a child of your own. I personally don't see how that is any different than someone who adopted a human child thinking they couldn't get pregnant and later had one of their own. I know a lot of people won't agree with that statement because of course dogs are not children, but like I said, this is my opinion.
12 years old is not that old for a small dog like you have and yes, dogs that go blind can still get around quite well. You will have to be more careful with the baby however, because dogs with disabilities can startle more easily and may bite to protect themselves, but caution should be always first and foremost in your mind when you mix children and dogs of any type.
$400 dollars is a lot of money when you are already tight, but there are places to get assistance. IMOM (you can find it online)is one of those places and perhaps check online with doxie rescues to see if they have any resources as well.

My honest opinion is that this dog deserves to be happy in her golden years. You made that commitment to her when you adopted her and you should live up to your end of the bargin...she has!

I hope you don't feel I'm being too harsh, like I said, you asked for opinions
amanda samantha sydney murphy foster and kipling

PS I have personally spent over $25,000 on Veterinarian bills for a dog I picked up off the side of the road. I know not every one would be able to do that and many people think I'm nuts, but when I decided to keep this stray, I made a lifetime commitment to give her the best life I possibly could. She's 10 years old now and a happy girl.

[Avalonholly]

Thank you for your honest opinion. I agree with you that I should keep her alive. It's the aweful preassure from my husband. But you're totally right, 12 yrs. old isn't all that old. He just feels that that $400. should be used on us, even though my mom has given us money to help pay for the surgery...

[palehorse]

Originally Posted by Avalonholly

For the past 2 or 3 months now Mercedez has been peeing in the house...

First off, I second what Amanda said about the whole adoption thing. I consider my dog a child, and am going through ungodly expense right now with Chemotherapy. I wish mine only had a "400 dollar" problem...

Anyway, about peeing inside. There is a solution to this. Years ago, our schnauzer, though VERY rarely, would pee once in a while in the house.

I found at PetSmart a "doggie diaper holder" it's blue denim and attaches with Velcro and will hold pretty much any size diaper. They come in various sizes for all size dogs. Dog's weight is wrote on the box to keep you from getting the wrong size.

The dog will HATE it at first, but as anyone who has trained their dog to wear clothes knows, it takes less then a week for the dog to grow so used to it, that they actually look forward to wearing it.

The idea is NOT to let it pee in the diaper, but to prevent accidents in the house. Taking it on and off is a snap, so taking it off for a walk is simple.

[Robink]

Originally Posted by sbrmbr92

My 14 year old dog is having problems getting up and down. It appears it either hurts or his joints are really stiff. ...

Our border collie Buddy was the same way, though it started when she was only 8 (now 12). The Veterinarian at the time prescribed Rimadyl but when we found out how that drug can destroy her liver, we researched and found out about Triple Joint Max. Same stuff already recommended in this thread, but I wanted to report that after being on it 2X a day for 2 months, we noticed a huge difference whereas with the Rimadyl (which is just a pain killer) she was still yelping and not moving well. Today she is doing very well without the Rimadyl. So give the joint meds time to do their magic.

I'd say the only con is that she feels so good she will over-do it if we let her. With joint issues and/or arthritis, you might need to encourage your dog to slow it down a notch - walk don't run, no more jumping after the frisbee, and swimming is great for them if you have a place for that activity. Just our experience with having old dawgs at the Funny Farm!

[Robink]

Originally Posted by Avalonholly

Need honest opinions about putting my dog to sleep ...Mercedez has been peeing in the house. We have beige carpet and my husband's fed up with her. He thinks I should skip the surgery that will total to about $400.00 in the Humane Society....

Why not doggie diapers for your old friend? Here is one of many sites that talks about them: Tinkle Trousers, Dog Diapers for Dog Incontinence

Maybe if she were not causing the carpet damage your husband would be willing to keep her through her last years.