Will I be forced to euthanize?

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh. Situations like this are so difficult.

The vet can't force you to put her down. Well....there are rare exceptions. If I saw a dog that was in very obvious pain and the owner was doing nothing about it then there are channels that I can go through to make sure that euthanasia happens. I think that has only happened to me once or twice in my career though.

If you visit the vet and let them know that you are not ready for euthanasia but want to know what other options you have to help your dog, they will respect that.

Whether or not Super Shal can have surgery depends on why she is having problems. The vet may want to take some xrays to determine if this is all due to hip dysplasia or perhaps there is a back injury. However, in any case, surgery would be difficult as it may be a challenge for a 14 year old dog to heal from a major surgery.

The vet can help you to determine how much pain is present. I will often hear people say, "She is not in pain" but, in reality there are only two reasons for a dog to be not able to bear weight. The first is pain and the second is because there is nerve damage (which is not always painful). If they do feel that pain is an issue they may be willing to prescribe even stronger medications to help such as Tramadol or Gabapentin.

Be prepared though that the vet may advise you to start thinking about euthanasia. If this is the advice that is given then it may soon be time.

It's a tough situation to be in. I really do hope that there is greater improvement soon.

Dr. Marie.


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