When Should a Dog Be Put Down?

[puffkin]

I would put a dog down for the following reasons:

-Extreme aggression. After exhausting training and other forms of discipline and such, if a dog is still aggressive towards people it should be put down.

-Terminal illness/old age. A dog usually knows when it is their time. They just kind of give up, you can see it in their eyes. I would rather give a dog a peaceful death on our (and his/her) terms than to have it suffer unnecessary.

That is about it for me. But I must say, it really steams me when people say that people should be willing to fork out thousands of dollars on dog medical bills if need be because that is the resposibility of pet ownership. I am sorry, but I disagree. Therefore poor or lower income families shouldn't have pets? Many perfectly good animals would never be adopted or receive loving homes for many years because their families might not be able to pay for expensive medical procedures/treatments down the road? Pet insurance is very expensive and there are no government agencies helping you out (i.e. as with health care for low income families). I am solid middle class, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my animals to death, but I doubt I would be able to afford a $5000 surgery for my pets. Of course every person's situation is different, but I think that putting an animal down for extenuating health conditions is a viable reason if all other options are unfeasible.

 

[momof2inPA]

That is about it for me. But I must say, it really steams me when people say that people should be willing to fork out thousands of dollars on dog medical bills if need be because that is the resposibility of pet ownership. I am sorry, but I disagree. Therefore poor or lower income families shouldn't have pets? Many perfectly good animals would never be adopted or receive loving homes for many years because their families might not be able to pay for expensive medical procedures/treatments down the road? Pet insurance is very expensive and there are no government agencies helping you out (i.e. as with health care for low income families). I am solid middle class, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my animals to death, but I doubt I would be able to afford a $5000 surgery for my pets. Of course every person's situation is different, but I think that putting an animal down for extenuating health conditions is a viable reason if all other options are unfeasible.

That's a good point. Should your kids' college funds suffer for a pet's surgery? I don't think so. That would be irresponsible parenting.

 

[goofyforlife]

I have one dog with hip dysplasia.......She's had it since a pup.....

The doctor told us at one point that some dogs are so bad by age 1 that they have to be put down. (ie no amount surgery will help them)

We were lucky...She's 8 now and gets around and we still have alot of options for when her hips get more arthritic/etc due to age.....(pain shots, maybe accupunture)

I feel though that when it is more pain for her to live then be away from us is the time to euthanize.........

(i also feel that if a dog repeatedly attacks other things (humans/animals)...they should be put down also)

 

[Christine]

That is about it for me. But I must say, it really steams me when people say that people should be willing to fork out thousands of dollars on dog medical bills if need be because that is the resposibility of pet ownership. I am sorry, but I disagree. Therefore poor or lower income families shouldn't have pets? Many perfectly good animals would never be adopted or receive loving homes for many years because their families might not be able to pay for expensive medical procedures/treatments down the road? Pet insurance is very expensive and there are no government agencies helping you out (i.e. as with health care for low income families). I am solid middle class, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my animals to death, but I doubt I would be able to afford a $5000 surgery for my pets. Of course every person's situation is different, but I think that putting an animal down for extenuating health conditions is a viable reason if all other options are unfeasible.

I am one of the posters who made this statement. As with everything, NOTHING is black and white. In general, I do believe that a dog should not be put down for "routine" injuries. Extenuating health conditions is a whole different ball game.

My dog jumped out of the back of my DH's pickup truck and shattered her leg. The total vet bills were a little over $2,000. I had to put it on my charge card and, yes, I'm sure my kids' college fund suffered. But there is NO WAY I was going to put a dog down for that. Cancer is another matter. A dog I had many years ago ruptured both anterior cruciate ligaments about 2 years apart. We were hardly making any money back then, my DH just having got out of the military and was making $7.00 per hour as an electrician's apprentice. It took me years to pay that off.

I realize that there are people who are not willing to do that. If you can't pay for a broken leg or an injury or short illness, then you should not have a pet. That's just how I feel. My one dog (the one with cruciate tears) was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I could have paid thousands upon thousands and put her through chemotherapy. That's where I drew the line--not because of the money but because there was no saving her, chemo or not, just prolonging her life by about 6 months.

 

[yeartolate]

I had a cat euthanized. He was 16 and had a bone tumor that would require full limb amputation to fix. I opted for no medical treatment and to give him the happiest time he had left. Catnip everywhere. Costco chickens (his fav). Lactose free milk. He all of a sudden was in pain and we had him put down. He had a great 2 extra years. If I thought $5000 in medical treatment might have given him substantially more quality and quantity of life, I might have opted for surgery. No regrets.

Our Cocker is nearing decision time. His hips and knees are bad. He is near blind, skin issues abound. He didn't tolerate prior ortho surgery well, so we will probably let him go peacefully.He has a limited, but happy life at this time.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Some people seem to believe that a dog should never be put down. Do you believe that putting an animal to sleep is ever warranted

Yes.

and under what circumstances?

1. In pain or has lost control of its functions and basically has no quality of life
2. Proven to be vicious towards people unprovoked
3. Surgery will cause the dog further misery or kill it

What if the dog has bitten someone or several people?

Usually, if the dog has been through training, is fixed and still bit a second time. Only agree with this if unprovoked. If it's provoked somehow (ie. kicked, hit, had something throw at it, poked with sticks, throw etc.) then no.

What if the dog has attacked other dogs and you think it will attack a person?

My dogs routinely beat the crap out of each other. What some people think are dog fights are really just playing. Twice they have actually fought where they needed to be seperated for a while. Neither had ever attacked a human. I don't think either ever will. There are factors I'd look at such as why did the dog attack the other dog. Was it defending it's territory? Is the other dog provoking it? Is the dog fixed?

What if your dog is so vicious seeming that you can't find a kennel or pet sitter to watch it while you go on vacation, but it has never actually bitten someone because you've been very vigilant?

In this case, probably best to give the dog to a humane society where experts can work with it and see if it can be changed and possibly placed in a different home.

What if you think your dog has become dangerous and you don't want it anymore, but you don't want anyone else to risk it?

I'd leave that choice up to the people at the rescue. In some cases they really can not change the behavior and in that case, yes. But I'd want the people at the shelter to make that call. Again, I'd examine why the dog is acting dangerous because most domestic dogs who are in good health and well trained do not just suddenly snap.

What if your dog is deathly ill?

Yes. I think it would be cruel to keep a pet alive who is suffering and has no chance of recovery.

What if your dog is ill but fixable and the fix will cost a lot of money (say enough for a Disney trip)?

I'd give up WDW for the rest of my life before I'd even think about putting my dog down if surgery/medication was an option.

What if you just don't want your dog anymore and take it to the pound where it will probably not find a home?

I personally can't imagine what sort of person would be sick enough to decide they just suddenly don't want their dog anymore if it's been a good pet and never caused any problems. In this case, I'd hope that the person would try to find a no kill rescue but at least at the pound the dog is given a chance. You never know...

I've just been wondering, is it ever ok in your opinion?

Yes. I think for me what it comes down to is why? Why is the dangerous dog acting the way it is? Can it be fixed? If not in your home than in someone elses. I'd at least try that before resorting to killing the dog. However, case in point in the paper today, there were two officers who were wounded by a ferocious dog owned by a piece of scum in Boston who clearly trained it to attack. The officers approached the man and he let the dog off its leash and it attacked the officers and would not let go. They shot it. That was absolutely justified and self defense. From what I understand, the dog did not die and may actually be healed to see if it can be trained. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's too far gone already. Idiot guy was arrested for assault.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I had a cat euthanized. He was 16 and had a bone tumor that would require full limb amputation to fix. I opted for no medical treatment and to give him the happiest time he had left.

I did this with one of my ferrets. She would have likely died in surgery. I opted to let her go as long as she could. She died on the ride to the vets before I could reach the vets office.

 

[buzzlady]

On Monday, at 1:00 am, we had to rush our 5yr old dog to an emergency vet. She was having difficulty breathing and we found out a 104 degree temp. She wouldn't have made it through the night. It started suddenly. You can only imagine the cost for an emergency vet. They were able to stabilizer her and do tests. They told us what they thought it was. We had to take her to our own vet in the morning. They agreeded with the diagnosis and referred us to a specialist vet. Today she had surgery to correct the problem. We couldn't just her put down. There is nothing life threatening after this surgery. We chose to spend the money (2 months mortgage payment).

 

[MizBlu]

It was a ****zu-- meanest dog you ever met. .

You should've called it a "crapzu".

 

[DemonLlama]

I'd be very concerned about someone who argued AGAINST any circumstance in which euthanasia was warranted.

Any pet owner who doesn't have the compassion to help their fur baby pass over and not suffer terribly should not take on the responsibility of pets.

There comes a time when euthanasia is the most humane thing there is.

As for aggression, far too many dogs are euthanized for problems than can be remedied with good training and the right environment.

Years ago, we had to find a new home for our Lhasa when he could not handle the new and often unpredictable mobility of our toddler. He became a nervous wreck and his whole personality changed. We the best thing we could do would be to get him in the local program through the shelter that matches small dogs with older, childless adults.

Rescue organizations are also wonderful at moving dogs into environments in which they can become well adjusted and non-aggressive.

Lastly, if you are interested in dog training, the best book I've ever found is entitled "Good Owners, Great Dogs" and argues from the perspective that is often the humans' error that leads to problems with their pet.

So as a long answer to the question: Of COURSE it is something that should be done, but not as often in aggressive cases as I sadly think often happens.

 

[Jynohn]

I was involved in Great Dane rescue and unfortunately had to help make some difficult decisions about euthanizing otherwise healthy dogs. Great Danes are known to be very gentle dogs who are patient and wonderful with kids, but in the rare exceptions when they show aggression towards people the decision to euthanize can't be taken lightly.

With a dog that size you really can't take the risk of it biting a child. The liability alone is enough to prevent you from adopting out a Dane who has snapped at or bitten someone. Of course you have to rule out pain or illness as a cause for the attack, but in my breed, sadly there often aren't second chances when it comes to aggression

Thankfully I've only come across this situation three times in all my years in rescue, but that was enough heartbreak to last a lifetime...

 

[Puffy2]

When it's in terminal pain.

When it is a danger to others.