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Hi gang,

for all who send me pm's and well wishes, hugs and advice...here is my update...

As you all know, I rescued an Afghan hound. He was 9 at the time and terribly abused. He is now 11...

After "talking" with folks here, I decided to take him to Vet #3!

She put him on three different meds and he quit itching...until the meds were done.

His meds ended this last Monday and he began to scratch again.

I even changed his food to a very expensive prescription food but nothing!

To add to that, now he has had a grand mall seizure. Thank God, I was there and was able to keep him comfortable.

He seems to be "OK" but he is scratching again.

Here is my question.

When/how do you determine that an animal is better off being put to a slumber humanely (I have tears in my eyes) rather than let him "enjoy" life with his family?

I don't want to make the wrong decision.

Tell me your story, I'm listening...

[This message edited by Exit Wounds at 8:13 AM, April 19th (Friday)]

Can he no longer be on the meds? If they worked, can he just stay on them?

I feel for your position. Our female Dane has a degeneritive heart condition that will eventually kill her. She's ok now, but at some point we will have to make the same choice.

We agreed that once there was nothing we could naturally do to keep her longer, then we would put her down. Right now between diet and just close monitoring she is doing pretty well, but if she starts to shed weight really bad again (she has lost 6 pounds in a week putting her under 100 pounds) or she starts to cough even more then she does now, then we will make the call. She is only 5, but her sister was 6 when she was put down for the same condition.

We also do not have the amount of money that it would cost to extend her life for just a year or maybe 18 months and its too late now to get the pet insurance to help defray the costs because its a pre-existing condition.

Afgan hounds only live about 11 to 13 years...sometimes longer with a good diet and conditioning. You just have to weigh what her current life is compared to what you would extend it too....its gut wrenching....

((EW))

Can he no longer be on the meds? If they worked, can he just stay on them?

This^

My friend's dog takes benadryl every day 6 months out of the year... vet prescribed.

Thank you for that suggestion. I just now called the vet back. They want him back for a follow up visit. This is vet #3 mind you. I asked for a refill and vet said that it is a steroid and he can't be on it for the rest of his life. She is willing to refill it one more time but after that he has to come in for "hyper thyroid testing" that runs well over $100 plus the $45 vet visit and other test...
I told them that I don't need him tested for that b/c Vet #1 tested for thyroids and he was good on that. But vet is arguing that we need more tests done.

This is getting out of hand. I have no idea what to do next.

Please give me your input and stories of what you guys did.

Thanks,

My friend's dog takes benadryl every day 6 months out of the year... vet prescribed.

Have you tried Benadryl already?

I know that this is Vet#3, but it sounds like you found another dud.

If you are wanting to fight for the pooch for a little longer, here is what I would do.

I would first request a copy of the file from each vet.

Then I would check to see if there is a Afgan Hound rescue group in the area, or close and call them to see if there are any vets that they would suggest (if local) and if not local, are there vets that they may network with. Sometimes if you go THROUGH someone, you can get a little bit more help.

If that is a no go, then I would just call a few more vets with your concerns, and see if there is a vet out there that is willing to listen to you, and to pay attention to all the tests that have been done already.

Vet#3 wont rely on another vet's test because he can't verify that it was done properly. If he treats (or doesnt treat) for something that was already tested for, he could be wrong. Its a liablity thing.

If he's pushy and not willing to hear you out, then he's just not a good fit for you.

Be upfront with any new vet that you are really not made of money, and need to do the tests that are the most beneficial at this point rather then just trying to rerun all the other test.

An 11-year old Afghan hound, while not decrepit, is old. I would try to find a vet that will make your pet comfortable rather than trying to cure him. Yes, he can't stay on steroids forever, but ask your vet to be honest-what is 'forever' in your dog's case as far as a viable lifespan?

I'm speaking from experience. I had a 12-year old beagle that had been born with a heart defect. She reached the point of congestive heart failure, and I just wanted her to be comfortable. The vet we were going to kept insisting on more tests; I just told them to stop and give me the meds. I had to make my own adjustments to them--she was on a cough pill that would knock her out, then she'd pee in her sleep because she was also on a diuretic. I cut her down to 1/4 of a cough pill.

Believe me, you will know when his time comes; animals are very good at hiding illness--it's instinctive survival skill. When they begin to show their infirmities, you need to observe them closely. They will let you know.

Sad,

I hear you. I just called vet and she is arguing that she will not give me anymore meds unless we do more testing one in particular is over $100 bucks! I can see this is going nowhere. I am sickened that this vet (I know not all) and the two previous ones can make the money keep coming when they require more test and more tests.
What about some compassion for the animal and make him more comfortable?!

Damn I am so mad.

Have they give you Temeril-p yet? If not try that. It is an antihistamine/steroid combo. Works wonders. Also get the antibacterial shampoo at pet smart, bathe your dog. Ask your vet for Gentocin topical spray for the hot spots. Also yes to the over the counter Benadryl.

Pm me if you like. I almost put our dog down due to allergies. Am able to control now with baths and that spray (and food)

Edited to correct autocorrect

[This message edited by Pentup at 10:45 AM, April 19th (Friday)]

I have a young dog with allergies and my vet is not a big fan of Benedryl...we put him on Zyrtec and it is helping a lot.

That being said, having seizures adds a new element to things. As far as when is the right time, I look at quality of life. When there is no more quality of life, it's time to make a decision.

Dear EW,
When my precious Emmitt was suffering so terribly, I ended up giving him over the counter meds for people, just to make him comfortable. Benadryl, dose adjusted, might be the way to go. Just to give him relief. Poor baby.

When it was time for my precious boy to go to heaven, I knew it in my heart. He was suffering terribly, had other neurological failings such as loss of control of his bowels (he was so embarrassed by that) and falling out of bed, also had lots of trouble walking.

So I spoke with my vet and actually had her come here for Emmitt's comfort. I held him, she gave him the injection, I spoke softly to him telling him he was a good boy and I love him, and he went peacefully. Sorry, crying as I type this. I love him so much and miss him. He is buried in our back yard under a tree we planted in his memory.

Good luck with your sweet boy, and hugs to you EW.

E.

Dear EW, I think some of the responses have been excellent regarding the allergy issues, as well as the issues with the vet. I can sympathize about not knowing sometimes when it's "time" for an animal to go over the Rainbow Bridge. I have a 17-yr. old cat who has cancer spreading in her foot (had a toe amputated last year). I thought she was doing badly and called the vet yesterday to put her down; dug a grave; and had a nice box ready. The vet said Hatoul (cat) had actually gained a pound and really wasn't ready to go yet, and would "let me know". All of my previous cats have obviously been in extremis, so this one is very tough to read. I hope you find a solution to your Afghan's itching problems and you and he have more time together. ((Hugs))

I have a cat with asthma and she will be on steroids the rest of her life. She gets 2.5 mg of prednisolone every other day. We even tried an inhaler Different vets tried everything and this works. If it makes her life shorter oh well .
I feel your pain with your dog. My cat PIMA (pain in my ass) is my savior. I took her in when I was alone after the affair and she and I saved each other.

I use OTH children's Benadryl for my dogs. There's a generic CVS kids one in a grape flavor that works well (I have Norwegian Elkhounds that have seasonal allergies).

I know how you feel, I had a boxer who I loved dearly, He had bad allergy's since he was one. I had to give him shots and a hand full of pills everyday. Allergy's are so hard to deal with. I finally could not take care of him with his daily baths and everything that went with his illness I had to put him to sleep when he was only 7, By that time I think he was ready. I am very sorry for you, Our pets are unconditionally loving to us.

To all you pet mom's and dad's:

I just want to thank you ALL sincerely for your well wishes, hugs, and pm's. I have decided to give another vet another chance. I don't think my doggie is ready for doggie heaven yet. As some of you pointed out, we will "know" when it's time. They will let us know and honestly I think mine is not ready to go yet...
I will fight for him and do everything in my power to give him the best months/years of his life.
Yes, he was abused, terribly, but now he is safe with me and will see that not all human's are evil and saddistic.
Thank you all for taking such good care of your babies. It is a selfless gesture and I am glad to see so many of us are taking the commitment of having a pet AKA baby seriously.

Exit Wounds,

When my golden retriever was scratching and pulling her hair out and making her skin bleed from the scratching. She lived like this for almost a year before we figured out (by accident) that she had become allergic to wheat/grain in her food.

I stumbled across someone writing how their golden had contact dermatitis and they couldn't find the cause of it... until they switched dog food. I figured why not try it. I went to pet supermarket and got grain free dog food.. It took approximately 1 month to figure out she was itching less - not waking me up at night with her scratching. I figured I would try another large bag (lasted about a month) and by the end of the second bag she wasn't scratching at all. I happily spent money on that dog food... her skin healed the hair grew back.. she stopped smelling like she was a walking infection.

She lasted 5-6 more years without a skin problem.

I think it was dick van pattens sweet potato and fish formula. When I was looking for something it was the only one available in stores. Now there are others available.

My point is it might take a bit to detox your furkid so that the itchies stop.

Hugs,

K

Did you ever try Timberwolf Organics Blue Ocean? -

eta: hypoallergenic

[This message edited by PippaPeach6 at 10:49 AM, April 22nd (Monday)]

I did try the Timberwolf Organics Blue Ocean but it had not affect. So now I am on a new dog food bag that is prescription only.
We'll see. He is itching less but it is not gone away. I will keep everyone posted

poor pup!