Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 8/23/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi-My sister has a 14 year old Sheltie who is deaf.
The dog now walks mindlessly in circles around the house and  barks like she hears someone at the door.
It's Not a happy dog ,maybe pain or the deafness giving her mental decline,who knows.

She is on some kind of low fat diet.I feel like food is the greatest pleasure for a dog and it's cruel near the end to put it on food the dog doesn't even want, for any condition, when it will die soon anyway.

My sister is in big denial.I know she needs to take it to the vet again, but how should I tell her to get emotionally prepared to put her dog to sleep if the vet gives her the bad news? It's so hard to let go. How should I tell her to feed the dog healthy natural meat so it can enjoy life a little more?

ANSWER: Hi Jenna,

Deafness does not cause a mental decline in dogs. Deafness is from being old as is a decline in mental capacities, but they are not mutually exclusive.

Many dogs that have lost their hearing circle, but this doesn't mean the dog is in pain. Confused maybe but not in pain. Signs of pain are panting heavily, whining, constant getting up and down when trying to sleep etc.

You are incorrect about food being a dogs greatest pleasure as well. Like most animals, dogs do love food, but they eat to meet their energy needs, not for taste and joy. That is restricted to humans. Changing a dogs food that is on a low fat diet is a sure ticket to causing great pain and even death to that dog. Most shelties and other dogs on low fat diets are due to either weight loss or because the dog has had bouts with pancreatitis in the past. This is a very painful condition that can come on suddenly when you give the dog something it's not used to eating, such as fatty foods, table scraps etc. It can cause death in a very short time. Telling her to feed the dog "healthy meat" is a good way to put this dog into a very dangerous condition that can cause her a very painful death.

You are assuming a lot of things that are your sister's business and since this is her dog, she has to make the final decision about her care and when it's time for the end. Your sister has to be the one to prepare herself to make the decision to put this dog down and when.

Your job is to support her in her choices and her decision. When the dog is ready she will let your sister know it's her time. I am confident that your sister knows this dog well enough to read these signs. One will be when the dog is no longer willing to eat. Another may be if the dog starts to lose control of her bowels.

So just be there for her when it's time and be grateful that it's not that you is losing your best friend at that point.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Your information about diet,deafness,pain and walking in a circle,being confused etc.was Very helpful.I had gone to some web sites of vets to see sign of pain,so thanks. I didn't mean to imply dog would die this year, but I notice that her health has declined.I stand by my statement about food being a big part of a dogs happiness.
 
Yes,I know that my sisters dog is her own business.Her last dog died of cancer and I didn't say anything when she put her dog on chemo. Her choice.-I support her decision to do that or anything helpful for her pet.
It's that I know she doesn't want to hear anything bad about THIS dog from her vet because of the way her last dog died.
It totally  traumatized her to the point that she is really unable to prepare herself.Not kidding.
So,I feel that you are also assuming things when you think a pet owner is always rational at the end of their pets life.

My question was about support.
I wanted to ask you about information to know how to help her(I shouldn't have written "tell her") at the end of her dogs life so she won't damage her own health.
I need to be able to do that the best way I can- because at the end it's all about the helping the dog.

If you will please help me with that issue I would appreciate it because at the end I'm going to be in that room with her trying to absorb some of her pain because it's her child :(

Thanks for your time-

Answer
Jenna,
I think that you are a wonderful sister for what you are doing. I know that a lot of pet owners don't appear to be rational toward the end of a pets life. We as vet techs are also prone to be the kind of people that can hang on too long. We feel that we can do "just one more thing." After all, healing pets is our calling. Because of this, we are also very attuned to seeing the signs of the end from a pet.

To this end, things to look for are crying all or most of the time (from the dog), loss of appetite, sleeping most of the day, extreme weight loss, inability to get up and loss of bowel control.

The main thing is, when does the dog start losing all quality of life? Is he happy? I know you think he isn't, but if he still interacts with your sister and others, then he is still 'with it.' If he is disinterested in the family, then he is losing all contact with his world. When they start to lie in their own urine or bowel movements, it's pretty obvious that they are not having a life of quality.

So you can gently share that question with her- Sister, do you feel that (I don't know his name) is having a good quality of life? Is he still happy to see you? Does he wag his tail often? Is he eating well?

Ask her these things and let her come to her own conclusions about it. All you can do really is sort of gently guide her. Don't remind her of how the other dog died, that will just make her cling even more tightly to this one.

Concentrate on the quality of his life to her and she will start to see that maybe he isn't living a very high quality of life.

To that end, just keep letting her know that she is a good dog mother and that he is relying on her to keep him pain free and safe. Once they reach a point where nothing we do will help, then it's time to give the last gift to them that we can- the gift of ending their suffering.

That is the hardest gift to give, but once we do, we feel so much relief as well as the pain of losing them. There is much better closure however, when we look at it as a gift we gave to them. I was able to cope with losing my 19 yr old cat much better that way, and my own beloved dog at 16 yrs.

I have a 13 1/2 yr old now so I know it's in my future as well- but I will do my best to not be selfish. Vet techs can be so bad that way!

So talk to her when you can about it Jenna. That is all you can do, and let her know that you will be there for her when the time comes.
Bless you both and her little dog.
I hope that is all goes smoothly. Please let me know how she makes it through.