Quality of life for a sick dog

[DeniseF]

Hello - I am new to the group. I have a 12 year old chihuahua that has had diabetes for 6 years. She thrived for years. She is blind and now has Cushing disease. She has been refusing food a few times a week and sleeps all day. I love my baby and don't want to give up on her but her quality of life is not good. I would appreciate any advice from someone who has been in a similar situation.

[jesse girl]

Re: Quality of life for a sick dog

Hi and welcome to you and your pup . My Jesse is in her 17th year of life and is close to being diabetic for almost 11 years . A few months ago I thought time was soon for my jesse as she was struggling to eat and some digestive issues . What i ended up doing is grinded up her homemade diet in a food processor to make it easier to eat and help with digestion which it accomplished both . She has some cognitive issues as she had epilepsy most of her life which may have contributed to that but she has been in remission for the last 4 years

My mom is in hospice after having substantial dental work . Now I can't say for sure that explains this sudden decline but it does point to that . This has been my belief with jesse . She has been in a form of hospice for sometime now that I will not do anything to attempt to prolong her life medically . I will keep her comfortable and happy and continue insulin injections . Yes it takes more effort but that's small potatoes to me . I am retired so I do have the time to hang out with her and provide that comfort . She is on no medication except her insulin injections

Actually the hospice program is a good example with end of life procedures . The only difference we have is a choice to end a life when we feel quality of life is not acceptable for the caretaker . Now that's the tough part what explains a poor quality of life and thats for the individual caretaker to decide.

For me its simple . As long as I look at her and she is still jesse . The key is she is not in fear , terrible pain and is present than we will continue in our type of doggie hospice program .

[DeniseF]

Re: Quality of life for a sick dog

thank you Jesse. Oddly enough I did blend up some chicken and broth for her and she has been eating the last 2 days. I had a cairn terrier that died on his own in 2016 and I let him suffer because I did not want to put him down. I am afraid that I am doing that to Frankie now.

[jesse girl]

Re: Quality of life for a sick dog

The only problem is medically controlling any suffering at end of life which we place a big priority in human management of end of life . You can do some things under a vets supervision with medication for pain but most of those options are oral so a pet needs to be able to do that .

My desire is not interfering with the process . Yes its hard and there maybe suffering but living with jesse's seizures for most of her life that appeared to be suffering but in reality there was no actual pain associated with the seizure . I never medicated her for epilepsy and let her live with it ..

My mom has dealt with pain from arthritis for years and only took tylenol as she could not take anything stronger because she did not like how she felt so she lived with the pain she had .

In the end every situation is unique . I dont know what exactly I am going to do . Like I said as long as she is still jesse ( calm cool and collected ) than we will continue . You do have some experience with your other loved one but this situation can be different and may require a different approach

You dog will tell you what to do and there is no wrong or right answer as long as its about the love you have for your pup.

[Raysaint]

Re: Quality of life for a sick dog

It's certainly a subjective issue, and it's not cut and dried. The not eating thing, that can be temporary, and happens with many dogs.

We have a healthy 10 year old chihuahua, and she sleeps all day.

Your vet can do a physical exam, some poking and prodding, to see if there's any obvious pain points.

For me, my dog would have to be doing more than sleeping and not eating before I'd question quality of life. Just my feeling.

[YukiesMom]

Re: Quality of life for a sick dog

My Yukie was Blind and had Cushings Disease as well. We made the decision to put him down on December 2nd, but it wasn't because of the Diabetes, it was because of cancer in his mouth.

We would go through bouts of him not wanting to eat and I would add chicken and bone broth to his food. Try sodium free bone broth, it really did help Yukon for a long time. I would put it in his regular dog food and heat it up a little to soften the food.

How is your dogs blood sugar? Is it under control?

[Judi]

Re: Quality of life for a sick dog

My dog had diabetes and cushings. We always looked for 3 things she enjoyed. Finally something was going on and she was walking in circles quite a bit and really only enjoying eating.

We took a weekend to say goodbye. Let her eat whatever she wanted and let her go.

After she was gone we realized how much she had deteriorated the last 4 months or so of her life.

I hope your dog is doing ok. hugs, Judi

[Gomeysmom]

Re: Quality of life for a sick dog

I have not been on the site in a long time but as usual, a note pops up on my Birthday. I am so impressed with your responses and willingness to keep us all in the know! I am sending healing energies to you and yours and I am sure that Gomey is doing as well as she is thanks to the information on this site! Thank you for everything!