This morning I found out that a dog that I've bonded with has a cancerous tumor growing on her leg. We've known she had a growth of some kind for a week or so, but they biopsied it and it just came back with the worst possible results. My dad is going to see a specialist about our options, but what it could come down to is to amputate the leg or put her down. This is not the first dog we've put down, but the first was very old and we'd seen it coming for a long time. This... she's just a puppy, really. And as I stated, I had bonded with this dog moreso then any of the other dogs we have. I'm not doing so good here right now, and frankly a part of me is embarrased for breaking down as bad as I have.

I know there's a certain ammount of discomfort posting in this kind of thread, which is why I try not to myself. I'm very good about ranting on injustices, but I don't think I'd be very good about giving words of comfort for anquished. But that's not what I want. I don't want "It'll be okay"s or, "you'll get through it"s. I'm not that far gone, I know eventually the pain will be pushed back into a corner and I'll move on. Neithor do I want "I know what you're going through"s... I would appreciate the idea, but it would only depress me more. I just want... support, y'know?

Quote from: Tomato on April 17, 2008, 08:21:40 AMI just want... support, y'know?

You got it.

*supports Tomato* :)

p.s. if you want some advice from a life-long dog owner, just shoot me a PM

There's an important thing to keep in mind with animals: they're not people. Now, I don't mean that in the sense you'd think.

People have two levels of thought, so to speak-- we have basic thoughts ("Man, I could go for a burger right now.") and higher ones (talking to other people, for example). When people are sick, or injured, or maimed, our "basic" thoughts are unpleasant ("HOLY CRAP MY FOOT HURTS!"), but we can kind of console ourselves by keeping our high-level thoughts positive. If a person loses a limb, they can eventually come to terms with it and learn to live with it. That's because they understand what's happened, and can force their high-levels to override their low-levels.

Animals can't. If an animal is suffering, that's all they're thinking about. As much as you may still love the animal and elevate it to the point where it's "just another part of the family", you have to be practical-- at a certain point, keeping it alive is more helpful to you than it is to the animal.

It's the saddest, most painful decision you can be asked to make, but you need to think about the animal's state of mind. At a certain point, the animal just isn't having fun anymore. They don't understand why they're injured, they don't understand why they can't walk like they used to. They get excited to see you come home, and run to see you, but their coordination is shot and they fall. And they just don't understand why.

Keeping the animal alive so that it can live a life of pain and confusion isn't humane. It's cruel. As much as it hurts to do it, talk to your vet, and just ask the question-- "Is he going to get used to it? Can he still have fun and be a happy dog?" The answer to that question should be what decides it. The natural state of a dog is "happy". If extraordinary measures let it live, but replace that natural state with something else, then you're not really "preserving" the animal you knew.

Typing this made me very sad. :(

That being said, I've seen soem pretty amazingly functional three-legged dogs . . .

Best of wishes to you and your family, T.