Caring for terminally ill dog

madmaggie

I have a 6 years mongerel with terminal cancer. She eats about 1 day in 3, so any help diet wise very welcome. I got NSAID meds from the vet but they nearly killed her off, so now I give her half a disprin for pain relief. Any advice about pain relief, or just generally how to make her life a bit more bearable would be really appreciated. Thanks.:)

luvdogs

Very sorry about your dog!!!
try tempting with food such as chicken etc, i used to boil a chicken then add potatoes in for my elderly collie, it was all he`d eat near the end!
i must add though, and i speak from having been where you are now, if your dog is in discomfort and isnt eating....maybe the time has come to say goodbye! i know its very hard to let go but we owe it to them!!
My girl was very young with cancer and she let me know when it was time!
thinking of you x

Toulouse

Sorry to hear about your poor dog.

First of all I'd go back and speak with your vet about other pain relief. I'd bet half a disprin isn't even touching the sides if she's terminal. If you're not comfortable with him after the NSAID episode then get a second opinion but do see a vet.

Diet wise I agree with luvdogs. Anything at all, chicken, steak, mince. Nice tempting treats and if she's not eating then make sure she's staying hydrated.

Then it comes down to quality of life for her. It's not nice to have to let them go but if they are not enjoying life then you really have to think long and hard about preventing any more suffering.

We had to let our 10 year old Greyhound go due to throat cancer. She lived with it without pain for a few years but then it went out of control all of a sudden. She had a great life and died without knowing alot of pain. I think at the very end when you know it's not going to get better then it's the kindest thing, hard though it is to let go.

Julybreeze

I completely agree with Toulouse about the pain relief she needs something stronger then disprin, and self-prescribing is very dangerous so if you don't trust your vet, get a new one. You need optimum support from your vet at the moment.

I also agree with the above posters about the food, I know when my two are sick they never refuse warm chicken and rice with a drizzle of gravy. Nothing too heavy though and only lean meats as her metabolism is probably all over the place.

How is her fluid intake? If she's not drinking much and you're worried she might be dehydrated you can get rehydration sachets off your vet which you could give to her in a syringe.

I'm so sorry you're going through this, she's so young to be at the end of her days. You might want to consider getting her a crate with a big comfortable bed, a lot of the time when dogs aren't feeling well they hide and don't want to be touched so the crate could be a safe place for her to snuggle up.

madmaggie

Thanks so much everyone. Today she ate everything I put in front of her, which was boiled chicken and milky mashed potatoes, also a couple of Bonios crushed up, then out for a slow stroll around the garden. One of the better days. I will take your advice re pain relief, and go back to the vet. It may sound as if I'm being selfish in trying to keep her going, I have had 2 dogs put to sleep in the past, so it's not totally new to me. However they were much older and had different health problems. I think my best option is to return to the vet, and take his advice. He has been great with her, so I know I can trust him. It's good to be able to share with others who have had the same experience.

madmaggie

To those who replied to this thread, again thanks. Two weeks later I brought her to the vet and had her put to sleep. It was a tough decision but I could not prolong her suffering.

ISDW

Sorry for your loss, but well done for having the courage and love to let her go.