My dog is old, need some advice

[gavin310]

I brought my dog to Thailand from the states quite a while ago. In the past 2 years he's lost control of his bowels and bladder and his back legs are getting weaker and weaker. When he gets up after lying down, he cries quite a bit so he must be in pain. After he gets up he doesn't cry anymore. He pees all over himself and poops everywhere, but I wash him every day so that's not a big deal. I've taken him to 3 different vets, but they don't really have any answers.

I'm not ready for anything drastic, but since I have to think about it at this point, I asked a Thai friend if euthanization is practiced in Thailand. He said it's not. I also asked my girlfriend and she was shocked that people in other countries euthanize animals who are dying. So I guess euthanization is not an option here.

So, I have two questions:

1) What should I do if my dog's condition gets worse and he's in too much pain? Just let him deal with it? Should I give him certain drugs to ease the pain?

2) When a dog dies, what can I do with the body? Can I have him cremated at the hospital or a temple? A friend said Thai people usually dig a hole and bury the body, but I live in a residential area and that doesn't seem like a good idea.

Thanks for any advice.

[Pomthai]

Dogs and more often older ones, can get a disease or parasite from ticks. This can result in back pain and incontinence - we had an older dog that has since passed away that I thought was into her last days. A trip to the vet and a few shots followed by some medication for a week and she went on leading a happy life for another 3 years.

Have your vet do a blood test for a parasite carried by ticks. Most dogs that have had ticks will be affected but more so as they age and their immune response declines with age. Worth a shot to boost him up. You might get a pleasantly surprised at the recovery. Good luck.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Pomthai

[gavin310]

Dogs and more often older ones, can get a disease or parasite from ticks. This can result in back pain and incontinence - we had an older dog that has since passed away that I thought was into her last days. A trip to the vet and a few shots followed by some medication for a week and she went on leading a happy life for another 3 years.

Have your vet do a blood test for a parasite carried by ticks. Most dogs that have had ticks will be affected but more so as they age and their immune response declines with age. Worth a shot to boost him up. You might get a pleasantly surprised at the recovery. Good luck.

Wow, thank you. I have no idea why the vets I talked to didn't check for this. Actually, maybe it's because I live in a pretty small town and they don't have the equipment to test for it?

[kkup]

One of our adopted Labradors died from a blood virus. He loved the water so we drove him up to a big lake 40kms out of town and buried him in a quite spot. You can have them cremated though, most larger vets will offer the service. One tip about burying, make sure you're fit or bring some friends, I was knackered, well over an hour just to dig the hole. God knows how long it would take to dig a decent hole for a human.

Hopefully he recovers and get a few more years. Best of luck.

[bark]

Sorry about your dog. Good advice to take him to a Vet. Good Luck.

[Kabula]

A vet should be answering your questions.

[hdkane]

I too had a friend whose older dog got a parasite from a tick and displayed these symptoms...so please do check for this cause...on the second part of your question...euthanasia is not a customary practice here, but I have been told by members of this forum that there are some vets in Pattaya that will take care of this...personally, I think it is a horrid practice to allow a dog to suffer, and it's hypocritical of the Thai vets not to offer this service. It is a real concern for me, because I also have an older dog. When the time comes, I hope that I can ensure his days are happy and painless.

[Pacificperson]

If I remember correctly, someone said that you could get phenolbarbital from a vet in Thailand even if the vet was unwilling to administer it.

[sunnyjim5]

Large doses of Aspirin dissolved in milk can be fatally toxic to dogs.

[Tywais]

Inflammatory post removed.

[SOTIRIOS]

...sad...hope he gets better.....

[Stupi]

On a similar vein.

Why do people (Vets) not sterilize dogs in Thailand?

In my home country unless you are a registered breeder, or farmer all dogs must be neutered by first year.

Otherwise a big fine.

Very few stray dogs seen in streets.

[sunnyjim5]

On a similar vein.

Why do people (Vets) not sterilize dogs in Thailand?

In my home country unless you are a registered breeder, or farmer all dogs must be neutered by first year.

Otherwise a big fine.

Very few stray dogs seen in streets.

Thai Vets DO neuter dogs and cats ------------- Who told you otherwise ?

[b17]

Thailand is a well known destination for "right to die" groups, and certain Thai vets are well known sources of phenobarbital.

http://www.ibtimes.com/west-australians-heading-thailand-euthanasia-drugs-190034

[uptheos]

A vet should be answering your questions.

But they don't!

[Sheryl]

Where do you live?

As you definitely need to get the dog to a better vet.

It sounds like he is in pain, and the cause needs to be ascertained. Anaplasmosis (tick-borne disease) is indeed a possibility.

So is arthritis, or even an undetected hairline fracture.

Blood tests and Xrays are in order. Not something for a small town vet.

You obviously can't change the fact that he is aging but it should be possible to identify the cause of the pain and address it so that he is more comfortable.

[uptheos]

If the dog is in terrible pain mix some %$#@! in its favourite food and he will go to sleep.

When asleep put a plastic bag that's big enough to allow the dog to keep breathing.

Secure the bag to make it air tight

Eventually all the air will be used up and the dog will die peacefully.

The secret is in getting something that will send the dog into a deep sleep

and a plastic back big enough that he doesn't suffer air hunger too soon or

start thrashing about. Let me be clear Xanax 1mg aint going to cut it.

Get some metclopramide and give it for a few days to prevent vomiting.

[DipStick]

Being a huge dog lover,and having dogs since the age of five, it saddens me to read stories such as these, it also saddens me Thai vets, because of their Buddhist beliefs refuse to put possibly terminally ill dogs/ cats down, allowing them to suffer in so many ways. I was very lucky when in Bangkok to find a vet in Chaeng Wattana was uk trained, and he had a totally different mind set. Without much persuasion from me, he agreed that my dog was going to live in agony and should not be allowed to suffer. It did come as a bit of a shock though when he inserted the needle into my dogs front leg but asked me to depress the plunger. I guess it was his way of compensating .

[chill]

I live in Phuket. I had a large dog cremated at The Animal hospital next to Prompan's on Chao Fa West. I think many of the vets here can do it. As for putting down an animal I've been told that the vet near Fatty's on Chao Fa East will do it. I do hope some other recommendations are a better solution for your pet. However I've had two cats die in recent years from kidney failure and when the end came for each of them it came quite fast but my vet would not put down either animal and they both passed away during the following night, it was very sad to see them suffer so much even if for such a short time. If you had mentioned where you live in Thailand someone might be able to give you more convenient recommendations.

[mihalis]

Take him to a vet, depends how old the dog is..

[NickJ]

Those ticks had mine almost lose the ability to walk. The test is a spot test that takes a min. It checks for anti bodies to the parasite........the right treatment for the right time and she is very healthy.

[rasg]

What breed of dog do you have and how old is it?

My mother's Yorkie that I inherited a few years ago lasted just short of her 18th birthday when she was unable to stand up. My sister's golden retriever had to be put down when he was ten because of arthritis.

Glucosamine is used a lot by vets to help with arthritis but it does depend on the dog's age and how bad it is.

[donmeurett]

Very sad story hope there is a good out come for you and your beloved dog.

[Jedsada3]

Hope you wil find a vet who can help.

Losing a real true friend is always painful and I hope you will keep your friend by your side many more years.

2 months ago, my lovely Pinda (mix Labrador/Thai dog) was bitten by a cobra. I dug a grave in the garden. It took more than 2 hours because the ground was so hard. While I dug I kept her body in the car with aircon on.

I dug a 30 cm deep hole, put some chalk on the bottom and put Pinda down with her favourite toys and some sweetmeat. I put the towel she used to carry everywhere on her face and recover all with some more chalk before close the grave.

Some big stones on it to avoid animals (and my other dogs) to dig on that place.

For some reason I do not know they always keep a 2-3 m distance from the grave, even 2 months after she died..

Keep us informed of the result of the visit to the vet and how your friend is going.

JJA

By the way, you can buy chalk in every farmer supply shop but I hope you won't have to do it.

[alfalfa19]

Sorry. It sounds like you really love your dog.

[RedQualia]

Having an animal in your family isn't easy. They are often like children in so many ways.

I "put down" my best friend some years ago. Well, she cried in the night as I slept... Kidney failure. Nuzzling my hand by the side of the bed, night after night. "It hurts!!!" Seemed the best thing to do, yes? The vet injected her, and she died in my arms. And that's the last time I will ever "put an animal down."

A short Buddhist answer to the question: you do not have the right to decide when Spot has had enough of life. (How much suffering does your dog feel worth going through for five more minutes of looking into the eyes of his or her family?) For the long answer, read the attachment, from the Buddhist magazine "Tricycle," some years ago..

With regard to what you can do after your dog has died, I have no answers. I can only say that our dog sleeps in the yard. He has a white picket fence around where he sleeps, and even now, after the longest time, the area within the fence is constantly filled with flowers by my wife and daughters. They were, after all, fairly devastated by his death. They had never experienced a loss quite like that before. He was the only little brother they would ever have. And to see him die so horrifically from congestive heart failure... So much blood everywhere, that last day...A veritable river from his mouth and nose. But I digress.

Summary: you do not have a choice as to whether your heart will be torn out. You only get to choose the degree to which you will be complicit in tearing it out. Same for your other family members.

Good luck to you.

Putting Spot Down - Buddhist Essay.pdf

Edited March 8, 2016 by RedQualia

[rasg]

All I can say is that, when I am in as much pain as my dog was, if that is what happens to me, I would like to be treated in the same way that my local vet treated my dog when he put her to sleep.

For me, it was the humane thing to do. I didn't do it for me. I did it for her so that she would have no more pain.

The OP hasn’t answered my question about the dog's age and the breed. Finding an English speaking vet unless the OP speaks very good Thai would be my first priority to find out if anything can be done.

[The Deerhunter]

search the word euthanasia in Thai visa general forums. There are helpful old posts on the subject from way back. This is a recurring topic. I have 7 dogs here.

[Farang99]

While many Thai vets will not perform euthanasia, there are some who accept western ideas of saving an animal from pain and suffering and will do it. It is a matter of looking around to find one. Evven if this proves impossible, I know someone who was instructed by the vet how to deliver the lethal injection and provided with the loaded syringe to do it himself.

[yellowboat]

Steroid therapy is used on old dogs to help them overcome weak legs.

We had a 13 year old cat die in Thailand. He was given a dignified, buddhist funeral.