My old husky has severe hip pain. Should I consider putting him down?

Poor girl! So you have a few options. If she is just holding it up but not crying out, you may just consider medical management and not euthanize her as long as she is playing eating and drinking normally. I would make sure she is on a high quality joint supplement like flexadin or dasuquin. I would also have a vet prescribe her an anti-inflammatory like rimadyl or galliprant. You could give that on days she is really painful. If she is only having pain in one leg and the other leg is normal, you could consider having that leg amputated. Dogs do amazing with 3 legs as long as the other is normal. There is also a surgery called an FHO with gets rods of the hip joint of that is the problem area. You could also look into that as an option. Another option would be to look for an alternative or integrative vet who practices acupuncture and herbal therapy. These can be wonderful for pain relief and mobility. I would only decide to euthanize her when you feel she has more bad days than good days. When these other options are no longer helping or if she stops eating or doesn’t want to play, then I would start to consider her quality of life is poor. I hope this helps!

Since Zeus is only 6, I would certainly have your veterinarian evaluate his joints to see if he does have arthritis. At 150 pounds, he is likely overweight for a Shepherd/Malamute cross. Weight loss is very important for treating arthritis and may be one of the most important treatments we can offer. There are a huge number of supplements and medications that we use to treat arthritis. I have attached a link to a handout below with additional information. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=587 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Zeus feel better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dexter. When discussing quality of life with owners, I like to have objective questions that you can answer to guide the decision making process. When a dog is elderly with a chronic condition, you can expect the pet to have bad days. However, the good days should outnumber the bad. The pet needs to have enough mobility to get to his food and water independently and to be able to go to the bathroom. He needs to still have the desire to eat and drink. His pain to be reasonably well controlled. Finally, he needs to have some joy in his life. It may be different from in his younger years, but he should still enjoy things. I know this is an extremely difficult decision, but I hope this gives you some information to consider. I cannot say without evaluating him myself, but I suspect the time is near based on what you have described. I hope this gives you some peace.

Oh no, I'm so sorry that Santeri is so sick! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with my clients. I suggest making a list of five things Santeri loved to do. If he's not doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has decreased to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. It's always a hard decision to make, but if he has a poor quality of life, letting him go peacefully would be a great kindness. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'd be happy to consult with you. Just click the "consult online" button under my answer. Otherwise, I hope my answer helps and I'm sorry you are facing this issue :-(

I am sorry you feel like Sox does not feel well. I would recommend starting off with a really good physical exam with your vet. The vet will be able to determine why he is not walking well. The main concern is arthritis/ joint disease vs neurologic disease. There are lots of options for pain control in our loved patients. There are a range of medications, supplements and even therapeutic procedures like a cold light laser an acupuncture. You can start an over the counter glucosamine and chondroitin supplement however any other medications need to be prescribed by a vet. If you decide with the vet that her pain is not controlled and you feel she has a poor quality of life it might be time to put her to sleep. Hopefully you and your vet can make a plan to avoid that from happening.

I'm sorry you are facing this with Rocky! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this type of question with my clients all the time. I recommend making a list of five things Rocky loved to do. If he's no longer doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has diminished to a point where euthanasia should be considered. His quality of life needs to be taken into consideration when making this decision, and if you feel he has a poor quality of life, then certainly letting him go peacefully would be a kindness. Make this list and really think about what his life is like now and if you feel he's happy and not in pain. If you think he's in pain and unhappy, then letting him go would be a great gift to him. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry that you are in this position. I would recommend that you consider going to your veterinarian before making this decision. They would be able to gather more information, examine him and determine what would be best to proceed with always considering his quality of life. They may decide to recommend something that may improve his quality of life and buy you both some quality time to spend together. Best of luck!