My senior Golden Retriever bites. Vet says put her down. What to do?

Hi there. I am so sorry about your situation. This is one of the worst things that can happen to a family pet. I have been there myself, and I know how difficult this type of decision can be. First, it is important to realize that this has always been somewhat of an issue. That it has suddenly gotten worse, with her old age, I always first check and make sure there aren't any health issues making the elderly petore uncomfortable and sensitive - arthritis, metabolic diseases, organ diseases, is she having trouble seeing, etc. In addition, it is important to realize that dogs, just like people, can become senile and/or suffer from dementia. This can stress them out a lot, and also make them hypersensitive to sounds, movements, and essentially anything sensory-related in the environment. In my opinion, when the mind goes it is one of the most difficult health issue of an elderly dog that we have to process. They may be physically fine, but mentally are just unable to function as they used to. This can cause bad habits to become magnified, like in your lady's case where she is snapping more often and even biting. This can of course become a dangerous situation as you have seen with needing stitches. Not to mention what could happen if a small child or animal were put in your position. I would set up a visit with her veterinarian. They can give you some alternative options before deciding on euthanasia, such as checking to see if she is sick in any way. From there, I think it's important to have a family meeting and decide if the benefits outweigh the risks of hee injuring someone else. In the meantime I would use caution if you have guests over and maybe keep her gated in her own area without anything she become possessive about. Also, be very certain her rabies vaccine is up to date. If she were to bite someone outside the family, you can have a lot of legal issues as a result. I can't imagine how hard this is for all of you. I think sitting down and having a very frank quality of life discussion, and discussing some alternatives with your veterinarian is the best way to go. There may or may not be much that can be done, but at least you will know 100% what your options are in your area before you have to make a very difficult decision.

Hi there, thanks for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a big question, and I encourage you to schedule a consultation with your vet to discuss the situation and potential options more fully. However, from the brief description, I think euthanasia may be a valid option in this case. Hope this helps.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear you are going through this with Horus. If you have not tried behavioral training or anti-anxiety drugs, I would speak with a veterinarian before making the decision to put him down. I've had a couple of cases where the owners were at their wit's end and as a last ditch effort, I prescribed a combination of anti-anxiety medications and had them start behavioral training. After 3-6 months of this combination, I saw a drastic reduction in the aggression that the owners had reported. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The development of aggression as a dog gets older is not something I would consider to be normal. This behavioral change could be due to canine cognitive dysfunction (think of this as doggy dementia) or potentially something more neurological (brain tumor or degenerative change to the brain). I would recommend having Buddy examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. There may be something systemic going on so having his blood tested would be a good idea. There are drugs that you can use for doggy dementia such as Selegiline. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

The sudden temperament change can be due to stress from a new baby or maybe an indication of pain or a neurological problem such as tumor or dementia. You can talk with your vet about medicine for pain but with a new baby it is probably safest to not chance it and always keep them separate. If the medicines do not help and her behavior continues then I am afraid your only other option is considering euthanasia for everyone’s safety. I am so sorry you are faced with this!

I'm so sorry you are facing this decision with Peanut! It's such a hard thing to do, but if he is becoming more aggressive, yes I would say it's time. It's not that you don't love him, but he's likely painful from the arthritis, which can make him act aggressively. Plus he's bitten someone, and randomly attacked you and your roommate. He's not safe to be around, and I do think it's the best decision. I hope this helps!

How awful for both your girlfriend and Cruz! Cruz may have some emotional issues. I recommend a full behavior workup with a veterinary behaviorist if this is all possible, since this sounds like a dangerous situation. Your vet should be able to refer you to a specialist in this area. Cruz may need a full exam and medications like antidepressants and anti anxiety medication to help in conjunction with behavior modification.