As you guys know I have an English Pointer I was trying to find a home for. Well a little while back, I found out she has cancer so I stopped trying to find her a home. The vet did all the blood work and basically everything is out of wack to the extremes. She seems to have bone marrow cancer and this is causing her liver to have problems. That was a very basic description of what the vet said. The vet said she expected her to have 3-6 months to live. I was told to expect her to stop eating and begin throwing up and have diarrhea when she is getting close.

Over the past week or two, she has stopped eating her dry food. She only eats every couple of days. She has lost tons of weight. I was planning on putting her down this past weekend, but I decided to give her some wet food to see what happens. She ate the can in one gulp. So I have been feeding her all she can eat in wet food for 3 days now. I am mixing her high fat/protein dry food into it.

I don't know what to do here. She is extremely happy and wants to be played with and wants to hunt, but she looks awful. Do I just keep her alive until she isn't happy any more? I don't think there is anything else to do if she stops eating the wet food.

Any advice is appreciated.

I was going to ask about her the other day. She has such a sweet face.
As long as she is happy, and you can get her to eat I wouldn't put her down. Let her enjoy the time she has.
You will know when it time.

As I was typing that post, I got a text that she ran away and someone found her. Luckily they found her, but they are all upset that she looks so bad.

Tell them that she only wants to eat live quail, and they can drop off 50 or so at your house anytime. Just joking.

I would tell them that she has cancer, and your upset too.

Dang that's a tough deal man, sorry you are going through this. Wish I could help. Tell the people that found her thanks & to mind their own business, you haven't done anything wrong & you have vet visits to prove it. Like Kindall said, you will know when it's time.

I feel like it is time because she looks so bad, but she seems so happy to see me and wants to play.

As long as she wants to interact with you and is not in pain, enjoy her as long as you can.

BTDThis too many times but it is your part of the contract as responsible owners of our best friends we must honor. I just hope I am treated with the same love and concern as I am sure you will with this family member when my time comes. Hang in there as it is never easy, but give her the Peace she deserves until she tells you it's time...
Ron

Sorry to hear. That is what happened to my chocolate at 7 1/2. Kidney failure set in and couldnt eat. When she did, she threw it up. Sad to see go downhill so fast. God bless

I just went through this with my 16 year old dog... he was old, but he was still playful, happy and healthy. Within the span of about a week we realized something wasn't right because of his weight loss... he went down hill pretty fast but was still his happy self until about a week before he passed. The vet told us that as long as you can see that "happy life" in his eyes, that he's not suffering and just make him as happy as you can. let him do what he loves and feed him whatever he will eat. Chicken, steak, whatever.

They will let you know when it's time... then don't wait any longer.

tough deal... it's never easy.

My heart goes out to you. It's a tough decision, that only you can make. It sounds as if the time is near.

If that doesn’t pull at your heart strings I don’t know what will.. I had the same issue with my pup, he had cancer – then stopped eating .. I hand fed him corn dogs, chicken strips, it didn’t matter! Whatever he’d eat I made sure he had all he wanted.. However that dreaded day came when I knew – My thoughts are with you.. Most gut wrenching thing I’ve ever had to do.. Stay strong!! Like everyone’s saying enjoy every second until then..

It's the a hard decision to make, I know. We had to make that decision last October 6 with our Vizsla girl at the young age of 7 years old. You don't want them to suffer, but when it was time, I knew and there was no doubt.

If they stop eating, they turn really lazy or lathargic, and they're eye turn yellow; they just don't feel good and it's getting really close to time.

Sorry you're going through that. Tough times for sure.

I just got her back and she isn't acting right. She didn't seem to know her name. She wasn't wagging her tail. I got her home and gave her a can of extra stinky wet food and she walked away. If she stops eating wet food, there is nothing else to do.

Their eyes will tell you when its time..It has never failed with me..Been through it twice.....The just have a "look"... Ive always told my friends that we just get to borrow them for a while..Part of being a dog owner is that we accept responsibility to do what is right...They trust us to make that decision when we have too...You will know when its time and only you....Both times when leaving the Vet it hurt like all hell but later knew I did what they expected me too...

It is ok to let her go gary. It's hardto make that decision and a lot of people do wait too long I think. Regretfully with a couple of hounds that I was especially fond of, I look back and, I hung onto both of them too long. Only you can know, but it may be time. You have done an honorable thing here. but whatever you decide, that final decision to let her go, it will be one of the kindest most honorable things you have done for her even if it doesn't feel like it to you at that moment.

We went through cancer probably about 4 years ago with our gsp. Luckily he didn't die but had to have surgery. He caught it in his nose.

You've done a good job w/the poor lost soul.
Take comfort in that you gave her an extra slice
of life.
We dog people feel your pain.

All you can do is what you are doing. Monitor her every day and make your judgement on how you think she feels. That is a hard one. I had to make that decision on a Brittany that I had for 14 years. Sorry you are having to do this, but she was very lucky to end up with you as her pal.

I wish I could get her on some quail before it is over, but I don't think she will make it another week. You never know. She pepped up after I gave her some pain meds last night and she ate two cans of dog food since.

I think steak is on the menu for tonight.

You're a good man Stink.

It was not planned but I put Cookie on one last quail before I had her put down. A friend came by with his pup to work a few birds from my Johnny house. Cookie could barely get out of her dog box, but she did. I let her go to the field in my Gator with us. She pointed her last quail, and did fine. I never put her back in the kennel. She went down easy. I held her as she slipped away and told her there would be a covey under every bush.

Prayers for your pup, as well as you and your family.

Prayers for your family; boy, that's so tough!

Lost two of my old canine buddies to cancer this year. So I know It is tough to let go those you spent so much time afield with, and were such a part of so many adventures, (Good and not so good...They all count.)

This is a tuff situation for sure.. Sorry you are having to go through this.

We dog people feel your pain.


So sorry.

How's your dog doing?

After she got out last week she looked awful. The stress was too much for her. She looked like she was in pain, she looked tired, she just didn't look happy (ears clinched, grumpy face, etc). She wouldn't even eat wet food. I gave her pain meds and put her to bed. I was going to have her put down the next day. I woke up in the morning and she looked and acted like a puppy. She was running all over, wagging her tail, jumping around. She was happy to see me. Since then she has been happy and playful. She will not eat dry food alone, but she will eat dry food if I mix it with stinky canned food. I am feeding her two times what I feed my hunting dogs and she seems to be putting a little weight on.

She has gotten ring worm on two of her feet. The vet said it was because her immune system is weakened. I have medicine to treat it, but it will take several months to go away (if she has that long). Now I don't want to pet her because I don't want ring worm.


The vet said it was time to put her down when she stopped eating. She did stop eating dry food, but I am getting her to eat canned food.

Its tuff when you have to make that call to end a hunting dogs life even when its the only choice left its still not easy to do. Hunting dogs give us there all and we respect them for it so we must respect them when the time comes . I had to put down my best Catahoula this year because of stage two bone cancer ,so I know how you feel .