I am so sorry to hear of the problems that you and your little one has so far gone through. Close to 20 years ago my mother bought a puppy that ahe thought was a chihuhua that turned out to be a mix and a puppy mill dog. Before she had found that out, she had gone back and bought another little one as a companion to the first. The older one didn't start having problems til he was around 5. He had a problem with his rear leg (I don't remember which one now) and limped at times, but didn't seem to be in pain. As he got older, he developed a cyst on his back. It too didn't seem to bother him. My mom had it drained many times, but it never entirely went away. As he continued to age though, it became apparent that he was becoming uncomfortable as he had arthritis at that point as well. It was at that time, my parents (and it was especially hard for my dad) made the decision to have him put down at the age of 13.
The younger one started having skin problems by the time he was 2. They were open sores all over his body. My mom took him to many different vets for help (we lived in Phila. at the time, so there are a plethora of vets to choose from), tried many different meds. They would clear up for a while and then reappear within a short time. My parents literally spent thousands on him to no avail. They decided to end his misery around the same time as Timmy (the older one).
However, while both dogs were alive, they were well treated and well loved. It is hard to say how long they would have lived had they not been puppy mill dogs. Both dogs were supposed to be chihuahuas, however, neither one fit the breed standard. Both were much larger and Baby (the younger one) didn't even look at all like one.
Apparently many other dissatisfied puppy owners had problems, they were articles about it in the Phila. Inquirer. Anyway, they eventually (the pet shop) was forced out of business. This was at least 15 years ago. It was located in NE Phila. I know that when my mom went back to try to find out where these dogs came from (they had no papers-which my mom didn't care about), they were vague and never really answered her.
Going back even further in time, my mom had bought a little min. schnauzer puppy from Puppy Palace (maybe those of you who are older remember this chain of pet shops). He did come with papers, fit the breed standard and was fine and lived a long healthy life. He passed at 16. However, the pet shop was unscrupulous and had many suspicious fires. Apparently for an insurance scam. They eventually went out of business too. This too was in the papers.
And finally, about 45 years back, my mom purchased a peke from a friend of hers who bred them. He too fit the standard, was beautiful, healthy and lived to be 15.
Anyway, those are my family's experience with dogs. And I'm sorry that this is so long, but I understand the frustration, pain and fear that you must feel. And making difficult decisions that you can live with.
I would do as others have said. If he seems ok and is not suffering, I would not euthanize. Today there are vets that are "holistic" (my dad being a health nut from the '40's would love this type of vet. He's not into unnecessary meds and treatment for people or animals), perhaps if one is near you, you could try this. I know in my vet practice, there is a vet who went to China and is trained in Eastern med. There is something to be said about them too as many cancer survivors swear by this type of treatment. Just a suggestion.
Only when I would have exhausted all options available to me and that I could afford, and if he seems to be suffering and nothing helps him, would I suggest euthanasia. That I feel, should be the last thing to consider as it is always available to you as an option.
Again, I apologize this lengthy post, and I wish you the best, no matter what your decision may be. My prayers are with you and your baby.
