i'm a heartbroken Mommy!
 

Today my little guy,Brinkley, who is just 1year 3 months, and my BABY BEAR, had a vet visit...actually a 2nd opinion.

I need to give a backround for yas 1st. I picked him up Jan 27th last year from a rescue, he is a puppy mill puppy :( Since I got him we have had many many problems. A week after I got him he was at the vet, he had a persistent cough that took 3 different meds to take care of. The he had a tummy issue and was on meds for that. Then the typical stuff of his shots and stuff. Then he was neutered. Then he started limping on his right hind leg...well sure enough...he's got a luxating patella which was diagnosed back in Sep. The vet popped it back into place & gave us some pain meds. Then in Oct. back to the vet we went because he was scratching a lot and they said he has seasonal allergies & put him on Prednisone. Then in Dec. he started limping again. At that time they tried to pop the knee back into place but this time it wouldn't go & they told me surgery would be needed within 6mo. Today we went for a second opinion on the knee & to an overall check & because he had a strange spot on his head. Welllllll.......the right hind leg is in advanced luxation and already has scar tissue & arthritis, and he now has it in his left hind leg too :( And the crusty strange spot on the top of his head ended up being a cyst that burst and is now infected, which they shaved some of his hair away & medicated it. The vet said the cyst will come back & when it does it will need to be surgically removed & tested. And he can get more. And now because the right hind leg already has the scar tissue & arthritis, the surgery may not show any difference. And god only knows what these cysts will end up being and he will need to be put out each time to take care of them.

Needlesstosay.............I AM A WRECK! I don't want him to be in pain. Nor do I want to keep feeling this pain. I don't want to having him go through surgeries. I am just at a total loss! And totally heartbroken! He is my BABY!

Has anyone encountered problem after problem like this? I don't know what to do???
I have talked to a lot of people & gotten mixed suggestions. I know ultimately I can only make any kind of decision. But I am a mess, I keep crying when I think about it or look at his cute little face.
Some are saying to think about putting him to rest so he or I don't have to keep going through this. Or just keeping him comfortable with medications until he is past the point where he isn't comfortable. OMG.......I am sooooooo sad! :(

I'm soo sorry all this is happening to you. :( I don't know what to say... This must be a hard decision for you. I wouldn't want to lose my baby, but at the same time, would hate to see them suffering... :( Maybe someone else will have a better, more reasuring answer for you. Prayers are being sent your way. :hands:

oh my, im so sorry your baby and you are having to go through this.
i myself wouldnt know what to do and im sorry im no help.. my opinion only,
i would not put my baby to sleep.. i have a hard time with that.. i would
medicate as much as i can so he is not in pain.. we are here for you ..
im sending prayers your way..and hugss

I'm so sorry. :(

Is he happy and playful?
If his pain can be managed and you can afford this, there is no reason to euthanize. It is possible that the LP surgery will work just fine. Isn't it worth a try? And the cyst will likely come back, but what if it doesn't? And what if he only has to go under once a year to take care of it? He can get his teeth cleaned at the same time.

Now if he is in pain and nothing can be done for that, then euthanasia may need to be considered, but I just don't see that as a good option right now.

If these problems can be managed and his quality of life is similar to that of other dogs, I'd try it.

You poor girl and that poor little fellow.
I don't know what to tell you but nothing he is experiencing
seems to be life threatening. Take one day at a time is all
I can suggest. These problems have to end sooner or later.
I had a terrier mix (Norfolk terrier mix) that was a rescue.
Around age 7 he started with little bumps on his body.
I went from one doctor or another finally ending up at an
holistic one that also did not know what to do about it.
By the time he passed at 16yrs he did not have one spot
on him that you could pet! He was a loving sweet dog but
looked terrible with sores all over. They were not cancerous.
If the cyst is not milignant , which many are not, this
will not effect his life span.
Good luck,

I agree. I truly feel for you going through all of this with your little guy. It's so overwhelming. :( I know how emotionally, not to mention financially draining, it can be to have a sick pet. It's always been my personal belief that I needed to know I tried EVERYTHING for my dog.

I'm sure it's hard to remain optimistic at this point, but the surgery might work just fine! I wouldn't consider euthanasia unless he is in substantial and debilitating pain, and I've had a few vets tell me there is nothing they can do for him. At only a little over a year old, this guy sure has had to fight through a lot, but he might have a very bright future ahead of him if you can find a way to get a handle on this now.

Can you tell if he is happy most of the time? Dogs are much stronger than we often given them credit for...

Good luck! :)

hmmm...not really sure why anyone would suggest PTS (sounds crazy to me)

LP is not a death sentence. Get a consult with a Board Cert. Ortho Surgeon and go from there. If they say surgery is a must, then I say have the surgery done, and I can guarantee you that he will be a brand new boy! And get him on Cosiquin - it's a really good joint supplement.

He should be on antib's for the cyst infection. And once cleared he should be good. If it comes back, than take care of that too!

Unfortunately, puppymill pups, whether they come from a rescue or petstore run a greater risk of defects and sickness, but it doesn't make then any less lovable or deserving at a healthy and happy life....

If you simply can not emotionally or financially take care of this innocent baby, than I suggest finding a reputable Yorkie rescue to take him in, as he surely doesn't deserve to be PTS :(

Off-Topic, but what's PTS? Put to sleep? :confused:

For the most part Brinkley doesn't show signs of a lot of pain...BUT he does limp A LOT. So I know he is in pain with his knees...unless he is on his Rymadil. But even then he still has a slight limp. But he is a happy puppy. He still loves to play. But he does nap now more then ever, but I attributed that to the coming out of his puppy years slowly but surely.

I had the $ set aside for 1 knee. Not 2. So it's a big financial burden on top of the emotional one right now too.

I just know I have a lot to think about. But all of your help & opinions & prayers do help...Thank you soooo much! I love this site!

Yes :( (in a nice way)

Roxy had both legs done at the same time, which cost just about the same as one leg at a time. When they are young and a small toy breed they can recover fine having both legs done at the same time. Plus the 8 week recovery is rough (keeping them contained) - so having both done at the same time is worth only one recovery.

If he is limping often, then the surgery isn't something to put off for too long.

My Mom's little girl (almost 3 yrs old) just had LP surgery - Grade 3 and she had arthritis already set in. Surgery was a success and she is doing quite well!

I'm so sorry to hear all that you are going thru...sadly your situation is not all that uncommon with puppy milled babies.. People really need to understand that when adopting one! But like was mentioned his problems are not life threatening at all!

If he's a happy puppy...please do NOT think about Euthinizing him... If you can't afford it...then please think about yorkie rescue..he has been thru so much he deserves a chance at a happy life!!! And like was said...cysts aren't automatically malignant....Surgery can correct his other issue....

you're in my thoughts!!! And so is your precious Brinkley!!!!

Hi Jessica and Brinkley,

So sorry to hear about Brinkley but I am sure with your love he will be ok...

My princess is called Emillie and is 15 months old... When she was 5 month I took her for a walk and noticed she fell and was licking her back left leg at that time I thought she had a splinter in her paw or something and carried her home. She continued to keep licking her foot so i took her to the vets who told me she had a luxcating patela... She had to go and have the operation and it did distress me to see her poorly but she showed such strength and ditermination. She recovered still had a slight limp but continued to enjoy her life so much and I thought that she was going to be ok now....

On Jan 2nd this year Emillie fell down the stairs which was not like her and I was devastated but she seemed ok!!!! The following day she started shaking and was limping more so I took her straight to the vets who gave her some medication and said that it was trauma from the fall and to give her complete rest for a coupl of days if that didn't work they may need to do xrays! Over the next day or 2 she got worse and week so I took her back again and the vet said maybe the medication is no good stop giving her that come back in a couple of days we will try something else if that doesn't work we may do xrays!!!! I was so upset and frustrated at this as it ment she would have no pain relief for at least 2 days and I wasn't prepared to do that to her. I contacted a different vet and explained the situation and asked if they would please see Emillie and give me a second opinion as I had to be sure she was ok. The new vets said I could come down straight away which I did, they looked at Emillie and said her unsteadyness wasn't right and they wanted to take her in for xrays!!!
The results of the xrays didn't show any damage (which i thought was fantastic news!!) so they gave some pain relief and said to give complete rest for about 3/4 weeks. Over the next 2 days Emillie became very unwell she started to tilt her head and fall over and then not be able to walk at all I took her back to the vet who rushed her to a Animal Hospital, she had an MRI scan and has been diagnosed with GME, she started chemo 2 weeks ago followed by steroids which seemed to work she started to walk again and I was allowed to bring her home.. Within 2 days of being home she reverted back to how she was so I imediately contacted the hospital who said to take her straight back. That was 1 week ago now and they have been giving her more tablets. She was showing slight signs of improvement but has today withdrawn. The hospital are going to give her more chemo tomorrow a week early as a last hope to control this disease.... Like you my princess is my life I can't bare for her to be in pain but cant give up on her either so am hoping and praying she will be ok...

I would say that all you can do for Brinkley is your best the operation for Luxcating patella is not nice but they are not in too much pain and me and princess spent 2 days in bed together and i just fed her organic chicken (she loved that bit). The infection should go with antibiotics. I have spent 5k on Princess's treatment so know it's not cheap but you just have to do what is best for your baby as you know better than anyone what the are like...

My thoughts and prays are with you both xxxx:animal-pa

I think some people around me have said that just because of everything that he has had. He really has been a sick puppy, there was only a 2 month span since I have had him that he didn't go to the vet. Believe me, PTS wasn't even a thought in my head until someone said it to me. I didn't look at his luxations that way. I am just looking at how much he can handle & how worth it it would be, like if 8mo. down the road he got something else that was life threatening since this seems to be his way of life & all that he has known in his 1 yr 3mo life has been mostly sick.

The 2nd opinion today was a vet who is a surgeon too. That's why I had set the 2nd opinion up with him.

I hear ya....There are risks no matter which way you turn. A healthy yorkie is hard to come by. :(

Roxy cost us $800 - plus her spay and shots, then a dental cleaning, then LP surgery (both legs) then a re-do LP surgery, then a diagnosis of MVD, then another dental by a B.Cert Dentist. She has major allergies and possibly mild CT - All in all to date (she is just over 4 yrs) she cost us almost $8000 to $10,000 - and I don't know what her future holds either.....

TJ was sick for the first year and half of his life too! I was at the Vet at least 2x a week with him as well....

Sounds like you really love the little bugger and I hope things work out :(

Your main interest should always be what's best for your dog
If he is pain and it can be fixed or if it is temporary
then it's ok to do whatever is needed to get him thru it

BUT ... if there is a problem that is going to be persistent and keeping him from living a quality life?
Then who is it benefiting?
This isn't something that is acute but you nned to speak with your Vet
ask Him how much discomfort the dog is having
and ask him what it will be like in 6 mos a year or longer
You never want a dog to suffer because you can't bear to part with them
I know it sounds terrible the very idea
but as owners we have the responsibility of giving them the best life possible and keeping them from pain and discomfort

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. :rose: