Physical Therapy ---------- for a dog?

gchappel · 06-04-2010, 03:29 PM

We have a 14 year old dog- who really is part of the family. She is blind, deaf and now almost lame. We have tried anti inflammatories, steroids,etc--no help. The vet is now recommending dog physical therapy including palladis. Now I with will be glad to try this if there is a chance of a real improvement, but have my doubts. Does anyone have any experience this, or is it just a way to extract funds from my wallet?
Thanks
Gary

peppy · 06-04-2010, 03:36 PM

Quality of life? At some point we become selfish as pet owners.

It sucks having to make decisions like these.

scottmandue · 06-04-2010, 03:39 PM

I loved my old dog... she was not blind nor deaf but had arthritis in her spine... she was incontinent, couldn't get up or lay down, and in constant pain (tried lots of meds but vet said there was nothing more we could do)

I had to have her put down...

Cried in the parking lot for a while before I could pull myself together and drive home...

I guess I'm saying that at some point you have to ask yourself what is life like for the dog.

Sorry if that seems harsh

I feel your pain.

crustychief · crustychief's Garage

I agree with the above comments. I also had to make the decision, it wasn't easy.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Been there, done that. It sucks. At some point you have to let go. I knew it was time when my dog looked miserable and was shaking from the pain of cancer.

Zeke · 06-04-2010, 04:33 PM

If we allowed human(e) euthanasia, the pet thing would come more naturally. But since it's acceptable, please consider this for your dog.

And then consider it for me. Seriously. Vote it in.

Jagshund · 06-04-2010, 05:32 PM

Some friends of mine have a ~16 year old pup that they've been taking to water therapy for two years now. She had all sorts of issues (kidneys were shot, joint pain, etc.) and they were seriously considering putting her down at one point until they began the therapy. Much improved- vet schools at Auburn and UGA helped put together the program.

gchappel · 06-04-2010, 05:43 PM

I realize we are getting closer to that decision-but she is in no pain, she just can not walk, or move, or see............. She is sitting beside me, happy as a lark-she just can not get her rear legs to work. She does not really seem to be in pain, but in truth she must be. I personally doubt that physical therapy is going to do much, but if it does not hurt her I may give it a try.
My sister has an 18 yr old lab- decision was made this week. I can't handle 2 at the same time.
Thanks
Gary

R K T · 06-04-2010, 07:48 PM

One of the hardest things to have to do. We came very close to making that decision last week. Our little Doxie was poisoned by the MORONS in our neighborhood that sprayed weed killer everywhere. We noticed she didn't want to eat, which is totally not like her, she loves to eat.....everything. Then she started throwing up. Rushed her to the Vet, did blood tests and Xrays. Blood tests showed a Liver toxicity level of 980. A healthy dog will have a number between 10 and 100. The Doc said if she had been over 1000, she would have strongly suggested putting her down. So lots of drugs and the weirdest thing I've seen, injecting large amounts of water under her skin. She was completely dehydrated and wouldn't drink water, so everyday they would inject the water into her. She looked like a big water ballon. But it worked. Her number dropped to 700, then 400 and now below 100. Just over a grand in Vet bills for this time. But she is our 6000 dollar pooch now. She got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever right after we rescued her 6 years ago. And she's worth every penny! Oh yeah, she also hurt her back and had acupuncture and chiropractic work done.
She's only seven years old and hope she'll be with us a loooooong time!

Pazuzu · 06-04-2010, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R K T

Oh yeah, she also hurt her back and had acupuncture and chiropractic work done.

Now you've done it, you said the EVIL word...chiropractic.

Oh, for the rest of you who aren't still stuck in the middle ages, yes, there are chiropractors that work on animals, ranging from cats and dogs to cows and horses. Takes a bit of work to find one, but well worth the effort.

Gary, you might consider it. Chiropractic can help with everything your dog is suffering from, up to and including deafness. OK, probably not the deafness since it's age related, but they can help with infant hearing problems.

s_morrison57 · 06-05-2010, 02:33 AM

Tough call, been there myself and it hurts like hell to lose a friend, but sounds like sooner rather than later you will have to make this call, all dog owners feel your pain

R K T · 06-05-2010, 05:03 AM

[QUOTE=Pazuzu;5388470]Now you've done it, you said the EVIL word...chiropractic.

Well I should have finished that statement.......IT WORKED!
She was in a lot of pain and she left wagging her tail. The acupuncture was even more dramatic. She was yelping in pain and after leaving the needles in for a half hour, she was completely asleep.

Buckterrier · 06-05-2010, 05:12 AM

Find an animal acupuncturist. They work wonders. Worked for my 14 year old Manchester Terrier. The doc wouldn't give any more roids nor would do surgery at his age, (a bad neck). The acupuncturist was awesome and the last year of his life was very good. Only had to go twice, $75.00 a piece, well spent. Let us know & good luck.

quaz · quaz's Garage

I just went through it a few weeks ago and I still hurt. Let your buddy tell you when it is time. When they no longer eat, want to be next to you and can't make it outside to potty it is time. I lost my best bud to cancer and it was a hard decision to make because he could still move fine, but couldn't eat and just slept most of the day. There was nothing I could do for him. :-(

gchappel · 06-05-2010, 07:56 AM

Thanks for the support and ideas. I will ask about the acupuncture- I have seen it work on people, never thought about it for dogs. At least there are some stories here that something did help- so we will give something a try. She is asleep in the kitchen as we speak. We are getting a ramp for the couple of steps she has to do- and see how it goes.
Thanks
gary

R K T · 06-05-2010, 08:59 AM

My wife and I were a little skeptical when the Doc suggested acupuncture, but we thought we'd try anything before resorting to surgery. The Chinese have been doing it for what....5000 years? We stood there and watched her melt.
We thought after we had to say goodbye to our last dog, Reka, that we'd never have another dog. It is so hard to lose them. But the best thing is to get another one right away.....it does make it a little easier. The joy and laughter they bring to us is worth the pain of loss.