Welcome to Pupster Passion. Every one of our team is a passionate animal lover and pet owner.
So the first thing to say is that if you are struggling with a disabled dog and considering having the dog put down, we feel your pain and send you our best wishes.
The biggest tragedy about keeping pet dogs is that we often have to say goodbye to them, and this is always totally and utterly heartbreaking.
Euthanasia is never an easy topic to think about, but it might not be necessary for you and your dog just yet.
There are lots of things you can try that might help improve your dog’s quality of life and keep them going a little while longer. One thing that can give a dog with hip dysplasia a whole new lease of life is a dog wheelchair.
We wrote about this in detail, and you can check it out on this link covering wheelchair for dog reviews.
Table of Contents
- Should You Have Your Dog Put Down Because of Hip Dysplasia?
- When to Make the Decision to Put Down Your Dog?
Should You Have Your Dog Put Down Because of Hip Dysplasia?
Of course, the most important consideration we answering this question is the dog’s overall quality of life.
When weighing up the good and bad, is the dog’s life worth living? Can they still live a happy life even with hip dysplasia?
There are some main points of consideration for you to think about:
- How Mobile is Your Dog?
- How Happy is Your Dog?
- How Healthy is Your Dog?
- How Uncomfortable is Your Dog?
- How is Your Dog’s Mental Capacity?
Let’s look at each of them in a little more detail:
How Mobile is Your Dog?
Hip dysplasia can cause anything from mild limping to full paralysis of the legs.
Looking at how disabled your dog currently is and how bad they might get is obviously very important.
But it is worth remembering that seriously disabled and even paralyzed dogs can still live happy and fulfilling lives, especially if you know some dog hip dysplasia home treatment.
How Happy is Your Dog?
Is the dysplasia (or any additional conditions the dog may have) making your dog unhappy?
Like humans, dogs can cope with a lot of pain and discomfort if they have other things to make them happy.
How Healthy is Your Dog?
Apart from the canine dysplasia, are there other health issues that are bothering your pet?
Is the hip condition the only problem? If so, can you find a way to cope with it and keep your dog around for the foreseeable future?
How Uncomfortable is Your Dog?
Is your dog in a lot of pain? Does it seem like it is agony for the dog to live anything like a normal life?
Can the pain be managed with medication and other treatments such as diet, massage, or electric heating mats?
How is Your Dog’s Mental Capacity?
Is your dog mentally clear? Or are they scared and confused a lot of the time?
When to Make the Decision to Put Down Your Dog?
Discussing it With Your Vet
With any serious health concerns, including hip dysplasia and the question of euthanasia, it is essential that your talk things over with your vet and listen to their advice.
You need to know what they think of the dog’s condition, how much worse it will get, how long will it take to worsen.
Also, what they think of when is the best time to put him or her down.
But the final decision is yours. Some vets might be a bit too quick to recommend euthanasia. It is a clinical matter for them, but for you, this is a member of your family!
(BTW – This post on how to lift a dog with hip dysplasia might also be useful for you to read).
Continual Evaluation of Your Dog’s Well Being
As the owner of your dog, you are the only person that can make the final decision.
Obviously, we hope you can find ways to keep your pet dog living a reasonably happy, reasonably healthy life for as long as possible.
If you continually evaluate your dog’s overall life quality, you will know when their life is still worth living.
We wish you nothing but the best for you and your dog.
