makes you think.
Took old Murphy to vets .He is a 20 year old paterdale terrier yes 20 .Blind ,deaf and shakes but has the heart of a lion and a stare that brake your heart .
He was a little more slow than usal so thought have him looked at .Was informed he was a legend oldest dog on his books .No problem just old age as long as he can control his functions is not in pain and has a quality of life all ok .Then he said we have to think of the little fellows dignity and show respect .If he loses his quality of life we will.spoil him a little and say goodbye . I agree with this totally.
So why do some of my dear friends pay £1000.00 to £1200 a week to see their loved ones kept in a home .With little dignity and respect .Makes me think we in England do lover our animals more than people .
Sorry if I upset anyone it’s just my way of thinking and a hurt that I have experienced.
Thank you Shan, great blog and your dog sounds wonderful.
I have a little old dog ,Sammy ,who at 16 he has passed the life expectancy for his raze of 12 to 14 years . He’s almost blind and collects all this gunk in his eyes that need to be cleaned out daily . He has only a few teeth and and suffers from arthritis . We need to take him outside to do his business or he does it inside. Either because he doesn’t remember or see ( or a bit of both ) where to go ,or he just couldn’t be bothered to go out by himself .
It’s winter here at this end of the world ,so we keep a heater running 24/7 just for him . He has good food , acupuncture treatment for his arthritis ,and we mop the floor and clean his mess without complaining , we get up at night to get him out when he gets stuck between the furniture ,and of course we leave the lights on all night to help him make the most of his poor sight. Other than that he’s ok ,he has good appetite ,he’s mobile and has a reasonable good life.
Sometimes I wonder …but …I can’t put him down ,just because he’s old !
Now , if we do all that for a dog ,why can’t we do that for our parents and grandparents ,who gave life to us ,raised us, educated us loved us ?
It does make you think !
Sorry about the word raze , please ignore ,I don’t know where it came from ! was meant to say type of dog …lol.
Hello Shan,your question is easily answered………..we are not in a position to decide when others should have there suffering ended,we cannot choose when our own suffering should end,and until euthanasia is made legal this sad state of affairs will continue………unless of course you have plenty of pennies to get yourself out to a country that will enable you to take your own life,until then the suffering continues……..
starlite, you described the US situation as well.
A good blog and a discussion, I agree with both of you. I wish we had more choices in our older years. We are supposed to wait for a natural death but if we get near a hospital, they will do operations and procedures even if the condition is not life threatening.
Acupuncture for a dog. Maybe it would work for humans.
Acupuncture does work for many people Rose,but unfortunately because of the cutbacks in our heath service funding, acupuncture has ceased in many of our clinics…
It is not used here and never has been except by Chinese practitioners. No insurance covers acupuncture and never has. Very interesting.
Acupuncture and Bowen therapy helped my dog heaps ! He was crippled with arthritis to the extent that he couldn’t get himself up from the floor …he couldn’t walk properly and used to fall a lot ,and wherever he fell ,there he stayed until we picked him up . Now he walks ,he doesn’t fall anymore , he gets up from the floor by himself and even runs ,specially when he smells his food ! 🙂
Thank you nmod. I learn a lot here.
I used to get acupunture in Boston ,Rose…Done by an african/ american…..It seemed to work too,,,but whether it was the placebo effect or not, I dont know. 🙂
Did you pay for it or was it covered by your insurance?
Hi Shan,I hope Murphy remains well and healthy,he no doubt has a good master and also any extra care he needs remains within your capabilities to continue loving your pet.
care and love keeps our pets alive Shan, pleased you are so kind to your dog , they are such wonderful pets….
My Federal Government Blue Cross Blue Shield covers acupuncture in many states,,, It is widely used,, Though it may not work for everyone,, It does help some what with my Ankylosing Spondilitis. Was not to sure at first if it were a good or bad idea when I went for my first appointment,,, Only over time it did have some decent qualities that improved my daily excursions,, Just thought I would mention is all.
My sister’s little dog is 12 and has severe cataracts. My mom keeps saying she should be put down because she can’t see. I had to remind her that my dad was blind for the last 30 years of his life and I don’t once remember her saying we should put him down. LOL. Wendy is healthy and happy and knows the house and yard and how to get around on her own. If a pet is suffering, I totally agree that they should be relieved of their pain and have their suffering stopped. But other than that, pet parents took the responsibility to meet their fur babies needs.