received some bad news today... need some support

[Thor Von Clemson]

A few weeks ago, we took our 9 month old puppy in to get him fixed and have some other work done to him.. he has cherry eye in both eyes and they fixed it. They gave us a few different meds for him and everything was great. He did not pee anywhere for a while, he was calm, etc, etc.

A few weeks pass and he starts peeing EVERYWHERE.. I mean everywhere fellas. Often times, he will be walking around outside and he'll start to pee on himself without even knowing it. In the past, if he pee'd in the house he'd do it somewhere where he has done it before. Now he just pees everywhere randomly.

I figured ok, he has a bladder infection because he has had a lot of them before so we took him into the vet today. Again, he is a 9 month old puppy. He is super cute, has a wonderful personality, and acts perfectly healthy. Well, the vet said that he has a very hard/firm bladder and while he does have a bladder infection, the fact that he has been on so many meds for it before and he keeps getting it led the vet to believe that there are some other serious problems. We are waiting on some culture results from the local University but judging by how much pain, money, and time this has caused our puppy and cost us, we are getting ready for the worst.

The vet said that she does not expect good results.

The worst part about it is, he was our christmas gift to each other. He has since become a large part of our family. I don't care about the fact that we've spent more than the cost of a new usa Jackson on meds for him in the past 7 months but with all the various health problems he has been having (he had one testicle, he has cherry eye in both eyes, he has hip displagia (sp?), and now he has this recurring bladder problem), I kind of feel like we got hosed by the breeder.. what should I pursue if anything?

Like I said, I am almost 90% sure we will have to put him down so any support would be great. My wife and I are handling this the best that we can. We keep telling ourselves that he is just a puppy, he is not a human child or anything and we should be happy for the time we have spent together with him. I think the initial shock was just the hardest to deal with. There IS still a small chance he can be cured of whatever is causing his bladder problems but if it is going to cost so many more thousands of dollars, we are thinking we will consider other methods.

Buddy has been a great puppy, and regardless of what happens he will always be in our memories.... do puppies go to puppy heaven?

[OnlineStageGear]

That sucks. Pets quickly become a part of the family and a lot of the time are liked more than some family members. God bless, and ya, they go to puppy heaven.

[Nuclear Vampire]

Dude, that's really shitty. My kids are playoing with our dog as I type this and I don't know how they (or I) will react if he gets sick and has to be put down.

All I can offer is be strong and do what you can to make the puppy comfortable. Mojo coming your way.

[Inazone]

I'm not a "dog person" and don't know what sort of guarantee (if any) you get from a breeder, but that sounds like an awful lot of issues for a puppy to have. If anything, I would have expected the opposite - perfect health on a purebred puppy vs. an adopted Humane Society pet of unknown background - and would suggest that you at the very least contact the breeder.

As far as losing a pet to that sort of ailment, I can relate. I raised my cat Weasel (RIP) from a month old. He was a runt when I got him and never grew very big, but was generally very well behaved. He started peeing in strange places, sleeping in cupboards, and just acting very sluggish. By the time we brought him to the vet, he had very advanced kidney failure, and weighed four pounds. The only thing we would have been able to do would be to give him numerous shots every day to keep his kidney functioning. It was literally either that or a kidney transplant, which was NOT an option. He was seven years old, which isn't really much for a cat, and still seemed like a kitten to me, being the same size as when he was around one year.

Some people can't relate, and did not see it as a big deal, but euthanizing my cat was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. A person can tell you if they're in pain, and you can discuss what to do about it, but you can't explain to an animal why they need shots or pills. Whether you try to treat your puppy's bladder problems or not, you will second-guess yourself for a long time, which is unavoidable. I hate to use the term "quality of life" for something like this, but you need to think of both yourselves AND your puppy. Doing anything to treat his ailment without actually curing it is going to make his health a part of your daily life, and you will always be thinking about it. At some point, you will have spent more time agonizing over "doing the right thing" than enjoying your pet's company.

I can really sympathize, and hope you can reach an outcome that is as easy as possible on everyone.

[jgcable]

That sucks. Pets quickly become a part of the family and a lot of the time are liked more than some family members. God bless, and ya, they go to puppy heaven.

They do go to puppy heaven and I am sure he has had a great life with you. Do yourself a favor and if he passes.. think about all the good times you had with him and go get yourself another "Buddy"

[Cleveland Metal]

Well, sorry to hear of this stuff. Terribly sad, and I'm a big dog person going back some 30 some years. I know the loss, I assure you. But, don't give up yet. There is a lot they can do...

Buddy has been a great puppy, and regardless of what happens he will always be in our memories.... do puppies go to puppy heaven?

Unkown author....

Just this side of Heaven, is a place called Rainbow Bridge...

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

[guitarsjb]

I hope you get some good news. You are in my thoughts. Animals are family and you love Buddy very much I'm sure. It's hard losing a loved one, even if they are 4 legged. I know you will make the best decision for you and Buddy. Think of all of the good times.

John, that Rainbow Bridge piece always makes me cry..but thanks for posting it.

[UFORocks]

That's sad news. Animals quickly become a part of the family and it's hard when you have to put one down. My wife and I are cat people, mostly because we live in a condo, and we each bought the other a cat as a wedding gift. I love 'em both and I can't imagine coming home to a place without them there.

Good luck to you... I hope it works out for the best.

Steve.

[Thor Von Clemson]

I think the hardest part has been the initial shock. I have a lot of mixed emotions running through my right now..

I guess we are expecting the worst but hoping for the best. If it is something that he has to take a pill for the rest of his life, I can live with that but if it is something more than that or some kind of major surgery, we really have to consider putting him down. If it is something major, surgery or some other drastic daily thing would really just be buying him more time. The Vet did say he was not suffering much but still.

He is laying quietly next to me now. I mentioned earlier that he is a great puppy with a great personality, super cute, etc but a lot of puppies are cute, have great personalities, etc.... raising them well has a lot to do with it. I am by NO MEANS giving up hope on Buddy but I'm just saying...

I am trying to tell myself that I am not too attached to him. I love him dearly but well.. I hope you guys know what I am trying to say. We would probably wait a few weeks to see what it is like to not have a puppy then we'd possibly consider getting another one... Buddy is definately not replaceable but having the companionship of a dog is something that any well tempered, well raised, and cute puppy can offer to us. When the the timing is right, we will know what to do.

[FusionFarmer]

unfortunatly the more you love something or someone the harder it is when you lose em. Just remember that the pain you are going through is what makes us realize that we are truly living and loving the way we should, its far better to have had the joy however short and endure the pain of loss than to never have experienced either. enjoy him while you can. my heart goes out to you and Buddy

[AlexL]

Our dachshund Gibson had a cough as a puppy, and after our local vet couldn't cure it with various meds, he referred us to the U of M vet clinic.

They came back with a poor prognosis; he won't last a year.

Well, he did. In fact, he lived to be 14. We put him to sleep a little over a year ago, as his age finally caught up with him.

Putting him down was the hardest thing I had ever done as well. I was with him the whole time, and was talking to him and petting him as he passed on. I kept it together, and then the vet and my dad (who came with me for support) left me alone with Gibson so I could have a little private time with him before we took him away, and I broke down and cried like a little girl. He was a huge part of our family, as my wife and I had him for 7 years before we had any kids of our own. I still have sad times when I think of him no longer being with us. It's part of the circle of life, but it sucks all the same.

One thing that helped me through it was a post I made here on the forum about it, and all of the support I got from my friends here.

And BTW, most breeders will offer a health guarantee, but you know as well as I do that if you bring a terminally ill pet back to the breeder, they are going to put it down. I would rather take care of that myself so the dog isn't with strangers when it happens. That would make me feel better than getting a few hundred dollars back as a refund and leaving them to put him down.

I'm sorry to hear this, Zak. I have been there. Throwing positive vibes your way. Hopefully their wrong about buddy, just like they were wrong about Gibson.


- Eric

[Thor Von Clemson]

Eric

The breeder did offer a health gaurantee but he would want him back... There is NO WAY I am giving Buddy back to the breeder. If he has to be put down, he will have his family with him.

We are basically waiting to hear back from the vet regarding the culture results. Vet said that once it comes back, if the results are serious we will be going to the U of M to have them do various tests. I hate to say it, but at that point it comes down to a matter of costs... if it is only a few hundred dollars or even up to a grand, I'll gladly do what it takes to pay it but if it gets to be much more than that, I dunno... is that bad?

BTW, what was your experience like at the U?

[Joe_Steeler]

Damn dude this is hard to hear.
Pets, in general, give unconditional love. They don't expect Mother's or Father's day presents, Christmas, Birthdays or Halloween.
All they ask from you is some belly scratch time, a rub in the head and some food.
Hopefully you will receive good news, keep your hopes up.

[atomic charvel guy]

We live in a beautiful but imperfect world, and nothing I can say helps at all but I'm sorry about your little dude, I love dogs and miss mine like hell. I think my ex has taught her to hate me it's been so long. You'll get through this , and move on although you would rather not, I understand. Take care in each other over it.

[Thor Von Clemson]

I talked to my wife a little longer. We are just going to wait for the pee culture to come back. If there is anything we can do within reason to keep him alive, we will do it. I will gladly cut down and sacrifice anything it takes if it means him living a longer life.

If it is going to get too costly or we will not be able to stop his peeing, we will probably put him down..