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Posted By: Sanchez Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 4:17pm
My friends dog, who I have personally known for a few years has suffered a stroke and its head leans to the side. Its pretty stuffed and looks like it hates life atm.

His parents are going away soon so do we take the opportunity to have the beast put down?
Posted By: missmahjong Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 4:26pm
Poor dog ,did'nt the vet say anythink about his quality of life. I personally would not go behind the owners backs, but I can see where your coming from .Keep us informed. thanks
Posted By: slinky4 Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 4:29pm
horrible situation to be in...what does the vet say?? what do the parents say,take it they are the owners of the dog?? its a heartbreaking situation to be in,having your pet put to sleep:(
Posted By: kenmo52 Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 4:35pm
You definitely need a Vets advice. At the end of the day if the poor dog is suffering then you need to think of the animal first, owners second. The Vet will advise you, it is a horrible thing to have to face, let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Posted By: Sanchez Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 7:03pm
Thanks guys, just a thought really to see how mind sets are about this kind of thing...
Posted By: venice Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 7:23pm
Its to your credit Sanchez that you obviously have the dogs best interests at heart ,but grief, I wouldn't want anyone to put my pet down without my permission because they judged it to be too miserable to live. How old is the pooch? Dogs like people, can recover from strokes,bit by bit. Certainly the head tilt and falling over can look awful at first - it all depends how badly affected they are , the age , the care they get etc.
It could be of course, that the dog has been this way for weeks and weeks now , with no improvement that youve noticed, or perhaps you're seeing its being kept outdoors, not being mollicoddled ,or no allowances being made for its indisposed state --maybe because the owners just dont realize or cant cope with the extra comfort and care thats necessary? What is your main worry over the dog? Is it mobile at all ? Enjoying its nosh?Are you concerned it may not get care when the parents go away? Apart from looking miserable , do you see it suffering in other ways? I presume the vet will have given a prognosis, so one presumes if the dog is still with us, that the owners have been told theres a reasonable chance of recovery?
ps. Glad I didnt have my OH put down after his stroke- he looked as miserable as sin and was part paralyzed -but was ok in two months lol.
Posted By: rocks Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 7:34pm
my dog had a stroke and couldnt walk for 2days and her behaviour change a lot, she wasnt like my dog, but within a couple of months she was back 100% to her old self so how long has the dog been like this?
Posted By: granny Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 7:34pm
Sanchez!! You wouldn't, would you?

In fact, I think the truth is that you can't.
As the dog is not your property, it is illegal to give it any form of medication, etc. without the owners consent.
That is what my vet told me recently, when next doors cats were needing attention and not getting it.
Posted By: venice Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 7:52pm
I think Granny that a vet could choose to medicate an animal if it was suffering, and the person in charge of that animal brought it in. On the other hand, unless the dog was REALLY REALLY desperately screaming or otherwise showing extreme pain,and had no chance of recovery, I dont think a vet would euthanize without the actual owners permission.
Posted By: boogaloo Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 8:09pm
omg. dont do it, firstly you haven't any right, secondly something so serious (a stroke) will take a long time to heal. he might look depressed now but in 6 months time when he's used to it he could be perfectly fine. if the dog was in pain and crying. whimpering all the time then yes maybe its best but not just because he looks depressed. sorry but very much against this. Its the owners or vets decision not yours xx
Posted By: CateJones Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 8:13pm
Oh no no no!!! How horrible would it be to come back from a holiday to find your friend had had your pet put down! The kindest thing, if you think the poor thing is suffering, is to speak to the owners and tell them to take him to the vet!
Posted By: Tilly Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 9th Jan 2013 8:18pm
at the end of the day it's not your call really is it.
my Auntie's dog suffered a stroke and still lived a good quality of life for some years after.
Posted By: daisy_kat Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 10th Jan 2013 3:15pm
I agree that this is NOT your decision to make, your friend may have been given advice from the vets without your knowledge. I would be devastated if someone did this to my dog behind my back. Talk to you friend or you could end up losing them.
Posted By: Sanchez Re: Is it cruel to be kind. - 10th Jan 2013 5:15pm
No final decisions, on my behalf, will be made. the dog is 11 going on 12 and smells of death so I don't really think she will go on to lead a better quality of life even if she does recover.

I am going to ignore any advise from a vet due to a previous experience when I took my own dog to be put down and she died on the vets table after he wanted to pump her full of 'life saving drugs'...£££££

Ultimately it isn't mine or my friends choice but some people (his parents) are too kind hearted to do the right thing as Kenmo52 says - the animal first, owners second..
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