thePITman;766340 wrote:Last weekend I was visiting my parents, and my mother told me that our 16-year old yellow lab Max's condition has gotten worse. His hips are very bad and can hardly go up/down stairs or stand for short periods of time. I just heard from my dad that we are going to have to put him down either this weekend or early next week. He's 16, and I'm 24, so he has been a very important part of my life for as long as I can remember. This sucks! He's my buddy. Love you Max.

Thread Bomber;766499 wrote:These are pretty weak for put downs.

se-alum;766698 wrote:I've had to put down quite a few dogs in my day, it's never easy, unless you have a scope on your gun.

thePITman;766914 wrote:Tonight I went over to my parents' house to see Max. He is MUCH worse than he was last Sunday when I was there, and MUCH worse than I thought he'd be. When I came in the house, he just turned his head a little bit, and the only movement I saw were his eyes and eyebrows. His whole right side - both legs - look they're completely numb without any feeling. My dad says he has to carry Max everywhere - upstairs, downstairs, outside to the potty, back inside, and has to pick him up after he falls down when trying to walk or starting to move. He can hardly stand on his own feet for 5 seconds without turning into one of those big 4-legged machines in Star Wars that topple over eventually. I had to hold under his rips/chest and basically move his feet, since his feet were getting crossed and couldn't straighten them up himself at all. I took him outside to let him walk on the grass, but even then I had to carry/support him everywhere. He started to pee and would have been all over himself had I not caught him and straightened him up. When done, we took him to lay down on his comfy couch/bed.

He doesn't seem to be in pain at all, which is a relief. No whimpering, barking or flinching (too much). He just seems frustrated that he can't use some of his legs. He is completely dependent upon my dad to move him around, which is so sad to see. I hope when I kissed him goodbye tonight that it was not the last time I'll see him. My parents said they're thinking of making the decision Sunday as to what day to put him down, so it might be early next week. They also said they're thinking of spending the extra $35 to have the vet do the service at their house.

I'll keep you updated.

LJ;766941 wrote:Just a market survey.... how many people would use the service of the vet coming to your house to put your pet to sleep when the time came?

We have decided to take care of Max today. Sorry about the timing, but he is just getting worse and we want to take care of it before Keira (my niece, their granddaughter) shows up tonight. I don’t know for sure what time because your mom is calling them this morning and I’m going to meet them at the house.

thePITman;767208 wrote:I just got into work and had an email from my dad:

I was hoping to see Max one last time, but it sounds like last night was "goodbye". I'm gonna miss him.