Hi. My gorgeous boy is 6 and a half and although we’ve known about his left paw elbow dysplasia since he was 1, we’ve been able to manage it. However he had a huge op on his back left paw after an Achilles injury so he’s now really struggling. He’s on every medication going - gabapentin, galiprant, librella injections and paracetamol. My vet said today we need to think about him not being around much longer. I’m heartbroken - surely there’s something more we can do for him. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated
Hi Maureen. I'm so sorry to hear your boy is struggling so much. How awful for you. It's always okay to seek a second opinion, if you feel there may be options your usual vet isn't aware of our hasn't explored. You could ask your vet about referring you to a joint specialist perhaps, or ask for local recommendations for another vet to speak to. It sounds like your vet is suggesting you consider euthanasia, at some point going forward. If so, it's really important that you feel confident that other avenues have been ruled out, before making that decision. And it's okay to ask for input from another vet, and more time and answers from your own vet, to help you have that confidence. You need to be able to feel at peace with your choice, whatever you decide to do. Pippa has an article on 'when to say goodbye' here, that you might find helpful. It also might help you to ask more about what improvement can be expected as the back left paw recovers from the op. And whether things are likely to stay as they are, improve, or get worse. Seeing our dogs in pain is so hard - I'm sorry you're going through this.
Thanks for your feedback, his back leg operation wasn’t truly successful either. How it is right now is as good as it’s going to be But you’re right, I need to get a second opinion.
Poor lad - it sounds like he's had a hard time. Do let us know how the second opinion goes - we are here if you'd like any support with your next steps ❤️
