what would you do?

IrishBeatDown · 05-15-2008, 09:04 PM

so heres the story...

i was looking at getting a dog, found an ad on craigslist advertising the sale of some American Staffordshire Terrier puppies... i contacted the person because i am one of the few people left who adores pitbulls. anyway i end up going to this ladies apartment... her filthy, disgusting 600 square foot apartment in which she lived with her boyfriend and her 3 pitbulls... i saw 3 22 inch rims in the corner of the room and said "nice wheels" she then informed me that her boyfriend bought them and the fourth one was still on layaway... it was at this point i noticed the bob marley poster and the ultraviolet glow coming from the closet...

now i am not saying there is anything wrong with this particular lifestyle... but it is NOT the environment for a puppy or dog to live in... so without reservation i offered her 150 dollars for one of the two dogs that was left and immediatly went home and posted an ad requesting someone rescue the other dog as well...

our puppy is tan with a a white stripe on her face, white paws and a white tip on her tail. she has green eyes and a red nose.

so our first night home i take her outside and she begins to poop, but her poop gets stuck halfway. i hold her still, grab a leaf and try to help her pass it but its HARD... i thought "well thats odd, poop shouldn't be this firm" it was also about 6 inches long and 1/4 inch thickwell eventually she got it out and i picked it up in the leaf and brought it inside, after rinsing off the object in the sink it became clear that her owners had allowed her to eat a hemp bracelet or anklet with beads!

she was 7 weeks old and was a little small for her age but i thought nothing of it, 2 weeks later i began to get concerned, she was growing but she looked kinda boney... took her to the vet and voiced my concern and we have undergone over 700 dollars in tests( i love this dog) so far we have determined that whatever is wrong with her it is not viral and it is not a blockage but she has some sort of intestinal abnormality and cannot properly digest food...

i have her ona medicated diet and i am giving her artificial digestive enzymes because her pancreas won't produce them naturally (this isn't cheap) and she isnt really showing any improvement... her skeleton grows and she gets taller, but she isn't putting on any weight.... to put it in perspective she is a 14 wk old pit who weighs 7 lbs...

so what would you do? keep testing her? let her suffer and keep medicating her in hopes she gets better? put her down and save the money, heartache and her suffering?

i am really at a point where i jsut don't know what to do... i love this dog to death and no one can tell me whats wrong with her...

thebluerider · 05-15-2008, 09:11 PM

If she is sufering, then you should put her down.

IrishBeatDown · 05-15-2008, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebluerider

If she is sufering, then you should put her down.

thats where i am torn... i don't know if she's suffering. she mostly just sleeps all day, you would too if you weren't getting any nutrition from your food, but then she wakes up and chases my cat and plays and wags her tail when i call her or take her to her obedience class, loves to walk and lick your face.... but she sleeps for about 19-20 hours a day.

rygrad · 05-15-2008, 09:21 PM

Tough one. I'd recommend waiting a little while longer. You've already invested this much. Set some sort of time line for decision making.

What was the vet's opinion on the dog btw? Did he/she say it could get better and how good those chances are?

rygrad · 05-15-2008, 09:22 PM

Tough one. I'd recommend waiting a little while longer. You've already invested this much. Set some sort of time line for decision making.

What was the vet's opinion on the dog btw? Did he/she say it could get better and how good those chances are?

FireBlood · 05-15-2008, 09:26 PM

IrishBeatDown

as someone who has spent countless dollars on my dogs, I feel your pain. This is a tough one. the most unfortunate thing about having a dog, is, chances are, you will outlive them...whether they are young or old. Your pups condition im sure has something to do with the place you bought her from the sound of it.
there are no easy answers, sorry.

Mrs Biohazard · 05-15-2008, 09:29 PM

Ask the vet what what he/she recommends. If you feel that she is suffering or if the vet does not see any improvement or think there will be, you should have her put down. I understand that you love the dog...I'm a HUGE dog-lover (don't be gross) myself, so I know that will be hard.

DrBdan · 05-15-2008, 09:30 PM

That's a tough situation and I definitely feel for you. Sadly, the bottom line is probably going to be money. If the condition can't be cured and you have to keep paying for medicine for the dog it could be quite expensive in the long run. Another thing to consider is the dog's quality of life which hopefully a vet could tell you more about.

thebluerider · 05-15-2008, 09:32 PM

My roomates dog just got diagnosed with intestinal cancer. She is 14 and has had a good life, but it is still shitty. It's strange to have her in the house, knowing that she will have to be put down soon.

IrishBeatDown · 05-15-2008, 09:43 PM

thanks for all the replies. as you probably know i am not going to base my decision on what a bunch of people i don't know on the internet think, but i needed to get it off my chest. my wife and i are really heartbroken over the whole situation. basically the vet has no idea what is wrong with her but thinks it could possibly be a problem with her pancreas which is why we have been putting her on the medicated diet... if thats not the case we are pretty much out of options and it becomes a waiting game... see if she gets better, see if she gets worse... if the diet works she should show great improvement very rapidly becuase her starved body will absorb every nutrient possible.

as for her current condition, and what the vet thinks...she is very different at the vet than at home... at home she sleeps. at the vet she is stimulated and wagging her tail and sniffing around and meeting other dogs and being a totally normal dog. so the vet doesn't know what she thinks about the situation yet, and has declined to give me any advice or timelines without a few weeks of observation on this new diet she started this week.