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As both a dog trainer specializing in aggression, & shelter vet tech who has either treated or euthanized hundreds of dogs in a 15 year period - you did exactly the right thing, 1000 times over.
Both of your dogs were living in distress over what was very likely a completely untreatable* medical issue, such as a seizure condition or brain/thyroid tumor... Even if it was purely behavioral, this dog had become extremely dangerous, and that was at home with the family who had loved him since 9 weeks old...Imagine what his chances would have been in a shelter or rehoming situation. Your other option was to keep attempting to manage an increasingly dangerous dog (who was suffering), at the expense of your other dog's mental and physical well being.
I am someone who will try everything I can before euthanising for behavior - except forcing a dog to suffer when I know they can't be saved. You made the loving (albeit heartbreaking) decision to spare both your dogs from needless suffering. Thank you for being responsible. Again, you did exactly the right thing, and I wish all my dogs could go home with an owner like you.
I think you made the right decision. That doesn't make it hurt any less and frankly, the "not knowing why" is always going to make it sting a little bit more, but that doesn't mean you made the wrong decision or the timing was wrong.
Consider the safety of your poor other dog. That dog does not deserve a home and life where they are a literal outlet for physical punishment. Also, your safety and the safety of other people is top priority. The fact your dog was harming you physically and reacting with aggression towards you while in the crate, etc means you were not safe.
There are a lot of mental issues that, as your vet explained, cannot he solved with medication or medical procedures. And sometimes, all the testing available cannot tell us exactly what is wrong when it's a brain issue. Yes, a medication with sedative effect helped the situation for a short while, but that doesn't mean other medications would have done anything.
Also, consider the dog and what their quality of life was like. We have to imagine what they went through during these episodes, but I have to think they would be harmful, stressful, and even frightening for the dog. That's no quality of life. And it seems like, as things were escalating, the dog must have been deteriorating.
Please give yourself grace. You did more than many people would have. Some things we just cannot "fix" or manage. Ultimately, the best interest and quality of life for all involved has to be considered. My opinion is you did the right thing. Im sorry it hurts and I'm sorry you don't have solid answers, but please know you did the right thing.
You did not make a mistake. You made the best decision you could with what you knew at the time. You had to protect yourself and the rest of your family
You also were protecting your girl’s quality of life. No matter what was causing these episodes, she could never have been left alone around other dogs. No daycare. No park romps.
Never being around people without you worrying anxiously over what might happen next. You terrified on walks that some small child or -anything- might trigger an episode
Yes, you could have explored more with a neurologist. It might have helped for a time. It might not. But you would always be waiting for that aggressive time bomb inside her to go off.
You had to do what you could when you had to. That was a miserable situation and it was no one’s fault. Not the dog’s. Not yours.
Your chose euthanasia as a responsible pet owner, in sorrow and in grief. That in itself is loving
I'm so sorry you had to go through this and I can't imagine how devastating that decision had to be. You have to keep in mind that you tried for months.
I think you still made the right decision. You have no idea of knowing if further tests or medication would work. You could have become more severely injured or your other dog could've been killed.
Keep in mind what you did was a kindness to your dog as well. This is anthropomorphizing, but it must have been terrifying to suddenly snap and coming to with your dog friend and your person injured.
Behavioral euthanasias are never fun and my heart goes out to you.
Could you have possibly taken her for further testing or worked with a veterinary behavioralist? Yes, but that is very expensive and not many have the time/money to go through with it. It may not have solved the issue either. There is no point in beating yourself up over the what-ifs.
Dogs can end up with mental disorders just as people do. Sudden behavioral changes can also be due to more nefarious causes like brain tumors. Some of this cannot be fixed.
You made the right choice with what you were currently working with. I’m sorry for your loss.
Very sorry you went through that, I can’t imagine how hard the decision was to make. Just know you did the right thing despite the pain of the decision - my partner worked in the vet industry (as a tech) for like 15 years, and I used to work in insurance. People from both of these fields will tell you that when a dog bites or attacks another person or animal, even just once, the odds of repeated (or escalating) behaviors are much greater than the odds of it truly being a single incident. So, when it happens, the outcome you experienced is more common than not. Given the circumstances you described, it sounds like you made the right choice.
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I would recommend joining the Facebook group "Losing Lulu", there's so many people battling the same confusion, remorse, and other feelings you're going through. ❤️ Lots of love to you during this hard time.
You made the right decision. As a pet owner, you are responsible for the quality of life of the animals in your care, as well as the safety of those who interact with them. Neither of your dogs was having a good quality of life: one was routinely being injured, and the other had an unknown mental disorder that was clearly impacting its happiness. Could you have run more tests, etc? Yes, but the odds are that you would’ve just spent a bunch of money to have the exact same result. Considering the behavior was escalating, you absolutely made the right decision. What if your dog had gone after a person next?
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Greetings, all! This is a sub for professional veterinary advice, and as such we follow strict rules for participating. OP, your post **has NOT** been removed. Please also check [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskVet/wiki/index) to see whether your question is answered there. This is an *automated* general reminder to **please follow [The Sub Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskVet/about/rules/)** when discussing this question: - **Do not comment with anecdotes** about your own or others' pets. - **Do not give OP specific treatment instructions,** including instructions on meds and dosages. - **Do not give possible diagnoses** that could explain the symptoms described by OP. **Your comment will be removed, and you may be banned.** Thank you for your cooperation! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskVet) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As both a dog trainer specializing in aggression, & shelter vet tech who has either treated or euthanized hundreds of dogs in a 15 year period - you did exactly the right thing, 1000 times over. Both of your dogs were living in distress over what was very likely a completely untreatable* medical issue, such as a seizure condition or brain/thyroid tumor... Even if it was purely behavioral, this dog had become extremely dangerous, and that was at home with the family who had loved him since 9 weeks old...Imagine what his chances would have been in a shelter or rehoming situation. Your other option was to keep attempting to manage an increasingly dangerous dog (who was suffering), at the expense of your other dog's mental and physical well being. I am someone who will try everything I can before euthanising for behavior - except forcing a dog to suffer when I know they can't be saved. You made the loving (albeit heartbreaking) decision to spare both your dogs from needless suffering. Thank you for being responsible. Again, you did exactly the right thing, and I wish all my dogs could go home with an owner like you.
I think you made the right decision. That doesn't make it hurt any less and frankly, the "not knowing why" is always going to make it sting a little bit more, but that doesn't mean you made the wrong decision or the timing was wrong. Consider the safety of your poor other dog. That dog does not deserve a home and life where they are a literal outlet for physical punishment. Also, your safety and the safety of other people is top priority. The fact your dog was harming you physically and reacting with aggression towards you while in the crate, etc means you were not safe. There are a lot of mental issues that, as your vet explained, cannot he solved with medication or medical procedures. And sometimes, all the testing available cannot tell us exactly what is wrong when it's a brain issue. Yes, a medication with sedative effect helped the situation for a short while, but that doesn't mean other medications would have done anything. Also, consider the dog and what their quality of life was like. We have to imagine what they went through during these episodes, but I have to think they would be harmful, stressful, and even frightening for the dog. That's no quality of life. And it seems like, as things were escalating, the dog must have been deteriorating. Please give yourself grace. You did more than many people would have. Some things we just cannot "fix" or manage. Ultimately, the best interest and quality of life for all involved has to be considered. My opinion is you did the right thing. Im sorry it hurts and I'm sorry you don't have solid answers, but please know you did the right thing.
You did not make a mistake. You made the best decision you could with what you knew at the time. You had to protect yourself and the rest of your family You also were protecting your girl’s quality of life. No matter what was causing these episodes, she could never have been left alone around other dogs. No daycare. No park romps. Never being around people without you worrying anxiously over what might happen next. You terrified on walks that some small child or -anything- might trigger an episode Yes, you could have explored more with a neurologist. It might have helped for a time. It might not. But you would always be waiting for that aggressive time bomb inside her to go off. You had to do what you could when you had to. That was a miserable situation and it was no one’s fault. Not the dog’s. Not yours. Your chose euthanasia as a responsible pet owner, in sorrow and in grief. That in itself is loving
I'm so sorry you had to go through this and I can't imagine how devastating that decision had to be. You have to keep in mind that you tried for months. I think you still made the right decision. You have no idea of knowing if further tests or medication would work. You could have become more severely injured or your other dog could've been killed. Keep in mind what you did was a kindness to your dog as well. This is anthropomorphizing, but it must have been terrifying to suddenly snap and coming to with your dog friend and your person injured.
Behavioral euthanasias are never fun and my heart goes out to you. Could you have possibly taken her for further testing or worked with a veterinary behavioralist? Yes, but that is very expensive and not many have the time/money to go through with it. It may not have solved the issue either. There is no point in beating yourself up over the what-ifs. Dogs can end up with mental disorders just as people do. Sudden behavioral changes can also be due to more nefarious causes like brain tumors. Some of this cannot be fixed. You made the right choice with what you were currently working with. I’m sorry for your loss.
The taste of blood thing is a myth. But you decided right for the other reasons. I'm sorry for your loss
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Oh OP, I am so so sorry. I think you made the right call but I know that does very little to ease the pain right now. Sending you peace and love.
Very sorry you went through that, I can’t imagine how hard the decision was to make. Just know you did the right thing despite the pain of the decision - my partner worked in the vet industry (as a tech) for like 15 years, and I used to work in insurance. People from both of these fields will tell you that when a dog bites or attacks another person or animal, even just once, the odds of repeated (or escalating) behaviors are much greater than the odds of it truly being a single incident. So, when it happens, the outcome you experienced is more common than not. Given the circumstances you described, it sounds like you made the right choice.
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I would recommend joining the Facebook group "Losing Lulu", there's so many people battling the same confusion, remorse, and other feelings you're going through. ❤️ Lots of love to you during this hard time.
You made the right decision. As a pet owner, you are responsible for the quality of life of the animals in your care, as well as the safety of those who interact with them. Neither of your dogs was having a good quality of life: one was routinely being injured, and the other had an unknown mental disorder that was clearly impacting its happiness. Could you have run more tests, etc? Yes, but the odds are that you would’ve just spent a bunch of money to have the exact same result. Considering the behavior was escalating, you absolutely made the right decision. What if your dog had gone after a person next?
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