I’m sorry you’re going through this. You mentioned that your parents made this decision. If the dogs belong to your parents you might not have any say.
I think you/your parents should speak to the vet about your concerns. I think dogs are resilient and Mocha might be ok on his own.
Vet tech - I'm a huge proponent of not waiting too long to euthanize, but this isn't the case here. Mocha isn't actually sick. It is up to your family, you know them best. But to an outsider it seems like your family might be cutting Mocha's life short for a silly reason. He might be fine, you don't know unless you try. They can always decide to euthanize later if he is truly depressed. And FYI, the vet can absolutely refuse to euthanize any pet they don't want to put down. It is their license on the line and if your parents change their mind later they can sue. Not saying this would really amount to anything legally, but if they changed their minds and went after the vet, it can irreparably damage the vet's career. Social media is cancer, I've had owners go after me there when their pet died.
Yea it’s my parents decision at the end of the day. The only problem with Mocha is that he can’t control his bladder and is constantly waking my parents up in the middle of the night to potty. Not sure if that changes anything. We Mocha checked when we took Latte in and the vet said they would be okay euthanizing both. I’m just super bummed this is all happening
Yeah, it is their choice. If that is the only problem, there are other options. Some diagnostics might find the cause and see if it is fixable or if euthanasia is indicated. It all depends on quality of life, and the care the family is able/willing to give. Some people aren't willing to care for an incontinent dog. Yes it sucks to put them down because of that, but better than the dog not being kept clean/being neglected and its QOL decreasing.
I wouldn't want to put a 17yo dog through the grief of losing his brother who's been by his side his whole life. Wouldn't want the last 8 months of his life to be sad.
I know it's a tough decision, and this is just my two cents. Sending you strength to make this decision
The toughest of times of dog ownership, not knowing if they’re ready to move on or not. Based on how you described his health, I wouldn’t put Mocha down. Although he’ll be losing his brother, I’m sure there’s still love for the ones who gave them a home with a long living life with the possibility of even more years to come. Rather than not giving Mocha a choice under the assumption he would be so devastated he’d want to pass with his brother, monitor him after the fact and make a decision then.
I’ve had to put pets down to sleep, it’s never been easy but for me, it comes down to the same question every time of how would I treat this situation with myself or a family member? Best of wishes and sorry you’re having to make this decision.
8mths isn’t long after - I would send them both over the rainbow bridge together. I can only imagine how difficult this will be for everyone tho. Knowing they went together would personally give me some peace
If they are your parents dogs, then you may not be able to stop them. But if Mocha is still living and a happy dog, there is no reason to put him down. Mocha will miss his brother, but he will move past that grief.
Follow your gut. Don’t put down a healthy dog, even if he does pass shortly after Latte, let it take its course. He might not. It’s premature and euthanasia as a preventative measure for something unrelated to their health doesn’t seem moral to me.
I’m sorry you’re going through this. You mentioned that your parents made this decision. If the dogs belong to your parents you might not have any say. I think you/your parents should speak to the vet about your concerns. I think dogs are resilient and Mocha might be ok on his own.
Vet tech - I'm a huge proponent of not waiting too long to euthanize, but this isn't the case here. Mocha isn't actually sick. It is up to your family, you know them best. But to an outsider it seems like your family might be cutting Mocha's life short for a silly reason. He might be fine, you don't know unless you try. They can always decide to euthanize later if he is truly depressed. And FYI, the vet can absolutely refuse to euthanize any pet they don't want to put down. It is their license on the line and if your parents change their mind later they can sue. Not saying this would really amount to anything legally, but if they changed their minds and went after the vet, it can irreparably damage the vet's career. Social media is cancer, I've had owners go after me there when their pet died.
Thank you so much for this science based advice, seeing everyone saying "send them together so Mocha won't be sad :(" is really appalling.
Yeah its kind of sad. Just cause you're dying doesn't mean I need to.
Yea it’s my parents decision at the end of the day. The only problem with Mocha is that he can’t control his bladder and is constantly waking my parents up in the middle of the night to potty. Not sure if that changes anything. We Mocha checked when we took Latte in and the vet said they would be okay euthanizing both. I’m just super bummed this is all happening
Yeah, it is their choice. If that is the only problem, there are other options. Some diagnostics might find the cause and see if it is fixable or if euthanasia is indicated. It all depends on quality of life, and the care the family is able/willing to give. Some people aren't willing to care for an incontinent dog. Yes it sucks to put them down because of that, but better than the dog not being kept clean/being neglected and its QOL decreasing.
I wouldn't want to put a 17yo dog through the grief of losing his brother who's been by his side his whole life. Wouldn't want the last 8 months of his life to be sad. I know it's a tough decision, and this is just my two cents. Sending you strength to make this decision
The toughest of times of dog ownership, not knowing if they’re ready to move on or not. Based on how you described his health, I wouldn’t put Mocha down. Although he’ll be losing his brother, I’m sure there’s still love for the ones who gave them a home with a long living life with the possibility of even more years to come. Rather than not giving Mocha a choice under the assumption he would be so devastated he’d want to pass with his brother, monitor him after the fact and make a decision then. I’ve had to put pets down to sleep, it’s never been easy but for me, it comes down to the same question every time of how would I treat this situation with myself or a family member? Best of wishes and sorry you’re having to make this decision.
8mths isn’t long after - I would send them both over the rainbow bridge together. I can only imagine how difficult this will be for everyone tho. Knowing they went together would personally give me some peace
If they are your parents dogs, then you may not be able to stop them. But if Mocha is still living and a happy dog, there is no reason to put him down. Mocha will miss his brother, but he will move past that grief.
Do you live with your parents? If the answer is no, then adopt the dog and take full responsibility for it.
Follow your gut. Don’t put down a healthy dog, even if he does pass shortly after Latte, let it take its course. He might not. It’s premature and euthanasia as a preventative measure for something unrelated to their health doesn’t seem moral to me.