Did my dad make the right decision of putting the family dog down?

Fifteen years is a good age for your average healthy, well-fed and well cared-for mutt. Pedigree dogs are often prone to health issues of various sorts which make their average lifespan a fraction of that (as well as making their lives miserable), and there aren't many pure-breeds that can be expected to live that long.

I recently read an article by a British vet who talked about why some of the decisions made by the owners of ill dogs made him uncomfortable, not because they asked for dogs to be euthanised when they had a good chance of happily living for at least a few more years if they received some treatment, but rather because some owners choose to inflict invasive and sometimes painful procedures on their pets just to keep them going for a little longer. He feels that his professional ethics require him to explain all the possible options to the owners, but he feels that some owners give far less attention to the dog's quality of life than they should. He didn't actually use the term, but I consider it very selfish for a pet owner to keep an animal staggering along from day to day, often in pain, just because they refuse to accept reality and refuse to accept responsibility for allowing the animal to go in a painless way.

Like all animals, dogs live in the moment. Unlike people, they don't feel a need to cling on to life to make it to some milestone that's important to them which makes the cost, pain and sheer hassle of serious medical interventions worthwhile. Presumably, your dog soldiered on doing the best he could as the years, some progressive malady or just wear and tear on his body made doing just about anything increasingly uncomfortable for him, then one day he was taken to the vet again, something was done which made all the pain fade away, and that was that. Your father's regret and guilt is understandable, but what he did was what any caring, responsible owner would do for an animal when, all things taken into account, the only alternative was to allow the animal to continue to suffer until some natural crisis killed it.

Presuming the dog truly was suffering and nothing could be done then yes 100% I know if I was suffering and unable to end it and unable to fix it I'd want someone to put me down for me.

What breed of dog are you talking about? What was going on with the dog? Fifteen is considered a geriatric dog.

Yes he did make the correct decision.

Without knowing all of the details, it's impossible to say exactly for certain, but I think that at 15+ years old and having been suffering from an ailment for awhile, it was most likely the right decision. There's a saying regarding putting down animals, "Better a day too soon than a day too late". I completely believe this and have unfortunately seen the "day too late" scenarios way too many times, and it's much worse than letting them go before it gets to that point.

It's important to remember that animals don't think about the future or longevity of life, but they live in the moment and they do feel pain.

I also think that in most cases, senior animals have a much tougher time recovering from ailments and health conditions, and typically once they start going downhill (especially from age-related issues), they won't ever be better again. 15 years is a long life for a dog and I don't think he was shortchanged at all even if he could've had a short while longer. In my opinion, it's better that his suffering ended sooner, especially if it was not clear if there was anything that could be done.

I've had tons of various animals throughout my life, including cats, dogs, and horses, and have unfortunately had to make this decision a lot. I can safely say that I never regretted letting one go too soon, but there are a couple of times I wish I would've made the decision sooner, and I do have regrets there. It's extremely hard when there are options you *can* try, but will likely ultimately only extend the animal's suffering in the end.

I'm very sorry for you and your dad's loss. I don't think he made the wrong decision. It sounds like the dog lived a great long life and was loved.

15 year old dog? Yeah that's when all the bodily functions start to go down the drain including the brain.

It's hard to know if the dog was actually suffering because I did not see the dog.

But, 15 years for a dog is in the typical range when dogs do indeed have problems and start to suffer from various old age related issues.

I grew up with dogs, and remember when 3 of them were put down (and we buried them in the back yard).

I've also had the experience of visiting and old friend... and telling him that his dog that he loves do much was really suffering (and pointed out the signs). He had not realized that (living in denial) and promptly had the dog put down and got a new puppy.

It's most likely that your dad was right.

It's a loss when a long time family pet passes on. I feel for you...

The vets tend to recommend it too soon in my opinion

I disagree with putting animals down.