Question for Dog Lovers...

Took my 15 yr old male maltese to the vet to get dental screening done. They did some blood work first and found that Fluff has an inflamed liver. The numbers were very high for his liver. So, we did not do the dental screening since putting him to sleep for the screening was dangerous since his liver was inflamed. He is now on denamarin, to get the numbers down. I don't understand all of this. Other symptoms are: loss of hearing, loss of vision, stumbles sometimes when he walks, sleeps 85 % of the time. Doesn't bark much at all. Eats and drinks ok. This liver problem is all new to me. Wondering how much longer I will have my Fluff? In 3 weeks he goes back for more blood work to see if the numbers have gone down. If so, he can have his teeth cleaned. Oh, also he has a mouth full of abscessed teeth. He has a bad dog odor too. He is also on antibiotics for this. Do any of you know what I should expect in the months to come if the numbers do "not" come down? I don't want to sound insensitive but I don't have a lot of money to put into dog. I "do" love Fluff but again he is 15.3 years old. Any suggestions or insight on what to expect?

Sorry this isn't "maintenance" related but this is on my mind today. Thanks for any input. 

No advice but hope your Fluff is better soon!

What an adorable dog! I think your vet is the one best equipped to answer your questions about life expectancy for Fluff. 15.3 is a pretty good life for a dog and with the other health problems you have described along with the liver problems, only you can decide what measures make sense to take for his care at this point. I wish you the best in your decisions!

Paula

Putting a lot of money might just prolong his suffering. you'll know what's best when it's time. When I had to put my dog down, I took people who love him with me. come up with a plan so you don't eat through the pain. hugs G

Everything you write indicates that your Fluff is beginning his decline. This is not a bad or sad thing. It is what happens as dogs (and people) age. At some point the body starts to fade. It has worked hard for many years. With dogs, something eventually gives out. This is normal. Often in a dog of Fluff's age multiple things begin to weaken in concert.

Liver disease in older dogs is tough. Vets are taught to treat what they can treat and some don't consider quality of life. The trouble with liver disease is that it is often progressive - even with treatment. Because of my extensive background in dogs I have come to the conclusion that quality of life trumps quantity of life. If Fluff's liver disease isn't getting better through the prescribed therapy, I would suggest you speak to your vet about quality of life vs. using treatment to extend his life.

When we domesticated dogs we took on the responsibility of their lives and comfort because we took it away from them. Only you know your dog well enough to make a fair and just and kind decision for him. 

EDIT: It is possible that due to the significant periodontal disease his liver numbers are high. If the infection is calmed, the liver numbers may come down. A good thing would be to absolutely get him healthy enough to have those teeth cleaned and any that need to come out should. It is far better to be a toothless old dog than one with dental infection after dental infection. 

I was hoping you would respond since you are in the "dog" business. Thank you for commenting. Here is what I'm thinking, but not sure if it's a premature plan.

Fluff's symptoms:

15.3 yrs old, good heart beat, abscessed teeth, bad body odor, arthritis to the point he is unable to jump and walks slowly. He is able to still run at times. Sleeps most of day, and all night. Only gets up to eat, drink or potty. Sometimes he will lay in sun on porch. Loss of hearing, some vision loss. Stumbles ever once in a while when he starts off to walk. Not sure if he is sliding on my wooden floors or if this is a problem he is having. Enlarged liver with very high numbers.

Treatment: He is on antibiotics 2 x day for one week. Denamarin pill once day for 3-4 weeks. Go back for more blood work in 3-4 weeks to see if 

the numbers come down.

My tentative plan (your opinion please): If the numbers do not come down, talk to vet about putting Fluff down, to sleep. 

If the numbers come down, go ahead with the teeth cleaning and removal if needed and watch for more decline health. I am thinking, if he has liver

disease, go ahead and let him go by having him put to sleep. Am I being premature on my thinking? Am I heartless? I value your opinion. From your response, I am understanding the quality vs quantity of life. I just hope my vet feels this way. ??

I think your plan is logical - to a point.

To me, the day that you euthanize your beloved dog you must be able to know in your heart of hearts that you are doing what is right for the dog AND that it is indeed his time.

To put a dog down simply because he has a disease, is not correct in my opinion. The time to let him go is the day that he tells you he wants to go. Often, there is plenty of life left before disease makes daily life unbearable. For instance, a good friend had a dog, Daphne, that had liver cancer. It went undiagnosed and her symptoms were treated as if they were a GI issue. She got better, started training for Barnhunt and had a blast for the next 4 months working with her mom on this new endeavor. She got sick again in the fall and went back to the vet for a check up on the GI issue. Upon palpation the vet felt a huge mass in her abdomen. It turned out to be a large tumor on her liver. Daphne's health declined rapidly over the next 3 days and she was euthanized three days after diagnosis. My friend said that she was actually grateful that she had not known about the cancer because she would have most likely worked on treatment. Instead, Daphne spent her last months engaged in an activity she loved and didn't undergo the ordeal of medical treatment. To me that is a perfect example of quality trumps quantity.

The way I see it is that you need to be able to euthanize a dog without having any reservations that you are doing the right thing. If you do, then it's probably too soon. 

Thank you..... that was so helpful! My husband and I talked about it and decided to wait until we can tell Fluff is hurting and there is nothing we can do before having him euthanized. We have never been through this before so this is all new to us. I thought when the numbers were high, that meant Fluff was suffering. My husband corrected me on that. I feel that being the case, Fluff has some good quality days ahead. Fluff will tell us when he has had enough and can't take any more. Thank you for your input. It has been so helpful. This is our first dog and we are learning about the different stages they go through. You have taught me a lot here. :)