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Vet Recommendation


tx2478

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So i took star into the vet so they could look her over she found a couple of hot spots on her but not enough to make her get agitated...but then she started looking around and examing star and has discovered that star has all the symptoms for pancriotic insuffiency...she also asked to see the pics i took to see if the bite was a warning or what...anyways after seeing the pics she said she could tell that there are 3 distinct bites on my son and itnt considered a bite and attack...she also said that could of alot to do with her aggitation...her recomendation at first she said the kindest thing to do for her is to put her to sleep....i started crying right then and there and then she said that if i didnt want to put her to sleep than i should re home her with a rescue but with the bites i would have to consider that some rescues might not take her and if they do they have to follow up with the vet with the pancriotic insuffiency...either way it goes her recommendation is not to have the dog in the home...i havent talked to my husband about it cuz he hasnt called but he did see the pics and at the time said that he was worried she would bite again...Can someone give me some advice on if i should look for the rescue or do what the vet said. This is really hard for me i have sat here for the last 2 days not knowing what to do and it was even hard for me to come here and put it in words.

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I'm so sorry your in such a tough situation like this. :(

The way I see it, I'd never risk my child's safety. So you are left with two options, give her out for adoption or have her PTS. If you have her PTS, your sure she is suffer-free and you can give her a nice end to her life. On the other hand, she can keep on living with another family with no (or older) kids. The risk that comes with this is that the family could return her to rescue who could in turn decide to have her PTS because of her biting issue. This will lead to a confusing end to her life.

I also recommend talking to your hubby about your decision. I'm sure he has things to say, too.

Please keep us updated! Hugs for Star. :angel:

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:cry: I am so sorry tx. You did the right thing taking the picture and being completely up front with the vet. Her recommendation is very, very painful.

Is the health problem a factor in the PTS recommendation? Wondering how serious it is... You could also go to another vet and/or behaviorist for second opinions but I'm afraid they's tell you the same thing...

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So sorry to hear this news Tx...
Now I'm not a mother, but I know that if I did have kids, and was put in your situation, I would have the dog PTS. I know its hard, I've lived through this experience more than once, but it really is for the better! I don't think you want another woman's son to be bitten like yours was, so giving her up for adoption isn't really logical, IMPO.
Of course getting a second opinion just to be sure won't hurt, but I think we know they're all going to say the same thing.
It was extremely brave of you to be honest with the vet, showing the pictures and all...
In the end, it IS you and your family's decision. Keep us posted! :wink:

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Oh Alena - Im so sorry! :cry: :cry: Did the vet suggest she be PTS because of the biting or the medical condition? Is there a test they can do to see if it is what they suspect?
Its a tough decision all around, being a mom too, I know your kids safety has to come first, but I think if it were me I would get a second opinion (I have a really good vet if you want the number or help with that) and if they say the same thing, sadly, I think I would put her to sleep :( You can make the end of her life very special, so that you know she left feeling loved. In my opinion that would be easier on her and you, that way she is not confused and you arent left wondering what happens with her.........

again, Im so sorry - I love Star, and I know you guys do too - keep me posted!

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Baileysmom makes a good point about being able to make her last moment. special, if it comes down to that (which I'm afraid it will :( )

You could probably even have a vet come to your house to do it (have someone else watch the kids of course...) My mom's vet did this for her and it was incredibly peaceful for dog and people alike...

Wow this thread is making me cry. You are SOOOO brave.

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Oh what a tough situation.

I am just wading into this, but I did read through and look at the pictures in the other post. I will say that your dog appear to have very good bite inhibition. From the level she was at she could have done a lot more damage to him very very easily. It probably took more effort for her not to seriously injure him.

I also think that your son was in a very compromising position - lying on the bed, not even sitting up, looking directly into the dogs eyes. Eeek! sounds like a challenge to me! It also sounds like a specific situation that can be very easily avoided in the future.

I may have missed it, but is this the first time your pooch has shown any aggressive tendencies ?

Please be aware that vets are not behaviorists. They like medical doctors, and just like our medical doctors, they are not always experts outside of their finite field. Yes, they see lots of dogs day in and day out. Yes, we are all taught to trust our vets opinion. But, I would be reluctant to take his word as absolute gospel. How many dogs has your vet actually trained ? How many aggressive dogs has he worked with in his home ? How many classes with the public has he taught ? In fact, my vets ipinion would be one of the lesser opinions that I would consider in a situation like this, barring any medical causes of course.

My advice: Get the best behaviorist available to you. Have them eval your dog, in your home if possible. Make sure you get a written write up of their assessment. If at that time, you dont feel confident having the dog in your home, send that assessment to reputable rescues, so they know what they are getting into.

I personally do not think this is an offense that this dog should have to die over. Things need to change. Precautions taken. Issues addressed. But I think this is your wake up call.

Good luck to you!

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Nice post SQ but...
[quote]I also think that your son was in a very compromising position - lying on the bed, not even sitting up, looking directly into the dogs eyes. Eeek! sounds like a challenge to me! It also sounds like a specific situation that can be very easily avoided in the future.[/quote]

I think a child should be able to lay on a bed wihtout having to worry about the dog biting him. Also, a mother should be able to let him lay on the bed without having to worry.
Also, there is no excuse for a dog to bite a child.
Im sorry, the dog should be put down. I know she is loved, but that isnt always enough.
How many of you would truely keep a dog that already bit your child?? Would it not be in the back of your mind that it has a good chance of happening again? Again, a dogs life has nothing on your childs. Why chance it??

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i have come here a couple of times but it is hard to reply with a good answer one of the ladies that is a good friend of mine and went to the vet with me and has been working with star is a behaviourlist (sp) she is the one who recommended the vet...we are in contact with a couple of rescues but the problem is when my friend saw those pictures and asked me to describe what happened she said she could see that in the pic it wasnt just a warning bite there are three distinct bites on his face where she opened and shut her mouth and made contact 3 times and she said that is not considered a bit it is considered an attack and she also said that it could be a matter of time before she was to attack an adult and the she would probably walk all over an elderly couple...she is trying to help me and right now my son and star have been seperated and it has been hard cuz neither of them understand...Unfortuanatly after talking to my husband he recommended that we do what is best for her he did suggest putting her to sleep only cuz he is also worried that to add to all of this that being seperated from her family might make things worse but he did say if a rescue took her that i need to make sure it was a good rescue and had to make sure that she would be placed with a no kids home and one that didnt plan on having any...also to your question about blood work yes there was blood work done and what a pancriotic insuffiency is where they are not absorbing the food so it is like her starving and she is always hungry they can treat it but it can be up to 16 dollars a day so that has to be another thing to consider when giving her to a rescue...

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I am sorry, but I think its time to let her go. its unlikely, with an expensive medical complication, and a bite history (especially of a child) that she will ever really get adopted. with luck you might find a foster who will take her, but its unlikely she will ever have her forever home after all this. were it me,I would ask the vet to come out and you could hold her while she goes....

I am SOOO sorry, and this is such a hard decision.....

:(

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[quote name='Hmmmm']

I think a child should be able to lay on a bed wihtout having to worry about the dog biting him. Also, a mother should be able to let him lay on the bed without having to worry.
Also, there is no excuse for a dog to bite a child.
[/quote]

I agree. There is no excuse. And in a perfect world, dogs and kids lay all over eachother, everywhere all the time - the couch, the bed, the dogs bed, the floor.. and the dog is never, never supposed to have any kind of adverse reaction...EVER cuz there is no excuse, right ? We wouldnt expect that kind of reliability from a child, a family member, etc. But we do expect it from our dogs. I am not saying its wrong, but its the social stigma attached to this type of behavior - when in reality we all have bad days, our dogs included.

I dont think dogs are intuned with such expectations in a large number of cases. Particularly, when the heirarchy in the house isnt crystal clear to the dog and when kids havent been super involved in the training of the dogs.

[quote name='Hmmmm']
Im sorry, the dog should be put down. I know she is loved, but that isnt always enough.
How many of you would truely keep a dog that already bit your child?? Would it not be in the back of your mind that it has a good chance of happening again? Again, a dogs life has nothing on your childs. Why chance it??[/quote]

It is always in the back of my mind that my dogs are very very capable of biting. Not a single one of them has, but they all certainly could. I never forget that with ANY dog - regardless of history.

The OP is walking a very rocky road at this point. I dont envy her. I dont think the dog needs to be pts. I disagree that this was an attack. I have seen the effects of a dog attack first hand. Dog attacks break skin, and involve punctures. The worst this dog did was nick.

You know your options. You have to pick the one that YOU can live with.

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tx -- here i go again, i am not trying to be mean (or hell maybe i am i have pms so who knows), but i don't think star should have ever been placed with you in the first place, i just don't think you have the experience or necessary resources. i can remember when you posted that you got her -- in my mind i said wuuuhhh oh! i know that's probably not what you want to hear -- hindsight is 20/20 i guess.

i know i am in the minority but i don't think what happened is entirely star's fault -- i have said it before and i say it again you were there and you know there have to be rules for young kids and dogs! honestly his bite is not as bad as it could have been. i definitely don't think she deserves to be put to sleep for being a dog. it is absolutely your responsibility to teach your pets that children are higher in the pack, you failed her. so often people get comfortable and forget that dogs have 42 teeth and are quite skilled at using them.

as for you vet -- bunk all of it! the pancreatic deficiency (if she even has one) is probably treatable -- aspen has a slight deficiency and we give him pancreatic enzymes in his food. and what qualifies her as a behaviorist? i love how vets think they know so much about canine behavior! i will stop now or i will get all hopped up on this and forget the original subject.

what do i think you should do? REHOME in a home with no children and with someone who is familiar with gsd. i don't think you can keep her because it would require more than you have time for right now. you are not gonna be able to just willy nilly give her away. ultimately it is your decision and quite honestly i am not even sure i want to know what you decide. ok *deep breath* so there i have spoken my peace, via con dios!

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I still stand by what I said before. Sure now it's just a nik but that doesn't mean that the next time(which now theres the possiblity)they may not be so lucky. Most of us were more conserened about where the nik was! Any lower and she could've caused damage to his eye. If she rehomes her then if Star bites again she could just get shifted to another place until eventualy she's at a shelter. I agree with everyone else. The childs safety needs to come first.

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I half expected the vet to recommend this. You have to weigh up Star's quality of life. Like I said before when I saw those bites the first thing that came to mind was that she meant business. She outright attacked your kid. She did it once and she will do it again. I would recommend a test period. Pancreatic deficiencies can be treated with enzymes easily, but I honestly cannot connect this to Star attacking. you therefore need to make the hard decision of euthanasia, giving her away to a family who has no kids, or you keep her on another trial period and you tell the kids strictly that they are not to be near Star's personal space. With Star herself I would recommend exercising a regime of strict discipline. She shouldn't be on the bed or in the kitchen when you eat, so that she is aware of her lace in your family.

If she bites within this test period or her behaviour/temperament is unstable, then you need to do whats right for your family.

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we are using those enzymes right now i bought some off the internet so i was hoping that would help the gsd rescue group contacted me and they said absolutely they wont take her because they would have to put her in a home for 6 months to work with her and then move her again and they feel all that she wouldnt make it...that is just there opinion....

As for the comment on me owning a dog my husband and i talked about having a pet and he suggested a german shepard because he had 15 years experience with that breed he is not by all means a trainer or a professional but he has had the training experience and my good friend who lives here is a akc certified trainer and she helps me out with star since my husband is away...Rotten Two i do feel that is all my fault my son wasnt hanging on her he was sitting in front of her about as much space as my body width apart but maybe i should of never let them be around i wanted a dog for my family not just me....And to reassure you no matter what happens it will be a long while before i consider another dog

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ok i am going to apologize for my post my emotions are up in the air thank you rotten two for your opinion everyone is entitled to theres and thank you for your i just got upset cuz i do feel like a bad dog owner and an even worse person to have to seperate my dog from us she is part of our family never been an outside dog and just wonderful to be around i wish this whole never would of happened

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[quote name='tx2478'] my good friend who lives here is a akc certified trainer and she helps me out with star since my husband is away[/quote]

I was un-aware that the akc 'certified' trainers. Can you elaborate more on that program ?

I thought you called this person a behaviorist before ? A trainer and a behaviorist are usually two completely separate things.

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Dear Tx ...
I want to re-extend my condolences for being in such a tough position, and to say, only YOU know what is best, and I for one and many oithers I'm sure, will support whatever you decide. It is your gut level decision. It is tempting to say what you "should" do but that is not our place IMO and I'm sorry if I have done that. It would be different if you were someone who has shown any ignorance or carelessness about your dogs or children, but that is not you! You must alone make your choice in this matter. Good luck and DOG Bless in your decision.

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PUP's right... things couldve been a lot worse. There wasnt much damage so I would agree it was more of a warning, although a bit worse.

My whole problem with this situation is it couldve easily been prevented! :x I dont think it has anything to do with health, just a lack of rules in the home. I still think this can all be corrected with NILIF, but if you dont think you can devote yourself to it 100% then go ahead and have her put down. I dont think its fair to Star to rehome her nad have her go through that stress only to end up biting again and be PTS. :-?

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[quote name='tx2478']As for the comment on me owning a dog my husband and i talked about having a pet and he suggested a german shepard because he had 15 years experience with that breed he is not by all means a trainer or a professional but he has had the training experience and my good friend who lives here is a akc certified trainer and she helps me out with star since my husband is away...[/quote]

I find this pretty silly and irresponsible. Your husband is away, so you get a dog HE is familiar with to protect you while he, the one with all this experience with the breed, is not there? Why didn't you get a dog YOU were confident in handling seeing as you're the one who has day-to-day control over her?

I think r2's post had a lot of merit.

Good luck with what you decide.

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