Going too far?

Sorry but that is bull to let a dog suffer so. If these pills have not assisted the dog to date them it's time to focus on doing what is best for him/her. Such inconsiderate individuals.

Of course. There's a fine line. But this rescue, for whatever reason, is not letting him go. Does that mean that they are inhumane?

if he were already in a home, loved by a family, i could see fighting for him, and he'd probably get better. but at this point, he's really not living it up. Poor little guy should be put down.

He is in a home..A FOSTER HOME^^

Sorry, i misread somewhere. I thought he was still in a shelter. However, i stand by what i said. A foster home can only be expected to do so much.

I don't know what kind of suffering this condition (s) is causing him. I don't know what pain, discomfort, frustration or anything. But if it is significant, it would be a kindness to relieve him of that misery.

I think sometimes people assume too much, thinking what they do is actually helping the poor animal. They want that feeling, that they are needed, that because of them, the dog is surviving. They may not realize it, but sometimes dogs are kept going for the purpose of making humans feel good about themselves. If it's something that has a good chance of being cured fairly quickly, then good. But it doesn't appear that way. Prolonging a wretched quality of life is not doing the dog any favors.

I truly feel that rescue (and many shelters) are full of bleeding hearts. Compassion isn't a bad thing, but many become so blinded by humanizing what they see in front of them that they cannot seperate and make a rational decision regarding what animals can be saved and what ones can't. Not only does that apply to medical conditions, but it also applies to behavioral issues.

I love my dog Mike, he's awesome, but I firmly believe that the shelter he was in was STUPID to not PTS him upon entry. HE HAD A BITE HISTORY FOR EF'S SAKE! Instead they let him rot in a run for over a year, growling and snarling at everyone who passed, yet STILL trying to adopt him out because they believed that every dog deserves a chance. BS. In today's world of extreme pet overpopulation you have to be picky and choosy as far as what dogs get adopted out. If Mike was a dog that came into any of the rescues that I have worked with over the years I wouldn't even have blinked an eye before telling them to euthanize him.

Now with that I'm sure everyone is like "Holy crap, why do you have a dog like that, then?" Well, he is a good dog. He's a good dog with a dominant personality and a lot of baggage. I have him so that I can learn how to rehabilitate dogs, thus making me a better trainer in the longrun. He now greets people with a super wagging tail and kisses. But if this dog was not adopted out to myself, I firmly believe he would have turned into a dangerous dog. He is DIFFICULT and even experienced people have told me that they wouldn't be able to handle him. I'm a one in a million home for this dog (and I can tell you that I will NEVER want another one) and I don't feel that he was safe to adopt out. With a lot of hard work he is turning into a fantastic companion, a friendly dog so yes, dogs can be rehabilitated, but what is the cost of that? Let's see:

Mike was in the shelter for over 1 year because no one wanted a growling dog with a bite history.
In that 1 year I'd say at LEAST 6 other dogs who did not have those issues could have been in that run and adopted out.
Mike now lives with me. I can no longer foster because he takes up too much of my time.
I fostered 5 dogs in the 8 months prior to me taking on Mike, and I've had him for almost 7 months now, so I could have saved 3 dogs who don't have issues if he wasn't here.

Then when you're talking about dogs with medical problems not only are you talking about cost of space, but also monetary costs. With all of the donations going towards one dog with severe mange, or with parvo, or with hip dysplasia, you are taking that money away from vaccinating and speutering tens to hundreds of other dogs!

Rescues and shelters need to look at the bigger picture when deciding who to save. There are too many perfect dogs out there to be letting dogs like Mike take up a run while you continue to push people to adopt him. That is simply stupid. It's a sad reality but while there is pet over population in such severity as we have today, it is not possible to save them all.

Obviously this poor boy has a severe case of generalized demodex which is SO common in bulldogs. My heart breaks for him. I would not euthanize though, not yet anyway. The Heartguard IS expensive and this is why I don't understand why they don't just get regular Ivermec prescription from their vet. Much cheaper! I can tell by looking at the bullie's expression that he still has a lot of heart left in him. I met a lady at my vet clinic a few months ago that adopted a rescue bulldog under the same circumstances. She medicated the dog for well over a year and it just got to come off meds. That dog deserved that second chance and I believe this one does too.

Poor pup. I would probably keep trying with the dog.

I didn't look at the story because I don't need to see pics of a dog suffering. I don't think it's ever an easy decision to say how long it's ok to let a dog suffer or how badly to let him suffer and with what chance of success. That's a decison we all have to make for our own dogs with the best info we can get and with help from our vet. This little guy has the rescue people making those decisions for him.
*I'm not going to sit in judgement on them or anyone else*. I do think sometimes people go to far -- that was my point because it's a really sad thing to euthanise an animal, take a loved one off of life support - whatever. I have seen what IMO was people going to far when I worked in ICU too.

i agree, and have thought this about other dogs i have seen as well. I have zero issue with spending money to fix a dog's health problems...and as long as they are able to pay for his treatments, and not be taking away from ANY other dog at their shelter, then i think it is fine to keep fighting for his life. However, if no one adopts him, and they start having to neglect other healthier/more adoptable dogs to keep him alive, it is no longer right.

Like everyone else, i would love to see this little guy in a loving home, and of course, where he is free from pain...unfortunately this is not possible for all the suffering dogs out there...

And if he really is in daily pain with little improvement...i do think he should be PTS

Is rescue not saving dogs? Forget the sick and only go for the healthy? What kind of "rescuing" is that?

I don't know. I mean I know we all have noble intentions but sometimes I think spending years to cure them is more cruel than just peacefully having them put to sleep. yes it takes away their life but when they are suffering for over a year and their condition is still terrible is that really life? Sometimes I think it is just our own selfishness. if a dog is truly suffering and the treatment is only going to prolong their suffering or if the treatment is worse than the disease I really think it is in the dogs best interest to peacefully pass on.

A human example. if someone has cancer and the treatment is just too much for them they can make the decision to stop treatment and pass on. A dog can't make that decision so we have to make it for them. often times it is very HARD for us to come to grips with such a decision and we end up trying to save them when really the dog might just be wishing the pain and suffering were over. In this case.... the treatment obviously has not helped and this dog is still suffering. let him go where he can be whole and happy and pain free once again. It's almost cruel to keep him living in this kind of discomfort.

No, no! Don't forget the sick by any means! But there is "sick" and then "devestatingly sick". Sawyer's sister Viva needed an expensive surgery for repair her hips and lots of TLC to recover from almost starving to death. But in her case, everyone knew it was just a matter of time before she was back to being perfectly healthy. She's now back to 100% and has a wonderful home. Some dogs, like Buddy and his parvo take a little extra effort and he was lucky enough to get a home with you, but he doesn't spend what I'm guessing to be 98% of his time walking around as a giant oozing body of rawness.

Zoomers, I completely understand your view.

I guess, if I had a few things wrong with me, I'd want someone to give me a chance, too.

It appears that the answer to Rolie's care would be bring him immune system under control..once that is done, he'd have a much better life.

It's a tough call. I know our shelter is in a similar position right now. The dog in question is continually losing large patches of fur over his entire body. He becomes itchy and miserable. It appears to be some sort of allergy, but testing was inconclusive. He has been on several very expensive medications with little sucess. He is also on an expensive allergy food. He is pitbull mixed and is developing dog agression. We live in a fairly poor area, and it would be difficult for most people to afford his medication and food. Add in his dog agression and his chances for adoption are slim. We still haven't decided what to do.
Our other unadoptable is a cat. Due to neglect as a kitten, she has no bowel control. Her problem is much more managable, as it just requires some extra cleaning. She has a sponser to pay for her needs.

nooo! Thats not what i meant at all

Seeing as i want to be an animal physical therapist, and will be caring for dogs that have just underwent surgery and what not, i obviously have a HUGE desire to help sick animals!!!!

what i was trying to say, is that if there were another sick (but not so serious) dog in that shelter that was being neglected due to lack of money...then that is a big problem. Unfortunately issues like this come down to money. If there is enough money to fix the little guy, as long as he isnt doomed for a life of suffering, i would LOVE for him to be helped.

I wasn't pointing fingers at any one thread.

Just trying to make my point.

*I haven't read every post in this thread yet.


Depending on how long this dog has been treated properly, I don't see a reason to give up, if the medicines are working. Provided, they are expensive, but given the money, at least, he could have a chance at life. He doesn't look very old at all.
If he's only been taking medicine for a few months, and say, was once completely bald, and got some coat back in that time, I believe there is a chance.
If it were something going on for a year or more then perhaps it may be in his best interest, if the prognosis isn't good.

Though, this got me to thinking, do rescues not get special funding for meds they desperately need?

My vet will give me 20% off for fosters.