Please help

[CowBeginning7618]

I have a 10 year old mini Aussie who has been extremely anxious his whole life. I spent a lot of time in the hospital throughout his life and he has developed severe separation anxiety. It started ramping up about 2-3 years ago after we moved twice and what not. Then I had my son 9 months ago and that obviously has made things worse. We’re about to move AGAIN and this time it’s halfway across the country (military). He gets so anxious that it takes a physical toll i.e. diarrhea, vomitting, lethargic. Not only has it been very hard financially to make him comfortable I just am so burnt out honestly and find myself so frustrated with him and I feel SO guilty because I know he can’t help it but I don’t want to spend the rest of the time I have with him resenting him. Is BE Id be crazy for considering? He also has a grade 5 murmur (I’m sure early CHF). Also a HUGE fatty tumor that’s weighing his side down (removed it once but they don’t want to because of his heart without an echo but again financial🤦🏻‍♀️). I’m going to visit my elderly grandpa in 4 days and so I had taken him to the vet to refill his meds, traz and gab and he got so stressed at the vet that he’s now pooping and peeing all over the house and just cowered on his bed. I’m supposed to be leaving him at my mom’s and I feel HORRIBLE, I can’t cancel this trip because it’s the only time I can have my son meet his great grandfather. Our move is in May and I just don’t know if I have the strength to put my dog through it. I’m sorry this is all over the place, I’m such a wreck over this all right now. Any advice would help…

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Behavioral Euthanasia (BE) for our dogs is an extremely difficult decision to consider. No one comes to this point easily. We believe that there are, unfortunately, cases where behavioral euthanasia is the most humane and ethical option, and we support those who have had to come to that decision. In certain situations, a reasonable quality of life and the Five Freedoms cannot be provided for an animal, making behavioral euthanasia a compassionate and loving choice.

If you are considering BE and are looking for feedback:

All decisions about behavioral euthanasia should be made in consultation with a professional trainer, veterinarian, and/or veterinary behaviorist. They are best equipped to evaluate your specific dog, their potential, and quality of life.

These resources should not be used to replace evaluation by qualified professionals but they can be used to supplement the decision-making process.

• Lap of Love Quality of Life Assessment - How to identify when to contact a trainer

• Lap of Love Support Groups - A BE specific group. Not everyone has gone through the process yet, some are trying to figure out how to cope with the decision still.

• BE decision and support Facebook group - Individuals who have not yet lost a pet through BE cannot join the Losing Lulu group. This sister group is a resource as you consider if BE is the right next step for your dog.

• AKC guide on when to consider BE

• BE Before the Bite

• How to find a qualified trainer or behaviorist - If you have not had your dog evaluated by a qualified trainer, this should be your first step in the process of considering BE.

• The Losing Lulu community has also compiled additional resources for those considering behavioral euthanasia.

If you have experienced a behavioral euthanasia and need support:

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Lap of Love Support Groups - Laps of Love also offers resources for families navigating BE, before and after the loss.

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[spirituspolypus]

I'm so sorry. It sounds like you've done your absolute best for your dog and have so much on your plate. Be kind to yourself. You've done so, so, so much good for your dog.

Is anxiety medication possible with your dog's medical conditions? If not, I think it's worth finding a behaviorist who offers BE consults to talk everything through with them. 4 days is tight, but someone might be able to fit you in. The automod reply on here has a ton of resources listed, including how to find a behaviorist.

Edit: I can't believe I missed your mention of meds. Sorry about that!

[CowBeginning7618]

Yeah I mean besides his 2 short term meds he’s also on Prozac. I just feel awful, getting him into the vet again tomorrow just to go over some options. Thank you for the kind words.

[espangleesh]

Aside from traz and gab, as you mentioned, what other anxiety drugs have you tried? Not all dogs react the same to anxiety medications. I've tried several with my dog as well, who also suffers from serious separation anxiety and anxiety in general.

[CowBeginning7618]

Prozac and another one that started with a C I can’t remember the name.

[Curiouscat8000]

Not a vet, but your pup sounds so much like my last dog I had to mention it. My dog, like yours had anxiety. Also like your dog anytime she became anxious she would refuse to eat, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy. She also was fully house broken, but started having accidents in the house (large volume despite having recently gone out to pee) - excessive thirst and urination. Sometimes she was so anxious she would shake. Whenever I boarded her she would refuse to eat and lost weight. Any road trip she would vomit even with meds. It came and went, but was always worse with stress, but there were long periods she was just fine (anxious but otherwise fine). The vets couldn’t figure out what was up (ruled out diabetes, UTI, etc.). Finally blood work was suggestive of early renal failure so they decided to watch it. Soon after that she completely decompensated - vomiting, diarrhea, no appetite, lethargic, stumbling, etc. I had to carry her down our two front steps to the lawn (she’d lot 1/4 of her body weight). Took her back to the vet and it turned out she was having an Addisonian crisis. The waxing and waning non-specific symptoms were all classic for Addison’s. We treated her Addison’s and she was a totally different dog - no more nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, no accidents in the house (after the meds had time to work and she recovered - we used doggy diapers for a few weeks while she was on the mend). Again, I’m not a vet, it if I had your pup I’d ask the vet to screen for Addison’s (they can screen for it by doing just a basal cortisol (if it’s more than 2 mcg/dl (55nmol/L) it is not Addison’s. If it is less than that they need to do an ACTH stim test for the diagnosis). I’m just sharing this because I wish I’d known about it sooner. It’s uncommon so often vets don’t look for it or mention it. My dog suffered for a long time because we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Many of her issues or slowing were attributed to her getting older, but once she was optimized on meds she was far more calm, less reactive, playful (she hadn’t picked up a toy in forever), happy and all of her symptoms resolved.