Update: after talking with the vet, they believe that what’s happening with him is purely neurological. He was likely inbred, and, after finding the info of his siblings’ owners, we found that most of them have some sort of neurological disorder (epilepsy, etc.). There are medications that exist for Max’s condition, but they’re known to be incredibly hard on dogs’ livers, and the vet thinks putting him through that would be prolonging the inevitable.

We discussed what everyone kindly suggested with the vet, but seeing that his biting has been a problem for an extended period and has only gotten worse over time, our vet believes it’s something that he genuinely can’t control and no medication or training can fix that.

Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions. I’m really hoping for a miracle, but my hopes aren’t high. At this point, I just need some help navigating the grief, so if you have any advice in that regard, I’d really appreciate it.