08/20/2018
I’m troubled about something that I felt I needed to share mostly because I’m not really sure if the action I want to take is an appropriate one. I was hoping that maybe some outside opinions would help me. Now I will explain...
I have a client who has two pit bulls, they were her sons dogs and he is estranged from the family. His mother has been the dogs care taker for over a year and a half . Eight months ago she called to get the dogs bathed and upon seeing them my partner and I fell in love with both of them. They weren’t especially well mannered dogs,in fact quite the opposite, they were extremely hyper and had not had much walking or social contact with other dogs. The smaller male, “Cowboy” had what looked like some sort of fungus on his back , feet , tail and paws. Bumps with dry flakey skin open sores and his feet were bleeding. The female “Pinky” was absent of the sores but her feet too had sores and blood. I understand pit bulls are a bit hyper and love to play and in a yard with cement scrapes occur while they play I did not ever think of abuse in any way. So for the last 8-9 months Carol and I took them as our
“ project babies” bathing them every 4 weeks to see if their skin conditions would improve. Over the first three months we also walked the dogs after bathing them so that they would be more behaved so the caretaker could handle them easier. They pulled and weren’ taught how to walk on a leash so by us walking them it seemed to get some anxiety or energy out so they were more manageable to walk when done regularly. The skin condition on the male looked as if it were improving, on Pinky her feet were looking better and we continued to see them once a month and last month we went to bathe them and Pinky had lost weight and had a softball size lump on her neck, Cowboy had now developed cysts all over his ge****ls and stomach. In 4 weeks both had worsened in what appeared to be getting better, and had also been going to the vet regularly to see about the skin condition Cowboy was still having. The vet that they go to has not helped in any way to improve the problem skin, even after doing blood work to determine in what cysts he had were cancer. Same with Pinky both tests for cancer came back negative. Cowboy has undergone surgery to remove the cysts and this is where my dilemma lies the vet told the care taker that Pinky the female should be put down! After being cleared for cancer, her throat still swollen even after anti biotic were given for 2 weeks when they didn’t make it go away the only solution they could recommend was to put her down?i I’m sorry, I thought vets were suppose to save lives wth? I was so disturbed by the news after knowing how many vet visits the caretaker has had to go to , the money spent, the time to look after the dogs and everything else the best recommendation they can offer it to put it down? She doesn’t have cancer we do t know what’s wrong or what the softball size growth is on her throat because the vet isn’t capable of diagnosing the symptoms ? I’m so disturbed I want to speak to the vet myself and ask some questions. The caretaker may not have thought to ask. She’s a sweet lady who has taken on these dogs and she’s done the best she can in providing for them it’s nothing to do with her . But I really find it off putting that a vet would suggest death for an animal that has no cancer or life threatening diseases. Pinky has been the one I bathe and walk and spend time with so it’s really hard for me to think of her being put to sleep without a reason. Is it wrong that I want to question the vet? Or that I ask the questions I have because ethically aren’t they.suppose to save the pet? I just can’t understand and neither does the caretaker. She told the vet no way and is having a second opinion from another vet . I’ll find out later today what they have to say. It’s just so sad that Pinky’s life would be over if her ailment could be cured. What would you do?
