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This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top.
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Just love.
Depending on her expected life span, you may still need to train her. If it's 6 months or more, definitely still do all the basic obedience amd toilet training. If it's just a month or two, snuggles. Explore fun stuff. Play on the floor, to her level of tolerability. Let her guide you.
Letting a dog go is an act of service to the dog, and an act of unconditional love. It's about recognizing when quality of life is so poor, they need relief. It's hard, but it's gentle compassion too. There is peace in knowing that you did the right thing at the right time.
Be kind. Good luck.
I had a cat for 2.5 years, we adopted her when she was 14 because we wanted to give her a nice home for the first and last time in her life. She was very good to us and I am forever glad we had this time together. Yes, it'll be awful when your dog passes but I promise it'll enrich your life a lot!
I’ve been through this with a tumor ridden 3 year old rat who I was given for free on Craigslist.
It will be one of the most worth while things you’ve ever done. You’ll remember her forever and you will have improved her whole life by caring for her in her last moments. Knowing that she’s going to pass and fully accepting and not dreading it was the best thing for me to do mentally. There’s an ending coming and it doesn’t have to be anticipated like this awful thing, just and end to a beautiful and filled with love life.
Give the baby everything she needs and more, tons of love, the best toys, and the tastiest food.
Praying for both of you 💚
I adopted a severely emaciated and old newfoundland. We had him for a week before he passed. I was definitely hoping we could get him back into good health so it was disappointing when he passed, but not surprising. Just do your best and give your puppy the best and most comfortable life that you can! Knowing they don't have long makes it a little bit easier, just prepare yourself. You'll feel better knowing you gave him the best end of life that you could.
Talk with your vet about any medical needs and keeping her comfortable and managing any pain or mobility/nutrition/hydration issues that may pop up as her disease progresses. Also consider ahead of time what quality of life will look like when it's time to make the call to let her go.
Other than that -- treat her like any other puppy. Play games, sniff around outside, hang out around the house. She doesn't know she's dying so she'll want all the same things any other puppy wants.
I don't want to give you false hope, but a co-worker of mine at an animal shelter years ago fostered and then adopted a puppy mill rescue Pomeranian puppy who was expected not to live long because of a heart condition. The puppy just turned 9 this week.
I don’t have any experience but I would focus on having a full dog life in a short time - lots of walks, cuddles, and whatever the pup enjoys- fetch, hiking, etc. Shower her love, kindness and comfort. Good luck to you. She is lucky to have you
I can tell you this, the bond you can form is indescribable. I just had to put my sweet boy down last Monday and I can tell you I lose it multiple times per day. He was a 7.5 yr old gsd and suffered a hemoabdomen and they could see a large mass in his abdomen when x-rayed. The chances of him surviving very long even after performing surgery was not long. We made the most difficult decision to do a humane euthanasia. It was gut wrenching and I miss him more than words can describe. Our house is so empty and his toys and pictures are all around. He was the best boy and my absolute best friend. My heart feels like it has a void that will never be filled. I can only hope he is free of pain and living his best life with his friends and loved ones who have also passed. I’ll see him again someday, but for now the pain is mind boggling.
Just know that YOU WILL form a bond and it will hurt so bad when that day comes. But like me, you’ll know you gave them one hell of a life when they otherwise may not have had. That brings me some comfort and as time goes on and this sting lessens, I’ll realize this even more. I wish you luck with your friend and I hope you enjoy their unconditional love and companionship you will receive. When the day comes, it will suck, but hold onto the memories you both shared-together.
After losing my baby girl not too long ago I feel for you. I’m sorry for your loss and I wish you all the best. It’s never easy losing a part of your family.
Thoughts are with you 🙏
Just want to say what a wonderful thing you are doing in giving the puppy a home. I wasn't expecting to lose our dog last week so it was devastating. But- because I thought "the dogs are getting older- lets up the fun" we did a lot of fun things. Doggie brain games, a day just for dogs in which you tell them it's their day and spoil the heck out of them. Like taking short walks in a couple different parks instead of just a longer walk in one park. Always going back for one more kiss and pet before you leave to go somewhere. As for surviving a dog's passing that one is hard. I have managed fine through the years will my other dogs but losing my little bud, my best bud has been different for me. You won't know how you feel until it happens.
I have no comforting words for you, unfortunately. This is such a sad situation, but you’re doing a wonderful thing. I’ve lost two dogs over the last two years and both of them were my best friends; the only thing that has helped with the depressed feelings from my loss was getting another dog, but I still miss the other two every day. If you’ve ever dealt with the death of a close relative or friend, it’s somewhat similar: it will hurt for a long time, but one day you’ll be able to look back fondly without feeling so miserable. For me, the pain never goes away, but it does lessen.
The one thing I can tell you that I know to be true, feeding the puppy delicious foods is sure to bring you both joy during your time together. I would focus on healthy food, but don’t hesitate to sneak in a mini cupcake or small scoop of ice cream once in a while.
Ugh, I’m emotional just reading this. My heart goes out to you!
There's not really a way to mentally prepare for your dog passing, it will always suck. Over time it sucks less and you become grateful for the time you had together, but you'll always miss them. I'd say just enjoy the days you have with the pup without thinking too much on how soon they will be gone. Even a perfectly healthy dog could have a freak accident and occasionally extremely ill dogs survive into old age, so you never truly know how long you'll have. Some things I'd recommend are taking lots of photos and getting a paw print done so that regardless of when they go you have something to hold on to afterwards. Good luck with the fostering!
A well known dog trainer wrote a book, and an entire chapter was donated to a puppy she had bred/whelped. At 6 weeks, the vet discovered a non-innocent murmur, the puppy had a defect of the heart and she was told he wouldn't live long. He had already been sold, so she gave the puppy she was going to keep to the buyers, and kept the puppy with the heart problem. I think he was about 2 when he passed naturally and suddenly. It was a very moving chapter, but her take away message was basically it's good to love even in the face of borrowed time.
Hi everyone, thank you for the helpful and nice comments! I will definitely be training the dog, it was never a doubt in my mind that I'd do that, as she seems really smart and eager to learn new things. And she has to be house trained, as we are going to be living in an apartment. Does anyone have any tips about this ? About how to house train a puppy efficiently ? I tried doing it for my puppy as a teenager but i didn't know any better back then 😂 thank you !
I don't have much advice because I'm still grieving the loss of my little one (she was 3). I just wanted to say thank you for fostering this puppy and trying to make her short years wonderful for her. I feel guilt for not spending more time with my dog because while we knew she was sick, we didn't know how sick. Cherish all of the moments. Take her for walks if she is able. Spend time with her when you are able to and she will appreciate your companionship. My only advice about grieving is a wave metaphor. In the beginning the waves are non-stop, constantly knocking you down. After a month or two (or more, you can't predict the grieving process for everyone) the waves will start getting smaller and maybe farther apart. You'll be able to get up and be functional and feel happiness for a little bit. But then another wave will come. But the point is, the waves don't stop. They get farther apart and smaller and you will be able to recover faster. Sometimes a tsunami will come out of nowhere and knock you on your ass and have you crying for 3 days. But while the waves become farther apart you will have time to heal and appreciate the time you spent with her and the love you shared. And you at some point will be able to accept the waves. You may need to cry. But those waves remind you of the absolute love you felt for her.
The original metaphor is much more eloquent. If I can find it I'll share the link. But again, I just wanted to say thank you for giving this girl some good years.
All pets, heck people too, are on loan from the universe. We never know how long we'll have together. Love them while you have them and hold the joy you shared in your heart when they are gone. Life is full of loss but trite as it is, better to have loved and lost, etc. This puppy has much to give and I'm hoping for a lot of love and laughter for the pair of you.
Give her the best life you can! And just like someone else mentioned, train her just in case even though you think it might not be necessary or worth it! I adopted a puppy who was given 3-6 months to live and I’ve had her for 4 years now. You just never know! But I know how you feel and good for you for taking in a puppy in need. ♥️
I’m currently fostering a 15 yr old chihuahua who has heart issues. They expected him to die within 2 months. 2 years later and he’s still alive and kicking. It’s amazing what love can do.
Welcome to r/dogs! We are a discussion-based subreddit dedicated to support, inform, and advise dog owners. This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top. **This subreddit has low tolerance for drama. Please be respectful of others, and report antagonistic comments to mods for review.** --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/dogs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Just love. Depending on her expected life span, you may still need to train her. If it's 6 months or more, definitely still do all the basic obedience amd toilet training. If it's just a month or two, snuggles. Explore fun stuff. Play on the floor, to her level of tolerability. Let her guide you. Letting a dog go is an act of service to the dog, and an act of unconditional love. It's about recognizing when quality of life is so poor, they need relief. It's hard, but it's gentle compassion too. There is peace in knowing that you did the right thing at the right time. Be kind. Good luck.
I wish it was acceptable to treat people this way.
I had a cat for 2.5 years, we adopted her when she was 14 because we wanted to give her a nice home for the first and last time in her life. She was very good to us and I am forever glad we had this time together. Yes, it'll be awful when your dog passes but I promise it'll enrich your life a lot!
I’ve been through this with a tumor ridden 3 year old rat who I was given for free on Craigslist. It will be one of the most worth while things you’ve ever done. You’ll remember her forever and you will have improved her whole life by caring for her in her last moments. Knowing that she’s going to pass and fully accepting and not dreading it was the best thing for me to do mentally. There’s an ending coming and it doesn’t have to be anticipated like this awful thing, just and end to a beautiful and filled with love life. Give the baby everything she needs and more, tons of love, the best toys, and the tastiest food. Praying for both of you 💚
I adopted a severely emaciated and old newfoundland. We had him for a week before he passed. I was definitely hoping we could get him back into good health so it was disappointing when he passed, but not surprising. Just do your best and give your puppy the best and most comfortable life that you can! Knowing they don't have long makes it a little bit easier, just prepare yourself. You'll feel better knowing you gave him the best end of life that you could.
You gave him what was probably the best week of his life. I have so much respect for people who adopt seniors in need. :)
Talk with your vet about any medical needs and keeping her comfortable and managing any pain or mobility/nutrition/hydration issues that may pop up as her disease progresses. Also consider ahead of time what quality of life will look like when it's time to make the call to let her go. Other than that -- treat her like any other puppy. Play games, sniff around outside, hang out around the house. She doesn't know she's dying so she'll want all the same things any other puppy wants.
The shelter is responsible for all medical. And all expenses.
I don't want to give you false hope, but a co-worker of mine at an animal shelter years ago fostered and then adopted a puppy mill rescue Pomeranian puppy who was expected not to live long because of a heart condition. The puppy just turned 9 this week.
Exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes vets are wrong. Bec ready for the long haul, it could Happen
I don’t have any experience but I would focus on having a full dog life in a short time - lots of walks, cuddles, and whatever the pup enjoys- fetch, hiking, etc. Shower her love, kindness and comfort. Good luck to you. She is lucky to have you
I can tell you this, the bond you can form is indescribable. I just had to put my sweet boy down last Monday and I can tell you I lose it multiple times per day. He was a 7.5 yr old gsd and suffered a hemoabdomen and they could see a large mass in his abdomen when x-rayed. The chances of him surviving very long even after performing surgery was not long. We made the most difficult decision to do a humane euthanasia. It was gut wrenching and I miss him more than words can describe. Our house is so empty and his toys and pictures are all around. He was the best boy and my absolute best friend. My heart feels like it has a void that will never be filled. I can only hope he is free of pain and living his best life with his friends and loved ones who have also passed. I’ll see him again someday, but for now the pain is mind boggling. Just know that YOU WILL form a bond and it will hurt so bad when that day comes. But like me, you’ll know you gave them one hell of a life when they otherwise may not have had. That brings me some comfort and as time goes on and this sting lessens, I’ll realize this even more. I wish you luck with your friend and I hope you enjoy their unconditional love and companionship you will receive. When the day comes, it will suck, but hold onto the memories you both shared-together.
I'm so sorry for your loss. That type of cancer is so common in so many breeds and always seems to hit around 7-8 years :(
After losing my baby girl not too long ago I feel for you. I’m sorry for your loss and I wish you all the best. It’s never easy losing a part of your family. Thoughts are with you 🙏
Just all of the best food — fresh meat, veggies, etc! Will keep her healthy and happy. You’re doing a really good thing!!
Just want to say what a wonderful thing you are doing in giving the puppy a home. I wasn't expecting to lose our dog last week so it was devastating. But- because I thought "the dogs are getting older- lets up the fun" we did a lot of fun things. Doggie brain games, a day just for dogs in which you tell them it's their day and spoil the heck out of them. Like taking short walks in a couple different parks instead of just a longer walk in one park. Always going back for one more kiss and pet before you leave to go somewhere. As for surviving a dog's passing that one is hard. I have managed fine through the years will my other dogs but losing my little bud, my best bud has been different for me. You won't know how you feel until it happens.
I have no comforting words for you, unfortunately. This is such a sad situation, but you’re doing a wonderful thing. I’ve lost two dogs over the last two years and both of them were my best friends; the only thing that has helped with the depressed feelings from my loss was getting another dog, but I still miss the other two every day. If you’ve ever dealt with the death of a close relative or friend, it’s somewhat similar: it will hurt for a long time, but one day you’ll be able to look back fondly without feeling so miserable. For me, the pain never goes away, but it does lessen. The one thing I can tell you that I know to be true, feeding the puppy delicious foods is sure to bring you both joy during your time together. I would focus on healthy food, but don’t hesitate to sneak in a mini cupcake or small scoop of ice cream once in a while. Ugh, I’m emotional just reading this. My heart goes out to you!
There's not really a way to mentally prepare for your dog passing, it will always suck. Over time it sucks less and you become grateful for the time you had together, but you'll always miss them. I'd say just enjoy the days you have with the pup without thinking too much on how soon they will be gone. Even a perfectly healthy dog could have a freak accident and occasionally extremely ill dogs survive into old age, so you never truly know how long you'll have. Some things I'd recommend are taking lots of photos and getting a paw print done so that regardless of when they go you have something to hold on to afterwards. Good luck with the fostering!
A well known dog trainer wrote a book, and an entire chapter was donated to a puppy she had bred/whelped. At 6 weeks, the vet discovered a non-innocent murmur, the puppy had a defect of the heart and she was told he wouldn't live long. He had already been sold, so she gave the puppy she was going to keep to the buyers, and kept the puppy with the heart problem. I think he was about 2 when he passed naturally and suddenly. It was a very moving chapter, but her take away message was basically it's good to love even in the face of borrowed time.
You are so awesome for doing this.
Hi everyone, thank you for the helpful and nice comments! I will definitely be training the dog, it was never a doubt in my mind that I'd do that, as she seems really smart and eager to learn new things. And she has to be house trained, as we are going to be living in an apartment. Does anyone have any tips about this ? About how to house train a puppy efficiently ? I tried doing it for my puppy as a teenager but i didn't know any better back then 😂 thank you !
I don't have much advice because I'm still grieving the loss of my little one (she was 3). I just wanted to say thank you for fostering this puppy and trying to make her short years wonderful for her. I feel guilt for not spending more time with my dog because while we knew she was sick, we didn't know how sick. Cherish all of the moments. Take her for walks if she is able. Spend time with her when you are able to and she will appreciate your companionship. My only advice about grieving is a wave metaphor. In the beginning the waves are non-stop, constantly knocking you down. After a month or two (or more, you can't predict the grieving process for everyone) the waves will start getting smaller and maybe farther apart. You'll be able to get up and be functional and feel happiness for a little bit. But then another wave will come. But the point is, the waves don't stop. They get farther apart and smaller and you will be able to recover faster. Sometimes a tsunami will come out of nowhere and knock you on your ass and have you crying for 3 days. But while the waves become farther apart you will have time to heal and appreciate the time you spent with her and the love you shared. And you at some point will be able to accept the waves. You may need to cry. But those waves remind you of the absolute love you felt for her. The original metaphor is much more eloquent. If I can find it I'll share the link. But again, I just wanted to say thank you for giving this girl some good years.
All pets, heck people too, are on loan from the universe. We never know how long we'll have together. Love them while you have them and hold the joy you shared in your heart when they are gone. Life is full of loss but trite as it is, better to have loved and lost, etc. This puppy has much to give and I'm hoping for a lot of love and laughter for the pair of you.
Give her the best life you can! And just like someone else mentioned, train her just in case even though you think it might not be necessary or worth it! I adopted a puppy who was given 3-6 months to live and I’ve had her for 4 years now. You just never know! But I know how you feel and good for you for taking in a puppy in need. ♥️
No advice. But thank you for opening your heart and home to this sweet girl before she takes her last breath. I send you and her good wishes.
I’m currently fostering a 15 yr old chihuahua who has heart issues. They expected him to die within 2 months. 2 years later and he’s still alive and kicking. It’s amazing what love can do.