This is kind of a long & sad story, so my apologies in advance. My girlfriend of a few years raised 2 German Shepherds when she was younger. They were both good dogs, but when she was 18 – her parents got divorced and were both unable to take care of the dogs. So my girlfriend and her sisters took care of the dogs as best they could, and did a great job with what little income they had. Unfortunately, they had to move to a place where dogs were not allowed and were forced to ask their dad to watch them. He became addicted to drugs/alcohol after the divorce but we felt like he still really loved the dogs and would care for them well.
Well, my girlfriend and I ended up moving out of state to finish our studies, and since then one of the dogs ate a possum and died of some infectious disease. We just moved back a few months ago, into a house that would allow dogs – and we’ve taken Samson (the GSD) into our home. We learned that her dad had neglected the poor dogs, keeping them confined in a basement without lights & heat – walking around in their own poop & pee. It was a terrible, incomprehensible deal for those dogs. Especially for Samson, since his best friend (Shadow, the other GSD) passed on 6 months ago.
Anyways, now we have the dog and amazingly Samson is still his old self – happy, playful, still remembers all his old tricks. We feel as though he had a ‘will to live’ through all of his pain, suffering, and misery and we would like nothing more than to give him 1-2 years of comfortable happiness during his senior years. With what he’s been through, it’s the least he deserves. He does have arthritis – he limps sometimes and sits lower on his legs than he used to – but he does not seem to be in pain to me. He has also not tried taking any medication for this arthritis, yet.
However, we took him to the vet yesterday to get him checked up because his appetite seemed to have vanished. We were expecting him to have some medical problems – considering the environment he was in – but were surprised to learn that he has three strains of intenstinal worms, as well as heartworms. The doctor seems neutral about treating the heartworms. Obviously, he is an older dog and it is going to be hard on him. She also says that with his hip pain, she does not know if it is worth it.
My girlfriend and I think it is. I think this dog wants to live, and wants to beat this. He wouldn’t have survived living in hell for the last 2 years if he didn’t. I know the treatment is going to be miserable, but he’s in a good place right now with round-the-clock supervision from us.
My question is do you think that we are making the right choice? I know that not everyone is a vet – but with this background can you reasonbly see this dog living out 1-2+ years more in comfort if we erradicate these worms? Especially with the arthritis – the vet seems to think he’s in a lot of pain – but I really don’t think that he is. We don’t have to help him up or down, he goes on walks, runs – he just walks with a limp if he runs around too much. He hasn’t even been on any medication for it yet. I’ve heard people on here who’ve had GSD’s with arthritis/hip displasia who’ve lived a great many years after the diagnosis in comfort – so long as it was treated accordingly.
I’m sorry if this is a rant – it’s been an emotional day for us with lots of decisions to make. I’d love to hear from anyone with experiences with this type of thing, especially the experiences of older GSD owners who might have combatted these same illnesses.
Thanks you all very much for your time & help.
Thanks for the replies so far! I should have said that his bloodwork, thyroid, and x-rays all came back okay, other than being a bit low on glucose. He has not exhibited any symptoms of heartworms, and the vet said that his pulmonary arties and all other vitals looked to be in good condition. His heart is slightly enlarged, but that is to be expected from heartworms. So as of this point we believe the worms are at an early stage development. His hip joints show some cause of hip dyplasia & arthritis, the vet said it may even be degentarative myelopathy – but is not sure (although he’s not displaying any kind of symptoms for that other than walking with a limp). I think the plan of attack is to kill his intestinal worms today and start him on non-steroidal pain medication, including glucocemine. This’ll hopefully take care of his diahrrea and hip pain. And then next week start him on heartworm treatment. We don’t think it’s a great idea to do all of the treatment in one day.
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Tags: amp, apologies in advance, appetite, Arthritis, german shepherds, girlfriend, good dogs, gsd, happiness, infectious disease, medical problems, medication, misery, pee, poop, poor dogs, possum, sad story, those dogs, vet
Please eradicate the worms from his body! Let him live! He’s been through so much. You’ve got to try. In my opinion, your vet is too complacent. Go to another vet. It is always good to have more than one opinion.
I think you should do what your heart tells you is right. It sounds like you have quality time yet with this dog and given the steroids available these days your dog could live comfortably. I haven’t ever dealt with worms so I will default any advice to someone who has experience. Good luck with you dog.
if you have the means to help the GSD, then go for it. the dog has the will. he’s survived this long. i believe that this pup was waiting for you both. hip pain can be managed.
good luck to you.
We used to own a chocolate lab. mix who was nearly 14 when she passed away, most likely it was cancer. Anyway, she also had some arthritis problems but we treated them with condroitin pills for dogs, as well as an occasional aspirin. She did fare well on both.
I think you should treat for the worms first and when your dog makes it through and is well, start putting him on the joint pills.
Be aware though, that vet bills can be quite costly, so start saving some money.
Between the last dog and the one we now own we spent close to $3000 dollars in a half year for various treatments. But we never thought it was a waste.
I think your dog is a fighter and deserves you fighting for him. Good Luck
If you think this poor dog has arthritis, glucosamine/chondroitin will usually help an arthritic dog. It’s cheaper to buy the "people" g/c at the pharmacy, the K9 g/c is pricier. The heartworms can be treated successfully with care. This story is a heart beaker and I wish you well.
I’m glad you’re taking care of this dog. I would get a second opinion from another veterinarian. He should definitely be on some medication for his arthritis pain–ask another vet about pain relief and also some supplements with glucosamine/chondroitin that can help his mobility.
The heartworm disease should be addressed, but it depends on his level of infestation. Undergoing heartworm treatment is a major stress on a dog, especially an older one with other health problems. His heartworm load should have been assessed by the first vet. If it’s determined that he has a large number of adult heartworms, the risk in giving an adulticide is that large numbers of dead worms will obstruct his arteries and sudden death is a possibility for him.
Here’s some links. Read up everything you can about heartworm disease before you visit a second vet for his/her opinion. Best of luck to you all.
Having suffered a serious back injury myself, and having older, arthritic dogs, I have found that glucosamine alone does little. It’s great in synergistic combination with other products, however. The real magic combination is a supplement that contains the following:
Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM (Methylsulfanomide) and HLA (Hyaluronic acid). If you can also find one with Bromelaine (yucca) it’s even better. But this truly does help. NaturVet makes one called ArthriSoothe Gold hip and joint formula with all of the above in it. I’ve found it in tablets for dogs, or powder for horses. Either way,