What was your dog's personality before all of this?

OP, if you are dealing with your everyday/neighborhood vet, I think this is too much/too critical of a situation. Can you go to an actual animal hospital or critical care clinic. I recommend the Hope Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Rockville. They are equipped for this type of situation. Your neighborhood/ordinary vet is simply not equipped for this.

http://rockville.hopecenter.com/hospital/

OP here - I thank everyone for writing in, but my vote is only 50%. I talked to my husband again and he will not consider euthanasia. The vet also agreed with him; it's too early. We get more test results back on Monday. She is going to aggressively wean the dog off the steroid, since he's struggling with the side effects. The vet can't board him due to space and it's needed for more critical dogs. We do have a basket muzzle and a back harness and baby gates that will need to suffice until he's off the steroids.

This sucks. I'm tired of persuading my husband to kill the dog we both love. It's hard enough.

I'm sorry, OP, but I really think you and your DH are insane keeping an animal like that around you and your child. He needs to be put down today.

I would absolutely humanely put your dog down, OP. The risk to your health and your child's (soon-to-be children's) safety is too great.

OP, I am so sorry you are dealing with this. A close friend of my mom's had a beloved cat who went nuts and attacked her when she was returning from a brief trip out of town. It turns out the cat had kidney disease and basically just went nuts. My mom's friend ended up with really serious injuries to her legs, and on top of everything else ended up with C. diff. after the IV antibiotics she had to be treated with. The injuries and resulting treatment-related complications she received were significant and potentially life-threatening.

Which is to say, just because an animal is greatly loved does not mean it cannot do you or your child grievous harm, especially when it is sick and not behaving normally either because of the illness or because of the drugs it is on. Even if there is zero question that you and your husband love your pet and would do anything to help it, you have to recognize that your beloved pet can seriously injure you despite the love you bear for it.

Please put your safety and your kids' safety first. You don't have to throw your dog out the door -- but you do need to make sure you are separated from your dog and that your dog is receiving appropriate medical treatment in an environment where none of you (dog included) is at risk.

Sent you to the emergency room? Sorry OP, I have a dog and I LOVE him. But I think you have to put him donw.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - yes to the steroids. Plus an antibiotic, immune-suppressants, acid reflux. It's 5 pills in the morning and 10 at night.

Don't blame the vet. His red blood cells were 50% of normal and dropping. She saved his life and stabilized him. He was sent home to recover in a comfortable environment. We see her every few days for bloodwork. These things are just hard to diagnose.

I am not blaming the vet for failing to come up with an immediate answer -- but did your vet communicate about the possible behavioral changes your dog might experience on these meds? And have you communicated with your vet about what's going on right now? That is critical information.

Please call your vet immediately -- and make your husband deal with this issue by getting the dog out of your care and into the vet's care -- *your* environment is not comfortable if you are at demonstrated physical risk. What if it's your face the dog bites next time? Or your toddler's? You are dealing with a very real threat to your own and your child's safety and you *have* to prioritize your safety and your child's over your dog's comfort. Otherwise you are being an irresponsible parent. Parenting commitments trump pet commitments.

I find your husband singularly careless of his family. The dog never comes first in a family of humans, and this is what he's doing right now. So here are your rules:

1. The dog has to get out of the house ASAP.

2. Your husband can choose whether he wants to pay for boarding in a pet hospital, or have him put down.

3. Sedatives might be a good idea, but it has to be tried right now, and a decision made in the next couple of days. The poor dog is probably in great pain right now anyway, which is why he's very reactive.

OP here - yes to the steroids. Plus an antibiotic, immune-suppressants, acid reflux. It's 5 pills in the morning and 10 at night.

Don't blame the vet. His red blood cells were 50% of normal and dropping. She saved his life and stabilized him. He was sent home to recover in a comfortable environment. We see her every few days for bloodwork. These things are just hard to diagnose.

I think segregating the dog from the family will only increase his aggression. He'll feel punished for being sick, he'll feel lonely to be separated from his pack, etc.

Either your dog needs to live at the vet, or be put down. I'm so sorry.

Is your dog on steroids? That can cause the constant peeing, and perhaps the aggression.

The dog's quality of life sounds very bad; I would ask the vet what his prognosis is for all the possible diagnoses and then decide whether to put him to sleep. For, example, if he has cancer would you do chemo?

Locking him in the laundry room is a terrible idea and very selfish on your husband's part. He is more concerned about his grief than the dog's well-being.

Get a new vet. Why is your dog taking 15 pills a day when the vet doesn't even know what is wrong with him yet?

OP here. I don't see any scenario where he would calmly let us muzzle him. I was trying to put a leash on him last night when he attacked me. Now I'm covered in gauze and on antibiotics.

Nope. From now on if we need to move him, I'm throwing bits of meat at him like a wild animal. I'm waiting on a call from the vet to see if they could take him and how much it would be.

Anonymous wrote:Has he been tested for thyroid and Cushings? The massive water intake is symptom of the latter . Hypothyroidism can cause aggression but that is probably stemming from his other issues now.

I was thinking Cushings as well.

I'm so sorry, OP. Can you muzzle the dog before you have to do things he doesn't like?