Dog can't stand due to back injury. When is euthanasia humane?

Poor girl! So you have a few options. If she is just holding it up but not crying out, you may just consider medical management and not euthanize her as long as she is playing eating and drinking normally. I would make sure she is on a high quality joint supplement like flexadin or dasuquin. I would also have a vet prescribe her an anti-inflammatory like rimadyl or galliprant. You could give that on days she is really painful. If she is only having pain in one leg and the other leg is normal, you could consider having that leg amputated. Dogs do amazing with 3 legs as long as the other is normal. There is also a surgery called an FHO with gets rods of the hip joint of that is the problem area. You could also look into that as an option. Another option would be to look for an alternative or integrative vet who practices acupuncture and herbal therapy. These can be wonderful for pain relief and mobility. I would only decide to euthanize her when you feel she has more bad days than good days. When these other options are no longer helping or if she stops eating or doesn’t want to play, then I would start to consider her quality of life is poor. I hope this helps!

Yes, euthanasia is definitely a very valid option here, it is quite likely that inflammation in and around her spinal nerves is contributing to both the paralysis and incontinence and severely impacting her quality of life

If she is seriously injured and cannot be fixed medically, I recommend taking her into a vet now for humane euthanasia. It would be better to let her go peacefully and without further pain. I'm very sorry :-(

I'm sorry your dog isn't doing well! I would be concerned that she may be in pain, and she could have a neurological problem causing her inability to walk. It's quite serious that she hasn't eaten for four days and can't get up. I work for a home euthanasia service, so I frequently encounter the question of when to put an animal to sleep. I always recommend looking at the dog's quality of life. When a dog can't stand up and isn't eating, their quality of life has declined to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. She will be starving from not eating, and that will be painful to her. It's also probably distressing she can't get up. In this case, I personally don't think it would be fair to wait it out. You can have her seen by a vet tomorrow to see if there are pain medications to give her to see if that helps her get up and medications to stimulate her to eat. If those don't work, then letting her go peacefully is the most kind option for her. I'm sure that's not something you want to hear, and I'm very sorry that she is doing so poorly.

Oh dear! This is a very serious problem - I'm afraid she really has to see a vet right away. She may have a herniated disc in her back causing the paralysis, or some other neurologic problem affecting her spinal cord. She may be in pain, or she may have no feeling at all in her rear legs - it's impossible to say without an exam. She needs immediate treatment to have a reasonable chance of regaining function in her rear legs, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do at home that will help her. If costs are a concern, you can see if there is a low-cost SPCA clinic in your area that could help. You could also apply online for Care Credit, which is a payment plan accepted by most vet clinics: www.carecredit.com

Yes, euthanasia would be a very valid option in Reds case, persistent pain that does not respond to medication is definitely reason enough to consider releasing him. Well done in approaching such a brave decision on behalf of Red

If she is in pain despite medication, unable to mobilise and also incontinent then yes, euthanasia should definitely be considered to prevent further pain and discomfort (such as infected bed sores etc). The cold limb is also a red flag for reduced circulation such as from a clot and is extremely painful in itself. Recovery is very unlikely and delays would add further suffering and pain