When is it time to say goodbye?

[Newfie-Stock]

My little guy is 14-15 I'm not sure exactly though. For the last couple of years we had to go in about every 8 months for a teeth trim but now we have hit the 2-3 month mark. How much longer should i go before i say its time and let him go peacefully, the vet I go to is only in it for the money and he is the only vet around who will do the teeth trim.

 

[Amethyst]

I would look at how he is recovering after the teeth trims. Is he taking a lot longer to bounce back? If he is just getting back to normal shortly before it's time to go back, that's not a good life. How stressed is he getting his teeth trimmed? Is he able to still be a normal chinchilla or are you having to hand feed him his meals and is unable to chew on things for weeks? Or is he unable to even resume being a normal chin, eating hay, chewing sticks, etc at all? Basically look at his quality of life, is he in pain and recovering for more time then he is normal and happy? With his age, and having to take him in so frequently I would say it's getting to be time.

Another thing to consider is how the x-rays look, teeth trimming only takes care of the crown of the tooth, the roots grow too. Are the roots growing through the jaw bone or up into the skull? Both of those situations will cause serious pain, and chins are good at hiding pain so you may not realize how much pain he is in. Once they get to that point the kindest thing to do is end his suffering, before the roots actual puncture something.

 

[ticklechin]

If you wait until the last possible minute to say goodbye to your baby, you will most likely be facing an emergency, stress-filled, suffer able condition for your chin. It may not be peaceful and you may regret waiting too long. If a peaceful, calm, loving, end of life experience is what you wish for your chin, then you will probably need to make the decision a little sooner than you want. Making that decision should not be about ceasing any suffering that has already occurred, but about preventing suffering from occurring in the first place. Above all, our pets do not deserve to hurt.

 

[Idgie]

It's always a difficult decision. With my first chin, I didn't realize that her tooth root was growing up into her eye. After I knew that and put her down, I felt horrible that she had been suffering. I promised myself that I would not wait that long ever again.

My last chin had a degenerative eye problem that could become an emergency at any time. She was eating and playing, but I had to put drops in her eyes three times a day and give her pain meds. That was no way for her to be. I was really torn, yet I did not want to wait until her eye ruptured. It was still horrible to put her down, but I believe that it was best for her.

Good luck with your decision. It is hard either way.