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I know the time is soon. But how the hell do you know when it's time
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There's never really an answer you can come up with on your own for this one...clearly you value the life of your dog, so you should take him to a vet to figure out what's wrong, how long until you should expect certain things, and if the creature will be in pain and/or lose all quality of life if you don't choose to end it while things are still relatively normal. It's a hard decision one way or another, but something that every pet owner has to take into account.
I'd suggest that if the animal isn't in any severe discomfort or pain, to keep him/her with you for at least a while - the vet will be able to tell you whether or not this is a viable option. However, if he/she says it's not the best idea, listen to them, as hard as it is, spend one more day with your animal, an make it a good one, then say goodbye...because if you think that's hard, it's nothing compared to seeing your animal die in pain.
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He's a long haired, white German Shepard. He's 12 years old human years I believe. He's in so much pain because of his hips. I feel bad for him, but he's a part of the family. We've had him since he was 2 months old.
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That's called "hip dysplasia", or something like that, ...happens to a lot of dogs, and it's a defect theyre born with and basically makes it hard and painful to walk. I know a dog that has this, and it presented itself at a very young age...of course with YOUR dog, it might have something to do with age as well, dogs get arthritis too. Both conditions can be at least eased with anti-inflammatory and pain meds. This might sound ridiculous, but there's also "wheel" setups, something like a small cart you can attatch to the back of the dog, it'll sit down in it and make it so it doesn't have to use it's back legs...sure, it's not an ideal situation, and doesn't allow for any GREAT amount of portability, but it will take a lot of the pressure off the legs, and you'd be surprised how well dogs adapt. All the same, something should be able to be prescribed.
Putting down animals in general is a real bitch of the task...I weigh it up between having their friendship during their life, but it's still hard...something everyone has to face, but I think it's important not to let your own personal feelings get in the way, if your animal is sick and in pain, and it's something that's been diagnosed as unfixable, the only thing you should be thinking about is even though it might make it easier on you to have them around a little longer, it's just going to get harder and harder and harder on them, and as I said...having been through both, it's far easier to witness a "controlled" death, than the alternative.