# PSA: If your dog is about to die, cancel your travel plans **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 4, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321 "2014-07-04T03:48:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/1 "2014-07-04T03:48:56Z")
Even if it means you go three months without seeing your four-year-old grandson, if you think your dog is likely to die _that fucking weekend_, stay home. This is particularly true if whenever you bring the dog to the house it sends the cats that fucking live there batshit and adrenalin-charged altercations are typical. The more you known. ETA for clarity: The dog is here. It’s still alive for now. It can’t really stand on its own; it is being carried from room to room. Also, it’s a poodle. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/2 "2014-07-04T04:17:57Z")
On the other hand, the potential for\* Weekend at Bernies\* hijinks with a four year old, a bunch of cats and an ex-poodle must be nigh-irresistible. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/3 "2014-07-04T04:27:03Z")
I could not have fathomed a better response. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/4 "2014-07-04T06:28:24Z")
Look, kids, he’s waving at the cats! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/5 "2014-07-04T12:02:22Z")
No, it was…uh…the dog that pooped on your lawn. Yes, it was! See? It’s totally still alive! ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/6 "2014-07-04T18:03:38Z")
Poor doggie. Poor kid. For both their sakes, you should pick up the dog and take him to the vet. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/7 "2014-07-04T19:15:18Z")
Agreed. I know people get attached to their dogs, but perhaps it’s time for the grandparents to consider doing the humane thing. If you love your dog, you should realize when it’s time to give it a comfortable way out of its suffering. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/8 "2014-07-04T22:45:58Z")
If it’s a small dog, couldn’t it be taken on the flight in a carrier? True, this could prove discomfiting to other passengers if the dog croaks during a long flight, but it’s still better than a screaming three-year-old child. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/9 "2014-07-07T21:17:59Z")
$3500 later and one pancreatic infection later, and the pooch is back in the running. He’s had some severe problems relatively recently, so they thought this was the end (the vet said this was unrelated to the cancer). Glad he’s alive, glad we didn’t end up with “hey, remember that time when the dog shit the bed _for real_?” and glad we had some good times posing him in compromising positions with the cat (before he got whisked away to the vet). But still people, if you have to carry a once-spry dog around in a blanket, maybe–_just maybe_–it’s okay to go three months without seeing your grandchild. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/10 "2014-07-07T21:25:50Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Agreed. I know people get attached to their dogs, but perhaps it’s time for the grandparents to consider doing the humane thing. If you love your dog, you should realize when it’s time to give it a comfortable way out of its suffering. Yes. It’s time. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/11 "2014-07-07T23:32:46Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Agreed. I know people get attached to their dogs, but perhaps it’s time for the grandparents to consider doing the humane thing. If you love your dog, you should realize when it’s time to give it a comfortable way out of its suffering. Having just been through this, it’s a lot tougher call to make when it’s your dog versus watching from the outside. “Am I doing this because the dog must be in pain, or is it because he’s become an inconvenience to me?” My dog gave me a dozen years of loyalty, and I couldn’t put him down simply because I didn’t want to carry him down the stairs to go outside. So I totally agree with what you say, and in some cases it’s very clear when it’s time. In the cases when it’s not so clear, the decision is a lot harder. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/12 "2014-07-08T00:37:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes. It’s time. I bet you say that to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/13 "2014-07-08T01:00:26Z")
To all those saying “it’s time” yeah, see here is the thing. It’s easy to see that from a disconnected third party point of view. It;s not so easy to see when you are the emotionally involved dog owner. …says the guy who gave his dog IV fluids at home every other day for 5 months before realizing it was time to let him go. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/14 "2014-07-08T02:16:45Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > To all those saying “it’s time” yeah, see here is the thing. It’s easy to see that from a disconnected third party point of view. It;s not so easy to see when you are the emotionally involved dog owner. > > …says the guy who gave his dog IV fluids at home every other day for 5 months before realizing it was time to let him go. In all fairness, needing fluids at home is not in and of itself a sign that it’s time to let go. We’ve had renal failure patients have a pretty good quality of life on fluids for that long or longer. They were eating well, their weight was stable, they were comfortable and active, and they didn’t mind being given fluids. They had some good months for their owners to make peace with the situation. Hell, one of them had almost 2 years before he started to deteriorate. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/15 "2014-07-08T05:36:57Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > Poor doggie. Poor kid. For both their sakes, you should pick up the dog and take him to the vet. Just don’t mix up the crates. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/16 "2014-07-09T18:59:49Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Just don’t mix up the crates. “This is the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen. Why did you shave it?” ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/17 "2014-07-09T19:59:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes. It’s time. > [@Not\_Carlson](#): > > I bet you say that to everyone. I laughed - ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-if-your-dog-is-about-to-die-cancel-your-travel-plans/692321/18 "2014-07-09T20:16:29Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I laughed - Yeah, the scythe always gives it away…:smack: