My puppy is in severe pain. What are my quality of life options?

Question

My puppy is 9 months old and is in severe distress. I am concerned about his quality of life. What should I do? Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | unneutered | 8 months and 29 days old | 4.2 lbs

Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA · Accepted Answer

As a veterinarian, am obligated to focus on Coco's health and comfort, which is currently severely compromised by his pain levels and lack of mobility. Given the number of posts you have placed expressing the severe distress Coco has experienced for many months, it is obvious that you recognize the degree of pain and suffering he is experiencing from his developmental disease. Such severe presentations rarely resolve, even with invasive surgical options. It is clear his pain to date has not been controlled by any of the methods you and your veterinary and PT teams have tried with him, and I have concerns that he is suffering and that this will be ongoing for the remainder of his life. As much as none of us like to euthanize animals, there are cases in which we are unable to manage their pain to achieve an acceptable [quality of life](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-assess-your-pets-quality-of-life) for them and in such situations it is necessary to consider what is the kindest option for the patient, and not ourselves. Referral to a specialist orthopedic surgeon, experienced in treating growing animals, would be the best way to explore if any surgical procedures could provide some additional relief, but these would be extremely invasive and painful to recover from.

My puppy is in severe pain. What are my quality of life options?

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