Kristine
I couldn't agree more. I have a dog who I was considering euthanasia. If you knew me, you'd think it impossible, but my dog was in agony 24/7. I was in pain too watching him suffer and not being able to help him! My vet who practices Chinese medicine tried everything. She had him food sensitivity tested through Dr. Dodds, etc. Changed his diet, used Chinese herbs, SLIT, etc., etc. I was paying approximately $500--800 a month on vet bills from many vets - a dermatology specialist, urgent care, a vet in my area and my homeopathic vet who practices Chinese medicine and regular medicine depending on the situation. Finally, my homeopathic vet decided to use Apoquel. She wanted to use it to get him off the antibiotics he needed for the deep wounds he caused continuously. It has been a miracle drug. We started on 16 mg (he weighs about 70 pounds) and I have reduced it to half that (8 mg) once per day. My dog is a rescue and I never really knew his until he was on the Apoquel. His personality has finally come out and he is so happy. The doctor is amazed at the fantastic turn around from the Apoquel. He has been on it 6 months now, has been tested and had perfect results so far. I felt the way many of you do, but finally made the decision that if he only lives one happy year, it would be worth it. I'm not going to let him suffer. I wouldn't have made the decision if I hadn't tried everything first, but I am happy with my decision and believe that quality of life is much more important than a long life of suffering. It is something everyone must decide on an individual basis not only for their pets, but for themselves. If you haven't read or seen the film Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (Harvard physician), I highly recommend it. It covers this dilemma.