Is it better to euthanize a diabetic dog that will go blind?

We've just found out that my sister's dog is diabetic. He's about eight years old and my dad just thought he was getting old so he put that down to the weight loss but lately he's been throwing up so we took him to the vet. P.J will go blind no matter what we do but should we keep up the treatment with him until his time or would it be better for him to euthanize him.

Blindness is not such a handicap as for humans.BUT...it sounds like it will *not* be the only problem .Sick,in pain,constant meds.,scared,kidney failure....not something I'd force an animal to endure.Your choice.

My mom's 12 year old dog has been diabetic for the last 6 years and he is far from miserable. My mom monitors his insulin and diet and he's perfectly happy. He has lost some of his sight, but he has adjusted well and is a happy, playful dog. There is no need to euthanize a dog because he will go blind, get him on treatment and see how he does. If he responds to insulin treatment and feels good, then go with it, but if he doesn't respond and doesn't feel good, then it would be best to put him down. But most diabetic dogs start to feel a lot better once they are on regular insulin.

I'm a diabetic under treatment, I'm glad my family haven't decided to put me down yet. I would continue with treatment for as long as your dog has a good quality of life, gee, he's only 8 and could have another 5-6 years left. If there's no pain and you get the diet under control along with the diabetes, he may NOT go blind. If you love him, keep him.

Depending on his breed, your dog may have another 6 or 7 years ahead of him, despite his diabetes. If your family can afford medical treatment, his diabetes can be controlled. Blindness in dogs is something they seem to do okay with, much more so than humans, so that needn't be the main reason to put him down. I would say treat him and see how he does. If he doesn't respond well to treatment and seems miserable, then it would be kind to euthanize him. But I think you should give him a chance to respond to treatment first, if possible.

No it's not that nessary. My friend has a cocker spaniel which is 13 years old, and her both eyes and blind and her both ears are deaf, so her life is quiet and dark. However, she is still very happy and she still loves to play with a ball. She also loves wrestling to my friend's other dog.However, if your dog is going to suffer in pain for the rest of its life, he should be euthanized.

I'd ask your vet what the chances are that the dog can be returned to some level of good health. While they do not have magic balls they can see in to predict the future- many times they have a gut feeling about how far gone a pet's health is and the chances of recovery. My husband is a vet and is asked many times- "What would you do if this was your pet?" He gives an honest answer- even if it is hard to hear

Our lovely Westie Poo became diabetic at the age of 10... She had not long before been banned from playing fetch. Anyway, I was ill and maybe hadn't noticed when the diabetes first started or maybe it just started with a bang? Whatever it was poor Lucy was back and forth to the Vets who, as I was on invalidity, recommended the RSPCA clinic. When we arrived at the RSPCA poor Lucy was rather poorly with a very upset stomach and needed to be left in the hospital on a drip...She was properly diagnosed with diabetes and put on insulin - we were lucky that she was not kept in for long as she was missing us as much as we her and (possibly as rather spoiled) was refusing to eat - we went along with some freshly boiled chicken which she woolfed down... so home she came!! Walkies and everyday general life went on as normal, the main real difference was that we had to give insulin injections. Yes, her sight did start to fade, she couldn't see the squirrels at the other end of the park as she once had - but our previous dog was practically blind by the time he died at 15 and he wasn't diabetic. Anyway, some six months after diagnosis and with her insulin steadily increasing and regular visits to the RSPCA, and occasional ones to the family vet too, poor Lucy had another stomach upset - it was Friday and we booked an appointment with the clinic for Monday when, no doubt she would have gone onto a drip... I popped along to my Vet on Sunday, not sure what on earth to do about the insulin as she was not eating as she had, then we went home and went on as normal... Lucy came in for a cuddle and Mum realised that she hadn't peed for a while so popped her outside and she came back in and flopped on the mat.. My only regret is that I didn't go and continue our cuddle as shortly afterwards we found our Lucy had slipped away. That was 2 1/2 years ago now and as I write this the tears are running down my cheeks... If your family loves your dog then you should give him every chance he can get, he has given you 8 years of love and faithful companionship - it is the least you can do for him.

Keep him alive.If he is in pain or anything, contact your vet, see what they think. But for now, I'm sure if your dog is blind wont effect much. Just help him.