f6twister

We have 6 y/o yellow lab. We bought her as a puppy shortly before my wife and I were married.

In the time that we've owned her, she has become what can only be described as odd. She developed allergies which cause her ears to become red and inflamed and her paws to itch and swell. Because of the allergies, she chews on her paws until they develop sores and sometimes bleed. We've taken her to multiple vet appointments but we don't have the money to have the expensive allergy tests done. Even if we did, the desesitation shots are more than we can afford also. She also developed a very bad body odor that only goes away for about 3-4 days after a bath then returns.

Her behavior is also strange. She hates to go outside, even to do her business. When she is outside, she sprints back to the house as soon as she is done. Despite being a "family type" dog, she has never liked the kids. She walks away when they try to pet her and growls at them if they pet her when she is sleeping.

Today was probably the breaking point. She both threw up on and peed on our dining room floor. She didn't indicate that she needed to go out which is unusual.

We are now looking at our options. My wife grew up with her parents owning labs and says that none of them were ever like this one. The vets are stuck having done everything they can without going into the next cost bracket. Do we give her away? Drop her off at the humane society? Put her down? Or do we keep her and deal with her? My wife is all for getting rid of her but I feel guilty (even though she was the one who wanted a dog).

If this was your dog, what would you do?

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A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin