old dog not being taken care of

[pheonixserene]

My mother n law lives w me and my family. She has an old dog that she's had for about 14yrs. She, in my opinon, dosent take care of him. She dosent bathe him, EVER. He has horrible arthiritus and she WONT give him any thing for the pain and he is very miserable. He wont do anything but lie around. He has rotten skin on his back, so bad that he smells like rotten garbage! He gets pus in his eyes and if I DONT CLEAN IT, IT STAYS FOR DAYS!! When she runs outta dog food, instead of buying more, she will give him cat food! She dosent pick up his feces and he on a rope so he walks in it. I kno she supposedly loves him but this dosent seem like it to me. The dog is so disgusting that no 1 would ever adopt him.

I want to kno what yall would do in this situation, should I call animal control on her or what?
(talking to her dosent do any good cuz Ive tried for 5 years now....)

[dominosarah]

Thank you for making his final days comfortable.  May he rest in peace now~~~~~~sara

[pheonixserene]

well yesterday that crazy woman tool him 2 the vet,finally, and they put him 2 sleep- thank god! He isnt suffering ne more.

[dominosarah]

I am so glad you are making his final days comfortable.  Sounds like he is suffering.  I hope this woman never is allowed to have an animal again.  Thank you for taking over the welfare of this dog.  Has to be a heartbreaker for you........sara

[pheonixserene]

Well the dog is on his deathbed and that idiot woman wanted 2 move him from the shady yard onto the porch w no shade! I told her she wasn't allowed, and that it was MEAN. If he wasn't so stinky and dirty and covered in fleas I would let him come in. He came n 2 another home of mine and I swear 2 yall it made my entire house stink soooooooo bad! Ppl would come n and say "wtf is that smell?!?!" That's how bad he is.I been makin sure he is comfortable, I took him off his runner,even tho she says not 2, I'm makin his last coupl days r nice.

[dominosarah]

Good for you girl.......give that dog some attention.  Let us know how he is doing         sara

[pheonixserene]

The dog is def outside! I agree w every1 of yall, I effin hate it. I went out and bathed him and cleaned his eyes 2day. Imma take care of him myself!!!!

[lab_labra1]

i think ur mom is tierd of all the doggy care thingy .
if u can make him well n take care of him ..do it now.

if u dont have time < then 1st make him look good n healthy n send him to adoption center ,may sum1 adopt him

if u dont have even that much time nor resources nor money^^^^ <<DONt let this soul SUFFER


R.I.P

[Jaybay]

I'm appalled that this situation was allowed to continue to this stage and pray you can get that poor dog to a vet.  In all honesty, with a skin infection that smelly, a vet may recommend euthanasia - but you never know.  He may just need a whole lot of TLC to have some quality time left.  No dog should be kept tied up for life and left to live in it's own waste.  In plenty of areas in this country that amounts to an animal cruelty charge.  Certainly the obvious lack of veterinary care would be another charge.

What would I do?  Assume ownership and care of the dog.  That means veterinary treatment, providing proper food and water, medications, and regular bathing.  If that's not possible, euthanasia is a legitimate option as is attempting to rehome the dog.  What's the woman going to do anyway?  Get mad?  Big deal.  My house, my rules.

As bad as the dog's situation is, how is the mother-in-law's personal situation with hygiene, etc?  Does she have any kind of medical and/or mental condition that accounts for her ignoring her dog's abysmal condition?  If the dog is inside the home, why is nobody else helping to clean up after him?  Does your MIL live in the same quarters as the dog?  The ammonia from urine and the bacteria from the feces are extremely unhealthy for anyone living in that situation.  If your MIL is unable to care for herself, charges of elder abuse are a possibility you need to be aware of.  You're the only one who knows the reality of the situation and please don't think I'm accusing you of anything.  I just want you to be aware of what this would look like to law enforcement.  If you get the dog, MIL and the house cleaned up you won't have a problem.

I don't understand what happens to some seniors where their animals are concerned.  My MIL is almost as bad as yours.  She just killed another dog with "kindness" a couple weeks ago.  The poor dog was severely morbidly obese and had to be euthanised for congestive heart failure that even MIL couldn't ignore because the dog hacked with every breath.  She also refused to give the dog prescribed medications - even after she paid for them!  

The stupid woman just cannot stop feeding her dogs crap like ice cream, chocolate, table scraps, etc., and at 90 she can't keep up with any kind of exercise.  It's amazing the manager hasn't evicted her by now because MIL ignores the leash laws in her complex.  This last dog was so neurotic and spoiled that she chased the senior residents every chance she got, and actually caused one lady to fall.  MIL went straight out and got another dog and I have no doubt the poor little guy will be 3 times his normal weight in about 2 more months and likely transformed into an ill-tempered, universally despised yappit who terrorizes the residents of her senior complex.  None of which is the dog's fault and all of which is entirely preventable.    :-(

[Misfits4Me]

In my area , Animal Control is also the Doggie Police.....For example: If they locate an animal at a residence (That's in Poor shape), the resident owner is "Fined" (Doesn't have to be the dog's owner) and a warning given to get the dog to a Doctor......They return to check on the dog at a later date......If a neighbor calls in the complaint and sends Animal Control out, the Fine is much, much higher.......

His infected back is enough alone, to make him miserable......Please, step up and get this dog some help.......The Vet may recommend that he be put to sleep if he's that ill... However, letting him suffer like this & No one doing anything about it, is against the law.......Did you say this has gone on for years????  Oh my.....Poor Guy!!!!  

[pheonixserene]

ur rite about that, i think I WILL give him sum goodtimes.....thats great advice....thanks so much =>

[ginger899]

Well I feel bad about my advice because it may be impractical, or simply unfeeling, and I am not you, and I don't know what other responsibilities you have, or what your life is like. But I do know what I would do....
I would start taking over the care of that dog, and if she doesn't like it let her moan about it. But that's what I'd do. He hasn't got very long to live. He needs some good times. The only problem I do realize is the vets bills. So it does depend on if you can afford to do that.
The one thing to consider is if you called animal control....what would happen? I don't really know how they operate. Could, for example, they recommend that the dog be put to sleep? I don't know.

[dominosarah]

You say they live with you?  Seems this dog needs some vet care real bad.  This isnt fair for this poor dog.  You need to take charge and do something.  I wish you all the best.  sara