Oscar update-WORST CASE SCENARIO pts

[Carolynleah]

So sorry  I really feel for you.

[coopersmum]

It must be an awful situation to be in for both you and Oscar. Like the others, I really think you need to rule out all medical causes as well as having a good behaviourist evaluate him before any decisions are made, for both yours and Oscar's sake.

[ollie nathan's mum]

It's a big decision to make however it's one you need to make sooner rather than later for all your sakes.

[Ninasmum]

Before you make a decision please talk to Mark. Also, I don't think any of the medical tests - especially thyroid - have been done, have they! Surely, you'd want to exclude a medical cause (that could potentially be solved very easily) before making that final decision!!!

If nothing works - neither a good behaviourist and no medical cause can be found (after THOROUGH tests, not just a quick manual exam by the vet) - then yes, PTS is probably the kindest and most responsible thing to do! But not before covering all other avenues first.

This is the best possible advice....please, please, please take it 
I am so sorry you are in this difficult situation with Oscar & completely understand how upsetting it must be 
Lurcher Girl would tell you the exact health tests incl. bloods Oscar needs 

[jaybee]

Agree with everyone. Before you make a decision talk to Mark. Also, I don't think any of the medical tests - especially thyroid - have been done, have they! Surely, you'd want to exclude a medical cause (that could potentially be solved very easily) before making that final decision!!!

If nothing works - neither a good behaviourist and no medical cause can be found (after THOROUGH tests, not just a quick manual exam by the vet) - then yes, PTS is probably the kindest and most responsible thing to do! But not before covering all other avenues first.

Agree with everything LurcherGirl has said. It is a truly awful situation to find yourself in, but I know I wouldn't want to make such a final decision without having opinions and information from a qualified behaviourist and a vet who has done thorough testing. Oscar is also probably picking up on all your fears and with changes to his living arrangements is perhaps scared, confused and distressed. Please pursue the right routes to get all this information before you make a decision.

xxx

[carly_cl]

Thanks for your reply but how do i manage this in the meantime? Our family member is living in fear and was locked out of their kitchen all day yesterday. We really cant bring him bk here with a toddler in the house either. We have officially had the phone call that the couple willing to take him, will not anymore after seeing the severity and prolonged aspect of his aggression yesterday. Im SO peed off, how the hell can you trust a vet, we put oscar in front of a highly respected long serving vet yet here we are STILL wondering if its a thyroid issue. I dont see it going anyother way than the worst right now, his situation Has o be resolved today latest tomorrow because he i a timebomb, we cant get into a car and our family member cant live in that way. feel like im going to break, been awake all night.

[jaybee]

Where is he right now?

Get on the phone to Mark today, if he can't come I am sure he will be able to provide you with recommendations or point you in the direction of someone who will be able to help.

[aliceandlouis]

I can feel your desperation leaping off the screen as I read your last response so   to you in these very difficult circumstances.

Others have made some wonderful suggestions about what tests/assessments could be done, and in an ideal world of course that is what you would have done had decisions been taken sooner and maybe this current crisis would not overtaken you all.  However, you are now left in the middle of a whirlwind unable to see a way forward and no longer able to trust Oscar with any of your family.  As Kelly T has suggested, perhaps you should talk with a Cocker rescue organisation, explain the situation and take their advice about how to sort this immediate crisis - or discuss with Mark and see what he says.  Whether or not you subsequently go down the route of further testing/behavioural assessment is something only you can decide - but what is clear is that this situation cannot go on, for your sake or Oscars.  At this stage all you can deal with are the current circumstances - getting sucked in to what you 'should' or 'could' have done is not helpful and is something for another day, difficult though that may be when the time comes to reflect on things.

I wish you well.

[Ninasmum]

If i were in this situation i would call the vet out to just sedate him to calm Oscar down
This of course would make it safer to move Oscar to a more suitable room where he could be segregated
Get those health/blood tests done today
Call in TopBarks (Mark) or speak to Lurcher Girl now

Oscar could be in terrible pain along with being scared   

I don't really know what else to suggest & just feel so sad for everyone involved 

[stuffster]

Please Please Please DO NOT HAVE HIM PTS. I totally understand your concerns but at least call an experienced cocker rescue place to give him a chance.

If your dog has aggression issues he should only be rehomed with a very experienced owner.

The chances are he is absolutely terrified right now, which is why he is lashing out. Think how he is feeling - he got taken from his home and family, then shoved in a van, then taken to another house, with no way for him to understand why this is happening to him.

My old boy Alfie was showing horrific signs of "rage" according to 2 vets I saw - who advised he be put to sleep.  I refused and sought a 3rd opinion and it turned out he had torn his cruciate ligament and was in extreme pain. Once he had been operated on and his leg healed, he was a completely different dog.

[carly_cl]

Where is he right now?

Get on the phone to Mark today, if he can't come I am sure he will be able to provide you with recommendations or point you in the direction of someone who will be able to help.

In sunderland, the home he knows well as he has been there when we go away.

Yes I know we didnt call Mark but Oscar appeared to calm again lulling us into a false sense of security. We were going to try and have him come round though.

I just dont know what can be done, if Mark does come I cant see what difference it will make, he still hasnt got a home right now? Who will work with him, as much as I want to I cant put my toddler in the same space any longer. The only place we could be pointed is to rescue centres which so far have said no, including the dogs trust who apparently never put a healthy dog to sleep. DT advised us to pts as they wouldnt be able to rehome him. If he went anywhere he would need a home with an experienced owner of aggresive dogs other than that I just dont know if realistically is an option

[jaybee]

You won't know unless you make the call and talk to him

[LurcherGirl]

Thanks for your reply but how do i manage this in the meantime?

Have you tried to muzzle Oscar? There are muzzle availables that still allow him to drink and take treats, but it is safe for people to be around him then. Please get your relative to contact either Mark or me so we can talk more, and we might be able to suggest safe ways of managing him until tests are done. (Thyroid results for example will take about a week.)

The way he is at the moment, I am going to be honest, you won't find a home and no rescue will be able to help. People that are experienced enough and willing to deal with this sort of issue are like gold dust (and most of those are already at full capacity due to having taken dogs with similar issues) and to be honest, if no medical cause can be found and no obvious behaviour issue can be identified, then PTS would be the kindest thing to do anyway as this whole situation isn't just stressful for people around Oscar, but extremely stressful and confusing for him too.

[carly_cl]

Thanks for your reply but how do i manage this in the meantime?

Have you tried to muzzle Oscar? There are muzzle availables that still allow him to drink and take treats, but it is safe for people to be around him then. Please get your relative to contact either Mark or me so we can talk more, and we might be able to suggest safe ways of managing him until tests are done.

The way he is at the moment, I am going to be honest, you won't find a home and no rescue will be able to help. People that are experienced enough and willing to deal with this sort of issue are like gold dust (and most of those are already at full capacity due to having taken dogs with similar issues) and to be honest, if no medical cause can be found and no obvious behaviour issue can be identified, then PTS would be the kindest thing to do anyway as this whole situation isn't just stressful for people around Oscar, but extremely stressful and confusing for him too.

I wouldnt dare put a muzzle on him, putting a lead on him is risky business at the moment. We CANT possibly keep him with the risk factor, he needs a home. Is it really worth putting him through all of this and then a rescue still wont take him. Oscar may have an identified issue but then what?? Im stuck, I adore that dog but I cant have him near my son anymore

[aliceandlouis]

Thanks for your reply but how do i manage this in the meantime?

Have you tried to muzzle Oscar? There are muzzle availables that still allow him to drink and take treats, but it is safe for people to be around him then. Please get your relative to contact either Mark or me so we can talk more, and we might be able to suggest safe ways of managing him until tests are done.

The way he is at the moment, I am going to be honest, you won't find a home and no rescue will be able to help. People that are experienced enough and willing to deal with this sort of issue are like gold dust (and most of those are already at full capacity due to having taken dogs with similar issues) and to be honest, if no medical cause can be found and no obvious behaviour issue can be identified, then PTS would be the kindest thing to do anyway as this whole situation isn't just stressful for people around Oscar, but extremely stressful and confusing for him too.

I wouldnt dare put a muzzle on him, putting a lead on him is risky business at the moment. We CANT possibly keep him with the risk factor, he needs a home. Is it really worth putting him through all of this and then a rescue still wont take him. Oscar may have an identified issue but then what?? Im stuck, I adore that dog but I cant have him near my son anymore

Sounds like you have already made your decision?  The very knowledgeable and experienced Lurchergirl has been totally honest with you about the un-likelihood of Oscar being successfully re-homed as things currently stand and I guess that even if you were to go down the route of testing for medical conditions you cannot see how he can be cared for in the interim?