Should I tell Owner (in my opinion) her vet is lying to her ?
I've been caring for a senior dog fairly regularly (5 stays in 6 months). He's clearly in pain and uncomfortable. He takes upwards of 10 pills a day. His back legs/hips are so weak that his front stance has become bowed from carrying all the weight. He has a very strange gait in order to compensate for the hips. He barks constantly, literally constantly. If he's awake, he's barking. It's not a normal bark, it is high-pitched and plaintive.
His Owner says the vet tells her as long as he can still get himself outside to go to the bathroom then he's OK. I know people do not want to put their pet down. It's a hard decision. She's talked about it a couple times (hence the reason I know what her vet is telling her). I just nod and tsk-tsk and listen.
Clearly the vet is playing on her extremely loving nature cuz he's making a ton of money treating this dog. However, the dog is a mess and should not be put through this torture. At this point I feel like someone needs to advocate for the dog. Her husband isn't going to do it; he's caught between a rock and a hard place.
I have another stay coming up soon with them. I have vowed to keep my mouth shut about it but my gosh I feel complicit in this poor dog's pain. I don't want to stop taking her requests because apparently she's tried other sitters and our house is the only place he sleeps through the night.
What would you do in this position?