My senior dog is starving, weak, and has cancer. How to comfort him?

Poor guy. Your vet should be able to prescribe several medications to help with Ozzy's pain including: Gabapentin, Tramadol (mild pain control in many cases), Fentanyl patch, Rimadyl (NSAID, for pain) or even Hydromorphone (if severe). He may not be eating due to the pain, so its important to get him something prescribed as soon as possible. A simple phone call should be able to get him the pain medication he needs. We call this palliative care (keeping the pet comfortable) when dealing with inoperable cancerous masses. Until then, you can try offering him some plain boiled chicken or lean ground turkey and white rice OR canned baby food (meat/vegetables) to hopefully entice him to eat something. I DO NOT recommend any over the counter human pain medication as these can be very toxic to pets causing acute liver or kidney failure. I do hope that Ozzy's pain can be managed well soon! Best wishes and take care.

I would definitely recommend some blood work, if this hasn't been done recently. Older dogs are prone to a number of health issues that can cause decreased appetite along with being less active - chronic kidney disease and hypothyroidism are two possibilities that are both very common. In many cases, these issues are treatable (at least to some extent) once a diagnosis is made, so it's well worth checking for them if you can - hopefully, there are some things you can do to make him feel better for as long as possible, even though he's getting older.

I'm so sorry to hear the Cooper has cancer. I understand your concern. There is no blanket answer to your question though. He may be nauseated so taking a medication like Zofran (ondansetron) daily may be helpful. Ask your vet about using that. You know him best so just give him anything he wants to eat. You can try human baby food (meat flavors) often that works. Dogs also like Hill's a/d that you can get from your vet and it is very high in calories so they don't have to each much to take in more calories. I do think it is best to consult with your vet on this issue since they have all of his medical history. It is hard for me to comment without all the facts. I hope you understand.

I'm sorry your dog isn't feeling well. Regarding your comment about leaving kibble in his bowl without eating it, yet still eating 2 cans of food a day and some treats--it sounds like he is getting enough food and appetite is not a problem. When you say he is "pooping everything out," is he having diarrhea? Or does it seem that he is losing weight even though he is eating a lot? Or is he pooping very frequently? To review the list of problems/symptoms that you have given: *losing weight even though he is eating a lot (if this is what you mean by "pooping everything out") *uncomfortable/moaning *enlarged liver *blood test negative for Cushings disease Considering that he is 13, given the problem list above one of the biggest things I would worry about is cancer of some kind, and arthritis may be contributing to his discomfort. Unfortunately there is not any ONE test for cancer, so its not something your vet can just submit a blood sample and get an answer for. If you are wanting to KNOW what her diagnosis is, your vet will need to run full lab work (a full chemistry profile, a complete blood count, and a urinalysis), take X-rays of his chest, and probably perform an abdominal ultrasound (sonogram of the belly) as well. If an abnormality is discovered on X-rays or ultrasound, a biopsy may needed. Regardless of the cause, and even if you don't have funds to do a lot of diagnostics, you can focus on making him comfortable, with the understanding that his time may be limited. Ask your vet about pain medications. Don't worry about him not eating kibble--if he prefers canned food that is fine. I'm sorry I cannot give you black and white answers as to what is wrong. But he's a very lucky boy to have someone who cares so much for him. Wishing you both the best. Thanks so much for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am so very sorry that Patty is feeling so bad. It is quite possible that she has arrived at the end of her life time and rather than making her suffer through the end, you may want to consult with your cousin on whether it would not be more humane to let her go, ie take her to a vet to have her euthanased. Of course you can love on her and feed her and make her as comfortable as possible, but she may be so weak now and possibly in pain that it would not be fair to her to just let her die a long death. Sometimes not holding on for our sakes is more humane. Have a think, listen to Patty, she will tell you how she feels and when it is time.

Poor Panpan! Unfortunately, weight loss is part of the cancer process. It's called cachexia, and the dog loses both fat and muscle even if an adequate amount of food is fed to the dog. It becomes worse when the dog won't eat. First thing I would do is feed Panpan twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Then I would feed him a high calorie and high fat dog food, such as Eukanuba premium performance dry food. A high endurance or active dog food would also be good for him. If Panpan continues to keep getting skinnier, it would be a good idea to look at his quality of life. It's an extremely hard decision to make, but there are times when it is kinder to let an animal go peacefully. I work for an home euthanasia business, so I come across these kinds of issues all the time. I'd be happy to consult with further on this issue, if you'd like. Simple click "consult online" under my answer.

Making the decision to euthanize your pet is never easy. I usually recommend owners make a list of all the things their pet loved/loves to do. For instance, did she used to love to eat, go on walks, play with a special toy, get tummy rubs, go on car rides, etc. Now you make a check mark on the day she does that. As well as noting her appetite and if she can go out to go potty and not have accidents. When she starts to have more bad days than good days it is a sign that her quality of life is poor. You know her best. While her blood work isn't showing any problems there could be medical problems that won't. Just know that this is an extremely difficult decision but know that you have Cheyennes best interest at heart. I hope this helps. Kisses to Cheyenne!