My dog has a bleeding tumor. How do I know when to put her to sleep?

I'm so sorry Bradee isn't doing well! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question often with my clients. While he doesn't seem to be in pain, it's likely that he is in pain from the malignant growth. I would make a list of five things Bradee loves to do, and if he's isn't doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has declined to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. It can't be a comfortable quality of life for him to have to be spoon fed, bleed from a continually growing tumor in his mouth, and staying in his crate more. Dogs are often ready to go before we are ready to let them go, and it may be kindness to let him go now before he declines ever further. If you'd like to discuss this further with me, I'd be happy to consult with you. Simply click the "consult online" button under my answer. Again, I'm sorry Bradee is so ill, and I hope I've helped you.

This is an extremely difficult decision to make. I always try to look at a dog's quality of life to determine if they are still able to do most of the things they've always loved. If they are unable to do half of their favorite things, it is likely that their overall quality of life has declined and euthanasia may be warranted. Since your dog is currently eating, drinking, acting and playing normally, it does not sound as though her time has come. However, since one of her masses ruptured, there is a chance that it could become infected. Ideally, the mass would be surgically removed and biopsied. If surgery is not an option, she may need a course of antibiotics to prevent the onset of infection in the open lesion. If the open mass continues to bleed or begins to cause discomfort, you may need to decide if she should have surgery or euthanasia. If you are beginning to question if the time for euthanasia has arrived, consider discussing this with your vet to get their take since they have examined your dog and can provide some insight into her current quality of life. I hope this helps.

I'm sorry to hear that Lilly is having this issue. Unfortunately. there is nothing you can do about an oral tumor at home. You are correct, you cannot keep her from licking or biting the tumor and there is nothing you can apply to it to stop the bleeding. It is best to consider euthanizing her sooner rather than later. I'm sure this is really bothering her and I'm sure you don't want her last days to be filled with this uncomfortable tumor and wearing and annoying cone. At the end of the day you have to do what is best for her. Again, I'm very sorry. I know this is not a decision anyone wants to make for their pet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I only see cancer patients and as you can imagine, I see terminal cancer patients on almost a daily basis. First of all, sorry to hear about Timmie. Give her lots of love, treats and all the good stuff that she deserves and wants. Usually regardless of the cancer type, I recommend treating any symptoms if they occur. Meaning that if Timmie develops any decreased appetite or nausea or vomiting or diarrhea, these are treated with medications. Otherwise, if you not pursuing cancer therapy, there is really nothing else to do. This decision is hard to make, no question. However, what I tell my clients is to consider making this decision if they think that quality of life has been severely affected. This means when Timmie does not seem to be enjoying herself anymore. You could consider doing it if Timmie stops doing 2 out of her 3 favorite things (that could be eating, playing, running, etc). Best wishes for you and Timmie!

First off, I'm so sorry Jack has cancer! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face these questions with my clients all the time. I tell them to make a list of five things their dog loves to do. If he isn't doing at least two of them, then their quality of life has declined to a point where euthanasia should be considered. Another factor to consider with Jack is his appetite. If he stops eating all together, he will slowly be starving, and that will be quite painful for him. I wouldn't let him get to that point. Oftentimes, our dogs are ready to go before we are ready to let them go, and they hang on longer for us. Dogs are quite good at hiding their pain, especially if they see their owner is distressed. I would make that list I suggested, keep trying to get him to eat, and have blood tests done to see if he is getting anemic. This may help you decide when it's time to let him go peacefully. I understand it's hard to say goodbye when he's still running and playing, but it may be better to let him go sooner rather than later as he will leave you happy and in a good place, rather than extremely ill and weak if that makes sense. Only you can decide what's best for him, and I'm so sorry that you have to face this decision. I'd certainly be happy to consult with you if you'd like to discuss things further, just click the "consult online" button under my answer. I hope I've been helpful.

If your dog is happy and you feel that she has a good quality of life and can poop fairly easily, there is no reason to put her down. Listen to your dog. She will tell you when it is time to go. Your dog knows. Apart from that there are quite a few ways to control pain. 1) arthritis pain is probably the worst and worse than tumor pain at this stage. So if she is stiff and wobbly you may want to ask your vet about giving her an NSAIDs for arthritis (she needs to have normal kidney and liver parameters, though, but since you had surgery done recently, your vet may be able to use those blood work results). 2) if she cannot take NSAIDs, then there are other pain medicines available. The lumps under the skin either side of her anus could be filled anal sacs which could be expressed. They may not be tumors. Your vet may be able to stop the bleeding of the tumor by cauterising it, or you can get some Yunnan Baiyao powder or capsules and put the powder on the bleeding wound. It should stop the bleeding for a while.

I'm very sorry that Pepper has cancer in his spleen. I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face these kind of questions all the time with my clients. In order to make this decision, you need to look at his quality of life. Make a list of five things he loved to do, and if he's no longer doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has declined to a point where euthanasia should be considered. If you'd like to chat about this further, you can request a consult with me for more one on one help. Otherwise, I hope this helps you and I'm sorry you have to face this decision.