My old dog has Cushings & liver issues. When is it time to say goodbye?

Whatever decision that you make for Gizmo will always be the right decision. If Gizmo has not responded to the treatments and medications from his vet visit, I would recommend seeing the vet sooner than 5 days. He may need additional medications to control his symptoms. It sounds like his current issues are expected to be manageable with medications. However, there is a possibility that the stomach wall thickening could be cancerous, in which case Gizmo may not feel better, even with medications. You may discuss pain medications or treatments such as acupuncture with the vet to help with Gizmo’s comfort. Here is a website you may find useful in deciding when it may be “time”: https://www.lapoflove.com/Mobile-Menu/EDUCATION/When-it-is-time

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bruno. I base quality of life decisions on several factors. Is the patient eating and drinking on his own? How is his mobility? Can he navigate stairs safely, move freely around the house and get outside to go potty? This tends to be a significant problem in large breed dogs. Any time a pet has a chronic illness, there will be good and bad days. Are the good days still outnumbering the bad days? Finally, does he still seem happy? I would recommend carefully thinking about these questions and seeing what his blood work shows. Cushing's can be managed most cases. The seizures are worrisome though. They are unpredictable. He might never have another one, but they could go on to become a frequent occurrence. His blood work will determine if he is healthy enough for anti-seizure medications. I hope this information helps.

Hello. Please do not be afraid to see your vet. It sounds like a reassessment needs to be made. Cushing's is not a static disease & adjustments in medication sometimes does need to be made. In addition, other endocrine problems can appear that will need to be treated. Only you can say when it is time to say goodby & let her go. We, as vets, can only guide you in your decision. See your vet & hopefully he can tweak the medication(s) to make her much more comfortable. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is a very valid question and it is important to consider his overall wellbeing and comfort above and beyond prolonging the length of his life. If he is mobile, greeting family members as he normally would and eating enough (a specialised liver diet and supplements can help to reduce some of the symptoms of poor liver function by reducing the amount of toxins the liver needs to excrete. As long as his appetite is sufficient to prevent significant weight loss then it is likely he is feeling ok in himself. The following link can be very helpful for all family members to sit down together and discuss and can help in the medium term decision making https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf

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 sorry to hear this and I know how hard it can be to tell if your pet is having a good quality of life. The three big things I look for are: 1) Good appetite 2) Comfort level- are they moving around on their own, able to posture to urinate/defecate well, using the stairs, able to rise and lay down easily. If not- would medications or other therapies help? Also, with neck pain- can they eat/drink from their bowls well? 3) Are they still doing the things that make them 'them'- whether it be greeting you at the door, wanting to take walks, whatever it is that makes their personality unique. To answer your specific questions- the term 'tumor' can be scarab, but Cushings can be a disease managed without a loss of comfort, although it may take management- Eg checkups to make sure they don't have urinary infections or skin infections. I would certainly be concerned about any neck pain and want to ask your vet if any therapies would help improve their comfort. I hope this helps!

I am so sorry to Charlie is not doing well. It is always difficult to see our beloved pets getting older. If you feel Charlie is in pain it would be worth discussing with your regular veterinarian to see if you can increase his tramadol, or if there are other medications you can add in for additional pain relief. You also need to consider that Charlie may be coming to the end. It sounds like his quality of life is becoming diminished, if he is no longer interested in walks and other things that typically have made him happy previously. Check out this link for an article that can help you better understand this part of Charlie's life.http://vet.osu.edu/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf Charlie's Cushings diseases and elevated liver enzymes unfortunately complicate the picture, and mean that some of the medications we might normally use for a dog who is in pain are not suitable for him. I hope I have been able to provide you with some ideas to chat with your vet about-do not be afraid to emphasize that you feel he is in pain-you know Charlie best and sometimes the trip to the vet clinic can cause an adrenaline rush that masks some of the symptoms you are concerned about.