How can I tell if my dog is dying? What are the end-of-life signs?

There are signs when a dog is reaching the end of their life, and there can be a number of different ones depending on if the dog has an illness and the type of illness. There could be a loss of appetite, weight loss, lethargy, and/or difficulty getting up and down. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Skye. I'm sorry she isn't doing well! She is definitely getting old and these signs are not good. You cannot leave her in this condition, dying is not a pain free process. You need to take her into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Yes, a weak heart beat, pale gums, laboured breathing and unresponsive behavior are all indicators of a fatal crisis and impending death. Euthanasia should be considered when she is unwilling or unable to eat or drink

I'm so very sorry that you had such a traumatic experience with losing Lani. What it sounds like you are describing as her last breaths are something called agonal breathing. It occurs after consciousness is lost. It is an unconscious reaction that we will sometimes see just before a dog dies. From your description of events, I suspect that Lani died in her sleep. When her heart stopped, her body had some unconscious reactions that look disturbing to us, but she was likely already gone or at least unconscious by then. I hope that was helpful in allowing you to understand what occurred yesterday. My deepest sympathies in your loss of Lani.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The decision you are trying to make is an extremely difficult one. I will tell you that pets typically don't die peacefully at home- it is usually a rare occurrence. When it comes to making the decision about euthanasia, I try to have the owner think about good days and bad days. Being a golden owner myself, I know what makes them happy- food, attention, going on walks, treats, attention... When you think of all the things Jacky loves, is he still doing those things? Does he still come to the door when you come home, is he able to get up to go to the bathroom or is he pottying on himself, is he still interested in food? When the bad days outweigh the good days, his quality of life is poor. A friend once told me, it is better to make this decision a day too soon than a day too late. As I said it is a very difficult decision but you need to think about what would be in Jacky's best interest. I hope this helps. Kisses to Jacky!

Thank you for using PetCoach. I'm so sorry for your situation with Brooklyn. Euthanasia for our pets is one of the greatest gifts for our pets, and greatest burden on us as owners and veterinarians. Consulting with Brooklyn's vet may help you to know when to make the decision. Using a quality of life scale can also help to make a more objective decision. This allows you to assign a numerical value to Brooklyn's activities and symptoms in order to determine his quality of life. I have used this one: http://lapoflove.com/Pet_Quality_of_Life_Scale_DrMcVety.pdf Another thing you can do is to have 2 jars - for every good moment put a penny in one and for bad moments put one in the other jar. If bad moments approach or overcome good moments then it is time to consider euthanasia. I hope this has helped a little bit with your decision making. Please feel free to post again if you have further questions.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The symptoms you described for Snoopy sound like she has a medical condition causing her to become ill. My advice is to have Snoopy evaluated with her veterinarian very soon so she can be examined and tested for organ issues, gastrointestinal obstruction, and/or infection that could be underlying. She may need blood work and x-rays or other diagnostic tests to help understand what is causing her symptoms.