My dog had severe anemia. Was putting him down the only option?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm very sorry to hear about Scooters, it sounds like he became very acutely sick. It can be very difficult to make end of life decisions, but 14 years is a very impressive age!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Moji continues to be anemic, he may need a blood transfusion. This could be due to his immune system destroying his red blood cells in a condition known as Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). Treatment for IMHA typically entails suppressing the immune system along with treating any potential infectious causes. It sounds as if the veterinarian working on Moji is treating him appropriately. Unfortunately, treating anemia can be a waiting game. Blood values need to be monitored every 2-3 days in the initial period and if the red blood cells continue to decline, he will need to be hospitalized for further treatment and closer monitoring. I hope Moji gets better soon. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I am sorry to hear of your loss, it is a very difficult time to lose a pet as even as time passes, memories are brought back by many triggers. I would also have agreed that euthanasia was a valid and kindest option given the symptoms of such severe weight loss of more than a quarter of his body weight, bleeding into the bowel and likely the chest given the pink fluid and black stool and the failure to respond adequately to steroids. Please do not feel guilty for allowing him to go with some dignity, quality of life has to be much more important than quantity for our pets and often allowing them to go is the bravest and kindest treatment we can offer in debilitating conditions

I'm so sorry to hear this happened to Rocky. I can tell you loved him a lot. He may have had a chance at survival with the blood transfusion but there is no guarantee. If he had liver failure then no treatment would have been effective long-term. Without having his entire medical history it is hard for me to comment other than to make generalizations but I believe you did what you could and it does not sound like the blood transfusion would have helped that much. Again, I am sorry for your loss. Best wishes.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog! I know how hard it is to have a pet pass away suddenly like this, without any warning. From what you're describing here, I would be suspicious of a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, or a tumor in his heart or abdomen that may have ruptured suddenly - both of these are relatively common causes of sudden death in middle-aged or older large-breed dogs. With either of these problems, there is usually nothing anyone can do - even if it happened in the lobby of your vet's office and they were able to start working on him immediately, it's unlikely that this would have made any difference at all. So try not to feel guilty. It sounds like you did the best you could, and I don't believe it would have changed the outcome even if you had left immediately for the vet's office. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss. If you think it would help you to have piece of mind, you could ask your veterinarian about arranging for an autopsy to be done (called a necropsy in animals). This would be the best way to determine what the cause of death was.

I am so sorry to hear about Scooby. You did everything you could do, he was just too sick. You might find it helpful to write him a letter- it has been very therapeutic for me in the past. I hope his memory keeps you smiling for many years to come. Thinking of you. Take care.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Lucky is not feeling well. I am quite concerned about the anemia as the level is getting low. I unfortunately do not know what the cause is of the anemia as there are many causes ranging from immune mediated anemia, cancer, hemorrhage, etc. Because I do not have Lucky in front of me and am unable to examine him, I cannot make the most appropriate treatment recommendations. There are no over the counter remedies that will help with this most likely as he most likely needs a further workup to pinpoint where the red blood cells are going. Until then, it is a guessing game. I would recommend trying to get him somewhere where there is a veterinarian so that he can be worked up further. I hope this helps and hope that Lucky feels better soon!