Dog struggling to breathe, no vet help. Is it time to say goodbye?

This is always a tough question to answer. I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with clients. I recommend making a list of five things Coco used to love to do, and if she is no longer doing at least two of them, her quality of life has declined to where euthanasia should be considered. Quality of life is very important in these cases. I would speak with her vet to see what they think about her quality of life. I hope this helps.

Although rare a respiratory crisis is possible which is very distressing for both patient and owner. Given the severity of his numerous conditions and his symptoms during sleep I would agree that yes, euthanasia is a valid consideration at this stage.

Poor Xica! I'm so sorry that she's sick, and that you're in the position of having to consider what is best for her right now. This is always a difficult situation. Her x-rays do appear to show very severe pleural effusion. As I'm sure your veterinarian has probably discussed with you, pleural effusion of the type that you have described (bloody fluid) is almost always caused by one of two things: congestive heart failure, or cancer. The amount of fluid in her chest makes it hard to get a good look at the size and shape of her heart, or to determine if there are any obvious tumors in her chest, so it's hard to say which of these possibilities is more likely without additional testing. But unfortunately, even with aggressive treatment, neither of them have a good long-term prognosis. Knowing this, if I were in your position, I believe I would probably decide to let her go rather than pursuing hospitalization, chest tube placement, etc. - these are invasive, uncomfortable procedures that are unlikely to make a significant difference in the outcome for her, because of the severity of her underlying disease. That being said, the decision of when to consider euthanasia is a very personal choice, and one that is different for every pet owner. If you feel that you need to do everything possible, and want to pursue advanced diagnostics to try and get a more specific answer as to what's wrong, there is nothing wrong with this at all - but if you were my client, I would try to gently caution you that her underlying condition will almost certainly be fatal regardless of what you do. I hope you're able to find peace in your decision, whatever it might be.

I'm so sorry to hear that you and Sammi are struggling with end of life decisions. This is one of the most difficult and agonizing decisions that we make as pet owners. Anytime difficulty breathing is involved, suffering is occurring. Given her heart disease, it seems most likely that the breathing difficulty and coughing are a result of heart disease or congestive heart failure. Without examining her and seeing her chest x-rays, I can't accurately speak as to her current situation and if a change in medication may be beneficial to improve her quality of life and breathing issues for the time being. Finding blood around her stool is another concerning sign, and could be related to issues with her colon or anal glands. Given Sammi's difficulty breathing at this point, it sounds as though your best two options are either a) further evaluation by her vet urgently to determine if medications can be adjusted to improve her quality of life, or b) euthanasia to ease her pain and suffering. On a personal note, I understand the difficulty of this decision as I recently went through it with one of my own older dogs. Making the decision was difficult, but in the end, I felt a sense of relief knowing that he was at peace and no longer suffering. I hope this helps you and that all goes as well as possible for Sammi.

Euthanasia is never an easy decision. If CocCo's "bad" days are outnumbering her "good" days, then there may be a quality of life issue to address. If not, consider an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart). This can assess cardiac architecture as well as function. If there is true cardiac disease, the echo should diagnose it and medication can be dispensed to help her. You are correct in that it can't be "cured", but it could be managed to the point where Coco is more comfortable. An exam and discussion with your veterinarian may also make this difficult decision a bit easier.

Hello. I am so sorry that Coco is unwell. He really needs to see a veterinarian as this sounds like pneumonia. Hopefully, with antibiotics Coco will be feeling better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm so sorry that you are going through a difficult time! The decision to euthanize a pet is never easy, and you should consider Charlie's quality of life and if he is in distress. If he is having trouble breathing, does not have an appetite, or is extremely lethargic, he should be seen by a vet right away. At his age, there may be some options to improve his quality of life depending on the underlying causes for his issues. There are many options for saying good bye, some vets offer hospice care and at home euthanasias. I know this is not an easy time, but that you provided Charlie with a life full of love and companionship!