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My old dog is suffering. When should I talk to a vet about euthanasia?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed | 18 years and 11 months old | 13 lbs

Is it time to talk to a Vet about puting my old dog down? My now 19yo dog has some health issues that come with old age. She's almost completely blind, deaf, has a heart murmur, her hind legs are very wobly, she falls on her bum a lot do to it, she doesn't want to go for a walk to pee anymore even a very short one to just do the dead, plus, i think she has dementia since she pees and the will sleep on it even with space and she had some episodes where she didn't recognize me and was freaking out

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on July 20th, 2017

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!. I am so sorry to hear about Kika. What a long life she has led!

When I have the talk about quality of life with my patients, I tell them to measure the good and bad days. When the bad day far outweigh the good then the time has likely come. You as the owner know your dog best. When the pet no longer interacts with family, stops eating well, urinates or defecates around the house, uncontrolled vomiting or diarrhea or is unable to move with out pain are all indicators of a poor quality of life.

Dementia is a terrible disease in humans and people. We can only imagine how the dog feels. I think taking her to your Vet for at least an exam to see if there are any medical conditions that they could treat to help her feel better. Maybe she has urinary incontinence and some medications would help. Also there are some treatments that help dementia, though it is progressive.

I hope this helps in some way.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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