My old dog is weak, sick, and not eating. Is it time to let her go?

I'm sorry Poppy isn't doing well! She sounds like she is very sick at the moment, and it's important to look at her quality of life in determining if it's time to let her go. Given that she hasn't eaten or drank in five days, vomits, and can't walk, I would say that her quality of life is quite low. It wouldn't be fair to leave her in this condition, so I'd recommend taking her into a vet immediately to discuss if it's time to let her go. Best of luck, and I'm sorry you are facing this decision.

Making the decision to euthanize your pet is never easy. I usually recommend owners make a list of all the things their pet loved/loves to do. For instance, did she used to love to eat, go on walks, play with a special toy, get tummy rubs, go on car rides, etc. Now you make a check mark on the day she does that. As well as noting her appetite and if she can go out to go potty and not have accidents. When she starts to have more bad days than good days it is a sign that her quality of life is poor. You know her best. While her blood work isn't showing any problems there could be medical problems that won't. Just know that this is an extremely difficult decision but know that you have Cheyennes best interest at heart. I hope this helps. Kisses to Cheyenne!

I cannot comment on whether or not it is time to euthanize Sasha since I have never done an exam on her. With her not eating, drinking and urinating in herself, then you have to look at her quality of life. I would talk to your vet to see if there is anything that could help her or if her bloodwork looked too bad. You may talk to your vet about medicine for cognitive disorder (dementia) like anipryl and omega 3 fatty acids. Also, you can add a medicine that helps with incontinence (urinating while sleeping) called proin that may help. Finally, if she is weak and not able to get around and her bloodwork looks good, you may want to talk to your vet about medicines for arthritis. Thee are also appetite stimulants and anti-nausea medicines that usually work really well in animals too. I hope you are able to find a way to keep her comfortable for a little while longer. But also know if your vet says she will not improve, please take comfort in knowing you gave her a long wonderful life. I hope this helps. Hugs!

I’m sorry to hear Molly isn’t feeling well. Making the decision to euthanize your pet is never easy. I recommend thinking about her quality of life. Is she able to do the important things like go out to go potty, eating, and drinking? Does she still enjoy the things she used to- playing with a toy, greeting you at the door, going for car rides? If you have more no’s than yes’s then her quality of life is not there. If you have done all the testing you can do to find the cause of her illness and you haven’t found something to make her more comfortable, it may be in her best interest to let her go. Pets typically do not pass peacefully at home. Euthanizing her is very humane and is sometimes the nicest thing you can do for your pet. I hope this helps aid your decision. Kisses to Molly!!

This is a great question! Determining quality of life in our beloved pets isn't an easy thing to do, since there are so many factors to consider. I recommend scheduling a "quality of life" consultation and exam with your vet. You can discuss the concerns and changes you're seeing in Shadow, and your vet will be able to offer their input on how he's doing. They may also recommend a trial of a pain medication if they feel it's appropriate, to see if he improves on it. In the meantime, here's a website for a group that does exclusively hospice and house call euthanasia. Their website has a lot of great resources on evaluating quality of life. Hope this helps. All the best to you and Shadow. https://www.lapoflove.com/Quality-of-Life

I'm sorry Petey isn't doing well! It does sound like his health is declining, and given his symptoms of not eating and drinking, going to the bathroom inside, and being very lethargic, I would speak to his vet about letting him go peacefully. He may be suffering, and letting him via humane euthanasia may be best for him. I'd take him into a vet now. Best of luck.

I'm sorry your dog isn't doing well! I would be concerned that she may be in pain, and she could have a neurological problem causing her inability to walk. It's quite serious that she hasn't eaten for four days and can't get up. I work for a home euthanasia service, so I frequently encounter the question of when to put an animal to sleep. I always recommend looking at the dog's quality of life. When a dog can't stand up and isn't eating, their quality of life has declined to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. She will be starving from not eating, and that will be painful to her. It's also probably distressing she can't get up. In this case, I personally don't think it would be fair to wait it out. You can have her seen by a vet tomorrow to see if there are pain medications to give her to see if that helps her get up and medications to stimulate her to eat. If those don't work, then letting her go peacefully is the most kind option for her. I'm sure that's not something you want to hear, and I'm very sorry that she is doing so poorly.