Should I put my suffering 12-year-old Golden Retriever down?

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.

Oh no, I'm so sorry that Santeri is so sick! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with my clients. I suggest making a list of five things Santeri loved to do. If he's not doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has decreased to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. It's always a hard decision to make, but if he has a poor quality of life, letting him go peacefully would be a great kindness. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'd be happy to consult with you. Just click the "consult online" button under my answer. Otherwise, I hope my answer helps and I'm sorry you are facing this issue :-(

It is always a tough decision to say goodbye to a beloved pet but from your description, you made the right choice for him. His quality of life was poor, and you prevented him from suffering. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dexter. When discussing quality of life with owners, I like to have objective questions that you can answer to guide the decision making process. When a dog is elderly with a chronic condition, you can expect the pet to have bad days. However, the good days should outnumber the bad. The pet needs to have enough mobility to get to his food and water independently and to be able to go to the bathroom. He needs to still have the desire to eat and drink. His pain to be reasonably well controlled. Finally, he needs to have some joy in his life. It may be different from in his younger years, but he should still enjoy things. I know this is an extremely difficult decision, but I hope this gives you some information to consider. I cannot say without evaluating him myself, but I suspect the time is near based on what you have described. I hope this gives you some peace.

Please don't beat yourself up over this! Based on what you are saying, Beaux's quality of life was poor, and you made the right choice. You put his interests ahead of yours, and that was a great gift to give him. You let him go without any further suffering, which is a very hard thing to do. Do not question your decision, it was the correct one. I'm sorry you had to make this choice, it's so hard.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Jade! This is the hardest part of owning pets. You know what is best for your pet. You know her quality of life better than anyone ever will. Your Vet and we can help you decide when it is time. I consider a decreased/poor quality of life when the bad days out weigh the good days. When an animal no longer hangs out with the family, can't get around well, has vomit, diarrhea or won't eat, is crying or whimpering then I consider that a poor quality of life. I don't think it is wrong to try some time with pain medications to see if you can improve her mobility. But if it doesn't work and you think she is in pain then it might be time to consider putting her to sleep. I wish you and Jade the best!

I am so sorry for this decision you're facing. There are medications and treatments that can help with chronic dysplasia or arthritis but it can be expensive. You are the one that knows him best and can assess his quality of life. Here are a couple of links that can help you judge his quality of life. And remember that euthanasia is a gift to end pain for our friends even if it causes heartbreak for us. Much love to Walker Texas while you make this decision. https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf http://www.aplb.org/resources/quality-of-life_scale.php