Is my senior dog dying? She's unresponsive, not eating, and weak.

Hello. This is a difficult question to answer, but for the most part you might see loss of consciousness, or extreme lethargy/weakness, no appetite, unable to rise to drink, dull mentation or no response to stimuli, pale mucous membranes, labored or very shallow breathing, & a glazed look to the eyes. These would all be indications that death is near. I hope you are not experiencing this with your pet & this is just a curiosity question. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm so sorry to hear Samson is so sick! I'd recommend taking him to see a veterinarian right away so they can help you decide if he is suffering. All of the signs you've described make me concerned for blood loss, organ failure, or cancer so I think it's very important Samson see a veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The symptoms you described for Snoopy sound like she has a medical condition causing her to become ill. My advice is to have Snoopy evaluated with her veterinarian very soon so she can be examined and tested for organ issues, gastrointestinal obstruction, and/or infection that could be underlying. She may need blood work and x-rays or other diagnostic tests to help understand what is causing her symptoms.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Skye. I'm sorry she isn't doing well! She is definitely getting old and these signs are not good. You cannot leave her in this condition, dying is not a pain free process. You need to take her into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

With Molly not eating well for a while and now and with a bloated abdomen this does not sound like just constipation. Not wanting to move and abdominal bloating in a senior dog may be due to heart disease or she may have a mass in her abdomen. I recommend taking her in for an exam and X-rays to see if it's fluid, constipation or a mass causing the bloating. Your veterinarian may recommend a blood panel also to check her organ function and whether she is anemic. Heart conditions often can be treated with a good response. It's important to know what is causing her bloating in order to treat her successfully. If your veterinarian feels like her body is shutting down and she has a poor prognosis they can help you decide what is best for Molly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help answer your veterinary questions about Molly.

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.

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.