My senior Yorkie has multiple health issues. Time to say goodbye?

I am so sorry to hear that your pet has so many major issues that are debilitating and causing her to have a poor quality of life. I do think that if her condition cannot be improved with medications then it is someting you should discuss with your veterinarian. Humane euthansia, although it is probably not something you want to consider, should be considered if Sophie is not able to helped with medical management. However, there are pain medications that can be tried to see if they make a difference. You can discuss with your vet about trying Tramadol and/or Gabapentin to help with pain management. Probiotics can also be tried to help with her diarrhea, as well as a high fiber diet such as Royal Canin Gasrointestinal High Fiber (Rx). It sounds like she may have cancer involving her nervous system, which is why she can't maintain her mobitliy well. Poor girl. I hope that you can come to terms with her condition and maybe there is more you can try with her. Best wishes with Sophie. We are also available for a private consultation if you need to discuss more about Sophie's condition and futher care recommendations. Take care.

Oh no, your poor dog! It sounds like she is in really bad shape physically. I would have her seen by a vet first thing in the morning to see if there are any treatments possible for her symptoms. If there aren't, it would be time to discuss letting her go peacefully. I know that's not something you want to hear, but it may be best for her given her symptoms. I recommend making a list of five things she loved to do, and if she's no longer doing at least two of them, then her quality of life has declined to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. I work for a home euthanasia service, so if you'd like to discuss this further with me, I'd be happy to consult with you. Just click the "consult online" button under my answer. Otherwise, I hope this helps and you should take her into the vet in the morning.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Any persistent signs like this in a geriatric dog need to be investigated thoroughly. Many many causes are possible including kidney, liver, heart, other internal organ disease, periodontal disease, infection, inflammation, diabetes, low thyroid hormone, prostate problems (since not neutered), problems if one testicle or both testicles have not descended from the abdomen (cryptorchidism), cancer, etc. Your vet can discuss diagnostic tests to figure out what is going on and some treatment in the mean time to sustain him until a diagnosis is made. Possible tests include fecal/blood/urine tests, x-rays or ultrasounds. Early treatment could be fluids, electrolytes, drugs to enhance appetite, force feeding, drugs for nausea, pain, etc. Good luck with Harry. I hope this is something simple and he feels better soon.

With her age I recommend letting a veterinarian listen to her lungs. It can be heart or respiratory. If she has a murmur you may want to consider taking her to a cardiologist to have her heart evaluated. If her heart sounds fine I would talk to your veterinarian about tracheal collapse or respiratory diseases. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm very sorry Merry is so sick. If her symptoms are getting worse, it may be time to consider letting her go peacefully. You can try the aggressive treatment, but be prepared that she may pass away during that due to her heart murmur. Unfortunately all dogs reach a point in their life that no medical treatment will help their symptoms, and at that time, letting them go peacefully via euthanasia is the best thing for them. I'd take her into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Bailey is an older girl, and these behaviors are signs of being sick. She could have kidney disease, diabetes, a pyometra (an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment), or even cancer causing her symptoms. She needs to see a vet now for them, please take her into one immediately. I recommended having a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis done. I hope this helps!

It sounds like poor Shelby is declining which is normal for a dog her age and breed. She has several different issues going on. The two options you have are to take her to the vet to be worked up for her arthritis and excessive urination. This would likely include X-rays of her hips and spine, blood work and a urinalysis. There are many good arthritis medications out there for dogs so Shelby may benefit from one of those. The excessive utination may be due to something like a UTI, diabetes, or kidney disease. The other option would be to opt for humane euthanasia of Shelby. I can understand that this is a hard decision for anyone to make. I generally counsel owners that if the dog is having more bad days a week then good days, euthanasia may be the best choice. I hope this helps lay out your options for Shelby. If you have additional questions or concerns, please post another question or request a consult so we can talk further about options. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.