My senior dog struggles to breathe. Is it time to put her to sleep?

This is such a difficult decision to make, and unfortunately without knowing all of the details of Coco’s case and being able to examine her in person it’s hard to know if it might be time to consider euthanasia. If your vet feels it’s likely that the symptoms are not related to something potentially treatable like an infection, nasal foreign body or tooth root abscess then it may not be worth the anesthetic risk to try to get more information by scoping. It sounds like she is having trouble breathing, and if her ability to rest comfortably and perform normal daily activities is inhibited by this then it may be time to consider euthanasia. I also think this is something you should discuss with your vet - they know you and Coco best and might be able to provide further guidance.

Poor Xica! I'm so sorry that she's sick, and that you're in the position of having to consider what is best for her right now. This is always a difficult situation. Her x-rays do appear to show very severe pleural effusion. As I'm sure your veterinarian has probably discussed with you, pleural effusion of the type that you have described (bloody fluid) is almost always caused by one of two things: congestive heart failure, or cancer. The amount of fluid in her chest makes it hard to get a good look at the size and shape of her heart, or to determine if there are any obvious tumors in her chest, so it's hard to say which of these possibilities is more likely without additional testing. But unfortunately, even with aggressive treatment, neither of them have a good long-term prognosis. Knowing this, if I were in your position, I believe I would probably decide to let her go rather than pursuing hospitalization, chest tube placement, etc. - these are invasive, uncomfortable procedures that are unlikely to make a significant difference in the outcome for her, because of the severity of her underlying disease. That being said, the decision of when to consider euthanasia is a very personal choice, and one that is different for every pet owner. If you feel that you need to do everything possible, and want to pursue advanced diagnostics to try and get a more specific answer as to what's wrong, there is nothing wrong with this at all - but if you were my client, I would try to gently caution you that her underlying condition will almost certainly be fatal regardless of what you do. I hope you're able to find peace in your decision, whatever it might be.

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.

It is such a hard decision to make! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question with my clients all the time. I recommend looking at Pete's quality of life in order to make this decision. When a cat stops eating, is very lethargic, has trouble breathing, or just wants to sleep all the time, that is a sign their quality of life has decreased to a point where letting them go should be considered. I'm sorry you are facing this, but I hope this helps.

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 :-(

I work for a home euthanasia service, so I often get asked this question from my clients. I recommend making a list of five things your dog loves to do, and if he no longer does at least two of them, then his quality of life has declined to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. This could include eating as well, as dogs do love to eat. Oftentimes, dogs are ready to go before we are ready to let them go, and they tend to hang on for the owner. I would make this list for your Corgi, and use that to help gauge his quality of life. If you'd like, I'd be glad to consult with you on this issue to give you more in depth help. Just click the "consult online" button under my answer. I hope this helps!

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.