Should I stop my senior dog's meds to help her pass away faster?

I'm so sorry to hear that you and Sammi are struggling with end of life decisions. This is one of the most difficult and agonizing decisions that we make as pet owners. Anytime difficulty breathing is involved, suffering is occurring. Given her heart disease, it seems most likely that the breathing difficulty and coughing are a result of heart disease or congestive heart failure. Without examining her and seeing her chest x-rays, I can't accurately speak as to her current situation and if a change in medication may be beneficial to improve her quality of life and breathing issues for the time being. Finding blood around her stool is another concerning sign, and could be related to issues with her colon or anal glands. Given Sammi's difficulty breathing at this point, it sounds as though your best two options are either a) further evaluation by her vet urgently to determine if medications can be adjusted to improve her quality of life, or b) euthanasia to ease her pain and suffering. On a personal note, I understand the difficulty of this decision as I recently went through it with one of my own older dogs. Making the decision was difficult, but in the end, I felt a sense of relief knowing that he was at peace and no longer suffering. I hope this helps you and that all goes as well as possible for Sammi.

Yes, a weak heart beat, pale gums, laboured breathing and unresponsive behavior are all indicators of a fatal crisis and impending death. Euthanasia should be considered when she is unwilling or unable to eat or drink

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.

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, 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 :-(

When you are unable to control Chewy’s symptoms with medication then it will probably be time to let him go. It sounds as if he is doing well for now. If he stops wanting to eat, has trouble with minimal exercise, or coughs constantly, these are signs that his disease is not well controlled. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I'm sorry you are having to deal with this issue. The right time to euthanize a pet is based on quality of life. If you feel his quality of life is diminished then it is time. In my opinion, no veterinarian will turn you away or judge you for wanting to euthanize her based on the information you provided here. Quality of life is based on many factors. You can check out this link as it may help you to make a decision. ( https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf ) I hope this helps. Best wishes.