My dog is 18 and from one day to another stopped walking. She now can't get up. She drinks water but has not ate in 4 days. What might be wrong? I took her to get x rays but they didn't see anything wrong with her back legs. I don't know if she's in pain and I should put her to sleep or wait out.

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.

Hi there. So sorry to hear that Roger is having this issue and that you are having to consider euthanizing him. It can be difficult to know when it's "time" to euthanize. Dogs just don't complain about their ailments and sicknesses like we do. Their instincts for survival kick in and that can be confusing to us. All I can tell you is that the best way to assess whether or not it is time to euthanize would be to consider his quality of life. If he doesn't have the same quality of life that he once did then it is likely time to consider euthanasia. Quality of life is based on - are they doing all the normal things they usually do: eating and drinking urinating and defecating greeting you at the door when you come home interacting with you or other people/animals in the house taking their normal walks doing their usual playing are they sick at all? - vomiting, diarrhea, etc. If Roger is not doing his normal activities and seems "unhappy" then you should consider euthanasia. I believe that we are lucky to relieve their pain and suffering. Unlike with people where we continue to keep people alive despite everything. It is a very kind act to do for a pet. As far as feeding, all I can offer you to do is to keep trying different things. I am not a big advocate of feeding dogs "people food" but in this instance I think you should feed him anything he will eat. There are some appetite stimulants available to give dogs but they are all prescription medications you will have to get from your vet. I hope this helps. Best wishes.

Please arrange a euthanasia appointment for him. It is not appropriate to leave a terminally ill pet to die slowly unless he is well enough to maintain a normal appetite, thirst and independent toileting

Poor Busta, and poor you! Deciding when it's time to let a pet go is extremely difficult. I work for a home euthanasia company, and I frequently face this dilemma with my clients. Oftentimes, they are ready to go before we are ready to let them go. I suggest making a list of five things Busta loves to do. If he isn't doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has declined to a point where euthanasia should be considered. I would also keep an eye on his weight, as he can still eat but may lose weight anyway, and that should be something to take into consideration as part of his quality of life. I would not necessarily wait until he stops eating, as that will mean he is quite sick, and you don't want him to reach that point where he's feeling so awful he's no longer eating. Putting an animal to sleep is a great gift, you are letting them go without any more pain and they pass peacefully. As I said, it is a really tough decision to make, and I would make that list of five things he loves to do. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'd be happy to consult with you. Just select the "consult online" button under my answer. Again, I'm sorry :-(