My old dog is suffering. How do I know when to put him down?

Question

My 18 year old dog has CHF. Because of liver failure, any meds will only shorten his life. He coughs frequently, is restless at night, often shaking in evenings or mornings, can’t walk far without becoming short of breath, very lethargic. But seems content otherwise. Some days it seems clear I need to put him down and others I don’t know how I would when he starts sniffing around for crumbs on the floor and happily greeting me at the door. How do I know if it’s time to put him down? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 18 years and 6 months old | 16 lbs

Rebecca, DVM · Accepted Answer

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.

My old dog is suffering. How do I know when to put him down?

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