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My old dog has cancer, arthritis, and no appetite. Should I euthanize?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | 12 years and 4 months old | 60 lbs

My 12 yr old Shepherd has anal gland cancer and bad arthritis. She is able to walk and get around but it is difficult for her and she falls sometimes. My concern is that her appetite is gone. She eats a piece of lunch meat in the morn and a carrot and in the evening she will eat a couple pieces of lunch meat and usually not much else. Sometimes maybe 2 bites of canned food. Is this enough food to sustain her? I am thinking about having her put to sleep tomorrow but I just dont know. The last 2 w

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 12th, 2019

I am so sorry you are dealing with this. When making the decision to euthanize what you have to ask yourself is "What is her quality of life?". If she is no longer "happy" and doing her normal things (like eating) then it is probably time; especially since she has a fatal disease (cancer). I hope this article will help you more: ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-decision-of-euthanizing-your-pet/ ) Again, so sorry for your situation. I hope this was somewhat helpful. Please feel free to post again if needed. Best wishes.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 11th, 2019

    Poor Shep! No she cannot survive, and she will slowly starve to death. Unfortunately it sounds like her quality of life is poor, and it may be time to let her go. I’d would speak to her vet about this option. Best of luck.

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