My old dog has weak legs & incontinence. How to decide on euthanasia?

Question

My dogs back end is very weak and he is wetting himself hes eating and drinking fine. Hes a 16 year old patterdale terrier. I think he may have degenerative myelopathy so how will I know when it's time for him to be euthanized! He isnt showing any signs of pain or discomfort. Pet's info: Dog | Lakeland Terrier | Male | neutered | 16 years and 2 months old

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

This is a great question! Determining quality of life in our beloved pets isn't an easy thing to do, since there are so many factors to consider. I recommend scheduling a "quality of life" consultation and exam with your vet. You can discuss the concerns and changes you're seeing in Shadow, and your vet will be able to offer their input on how he's doing. They may also recommend a trial of a pain medication if they feel it's appropriate, to see if he improves on it. In the meantime, here's a website for a group that does exclusively hospice and house call euthanasia. Their website has a lot of great resources on evaluating quality of life. Hope this helps. All the best to you and Shadow. https://www.lapoflove.com/Quality-of-Life

My old dog has weak legs & incontinence. How to decide on euthanasia?

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