Is your dog nearing the end of his life?
Owning a dog that is sick, old, debilitated, or diagnosed with chronic disease or cancer can be fraught with concern. As an owner, you definitely want your dog to recover smoothly and live happily every day, which is called "good quality of life".
Quality of life for dogs
"Quality of life", also known as quality of life or quality of life, is a concept that can be used to comprehensively evaluate the quality of life. Everyone's perception of "quality of life" is different and is mainly influenced by personal experience, cultural and social background, outlook on life and values, that is, what one person defines as acceptable quality of life for another. Saying it might be unacceptable.
When evaluating a dog's quality of life, you should first find out the root cause of the "low quality", and then discuss the exact countermeasures based on the underlying problem. Some problems can be treated, but some problems are difficult to solve. Example: A dog hit by a car can be in pain and have a poor quality of life, but with prompt treatment, the prognosis is likely to be good. Conversely, an older dog with cancer who also suffers from anorexia, plummeting weight, and difficulty walking has a poor prognosis and is unlikely to improve quality of life.
What are the hallmarks of a good quality of life?
When evaluating a dog's quality of life, factors to consider include:
Can your dog eat, drink and sleep normally?
Is your dog interested in what's going on around you?
Can your dog do light exercise?
Can your dog control their urination and defecation? (Example: some elderly dogs will experience urinary incontinence symptoms)
Does your dog seem comfortable? Do you have moderate or severe pain?
Has your dog been diagnosed with rabies and has not recovered despite treatment?
Does your dog suffer from chronic diseases? Generally speaking, if your dog is diagnosed with cancer, even though they are receiving treatment, but they are not able to do the things they love to do every day, it is not a good quality of life.
Symptoms of a sick or dying dog
Symptoms in sick dogs may vary depending on the underlying disease. For example: Dogs with heart disease often have difficulty breathing, lethargy, and weakness. General symptoms of a sick or dying dog include:
Bleeding
Cough
Decreased urination
Diarrhea
Difficulty breathing
Irregular heart rate
Difficulty or inability to walk
Trembling
Drowsiness
Low-grade fever
Anorexia
Pain
Pale gums
Vomiting
Weak
Weight loss
NOTE: The symptoms listed above are approximate only. Generally, a dying or sick dog will show multiple symptoms at the same time. And some dogs occasionally show just one symptom, which may indicate that their bodies are fine. Example: Some dogs tremble when they are afraid, but stop shaking when the stress is removed. But if you find that your dog is frail, not eating, vomiting, losing weight, etc. at the same time, then something is wrong.
dog dying sign
At some point, you may realize that your dog's quality of life cannot be improved. In this case, the dog's symptoms will be obvious, such as: unable to walk at all or very difficult to breathe.
Signs that a dog is about to die include:
Your dog always looks tired and seems to be exhausted from even the slightest exercise or exercise. Example: Your dog will have greater difficulty walking from one room to another.
You cannot stand or walk without external support.
Despite your best efforts to get your dog to eat, it continues to lose weight.
Your dog cannot control urination and bowel movements.
Your dog has been sleeping and seems uncomfortable.
Your dog is having trouble breathing.
It doesn't eat well despite you offering it the food and refreshments it likes.
Frequent crying or howling.
Uncontrolled spasms.
Various bleeding, such as: urine bleeding, intestinal bleeding, skin bleeding or vomiting bleeding.
Uncontrollable vomiting or diarrhea.
If your dog has the above symptoms, please consult your veterinarian promptly. Medication may help a little, but after all, it's an old dog, and it's going to go away one day, so you need to prepare for the worst. Rather than let it live longer in pain, let it go sooner. In fact, when it has a variety of near-death symptoms, you can start to consider euthanizing it.
Is the dog about to leave? What if you're not sure about the answer to this question?
If you are unsure about your dog's current quality of life, then you need to see a veterinarian. They can help you assess your pet's condition and provide advice on quality of life. The decision to euthanize is you, but if you don't consider prognosis or conditions, a professional evaluation by your veterinarian may be helpful. If you have any questions or concerns about the diagnosis or treatment of a pet illness, please consult your veterinarian promptly.