What factors do I use to decide if I should put my dog to sleep?

I just found out that my dog has cancerous Lymphoma. He has a mass growing against his esophagus which is pushing it to one side sometimes making it hard for him to breathe. He also has some kind of infection in his lungs which the vet says that we can treat with antibiotics. He is going on 13 years old and I feel that he has been extremely well taken care of throughout his life. Right now he is acting normally, just sleeping a lot and moving around as is expected for a dog his age. Based on his age I have decided not to operate and I am concerned that I will end up waiting too long or not long enough to make the decision to put him down. Can anyone help me with suggestions on how to go about making the hardest decision in my life? I have only had one pet and have never had to make this choice before. Please help.

There is no "right" answer for this. Just remember that this is a pet that you have loved for a very long time. When you see that his quality of life is no longer there and he is suffering then it is time. It may be a few days or a few weeks. The antibiotics aren't a bad idea they will help keep him suffering more than he already is. Just love him. Your heart will let you know when it's time. Sometimes the animal knows when it's time and will just pass in their sleep. As in the case with my grandparent's dog.

Put him down before you think you should. If he has cancer of any type, he is in pain. And at 13, it is probably time. The worst thing I ever did is wait too long to put my dog down. Be kind to him.One more question: is he "pacing" around the house? That is a sure sign it is time to put him down.

this is very hard, I'm sorry you must go through it. I would say that when his suffering seems to outweigh his pleasure for life, it is time, though I know personally, it is one of the hardest things to do. Good luck, and know he will love you for allowing him his freedom when he needs it.

I'm sorry to read about the problems that your dog is having and I know how hard this must be on you...........I'm pretty sure you can tell if he's in pain and, for me, that would be the deciding factor........It's awful for an animal to suffer and it would be more human, as hard as that is, to put him to sleep...........Since the mass is growing against his esophagus I would think eventually it's going to be difficult for him to eat which is something else I would keep in mind.......If I may make a suggestion (and I know you probably don't want to think about this at this time but...) if and when you decide what's best for him and the decision turn out to be to put him to sleep get another dog without waiting too long.......It will ease the pain for you and give another dog a chance to be well cared for and [email protected]

If you're waiting for that 'right time' I'd look into his eyes. You can tell when an animal has given up, and it's a sort of warning that they're not going to be around much longer and the body just goes on auto-pilot. Another way to make the decision would be the following.First of all, if you've decided not to operate it might be best to go ahead and put him down. The worst thing I've ever done is watched an animal go through cancer. It's horrible to watch your best friend waste away no matter if you're trying to treat it or not. Even though he's not suffering now, he will later, and it might be easier for you to know he isn't going to suffer at all then to watch him suffer just to have him around a while longer.Also, remember, telling yourself you'll wait until you've prepared yourself isn't the right thing to do. You'll never have enough time to prepare yourself for losing a loved animal, so don't let yourself get caught in that trap.I'm so sorry, and I hope you make the right decision, I hate putting animals to sleep, but you have to think about how much better it is for them to die painlessly.

Well I'd say 13yrs is too old to operate for sure. He would most likely die during the surgery. When he is having trouble eating and breathing and he cannot enjoy life anymore, it would be the time to let him go. Euthanasia is something you should consider when you know that he is suffering.. you know him well enough to know when he is.. Just make sure you are emotionally prepared for it, and keep in mind that you are going to stop his pain. Many people may disagree with euthanasia as an option, but 13yrs is old for a dog.. and you don't want to prolong the inevitable.. especially if he is suffering.

Putting my one year old dog to sleep was the hardest decision of my life and was something that I did not want to do. But after several weeks of putting it off, I could tell he was in a lot of pain. He seemed to get worse every day and I could not bear to see him suffer. He was the first dog I ever had and I loved him so much and his front leg joints had so many problems and he would barely get up. It made me so sad and I cried for a long time. But I knew that it was the right thing to do because it is just wrong to keep an animal suffering when there is nothing you can do to help.So when you feel that your dog is in too much pain and you have mentally prepared yourself and know that it is the right thing to do. Then it is time. Best of luck to you and all my prayers for you and your dog.

I think the decision to put your dog down will be easier if you remember that you don't want your dog to suffer in any way. I know it's EXTREMELY difficult. When your dog starts really having a hard time and he's no longer his normal self is the correct time.

You will know. You know your dogs personality.I am sorry for your hurtful news.

This is a very hard decision. I have been there myself. The important thing is to pay careful attention to whether or not he is suffering. If he is suffering, then putting him to sleep will be for the better. Give him lots of extra love in the meantime. If the lung infection does not improve, or goes away then comes back, then his time is up.Yes, he is 13 years old, but what kind of prognosis did the vet give him if you did operate? In other words, was it the vet's professional opinion that operating was not advisable? If you are sure that your dog has the best quality of life the way he is, then you made the right choice. However, if the vet feels confident that operating would improve his quality of life even if for another year or two, then I would say that is worth it.

i think the right time to put a dog down is when they are directly suffering. meaning they are feeling alot of pain. it sounds to me like your dog is semi suffering. please note that death for a dog means no more pain for them. sure there is alot of pain in it for you, but are you selfish enough to let your dog suffer so that you will not? if you don't put him down and you let him suffer to a natural end, will you think back and realize what aa misery you put him through?i am not saying you are selfish, i really don't think you are. you have to focous on the best thing for the dog.on his last day, make it special, take him to burger king and buy him an huge wopper with a side of fries. when my friend had to put his dog down he had the vet come to his house to do it so that the dog was not frightened in his last moments of life. it was really sad but nessecary to do the right thing. if you think that your dog is no longer living the healthy and happy life he was leading and there is no hope for a cure....... i do think you were right not to operate on such an old dog. loosing your friend will be hard, but it may be the right thing to do. the best of luck

First off I am so sorry for you and your dog. My dog was 17, we had him for 15 years and you just know. Everybody said that to my husband and I and we just kept hoping he would die in his sleep, we were selfish, he tried to tell us about 2 days before it happened but we were so hopeful. It was very hard, but its the kindest thing you can do for them. His eyes will tell you and your heart will know, the hard part is computing it to your head which will try to analyze and look for signs of improvement, that's what we did. You will know. My prayers are with you.

im so sorry i feel so sad for you. i know that putting him down will be the hardest thing ever, but i will be for the better. i do agree to do it sooner rather than later, because he is old and you dont want him to have to suffer. just make sure u spend some extra time with him, take him to the park or something special. ya know i would ask ur vet when they think a good time to put him down would be, they would prob be able to give u the most information on his health, so they could prob suggest when i a good time would be. good luck, your doing the right thing. it's gonna be ok.

It is going to hard , but ask your self , if the tables were turned and your dog had to make this choice for you what would you want him to do, make the right decision and put the little fella down , truly sorry ,my friend was with us for 12 yrs and we had to do it 3 months ago.We still have a cat , some how she picked up his attude , dont ask me she just did, good luck ,

My heart goes out to u.. i put down a dog last year and I had only had him a few weeks.. I can't imagine what u are going thru and how much ur hurting.. Pets become part of the family. It's O.K. to let him go in peace.. He knows u love him and he's had a good life.. The antibiotics will only be a temp. cure.. Eventually he won't be able to eat or breathe at all.. It will hurt u even more knowing he's suffering and watching him suffer.. NOBODY can tell u what to do or how u r supposed to feel... It is the hardest choice u will ever make.. I sincerely believe there is a DOG Heaven and that he will live FOREVER pain free there.. They say if dog's that are normally always wanting to be around u and sit in ur lap and play all of a sudden starts wanting to be alone..and not be touched that it's their time..Some will go in their sleep..others will not... Putting a dog to sleep is painless (except for the owners).. I wish u the best.

i'm very sorry for your situation about your dog. you know your dog best. all you can do is look at the dog. if the dog is having more bad days than good, if the breathing difficulties become worse and he's stuggling for air. and most important, if you look at your dog one day and the dog looks at you and you know it's time. then it is. it's very sad to lose a great friend. you have to look at the dog's quality of life. if you think that your dog would not want to live this way then it's time. this is the hardest decision a loving pet owner can make. it's a decision made out of love. you have provided a great life, comfort and affection. your dog could not have gotten better care. your dog has done it's part, and soon it will be time for you to do yours. this dog has come to trust you for everything and direction in their life. and when the dog's quality of life has become too difficult and painful, the best thing you can do is say goodbye and thank you. again i'm very sorry.

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog Unfortunately, only you can make this decision. Find out how much pain he is in and/or will be in. I know that if my dog was in pain, I would put him/her down as I wouldn't want him/her to suffer. However, if I was just able to have abit more time with them, before the pain sets in, I would take it and spend as much as time with him/her as I can

I think I would ask myself if the surgery would remove the problem and give the dog a few more years of life without the pain he currently has.I'd have to make a list with the help of the Vet about the pro's and con's of having surgery or not having surgery.If the pro's outweighed the con's I'd go with surgery.If surgery gave the dog another year, pain free, I'd be for it. If the dog would have recovery pain after the surgery but only be expected to live a very short time, I'd go with euthansia.If the con's eliminated the option of surgery for me, I'd discuss this with the Vet and likely I'd opt for euthanasia because of the breathing difficulty if it is, as you say, the result of the tumor and not the infection.. The infection does not seem to be a factor in the decision because it is treatable with antibiotics.

When he shows signs of distress or pain.with love and empathy