In Home Pet Euthanasia - When is it time to euthanize?

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*Decreased mobility, slipping/falling in the home, inability to navigate stairs        

*Changes in behavior such as becoming more clingy, hiding in the home or biting        

*Lethargy, decreased energy or sleeping a lot        

*Pacing or panting        

*Difficulty breathing or elevated respiratory rate above 40 breaths per minute        

*Decreased appetite or becoming more picky with food        

*Decreased or increased thirst        

*Seizures        

*Passing out or collapsing        

*Weight loss        

*Distended abdomen        

*Vomiting and/or diarrhea        

*Spontaneous bleeding such as nose bleeds or open masses on the skin       

*Secondary infections     

*Sudden blindness        

*Incontinence in the home or not using the litter box        

*Limping or not putting weight on a limb  

*Unable to urinate or defecate 

Also, if your pet has a known disease or diagnosis, there may be specific symptoms to monitor for related to that disease.  And, sadly, there are some specific diseases and terminal illnesses that indicate it is time to euthanize as soon as your pet receives the diagnosis.  This is either due to a lack of treatment options, a very poor prognosis for survivability even with treatment or because the disease is very painful.  Please see below for a comprehensive list of common diseases that we deal with at the end of our pets' lives. 

      No one wants to receive a cancer diagnosis as we know that cancer is usually a terminal disease. There are certain cancers that are especially bad for pets and when a pet receives a diagnosis of one of these cancers, most vets recommend euthanizing as soon as possible.  Delaying euthanasia often leads to suffering that could have been avoided by being proactive.  Here is a list of those cancers that we usually recommend moving more quickly on with humane euthanasia.  

Abdominal Cancers

     These are very painful and grow rapidly.  Without aggressive treatment (surgery to remove the mass and chemo), most pets only live days to weeks after diagnosis.  At some point during the growth of these tumors, they will burst and result in internal bleeding.  Internal bleeding is very painful, causes extreme weakness since major organs will not be receiving the necessary oxygen to function and often results in collapse or sudden death.  Because these tumors grow very quickly, they have usually spread to other areas of the body when a pet receives the diagnosis.  In dogs, often the tumors are a specific type called a hemangiosarcoma and many dogs also have a mass on their hearts as well.  If you are noticing that your pet’s abdomen is distended or bloated or feels hard, that your pet is losing weight or lethargic, your pet may have an abdominal mass and should be evaluated by a veterinarian immediately.  These are very common in larger breed dogs (over 40lbs) and in certain breeds such as German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Boxers, etc.  Many pets with abdominal masses just suddenly cannot get up because they have become so anemic from the internal bleeding.  People unfortunately often “give them a few days” to see if things will change, not knowing that they are bleeding to death.

Bone Cancer     

     This is a very painful cancer (think of how painful breaking a bone is.)  This disease chews away existing bone and leads to sudden fractures.  This is a very aggressive cancer and usually once bone cancer is diagnosed in a pet, it has already spread to the lungs.  For this reason, most pet parents choose not to amputate the affected limb and do chemo/radiation as the prognosis even with these invasive procedures is not long (a few months usually).  Without surgery and treatment, most pets only have days to weeks at the time of diagnosis.  The most common location of bone cancer is usually in the limbs, but can occur anywhere there is bone (spine, jaw, etc.).  Sudden limping in a middle aged to older pet is often the first and only sign that a pet has bone cancer.  These pets should be evaluated immediately by a veterinarian and x-rays should be completed as this type of cancer is easily diagnosed with x-rays.   

Lung Cancer     

     In pets, usually lung cancer is metastatic, as opposed to a primary lung mass (more common in people).  This means that the original cancer is located somewhere else in the body and has spread to the lungs.  Cancer in the lungs leads to difficulty breathing and decreased oxygen being delivered to essential organs and organ failure.  It is very stressful for pets when they cannot breathe and humans with this would be placed on a ventilator.  Difficulty breathing is a true emergency and these pets should be euthanized as soon as possible unless your pet is under the care of a veterinary oncologist managing the disease. 

Nasal/Oral Cancers

     These are extremely painful tumors and interfere with a pet’s ability to smell food and chew.  These are also very aggressive and rapidly grow and spread.  If your pet has a facial swelling around the eyes, nose or mouth that should be evaluated by a veterinarian immediately.  These have a very poor prognosis as well since they can rarely be fully removed surgically.   

Large Skin Masses

    Large masses anywhere on the body, especially if they are open or if the pet is licking/chewing them, are often cancerous.  Also, sometimes these very large masses add a lot of extra weight and most older pets already have a significant amount of arthritis.  This additional weight causes decreased mobility and eventually may result in a pet being unable to rise and walk.  When this happens, or if the masses are open and bleeding, it is time to consult for euthanasia.  

Lymphoma

     This is a very aggressive cancer and pets rarely live longer than 30 days once it has been diagnosed without aggressive chemotherapy with a veterinary oncologist.  Lymphoma often presents as rapid weight loss, increased thirst, large lumps or swellings (actually enlarged lymph nodes) all over the body, but especially prominent around the throat and neck.  This is usually easily diagnosed with a physical exam and some simple tests with your regular veterinarian.  Steroids can provide some relief initially, but again, most pets do not make it longer than a month or so after initial diagnosis without chemo. 

Ocular Cancers

     These are very painful because the eyeball is contained within a tight space and cancer needs room to grow.  These can often rapidly spread to surrounding tissues such as the brain, resulting in seizures.  Any visible changes in the eye should be evaluated by a veterinarian. 

     Cushing's disease, Addison’s disease, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes mellitus are examples of common metabolic diseases that dogs and cats suffer from.  Some of these diseases, such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, have inexpensive effective treatments.  However, not all pets respond well and not all pets (especially cats) are compliant with taking pills twice a day.  All of these diseases also require regular monitoring with bloodwork (every 3 months) to make sure the treatments are working.  Understandably, not all families can continue treatment in all pets.  If your pet has received a diagnosis or a metabolic disease and your family is unable to treat for whatever reason, a quality of life discussion is warranted either with your regular veterinarian or an end of life care veterinarian, such as Dr. Burroughs.

 Cushing's Disease 

     Cushing's disease causes multi organ failure, leads to extreme obesity and decreased mobility and causes blood clots to the lungs which result in panting, difficulty breathing and sudden death.  These dogs are also prone to secondary infections in the body and diabetes.

Addison’s Disease

     These are very sick dogs.  They suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and collapse.  Acute episodes are emergencies and require hospitalization for stabilization and diagnosis.  A pet with Addison's will require a lifetime of treatment with steroids and medications to stabilize mineral content. 

Hypothyroidism

     Hypothyroidism leads to obesity, decreased mobility, constipation, etc.  These dogs need chronic lifelong medications to correct their low metabolism.

Hyperthyroidism     

     If your cat has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and you cannot treat your pet (either due to financial constraints or because it is impossible to medicate your cat), then humane euthanasia is appropriate.  These cats have high blood pressure and often suffer from acute blindness (retinal detachments) or thromboembolic disease (painful, paralyzing blood clots usually in the hindlimbs).  These cats are also very anxious and often vocalize due to discomfort and/or confusion.  

Diabetes Mellitis     

     This is another disease that cannot be left untreated and is very expensive to treat usually.  There are so many secondary issues with diabetes, that I cannot list them all here.  But if you cannot treat this disease in your pet, then humane euthanasia is the recommendation.  Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, massive weight loss (usually in an overweight pet), increased hunger, etc.

     There are also times when pets have diseases that are not well controlled and veterinarians will recommend humane euthanasia at that point because the symptoms associated with that disease are so uncomfortable for pets.  Sometimes these diseases are very expensive to diagnose, treat or monitor and understandably people may have to decline treatments due to cost.  It is best if you cannot treat your pet for the diseases listed below, or if your pet is not responding well to treatment, that you not wait for your pet to decline to decide to euthanize.  The following is a list of diseases that lead to a very poor quality of life when untreated or when the pet is not responding well to treatment. 

Decreased Mobility

     It is normal for cats and dogs to develop arthritis as they age.  We often use pain medications, anti-inflammatory drugs and/or injections to improve symptoms associated with pain, swelling and decreased mobility.  When these medications stop working and pets cannot go up and down stairs or are slipping and sliding in their homes and splaying out, it is time to have a quality of life discussion with a veterinarian.  We see so many large breed dogs that are completely down and not able to walk at all any longer and it is definitely time when that happens to schedule an at home euthanasia appointment.  Pets become very distressed and feel very vulnerable when they cannot walk as in the wild they would become prey at that point.  

Dementia    

     Cats and dogs can get dementia just like people.  Unfortunately, dementia is often unnoticed in people until stage 4 (there are 7 stages) and is even harder to recognize in pets because they cannot talk to us.  If you have an older pet who is pacing/panting a lot around the house, who walks in circles around the home/yard, who sleeps a lot, seems to get stuck in the home in corners/under furniture, who is forgetting to eat or constantly asking for food/treats, etc it is time to have a quality of life discussion with your vet.  If your pet is urinating and defecating in the home, even though you are letting them outside to potty (dogs) or have clean litter boxes available (cats), then it is definitely time to have a quality of life discussion as this is very late stage, 6 or 7 for dementia.  These pets are spending a lot of time confused in their own homes, do not recognize their familiar surroundings and/or family members any longer and are not enjoying life.  

Neurological Disease and Seizures      

     Many diseases (liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes mellitis, cancer, etc) can cause seizures.  If your pet has a known diagnosis of a condition that can result in seizures and your pet starts having seizures, then this is an obvious drastic decline and we urge you to make an appointment for assessment or in-home euthanasia as soon as possible.  

Kidney Disease and Kidney Failure      

     People who have kidney disease are usually receiving dialysis to filter their blood from toxins until they can get a kidney transplant.  We do not perform organ transplants in pets so there is no cure for kidney disease unfortunately.  Cats with early kidney disease often thrive for many years especially if they are on an all canned food or a special kidney diet.  Dogs, on the other hand, often do not do well with kidney disease and can progress rapidly within weeks to months after the diagnosis.  If your pet is losing weight, drinking a lot of water, having urinary accidents in the home, vomiting, or having seizures and has a diagnosis of kidney disease, it is time for an end of life discussion.  

Heart Failure and Heart Disease      

     If your pet has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and treatment isn’t an option or isn’t effective, then humane euthanasia is warranted.  These pets have fluid either accumulating in their lungs (and are drowning) or in their abdomen.  They often are struggling to breathe and become very anxious and uncomfortable.  Also, their organs aren’t getting enough oxygen due to poor circulation and will start to shut down.