My senior dog has aspiration pneumonia. When to consider euthanasia?

Poor Xica! I'm so sorry that she's sick, and that you're in the position of having to consider what is best for her right now. This is always a difficult situation. Her x-rays do appear to show very severe pleural effusion. As I'm sure your veterinarian has probably discussed with you, pleural effusion of the type that you have described (bloody fluid) is almost always caused by one of two things: congestive heart failure, or cancer. The amount of fluid in her chest makes it hard to get a good look at the size and shape of her heart, or to determine if there are any obvious tumors in her chest, so it's hard to say which of these possibilities is more likely without additional testing. But unfortunately, even with aggressive treatment, neither of them have a good long-term prognosis. Knowing this, if I were in your position, I believe I would probably decide to let her go rather than pursuing hospitalization, chest tube placement, etc. - these are invasive, uncomfortable procedures that are unlikely to make a significant difference in the outcome for her, because of the severity of her underlying disease. That being said, the decision of when to consider euthanasia is a very personal choice, and one that is different for every pet owner. If you feel that you need to do everything possible, and want to pursue advanced diagnostics to try and get a more specific answer as to what's wrong, there is nothing wrong with this at all - but if you were my client, I would try to gently caution you that her underlying condition will almost certainly be fatal regardless of what you do. I hope you're able to find peace in your decision, whatever it might be.

Oh no, I'm so sorry that Santeri is so sick! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with my clients. I suggest making a list of five things Santeri loved to do. If he's not doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has decreased to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. It's always a hard decision to make, but if he has a poor quality of life, letting him go peacefully would be a great kindness. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'd be happy to consult with you. Just click the "consult online" button under my answer. Otherwise, I hope my answer helps and I'm sorry you are facing this issue :-(

Although rare a respiratory crisis is possible which is very distressing for both patient and owner. Given the severity of his numerous conditions and his symptoms during sleep I would agree that yes, euthanasia is a valid consideration at this stage.

This is always a tough question to answer. I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with clients. I recommend making a list of five things Coco used to love to do, and if she is no longer doing at least two of them, her quality of life has declined to where euthanasia should be considered. Quality of life is very important in these cases. I would speak with her vet to see what they think about her quality of life. I hope this helps.

I'm really sorry to hear about poor Memi. The combination of these two conditions are often difficult to treat and can be very disheartening. I would first recommend asking your veterinarian about any more potential treatment options and how long they think he may survive given his current condition. The decision to euthanize is extremely difficult and there is no right or wrong answer. I advise my clients to consider euthanasia when they feel like their pet is suffering so much that they don't seem themselves anymore; or just don't seem to enjoy life anymore. You will be the best judge of this. I hope that helps. Again, I'm very sorry for this unfortunate circumstance and wish the best.

Yes, euthanasia is definitely a very valid option here, it is quite likely that inflammation in and around her spinal nerves is contributing to both the paralysis and incontinence and severely impacting her quality of life

I'm sorry your dog isn't doing well! I would be concerned that she may be in pain, and she could have a neurological problem causing her inability to walk. It's quite serious that she hasn't eaten for four days and can't get up. I work for a home euthanasia service, so I frequently encounter the question of when to put an animal to sleep. I always recommend looking at the dog's quality of life. When a dog can't stand up and isn't eating, their quality of life has declined to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. She will be starving from not eating, and that will be painful to her. It's also probably distressing she can't get up. In this case, I personally don't think it would be fair to wait it out. You can have her seen by a vet tomorrow to see if there are pain medications to give her to see if that helps her get up and medications to stimulate her to eat. If those don't work, then letting her go peacefully is the most kind option for her. I'm sure that's not something you want to hear, and I'm very sorry that she is doing so poorly.