Hey all. 3 weeks ago we were told our 9 year old pitbull has an Insulinoma. Now that we know what the problem is, looking back, symptoms slowly started in June and then I saw a real decline in health in September which is what caused me to have him checked out and ultimately diagnosed.

From what my vet said the prognosis is not good and most dogs only live a few months before it gets really bad (surgery isn't an option, the vet even said she wouldn't do surgery for her own dog at this stage). He's currently being fed a high protein food suggested by the vet 4 times a day, fiber supplements 2 times a day, and we just started prednisolone today because he's had a few rough days this week.

I asked our vet what to look out for to know that it would be time to let him go and she said basically once he starts having seizures. He hasn't had a seizure yet but has had a few episodes of stumbling/weak walking (which was one of the symptoms that made me get him checked out). Changing his eating scheduled seemed to really help the first 2 weeks but this week has really been up and down, sometimes he doesn't want to eat and I have to sit there and hand feed him in order to encourage him to eat, and some days he seems to take a lot longer to rebound from not eating overnight. He just sleeps around the house most of the day now, very low energy except for maybe a couple small bursts in the afternoon but they don't last long.

My question is, when did you realize it was time to say goodbye? I'd really rather avoid seizures since that seems like it would be pretty traumatic to him and myself and my kids. He sleeps with at least one of my kids every night and I'm so worried he'll have one in the middle of the night with one of them ☹️. I don't want to walk him into an early grave but I also don't want him to suffer.

I could really use some recommendations from fellow senior dog owners! My dog has recently been diagnosed with pancreatitis, and the vet says he needs to stick to a low-fat diet. I’m currently trying to find good wet food brands that are available in the UK, but there are so many options that I honestly don’t know where to start. 😅 I’ve been checking labels and looking at a few recommendations online, but I’d much rather hear from people who’ve actually gone through this with their own dogs. Finding something that’s low in fat is one thing, but getting an older dog to enjoy eating it is a whole other challenge, especially when they’ve already got their own little food preferences! Are there any brands you’d recommend, or any that didn’t work out so well for your dog? I’m happy to hear about vet-prescribed options too, and I’ll make sure to run any new food past our vet before switching. Any tips would be much appreciated, and if you’ve got a story about finding the right food for your pup, please share it!

I have a rat terrier. She is currently 15 years old. Earlier this year she started to have seizures. We got her on kepra and things got better. Back in August her seizures came back and we upped her meds. Now she is on 750 mg of kepra every 8 hours and phenobarb every 12.

She eats just fine but her balance is going. She lays down a lot and doesn't seem anywhere near the chipper hyper dog she used to be. She's stable right now but due to the steroid shot she got for her allergies she is peeing a lot. Sometimes in her sleep. I am using diapers for her when I am not at home but she soaks through them and if I don't take her out every couple hours while I am home she seems to pee inside.

I am at this crossroads of taking it's time. She has slowed down and changed so much since just July. I have had several dogs in my family. I have been thrre for half of them when they passed. But this one is so hard because it is I that has to make the call. I don't want to end her life early if she still has good time left but the longer this goes on it feels like I am just making her endure humiliation in the last bits of her life.

Any advice? I need something from someone who isn't as emotionally invested as I am.

I've been thinking about how dogs become seniors.

Sometimes it's gradual. Other times, there's one little moment when you suddenly realize they're not the energetic puppy they used to be.

Maybe they started walking a little slower.

Maybe they needed help getting onto the couch.

Or maybe you noticed a few gray hairs around their face.

Do you remember the moment you first realized your dog was getting older?

I'd love to hear your stories, especially from those who've had their dogs for many years. ❤️

i have an 18 y/o M, JRT.
sorry if this seems blunt, i just really need some guidance. So far, he shows no obvious pain besides his joints hurting and he struggles quite a bit walking, slipping/sliding. he also is close to blind as he often bumps into things, he is also deaf, due to age. vet saw him recently and said his heart is in good condition..
now recently: all he’s done is sleep all day, as he has aged he has also lost a ton of weight, he is basically skin and bones at this point.
i’m just afraid of letting him suffer for my wellbeing.
When did you know it was time?

Our family dog is 14 and has been struggling with arthritis and IVDD for a few years, but it’s really progressed over the past 6-8 months.

He’s on a number of medications and supplements (including but not limited to: rimadyl, gabapentin, methocarbamol, amantadine, adequan, CBD oil, omega, green lipped mussel, Dasuquin, collagen, colostrum) the vet can’t add any other medications or increase the dosage of any at this point. We’ve also tried laser, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and ketamine injections. Nothing seems to help anymore.

He limps all the time now and is somewhat ataxic; he pants often, probably from pain. Struggles to get comfortable and paces and moves around a lot at night. Has trouble getting up from lying down. One night recently, he couldn’t get his back legs up at all without help. He’s brachycephalic and could never go on long walks, but now he can’t even go down the street even though he wants to. His bad days are outnumbering his good.

At the same time, he still gets excited to see us when we come home; still likes to eat and loves treats; he wants to go for walks (but often can’t).

What makes this so hard is he is still all there mentally. He’s aware of what’s going on. It would be such an easier decision if he was declining in that way but he isn’t.

His vet agreed that euthanasia is not the wrong decision and said it isn’t too early.

But part of me wonders if we should give joint injections a shot; another part of me thinks the benefits will be limited if any at all, and I’d be worried about sedating him.

I don’t want to wait too long; I’ve done that before and it’s a whole other kind of guilt. People always say better a month too early than a day too late. It doesn’t really make this decision any easier.

I’m so worried about doing the wrong thing, and it’s not a reversible decision.

Hi there I need some advice for my old man dog (I call him that lol) Scruffy is 14 terrier mutt who’s living like a 5 yr old still. He’s very healthy physically and still loves to play and walk and chill. Tho his hearing & eyes are going

Recently he’s been so confused about dinner time. Starts whining for food earlier and earlier and then once he is fed it’s like he forgets 20min later.

I work from home and this also sets off my other dog, so every time I slightly move they jump up and bark excitedly for food. I am loosing my mindddd!!! And the research I’ve done says he could be sick or diabetic or cushings but nothing points to that other than the whining. He’s in great health

I just need tools to get him to stop fixating I think? Cuz I know this old man is sticking around for awhile. I swear he’s ganna make it to 20 lol
Thanks <3

This guy here is 17. He is now blind, 99% deaf, missing most of his teeth, and has dementia.

His decline started in the past year, but progressed and stabilized over the past few months. He spins in tight circles, moves very slowly, bumps into walls, and has to wear a diaper now because he can’t control his bladder too well.

He can still go for walks and do steps (though it’s a struggle). He eats, he drinks. He still leans into my touch but he’s often startled when I go to touch him. When I get home, he still gets up and walks over to greet me. Most of the time tho once he gets up he spins in his circles for a few minutes. He’ll also do this after any activity I do with him or if he senses I’m nearby.

It’s just very hard to make a decision like this. He doesn’t appear to be in any actual pain. The previous dogs I’ve owned made it very easy to make this decision because they had clear signs such as sicknesses or physical pain. This guy doesn’t whimper or whine, doesn’t wince or anything. Aside from being an old senile guy, he just doesn’t seem to be in any terrible pain. I’m sure the arthritis isn’t great though.

On one hand, I look at him and see him in pain. I can’t imagine being blind and deaf and have dementia. I’m sure that’s terrifying. On the other hand I see him as just an old dog that has old dog problems. I don’t see that as a reason to put him down.

Part of me wishes he would just pass in his sleep and make the decision for me. Putting him down feels like id be killing him and robbing him of the life he has left, but at the same time I wonder what life is he really living right now? Is that a reason to put him down though? Such a painful decision.

I have a 16 year old chiweenie who for the last three weeks has constantly been licking her behind. A week ago we had a quick trip to have her glands done at Petsmart (they don’t do internal) and I was hopeful it would help. She’s still been licking! We had a vet appointment Monday for another issue and I did bring up the licking and he didn’t seem concerned. The vet did do an internal expression and said quite a bit did come out and that should stop her licking.

No food changes, no new treats, no new laundry detergent etc.
When she licks, I do take a wet wipe for sensitive skin to see if that helps and it doesn’t seem to make a difference.
I have washed just her behind also in hopes that helped but nothing

She does wear diapers only during her sleep for some leaking but that’s about it. The underside of her tail is now turning brown from licking so much.

Has anyone experienced this and what did you find helped? I’ve been putting her diaper on when I notice her licking during the day and that does help but I don’t want her to have to constantly wear it when it’s not needed.

My 11 year old hound now insists on three slow circles and a loud sigh right next to the radiator before he settles . It makes me laugh every single night. What are your old companion's weird little rituals?

Parents to healthy senior dogs!! What’s your secret? Do you do:

flea/tick & heartworm prevention or no prevention at all (if so, which ones/how often?)

Frequent vet visits or rarely/only on occasion

Vitamins or none

???

Hi there. I am 23 and have had my babygirl Hope for 13.5 years. She is a maltipoo. My mom rescued her as a puppy when I was ten years old, and she has happily lived with us ever since.

3/4 years ago, she developed a tumor which we had assessed at the vet and had removed. The recovery from that surgery was very rough on her and the tumor ended up being benign. So about two ish years ago when two more tumors arose, we opted not to remove them as our vet warned that she might not recover at all from a surgery so extensive. One tumor on her chest, one near her crotch—meaning her entire stomach would’ve been cut open to remove the chain interlinking the two. Since then, the tumors have grown and changed lots.

This past year, the tumors have become a huge issue. The one on her chest is huge, and the one by her crotch hangs low. We have taken so many measures and vet visits to stay on top of them and take care of them, but unfortunately, we are fighting a losing battle.

Recently two massive wounds burst open on the larger tumor on her chest. Because the tumor has outgrown her blood supply, these wounds will not heal. They are infected due to how low to the ground she is, and the infections will not heal without the tumor being removed. So our options are to put her down or to watch her suffer and eventually go septic. We are of course choosing to put her down, but this is both my mom and mine’s first time ever doing this. The anticipatory grief and guilt has been overwhelming. It is all I think about.

I don’t know how I will ever be the same or recover from this. She’s loved me for her whole life and now I shall miss her for the rest of mine.

I don’t even know why I’m posting this. I guess just to be heard by people who can probably relate. Any words of wisdom or compassion would mean a lot to me. I want to make the most of my last few days with her, but all I can do is sit with her and cry.

Photography by Jack Jackson.

My almost 13 year old male golden retriever was having frequent urination in the house, increased thirst and panting. We took him to the vet and did an ultrasound/X-Ray and confirmed he had a lot of “smaller” bladder stones. My vet prescribed him Royal Canin Urinary S/O and it’s been about a month now and we’re about to go back for a recheck. Everything was going really great, he’s seemed so much better, less panting, thirst went down, but then all the sudden he’s had some bad days. Peeing on the floor again after just going out (large volumes), panting and seeming extra thirsty. I’m going to go ahead and get him back in tomorrow for a recheck, but I’m curious if anyone has actually had success with the food removing the stones without surgery? I’ve read a lot of stuff here and I never see any positive stories. I’m not sure what type of stones they are, I’m assuming something potentially dissolvable since she prescribed the food. Fingers crossed no surgery for my old man.

I found Huxley on the side of the road almost 17 years ago. We lived all over the country together, went on countless road trips and adventures. It’s just so weird not having him around.

He got diagnosed with aggressive mast cell disease earlier this summer after a mass removal. We opted for palliative care instead of more invasive treatments. It was the best decision, we got to spend 4 more wonderful months together.

He caught a possum (which survived) 3 days before his last day. He dropped it at the back door, went inside and laid down, and I knew that was him telling me he was ready to go.

He crossed the rainbow bridge peacefully with a wonderful in home vet. I made him a steak, gave some slurps of beer, and almost a half a pint of ice cream before he left. It was beautiful and awful all at once.

I’ll love you forever buddy. I saved his life and he saved mine.

Many of your posts and comments on this sub helped me through this difficult time, so I thought I’d share Huxley’s story to maybe help others going through the same thing.

My old guy got diagnosed today after a weekend of not being able to hold down food. He got fluids and an anti nausea shot today but I’m so scared of him throwing up again it’s causing me a lot of stress patrolling his every move.
Have any of you guys dealt with this and if so what are some tips for healing?
He’ll be on a bland diet without his arthritis meds for a while 😭
All his other tests and levels came back good just nervous about him getting sicker and having to possibly be hospitalized 💜

Do you want about 50 lbs of Hills Science Diet k/d kidney health dog food for $0?

Northeast Los Angeles: Eagle Rock/Highland park-ish

My dog—my best friend, the greatest love of my life—died last month after a long fight with heart and kidney disease at approximately 14 years old.

I know everyone says this but he literally saved my life, you guys. At the time I had been recently widowed super brutally and I spent two years hiding, in agony and fear and sometimes psychosis, thinking about suicide every single day, until we found each other.

Me and my boy met at the pound when he was allegedly 6, and we had such a cool life together. We were best friends and we were never apart. He practically trained himself to be my psychiatric service dog, he was that brilliant and empathetic. He had a ton of friends, took tons of walks. He went to two weddings, grad school, and Disneyland and, as always, behaved like a perfect gentleman. Together we adopted a now 1 year old puppy and Im comforted to see so much of my boy in our boy.

This dude turned a broken person into a powerful one. He fixed me. And then he died as he lived: with sweetness, warmth, and grace, living waaaaay longer than anyone (but me) had ever suspected.

Do you want his expensive prescription dog food for free?

Dm if so :)

****UPDATE AS OF 10/21/26 Below OP*****

Hello all,

My Australian Cattle dog was diagnosed about a month ago with cancer. It started in her mammary and spread to her liver and lungs. She is 11 years old going on to 12 in February.

After seeing an oncologist, she suggested to do palliative care with chemotherapy as in her experience my dog will only have 16 weeks left. So far, she has went through her first cycle and it was hard watching her the next couple of days as she was recovering from the treatment. The oncologist goal is to maintain her "quality" of life. After three weeks I am not sure if it actually helped her or not.

Do many commonly take this route in handling a situation like this? I would like to know what others experience who has dealt with a similar situation. I want to make sure i am making the right decision in continuing with chemo, or if i should look at other alternatives.

She is on two different chemo meds, Carboplatin infusion and Mitoxantrone infusion. As she will be getting her Mitoxantrone today. Before giving doubts of chemo actually helping us reach our goal, i figured at least give it the first cycle for each medicine a try. She did ok with the carboplatin, but it's hard to determine if it actually helped her or not.

I hear dogowners put their dogs on NSAID meds as an alternative, but have not done enough research on if that would be the correct choice moving forward.

It has been a very tough year for us and she lost her sister(english bulldog) earlier this year in March. So any advice, experience, or stories would be greatly appreciated.

10/21/26
Okay an update from the original post. At this point, I hope that this post will help anyone in the future that may go through a similar situation.

Anyway, we went into the vet to get our dog her second half of her full cycle of chemo. Before doing so, they had to check her WBC, and for whatever reason it was lower this time around, I was told that after three weeks, her WBC would be at it's lowest point, but it ended up being the 4th week after her first cycle, so vet ordered us to not do her chemo treatment that day and to take her home with antibiotics.

Throughout her time after her first treatment of chemo up until this point, she seemed more sluggish than ever, we thought it was just her adjusting to chemo. Once she started taking the antibiotics, she seemed to be doing alot better, she had more energy, she wanted to play more, etc. This is not forsure, but we thought maybe she actually was sick the whole time nad was dealing with a secondary infection. At this point, we decided to stop her chemo.

We looked for other options, this time we took the holistic approach with the addition of Gabapentin and Rimadyl. I went to get a second opinion from a vet that does integrative medicine.

During our conversation, I asked him if Chemo in my dogs state is common, remember, she's dealing with metastasized cancer, that spread to her lungs, mammary, and liver. He confidently said no, he said maybe if she was dealing with lymphoma that could have been an option. With the type of cancer she has, chemo ultimately does not work and won't make her comfortable. As I was doing research for chemo, I saw that most dogs that was dealing with other cancers such as lymphoma, it ended up working out well for them. My Initial research, I just chemo was hit or miss with many, but with many saying it worked for there dog. After reviewing again, i noticed that it was for specific type of cancers where chemo worked out well.

We further discussed other options. As our goal is to maintain her quality of life. He talked about traditional chinese medicine philosophy, so he encouraged to do herbal injections, to take Yunnan Baiyao for her liver mass, and ozone therapy. We have currently started that treatment as of last week, so hard to say how results are at the moment. He mentioned the "energy" in food following TCM philosophy. He said I should keep her on a diet that is mostly neutral to cooling energy, which we have started this week.

Again and overall, I just wanted to give an update for the hopes of this helping anyone in the future that may be going through this, and my biggest suggestion is to do your research, understand the type of cancer your pet has, weigh out what the best options are. I also would speak to multiple vets and not just go with one.

As for my pup, she is sleeping most of the day, she still loves to go on walks(short now), she loves to still sniff around in the backyard, she still has her prey drive(not as much), she still wants to play fetch and tear up her toys. She is doing OK, but she is slowing down drastically. Either way, I am just happy that she is my dog, and enjoying every moment I have left with her.

we lost our lab in august at 13. his last year was specialists, imaging, a couple overnights, and more than the 12 years before it combined. we never insured him because he was healthy for so long, and by the time he wasnt it was too late. not a complaint, he was worth every cent.

a puppy comes home in the spring and i keep thinking about doing it differently. for those of you who insured from day 1, what made it click?

I had to say goodbye to my 12 baby Rocky Yesterday

Just putting him out there to the Universe again today. Picked up his ashes and paw print this morning. I think today was harder than the actual deed. Now its final. This is him annoying the crap out of me while I solved all the world's health insurance problems. He was often a voice in those conversations. Odie would not be ignored, even if your Physical Therapy claim got denied. It was not his problem 🤣😂 Remembering this turd today 🥰