How Long Are Dogs Sick Before They Die?
Death isnât always swift and graceful. Sick dogs can be ill for hours, days, or even weeks. It can vary from pet to pet, so one might succumb after only a brief illness while another will languish for much longer.
A dog that is so ill that you think it is destined to die likely has no quality of life. If a pet is doing poorly and looks like he or she is âdying,â thereâs a very good chance that they are uncomfortable, in pain and unhappy. Their breath might be labored and their body may hurt. Their mind can be clouded and their temper can be short. A dog that is not eating, having trouble breathing, acting lethargic or weak, canât stand and walk, canât control urine or bowel movements, or is unconscious is âsufferingâ. If a dog canât sleep without discomfort or difficulty, that is suffering too. All in all, they are no longer enjoying their life to any real degree.
Some pet parents have no intention of providing additional veterinary care for their dog. They want their dog to peacefully die. This happens in a number of situations. Perhaps they have limited financial resources or the pet is an injured stray they have found. Maybe they have already treated the dog and it either hasnât responded to therapy or has a terminal condition. However it happens, these animals often end up in prolonged discomfort or pain because of their owners.
Signs a Dog May Be Dying
Many of these signs are also symptoms of treatable illnesses. If your dog is showing even one troubling change, a veterinary visit is in order to have him examined, especially if he had been doing well up to that point. Based on the exam and any diagnostics that are performed, your veterinarian can help guide you as to whether your dogs condition is treatable or if he has more significant challenges.
Conditions such as diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, liver failure, cancer, and heart failure often plague senior dogs. These diseases can often be treated when caught early, but as your dog ages and his illness progresses his condition may worsen. Multiple diseases occurring at the same time can cause increased discomfort and make treatment more difficult.
Weight loss is very common in senior dogs and will start well before the end of life. Part of this is a normal aspect of the aging process: as the dog gets older, his body becomes less efficient at digesting protein, which causes him to lose muscle mass. Feeding a diet with higher levels of easily digestible protein can help to slow this process.
Illness can also cause weight loss, either due to a poor appetite from not feeling well or due to increased strain on the body. Cachexia is the extreme weight loss experienced by cancer patients. Cancer cells use a lot of energy as they endlessly reproduce and spread, and this demand for energy can lead to the breakdown of your dogs fat stores and muscles.
Weight loss often accelerates as the dog ages or becomes more ill, even if he is still eating full meals.
Senior dogs sleep a lot. As your dog nears the end of his life, he will sleep more and more and will tire more easily. He may also opt to stay home on his dog bed instead of going on walks and outings like he used to.
As your dogs body ages his muscles and nerves stop functioning as well as they used to. Between the loss of muscle mass and the malfunction of proprioceptive nerves, his coordination will decline. He may struggle with steps and navigating obstacles, or slip on non-carpeted surfaces. Some dogs stumble or have trouble placing their feet correctly when walking. These signs are usually progressive, with only mild periodic bumbles at first that slowly become more frequent and more severe. Some dogs may also experience involuntary muscle twitching.
You can help your dog by providing non-slip surfaces for him to walk on and using a harness or sling to support him when walking and going outside to eliminate. Ramps can be helpful for navigating stairs and getting on and off furniture, but act as a spotter in case he loses his balance and falls off a narrow ramp.
Incontinence, or loss of control of the bladder and/or bowels, is a fairly common occurrence in senior dogs. This can occur for a variety of reasons that may be completely treatable (for example, urinary incontinence due to a urinary tract infection).
Some dogs may pee or poop in their sleep, while others may dribble urine or even defecate as they walk without seeming to notice. Incontinence can be upsetting for our dogs because they naturally dont want to soil the house. Be compassionate and never scold your dog for these accidents, as that will only increase his distress. More frequent trips outside and some medications can help. Incontinence will often worsen as your dog nears the end of his life.
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Decreased mobility is a common symptom of aging and will steadily get worse. This may be due to pain from arthritis or other old injuries, loss of muscle mass causing a decrease in strength, or unsureness because of declining vision. Changes in mobility often start off subtly, with the dog trotting after a ball instead of running, then gradually progress to not being able to jump on furniture or into the car, struggling with stairs, and having trouble getting up after a nap.
You can help your dog by making sure food and water bowls are easily accessible and using a sling or harness to help him in and out of the house. He may need a boost to help get up. Eventually, he may be unable to maintain a standing position at all and may struggle to walk.
Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) is very similar to dementia in humans. Early signs of CCD include pacing at night, fussiness, and irritability. As it progresses, your dog may seem to get lost in the house and yard or not to know who you are. Be especially careful when waking a sleeping dog with CCD, as they may nip or snap when distrubed if they dont know where they are or what is happening.
Dogs can show a variety of behavioral changes when they are dying. The exact changes will vary from dog to dog, but the key is that they are changes.
Some dogs will become restless, wandering the house and seeming unable to settle or get comfortable. Others will be abnormally still and may even be unresponsive. Your dogs sleeping patterns may change. He may become cranky and difficult to handle, either due to pain or disorientation.
Some dogs seek out the comfort and company of their humans to the point of clinginess, while others become more solitary and seek quiet corners to be alone. Some dogs seem to know when they are about to die and wander off to a secluded location in the house or yard for their final moments.
Water is extremely important for your dogs health. As he ages or becomes more ill he may lose interest in his water bowl. Try adding water to his food or feeding a canned diet to increase his moisture intake.
Giving water via an oral syringe or squirt bottle (always use a fresh bottle that has never had cleaning products in it) may be appropriate in some cases, but do so carefully. Aim your dogs muzzle downward and only squirt a small amount of water into his mouth at a time. Forcing too much water into his mouth can cause the water to go down his trachea and into his lungs, causing choking and even aspiration pneumonia. Your dog should swallow automatically in response to the water on his tongue. Loss of the swallow reflex is a very bad sign.
As your dogs body wears out, he may stop responding to treatments and medications that had previously kept him happy and healthy. A dog with arthritis may require additional pain medications, or a dog with diabetes may require seemingly endless insulin dose changes. A dog with cancer may continue to lose weight and deteriorate despite treatment and appetite stimulants to keep him eating well.
Dogs near the end of their life often have a change in their eyes. You may notice that your dogs eyes seem glassy or dull. A change in the appearance of the eye(s) alone is often simply a sign of an eye problem, but these changes in conjunction with other signs can indicate the end of life.
A dying dogs body is no longer functioning properly. Malfunctioning metabolism can cause changes in body odor that will vary depending on the exact cause.
Aging and sick dogs often have trouble regulating their body temperature, and will become hot or cold very easily. If you live in a warm climate, provide your dog with a shady, well-ventilated place to rest. For colder areas, make sure your dog has access to a warm cozy bed to curl up in or a nice warm spot in the sun or by a radiator to nap.
How do I tell my dog goodbye?
If there is time, spend a few moments just talking to your dog. It may sound strange to some people, but a pet can pick up a lot from the tone of your voice. Plus, saying things out loud might help you process things. Try to allow time for family members to say their goodbyes as well.
10 Critical Signs that Indicates Your Dog is Dying
A dogâs behaviours usually change as they get older, so it can be difficult to tell the difference between the deterioration of quality of life, and general slowing down with age. Thatâs why the signs that your dog is dying are not always obvious to spot, even for the most dedicated of pet owners.Â
As a result, it is common for concerned canine parents to be left wondering how to determine if their dog may be nearing the end of their life.
In some cases, an elderly or sick dog can pass suddenly, before owners realise they were nearing their end of life. Other times, the end-of-life journey can be a slower process and there are some signs to look for.
Weâve put together the below list of common dog behaviours before death, to help dog owners determine when it may be time to euthanise your pet.