I have a 14 year old japanese chin canine. He is refusing food, losing weight, and is incontenent. I am doing everything I can to keep him comfortable. He does not appear to be in pain. I don't want him to suffer, and at the same time I don't want to euthanize him unless it is necessary. I want to give him the opportunity to go in his own time. Am I being ridiculous? The vet said at a certain point he won't experience starvation. I don't want to panic. What stages should I expect?

Im sorry to hear of your problem, but maybe I could help.A very similar thing happened about a year ago with my dog, who was also about 14. One day he decided to stop eating. Even table food, his favorite thing. Soon all he could do was lay there. He was taken to our vet and the did an exam and found that he had air in his stomach and his kidneys were shutting down. We had him put down, it seemed like the best thing to do.

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. He's lived a good life. Keeping him alive with no quality of life (he can't run and fetch and smell all those smells anymore) is cruel and is only for human benefit, not for his. Please take him to the vet and have him euthanized. Let him go. Honor him and the wonderful doggy life that he's had.

I agree that you have to look at this as a quality of life issue. It's hard to do, but try to be objective and consider whether the dog is still able to enjoy life.
I have a little old dog I found as a stray about 5 years ago. He is blind now, and has some arthritis. He still potters around and likes to go out and lie in the sun, and his appetite is still good. I am already making myself ask the question on a day-to-day basis. So far, the answer is yes, he still seems to happy and relatively comfortable. I know it won't be to long before the answer is no, and I will have to let him go.
We also have to keep in mind that animals don't always express pain the way humans do. Ask yourself if you were in the same physical state, would you be comfortable? If you are able to get past the emotions, the decision becomes a little easier.
If it is time, don't beat yourself up about it. The most loving thing we can do is to give our pets a good life, and when it is time, to give them a good death.

I'm sorry to hear about what both of you must be going through. I can really relate to your experience, and I'm hoping that I can help by sharing my story with you.

Our 15 year old persian cat was showing his age in a lot of ways. Sometimes we would take him to the vet everyday to give him an I've to get more fluids into him.

One day he stopped eating. He had been losing his appetite in the days before, but this was different. We took him to the vet, who told us that he was not in any pain, but it was clear that our little kitty was not going to bounce back this time. We decided not to put him through the stress of another car trip (although he didn't dislike car trips) because we thought it would be too much for him. We got an I've with an antibiotic and something to help his organs (maybe his liver?) (btw, these were all specific instructions and perscriptions from the vet). We have our own business, so I was able to take off from work, and I stayed with our cat all day and all night.

We seriously considered putting him to sleep, and if he were in real pain we would have done just that. However, the two vets we saw in the last days of his life both said that he was not in any pain, and that we did not need to have him put to sleep. The most important thing we wanted to make absolutely, absolutely, absolutely sure of was that we were not keeping him going for selfish reasons. But in our situation, it was okay to let nature take its course.

We kept him warm with hot water bottles and blankets. I was able to feed him and give him water, too. This was very, very helpful (also recommended by the vet). I bought syringes, removed the needle, and fed him baby food mixed with water. I think he was really soothed by it.

Over the course of three days total, his health deteriorated fast. Late on the last night, he couldn't stand because he was so weak, so we kept him on a diaper in case there were any accidents, and he fell asleep in our bed just like he had done every night.

Early in the morning, we work up together and said our goodbyes. I held him in my arms as he died. He let out two meows then, and I think that was the only pain or fear he may have felt. It lasted for less than 10 seconds.

I realize that this is a very difficult story to hear, but I wish I had someone with this experience to tell me what it was going to be like. I feel like we made the right choice with our cat, and he and I really got to share so much love together in the last three days we had. I treasure that, and I know that he did too.

There are many times when putting your pet to sleep is the right thing to do. Still, there are times when I believe it is okay to let nature take its course. All humans, and all animals until recently, have always, always, always died without being put to sleep. What I did was try to keep my baby kitty as comfortable and happy as possible on the way. Although he was weak, he purred during those days. I saw in his eyes that he was glad to be home, in our bed, and in our arms. And I know that being able to hold him as he left this world was the best thing I could have done then.

You're in a very difficult experience, and you have a very difficult decision to make. Each animal's story is different - you will need to know what the right thing is for your dog. Here in italy, where I'm living, there are also vets that will come to your home for the same price of an office visit. Perhaps that would save your pup the trip there. Still, he should see a vet for sure.

I wish you the best. I know that even in my kitty's death, he taught me about life. Our pets are wise.