There can be many changes. We often associate eating with feeling good, but that's not always the case, especially for our larger breeds. Some large breed dogs - like labs - will eat until the very end. But I tend to say their back half is kind of shut down, as those are the dogs that often can’t get up to use the bathroom, and they can't get up to move. They may have pressure sores. They may not have control of their bowels or their bladder, making that a personal decision for everyone. Some dog owners may tolerate more nursing care than others. It ends up being a summation of all those things that diminish the dog's quality of life.

We have a conversation about that with you first, and we make sure that you feel that that time is right. I have many of those conversations with my clients about concerns over not wanting to make that decision too soon. But sometimes, the bigger regret is they didn't make that decision soon enough. And so that's a tough call to make. And through that conversation and a physical exam, we may be able to come to the best decision for you and your pet.

The way that we do euthanasia here at the Animal Hospital of Statesville is to make it as painless and as pleasant as possible for something that's not pleasant to think or talk about. We give them a sedative first that just calms them and all but puts them to sleep, and then we give them the final injection.

Euthanasia is, in my opinion, making a kind decision love your dog enough to let them go—an end-of-life decision.

Palliative care is more trying to keep your pet comfortable while still trying to treat your pet, and hospice, in general, is thought of as more keeping them comfortable for that end-of-life stage.

Pain can be exhibited in multiple ways. We often think about our pets being vocal. As humans, we may be vocal if we are in pain, but often dogs hide it. Because dogs hide pain, you’re looking for more subtle changes from their normal behavior. If the dog is slower to rise when they get up, they could have some arthritic pain. If they change their eating habits and only eat soft food, they may have dental or mouth pain. If your dog no longer greets you when you come in, they don't jump up like they used to, don’t sleep on the bed with you, or they sleep on the floor; these could be signs that they're uncomfortable and don't want to move around.