My beautiful ridgeback Nala is 9 years old. We have been at the vets daily last week since Sunday she had fluid around her heart which was drained and the vets couldn’t see a mass on her heart (not to say there isn’t one) so at the moment the cause is unknown. She hadn’t eaten for 5 days so went on a drip overnight Friday, picked her up Saturday she seemed right as rain! Since then she’s gone downhill again still not eating, being sick etc. I’m taking her back to the vets in a few hours, and if the fluid has come back will consider having it drained again but it could just keep coming back and she could have a complicated op to remove the sack from around the heart. However, how much do I put her through?!?
I love her so much I don’t want her to be in constant pain and pulled about all the time, and I also haven’t got insurance and can’t afford to spend thousands more.
I fear I’ll have to make a decision soon as even if the fluids come back they still don’t know the root cause and this could keep making her unwell without doing further extensive investigations into it.
I’m so scared about losing her but I also want to make the right decision As the prognosis isn’t currently looking very good.
I guess I just wanted some advice/opinions please, how do you know when the time is right?! She’s lost so much Weight and isn’t her self at all 😢
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
When did you know the time was right to PTS?
SunshineOverStress · 04/08/2020 12:51
People always say you know when the time is right. I never do 
I do take my vets advice and I then balance the good things the dog is able to do with the other things. With older dogs it can be hard as they often still eat and greeet you happily. If the dog is ill the decision may be more straight forward.
Your dog does sound as if he is unwell and uncomfortable. I would need to speak to the vet and get an honest opinion.
I do not think it is always right to do treatment just because it is available. The kindness thing we can do is to make sure they do not suffer.
I am sorry you are having to go through this and I hope you can achieve peace of mind with the decisions you have to make.
It's really horrible when your dog is sick. One of ours (old, creaky) was suddenly quite unwell a few weeks ago, and it was really worrying and stressful.
In your shoes, I'd consider the state of her general health. If she was fit and well until a week or two ago, I'd be inclined to persevere a bit longer, at least until I got a clearer diagnosis/prognosis. If on the other hand the prognosis is poor, or she was showing real signs of age beforehand (arthritis/joint issues, lack of energy, whatever), I might think that this was all going to be too much and it wasn't fair.
I'm sorry that you and your dog are going through this. 
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.