When to Put Your Dog Down Quiz
Questions: 15 · 10 minutes
1. How is the current care routine affecting your dog’s day-to-day experience?
Care is brief or well tolerated and leaves ample time for rest, comfort, and valued activities.
Some parts are unpleasant, but distress is short and my dog returns to comfortable activities.
Appointments, procedures, handling, or side effects consume much of their comfortable time or cause recurring distress.
Necessary care causes extreme or sustained distress, and the veterinarian has not identified a tolerable way to provide meaningful relief.
2. How is your dog managing urination and bowel movements?
They can eliminate with their usual routine and remain reasonably clean and comfortable.
Occasional accidents or added assistance are needed, but cleanup and repositioning prevent ongoing distress.
Frequent accidents, straining, constipation, diarrhea, or soiling repeatedly leaves them uncomfortable despite care.
They cannot pass urine, have severe repeated straining, or remain continuously soiled with skin injury or major distress.
3. Has your dog recently experienced collapse, seizures, extreme disorientation, or periods of being difficult to rouse?
I have not observed any of these events.
There was one brief unusual episode, already shared with the veterinarian, and my dog returned fully to their usual state.
Episodes have recurred, recovery takes longer, or disorientation meaningfully disrupts daily life.
There was a prolonged seizure, repeated seizures without recovery, collapse, unresponsiveness, or another active crisis.
4. When you offer a favorite activity in an easier, adapted form, what happens?
They participate with recognizable enjoyment at a level that suits their abilities.
They engage less often or for less time, but still show some clear enjoyment.
They usually decline or stop quickly, and moments of enjoyment have become uncommon.
They can no longer engage in any previously meaningful activity without marked distress or exhaustion.
5. While your dog is resting in a comfortable environment, what have you observed about their breathing?
Their breathing looks usual for them and remains easy at rest.
There has been a brief, mild change from their usual breathing that resolves with rest.
Breathing often looks more effortful than usual at rest, or coughing repeatedly disrupts rest.
They are struggling or gasping for breath, have pale or blue-tinged gums, or have collapsed with breathing difficulty.
6. Suppose your dog needs to get up for water or a toilet break. What usually happens?
They rise and move in their usual way, including with any long-standing aid they use comfortably.
They are slower or need minor assistance, but complete the trip without marked distress.
They frequently stumble, fall, become distressed, or cannot complete the trip even with their usual support.
They have suddenly become unable to stand or move, repeatedly collapse, or movement causes extreme distress.
7. How well does the current medication and comfort plan control your dog’s symptoms?
My dog appears comfortable on the current plan, without noticeable breakthrough symptoms.
Mild breakthrough symptoms occur occasionally but settle with the veterinarian-approved plan.
Symptoms return often, relief is short-lived, or treatment side effects are becoming difficult for my dog.
Severe distress continues despite the plan, or treatment cannot be given without substantial distress or dangerous effects.
8. How does your dog respond to people, animals, or familiar surroundings they normally value?
They show their usual level of recognition, interest, or comfortable companionship.
Their interest is somewhat reduced, but they still seek or welcome connection at times.
They are withdrawn most of the time and rarely respond to familiar attention or surroundings.
They appear continuously distressed, panicked, profoundly disconnected, or unable to recognize familiar people or places.
9. When offered familiar, veterinarian-approved food, how is your dog eating?
They eat enough for their usual needs without substantial coaxing.
Their appetite is mildly reduced, but they still eat a meaningful amount with simple encouragement or an approved adjustment.
They regularly refuse food or eat so little that maintaining intake has become difficult.
They have stopped eating, cannot swallow safely, or attempts to eat cause marked choking, pain, or distress.
10. Over the last seven days, which description best matches your dog’s signs of pain or physical discomfort?
They have appeared relaxed, with no new pain behaviors that I have noticed.
I have noticed an occasional mild sign, such as stiffness or brief restlessness, that settles with their usual support.
Pain behaviors repeatedly interrupt sleep, movement, eating, or interaction, even with the current care plan.
They show intense or persistent distress, such as crying out, trembling, panting at rest, or being unable to settle.
11. After a bad spell, treatment session, or symptom flare, how does your dog recover?
They return to their usual baseline within the timeframe expected by the veterinarian.
Recovery is a little slower than before, but they regain meaningful comfort and engagement.
Recovery is incomplete or increasingly prolonged, leaving less comfortable time between setbacks.
They no longer recover to a comfortable state, or each setback leads to rapid, substantial decline.
12. Which option best describes recent vomiting, nausea, or digestive distress?
I have not noticed vomiting, repeated retching, or behaviors suggesting nausea.
There was one mild episode, followed by a return to their usual eating, drinking, and behavior.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal unease has recurred or is interfering with food, water, or rest.
They cannot keep water down, repeatedly retch without relief, have a swollen painful abdomen, or appear profoundly weak.
13. Looking at a dated calendar of the past two weeks, how do comfortable or engaged periods compare with difficult ones?
Comfortable or engaged periods clearly predominate.
There have been one or two notable difficult periods, but recovery and positive time still predominate.
Difficult periods are about as common as, or more common than, comfortable and engaged periods.
Nearly every day is dominated by distress, profound disengagement, or inability to meet basic needs.
14. What best describes your dog’s ability to drink and stay hydrated?
They drink in their usual way and can reach water comfortably.
They need occasional reminders, a moved bowl, or minor assistance to drink enough.
They drink very little, need frequent hands-on help, or show recurring signs that may reflect dehydration.
They cannot or will not take water, cannot keep it down, or appear severely weak or dehydrated.
15. During a typical rest period, how well can your dog sleep and reposition?
They settle, sleep, and change position as needed, independently or with a familiar aid.
They sometimes need help getting comfortable but usually rest after an adjustment.
They repeatedly wake, pace, or need repositioning because they cannot remain comfortable.
They cannot settle or reposition even with help, and exhaustion or distress is persistent.