Death is not something easy to accept, however, it is a process through which all living beings go, even those who enjoy a beautiful and long life. The love we have for our dog ‘s forces us to face the unspeakable; their death. But…
How Do You Know If a Dog Is Going To Die?
What Are The Symptoms Of Dying Dog?
Does A Dog Feel He Is Going To Die?
If you live with a pupp that is elderly, sick or has worrying symptoms and you suspect that he can go to the left quickly, you may be interested in this article from walkidoggy in which we will present 11 symptoms of a dog at the end of its life.
Faced with any of the symptoms that we are going to tell you about, remember that it will be essential to take your dog to the veterinarian, whether it is to establish a diagnosis, to give you advice on the care or quite simply that he brings you help on how to manage your dog at the end of his life.
What are the symptoms of a dying dog ?
Symptoms of a dying dog are:
- He refuses to go outside
- He has abnormal behavior
- A dog at the end of his life sees his heart rate drop,
- His body temperature is altered
- Its capillary refill time is affected
- He doesn’t want to eat or drink water anymore.
- He doesn’t want to move
- He has urinary incontinence problems.
- He vomits
- His breathing is abnormal and he coughs a lot
- He is more dependent than usual
1.your dog doesn’t want to go outside anymore.
Over the years, older dogs decrease their level of physical activity and it is possible that they start not wanting to leave the house at all. However, if until recently your dog never said no to a short walk and he begins to reject this activity that he liked so much, it is that he may, unfortunately, be at the end of his life.
The fact that your company refuses his walk does not necessarily mean that he is close to death because it may be a psychological pregnancy or a pathology that weakens him and takes away his desire to to go out. In any case, this symptom is not to be ignored and you will absolutely have to take it to the veterinarian.
2. A dog behaves abnormally
Sick animals, or those near death, behave strangely and certain “strange” behaviors can help us identify a problem. For example, a dying dog may begin to develop fears, exhibit aggressive behaviors or exhibit strange body movements.
You may also experience incontinence, vomiting, diarrhea or other problems.
3. His vital constants are altered
Among the different symptoms of a dying dog we will find, of course, an alteration of the vital constants. Dehydration, excessive panting, abnormal temperature or altered heart rate are all symptoms of a dying dog.
Below are the vital constants of a healthy dog:
Body temperature: 38 ºC and 39 ºC.
Respiratory rate: 10 to 30 breaths per minute.
Heart rate: 90 to 140 beats per minute for small dogs, 70 to 110 beats per minute for medium dogs and 60 to 90 beats per minute for large dogs. These values are a referent for the constants of a dog at rest. If your cardiac dog is at the end of its life, you will see an alteration in these values.
Capillary refill time: Capillary refill time can be identified by lightly pressing on the dog’s mucous membranes. You then have to see how long it takes for them to return to their normal color. Pressure is usually applied to the mucous membranes of the mouth (gums) and the filling time should be less than 2 seconds.
4. He doesn’t want to eat or drink water anymore.
Appetite is an unmistakable symptom of a dog’s good health. If your best friend refuses to eat – even if you cook him his favorite meal – you must suspect that something is wrong. He may also stop drinking water, but you will have to force him to hydrate.
As a consequence of dehydration and lack of nutrition, you will see your dog throwing up bile as his organs begin to fail, causing him serious pain and causing him to run away from us.
5. He doesn’t want to move anymore
If you see your dog is all groggy and unwell in a corner of the house and, in addition, he has all the aforementioned symptoms, it is very unfortunately likely that your dog is at the end of his life. You are in a very delicate moment and we recommend that you offer him a convenient place where he can rest and you will have to pay a lot of attention to him at all times. It is essential that he feels accompanied.
6. He has incontinence issues.
Particularly in older dogs, incontinence is another of the most common signs that indicate a dog is about to die. However, let’s qualify our statement because incontinence can also be due to other causes or factors.
Over time, the muscles surrounding the urinary system weaken, as does the control of the nervous system. It is therefore difficult for the dog to have full control of his body, which manifests itself in problems with incontinence or urination.
In the following article we will tell you more about urinary incontinence in dogs.
7. He throwup
Are there other symptoms of a dying dog?
As we said above, one of the things dogs do when they are about to die is not eat as much as they should. At this point, the dog may also find it difficult to eat and eventually vomit. In turn, vomiting leads the dog to a state of dehydration which greatly weakens your dog.
It should be said, however, that a dog who vomits is not necessarily going to die because vomiting can be caused by very many reasons. In case your dog is dying, you will see that he vomits systematically after all his meals because his stomach is unable to hold food.
8. He is breathing abnormally
Another symptom of a dying senior dog is in his breathing. This is why, at walkidoggy, we recommend that you always be attentive to the changes in behavior of your best friend.
A dying dog will have difficulty breathing and is likely to cough due to a homeostatic imbalance in his body, which may result in the air cells flooding with the fluid produced.
9. He’s more dependent than usual.
At the beginning of the article, we talked about the fact that dogs at the end of life can become more aggressive or apathetic, but they can also become extremely dependent on their guardian.
In other words, a dog at the end of its life changes its behavior and you will see how much it needs to be petted and that you pay attention to it.
This behavior is not strange and it is even perfectly logical since, throughout his life, you have been the one who took care of himself and you are the person he trusts the most.
10. His gums are changing color
Another clear symptom of a dying dog is the color of his gums. If you see that your dog’s gums are gray or white, it may be a symptom of an underlying disease that may be causing the death of your best friend.
This lack of pigmentation is due to a lack of blood in the organs and can be caused by various causes, such as anemia, hypotension and internal bleeding.
11. He can have seizures
Due to increased abnormal electrical activity in our dog’s brain, seizures may occur. This is one of the symptoms of a life dog… These seizures can be caused by poisoning, a brain tumor or even the involuntary absorption of drugs. If your dog is having a seizure, take him to the vet as soon as possible.
Learn all about seizures in dogs.
What if a dog is dying?
If you suspect that your dog is dying and that he is also showing all or some of the symptoms we mentioned during our article, do not hesitate for a second and call your veterinarian quickly. If these symptoms can indicate that a dog is dying, they are also symptoms of various pathologies that can only be detected by a veterinarian.
In addition, the specialist will help you make the best decision. You must remember that in some cases, such as when your animal is in a lot of pain, euthanasia is not to be ruled out because it will aim to relieve it of its pain.
If he considers that this is not the best option for your dog, he will also help you to offer him the best care so that he can end his life in dignity and with those he loves. It will probably be necessary for you to help him eat, drink and even relieve himself.
Does a dog feel he is going to die?
Dogs are not strictly speaking aware of death, they live their life enjoying the present moments, the concepts of future and past are human concepts. However, unlike human beings, everything about their behavior leads us to think that they have understood a lesson that Man seems to have forgotten, the only important thing; it’s life and they protect their own and that of their loved one with all the aggressiveness of a gladiator.
After, to know if a dog feels that he is going to die, or not, we only have our observation which allows us to arrive at a deduction, and it is true that a dog which does not feel well will generally either seek the help of its guardian or it will hide because it knows that it is injured and unfit to be able to defend themselves.
What if my dog is dead?
The death of a dog is one of the saddest and most painful moments for all guardians. It will then be necessary to decide what to do with the body of the animal.
If your dog dies at the veterinary clinic, you will normally be advised to cremate his body (alone or with those of other recently dead dogs). If your dog died at home, you can call your veterinarian to go through the same process, but you can also get in touch with an animal funeral home (a generally more economical option).
Don’t forget that you will also have to notify the appropriate authorities of your dog’s death.
Afterward…
Is it possible to overcome the death of a pet? It is a long-term process that requires time, acceptance and grieving. Although many people may not understand it, what is certain is that dogs and human beings create a relationship so strong that it can even end up being more intense than that between human beings. .
What we can recommend to you is that once you feel ready to have an animal by your side again, you must adopt a dog that needs it. An abandoned animal from a shelter or a stray dog will be the happiest in the world by your side.
