Is my dog dying? Should I take him to the emergency vet?

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who mentioned the possibility of his eating something that made him sick. If not, I understand what some of the posters are saying re letting him die at home. Having been through this experience with two older dogs who went through a few days of not eating and having a hard time standing up, etc, I prefer taking them to the vet and holding/hugging them while they're put gently to sleep. (Through tests, we learned that each had eventually developed cancer before we took that final step.)

[Anonymous]

OP, just checking in on your dog. I hope he's ok!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Believe it or not he seems to have perked up a bit. He had chicken broth with rice for dinner and so far has kept it down, knock wood. We're keeping a close eye on him and will see how he is in the morning. I'm still concerned, as I noticed that he is also shedding more than usual when I pet him and he seems to have more dander than normal, which according to the Internet is not a good sign. But I think he is comfortable for now and our friend is on call to watch the kids if we need to take him to the vet in the morning. Thanks everyone for the kind and thoughtful responses.

[Anonymous]

Jesus lady, take your damn dog to the doctor!

[Anonymous]

Could be his kidneys. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Two things, first, there is a 24 hr vet in Friendship Heights and I think they just charge a surcharge if you go during non business hours but they're open if you need to go.

Second, they can do a house call if you need - if it's the end - so he can pass away in the comfort of his own home if that is preferable to having just you or DH alone at the vet.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Dogs & cats are very good at masking their pain & illness.

If he's not up and around more normally pretty quick I would take him in if he were my critter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two things, first, there is a 24 hr vet in Friendship Heights and I think they just charge a surcharge if you go during non business hours but they're open if you need to go.

Second, they can do a house call if you need - if it's the end - so he can pass away in the comfort of his own home if that is preferable to having just you or DH alone at the vet.

Good luck!

OP here. We are in Arlington and we have actually used Southpaws in Fairfax for an issue with our other dog last year. It wasn't an after-hours emergency, but he needed testing that our regular vet couldn't do. We are planning on taking him there in the morning. Has anyone had experience using Southpaws for an emergency visit?

And thanks for the heads up about a house call. If it comes to that we may choose that option.

My DH thinks I'm totally overreacting and he just has a stomach bug, so hopefully he's right.

[Anonymous]

If you're going to wait until morning, check on him throughout the night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two things, first, there is a 24 hr vet in Friendship Heights and I think they just charge a surcharge if you go during non business hours but they're open if you need to go.

Second, they can do a house call if you need - if it's the end - so he can pass away in the comfort of his own home if that is preferable to having just you or DH alone at the vet.

Good luck!

OP here. We are in Arlington and we have actually used Southpaws in Fairfax for an issue with our other dog last year. It wasn't an after-hours emergency, but he needed testing that our regular vet couldn't do. We are planning on taking him there in the morning. Has anyone had experience using Southpaws for an emergency visit?

And thanks for the heads up about a house call. If it comes to that we may choose that option.

My DH thinks I'm totally overreacting and he just has a stomach bug, so hopefully he's right.

I have used Southpaws in emergencies and they couldn't have been better. We called ahead and they had a gurney waiting for us when we got there.

[Anonymous]

I think that a dog who has no symptoms other than no appetite and being tired sounds isn't an emergency vet situation. As long as they are drinking and aren't dehydrated I'd give it 24 hours, it could just be an upset stomach. Any other neurological symptoms though and I'd take them in right away but my dog has at least one episode like this a year, and the vet agreed give it 24 hours to pass.

[Anonymous]

OP here. There seem to be some nice people checking in about my dog so I thought I would give an update. He doing much better. He snored away right next to me all night (as usual) and got out of bed this morning on his own. He had a big drink of water and ate a decent amount of chicken and rice and is back to snoring (also as usual). I'm still going to take him in tmw as he doesn't seem quite himself -- he usually jumps out of bed and wolfs down his breakfast -- but I don't think it warrants emergency attention. I'm hoping this was just a false alarm. He is so old for a dog his size and I've been paranoid for a while about how he is going to go. I've never been up close and personal with a dying pet, as my childhood dog died while I was away at college. I'm just so attached to this guy and my kids love him and I'm not ready to lose him.

Thank you so much, everyone, for the responses. In case anyone is interested I will post back again after we go to the vet tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting, OP. I've been thinking about you. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you and your dog.

[Anonymous]

You know your dog best. I know that if mine were not eating I would rush them to the vet. They never miss a chance when it comes to food. That being said, dogs are opportunistic feeders, so if they don't eat I would worry.

[Anonymous]

My heart goes out to you and your dog, OP. I have an older dog who I'm starting to worry about so I can imagine what's going through your mind.