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When the time comes to say goodbye, all dog parents hope their pets peacefully pass away after a long, happy life. The unfortunate reality, however, is senior dogs and dogs suffering from illness or injury most often rely on their owners to know when it’s time to cross the Rainbow Bridge. Choosing to end a life—a life you’ve cherished as part of the family—is an impossibly difficult decision, but preventing suffering is your biggest concern.

No one wants their best friend to suffer, and veterinarians guide dog owners in how to tell when illness or advanced age has become too much for a pet to bear. There is no clear answer to when it’s time to say goodbye, but there are signs to look for to help make this important decision. Having one or two of the following symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean it’s your dog’s time, but noticing several of these signs indicates it might be time to talk to your vet about a peaceful end of life plan.

10. Loss of Appetite

For most dogs, eating is their favorite thing to do. They enthusiastically chomp down dinner and accept every treat offered and left unguarded. When a dog suddenly or gradually stops showing an interest in meal time, it’s a sign something isn’t right. As organs shut down, the dog loses their sensation of hunger and thirst. Eating is suddenly more effort than it’s worth, and even the juiciest steak can’t tempt them into chewing. Health will continue to decline without a healthy diet. Temporary fasting could be caused by something as benign as a stomach ache, but if meals go untouched for several days in a row, it’s time to speak to a veterinarian.

9. Extreme Weight Loss

Gradual weight loss isn’t easy to spot. Most dogs step on a scale once a year at their annual vet check-up. If their owner isn’t picking them up on a regular basis, gradual weight loss can easily go unnoticed. It doesn’t happen all at once, but one day a dog owner might notice their pooch looking especially thin. It could be related to a lack of appetite or their body’s inability to process nutrients.

8. Chronic Pain

A dog can’t tell you when they don’t feel well, and that makes recognizing the signs of chronic pain especially challenging. The key is to pay close attention to the dog’s body language, movements, and behaviors. Sometimes pain can be managed with medication or regular physical therapy, and sometimes it can’t. Pain management strategies that used to work in the past can stop being effective. If your dog doesn’t seem to perk up after taking medication, or if their regular physical therapy routine no longer seems useful, their pain is negatively—and most likely permanently—affecting quality of life.

7.Enuresis

Enuresis relates to the inability to control the bladder or bowels, which leads to incontinence. This is something that affects senior dogs of all kinds and it’s usually caused by kidney disease, hormonal imbalances, UTIs, etc. If you notice that your dog is having accidents very frequently, they could have Enuresis which makes them too weak to step outside as they normally would, so it’s important that you reach out to your vet.

6. Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is very difficult to deal with and dogs will show you they’re in pain through their behavior. You’ll just need to pay attention to their movement, behavior and visual communication. Pain management is of course possible with medication and physiatrics, but with chronic pain is not that easy and sometimes these methods are not much help at all thus affecting their quality of life.

5. Anorexia

Anorexia is actually very common in dogs that are reaching their final days. If your dog is no longer interested in food or excited by it, this is a sign that things are not right. This could be due to organ shutdown, which leads to an extreme loss of hunger or thrist. This affects your dog’s quality of life tremendously, so the best thing you can do is consult your vet and discuss what’s going on. Chances are that putting them to sleep is the best choice to help them avoid further suffering and pain.

4. Anal glands Infection

We tend to ignore this area easily, but checking this part of your dog’s body is vital since it’s very easy to spot cancerous lumps or infected anal glands in the anus area. Be attentive when checking the anal ring for loss of symmetry (if a side of the anus appears swollen than the other side), lumps on the skin, or sinuses that are emitting fluids.

3. Chin bumps and lumps

To check for bumps or lumps on your pet’s body, run your hand all through your dog’s body. If you notice any lump in your dog, it’s advisable you visit your vet. Even a harmless-looking lump could be a sign of something dangerous. If you are not sure of visiting the vet, you can measure the lump on your pet’s body and write it down. Re-measure the lump after some weeks, if the lump is causing discomfort to your pet, is inflamed or changing rapidly, then it’s essential you take your puppy to see a vet for check-up or dog cancer blood test.

2.Loss of Coordination

A general decline in coordination and cognitive dysfunction is common in senior dogs. A dog near their time might seem especially clumsy and unsteady on their feet. They often give the appearance of being dizzy and might walk into furniture and have trouble getting from place to place. In some cases, the dog might choose to remain sedentary because they know standing will lead to loss of limb control and disorientation.

1.Trouble Standing

 If coordination problems aren’t what’s keeping a dog from moving around, it could be pain and muscle weakness. Muscles gradually deteriorate due to advanced age and poor nutrition. A dog that used to be able to leap over the fence might start having trouble walking and even standing. This inability to move around can be both frustrating and depressing to the dog. Some try their hardest to get up only to collapse due to weakness.