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When to Stop Treatment in a Pet

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Last Modified: September 17, 2012

Question

How do we know when it is time stop any treatment and to say good-bye to my pet?

Christina Bach, Oncology Social Worker at Penn Medicine, responds:

Knowing when to stop treatment and say good-bye to your pet is a challenge. It is important to talk with your veterinarian about signs and symptoms to be aware of that could mean your animal is suffering...but you also know your pet better than anyone...is he not eating or drinking? does he not activities like going to the park or playing with a favorite toy? Is he hiding or isolating himself from you? These can all be signs that your animal's quality of life is compromised. Euthanasia, as difficult is, is an amazing gift we can give to our animals to help them die comfortably. It is one of the hardest decisions a pet owner will make during the course of their relationship, but also one of the most important.

Learn more about quality of life in pets with cancer.

This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. View the entire transcript from When a Beloved Pet has Cancer.