My dog is dying and I can't do anything to help her

Nov 5, 2025 11:08 PM

Sorry if this isn't tagged properly. Idk how to really tag a post like this. I don't post things often.

I have known this dog for over a decade, and had the honor of custody for the last 5. She is the last companion I have left after having lost my social circle, my home, and my job all within a month of each other 2 years ago. She has kept me from suicide, knowing that I cannot just abandon her like that. She is the world to me, but my world is getting on in years. She was 7 when I met her all those years ago. Now, she is an old lady and her health has been declining these last few months: eating less (not even soft food), losing weight, lethargy, expected symptoms of age catching up but also having a bad hacking cough periodically. This last week she has been getting even worse experiencing fainting spells, barely pooping with it being slimy/watery with discoloration if she even does, and her belly has become distended. These symptoms could be a number of illnesses but all of them are fatal if left untreated.

I am jobless thanks to mental health issues, neuropathy, and unstable housing on top of that. Been trying for disability and Medicaid, which I should be eligible for, but dealing with the bureaucracy of a deep South, Republican state is a nightmare that I cannot navigate. I have no income except trading SNAP benefits, which I trade with my mom for cash to get dog food and necessities. The only people I have in my life are my mom and my brother now, sleeping on their couch in the ass end of nowhere, after having bounced from couch to couch across the state. My brother is, unfortunately, the typical "fuck you I got mine" Republican. So, even though he has plenty of money (he brags about how much he has in savings constantly), asking him is a non-starter. My mom, on the other hand, is barely making ends meet as is. She cannot afford a vet bill and refuses to even contemplate trying to figure out how to help get my dog seen by one.

I have no one to express my concerns to. Anytime I even try with my mom (obviously, I have no relationship with my brother outside of being forced to exist in close proximity) just to have someone to talk to so I can deal with these emotions, I get brushed aside. Either she tries to offer half-assed "advice" that she found on reddit after hearing one symptom then ignored everything else I have to say only to then get mad when I tell her that it doesn't help to just grasp at straws trying to force feed my dog random medications because some random Internet stranger said it was "okay", or she just says "old dogs get sick and die; it's just what happens".

I'm being forced to watch as the closest thing I have to a child suffer, condemned to die a painful death from whatever illness is plaguing her, while those around me treat it like it's just some bad weather that will blow over and can't even be bothered to show even the slightest hint of compassion for what I'm going through.

So, I guess here I am, screaming to the faceless void of the Internet. Sorry for being a dark cloud on this day but I have nothing else I can do and had to vent.

dying

sad

loveyourpets

pets

Losing a dog is like no other pain, I've lost so many loved ones but somehow losing my dogs is the hardest. Not sure where you are, but it might be worth researching charity vet services or even calling rescues or shelters to see if they can help with your situation. They have vet services and transport services. You have to do everything you can for your dog, they don't deserve to suffer.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Man i hope you say no if they ever ask you to help in their kidney or cancer or any medical treatment!

4 months ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 1

It sounds like the doggo is 17+ years old and, if that's the case, it's probably time to say goodbye. I know that isn't easy but you really have to think about what's best for the dog in this situation. Trust me, I know how hard it is to make this decision and I know all too well how much it hurts. Saying goodbye to our best friends is never easy.

4 months ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 1

Yea, no shit, and how do you expect me to be able to do that when I can't get anyone to help me go to a vet and have her euthanized in a humane way? That's the whole fucking problem.

Right now I have no other options except to be forced, by things outside my control, to watch her needlessly suffer. I have no vehicle. I have no income. My half-ass excuse of a support network doesn't give two shit about her.

I've been saying goodbye every day because I don't know when it will be her last.

4 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

It feels like you realize it's not worth it to put that poor pup through treatments and/or procedures which may make her last days even worse.

If you're serious about only needing the money to have her put down humanely, get a price from your vet and I can most likely take care of the payment.

4 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0