My 15 year old shih-tzu is experiencing the same thing. It started 9 days ago, I took him to the vet and within the next day I was seeing an improvement, then 4 days later it came back and we are now going on the 5th day of him not walking that well and falling over. What was the outcome with your dog?

I just don't understand why he didn't do more. He didn't look in her ears, do blood tests, urinalysis or anything. She did have spondylosis, maybe that went into his decision? I also feel he should have encouraged me to take more time to make the decision since neither he nor I were sure that it was the right call. I have talked to another vet that said he encourages taking time to make such a permanent decision. He usually offers to keep the pet overnight for observation. Sorry, I know I need to move on. But I am very upset and feel that my baby was put down needlessly.

Emma, my 14 year old black lab also passed away yesterday from a stroke.( I did not know this until the vet called the next day after he passed) I found him when laying on the kitchen floor and he could not move. He had used the restroom on himself and was very weak. My mom and I had carry him to the vet's office. She did check his ears and his breathing and asked me about his symptoms. She took blood and she sent me home with ear medicine and joint medicine. Not once did she suggest putting him to sleep. He would not eat or drink anything and could not walk. I should have known better. I thought because he had only been really sick for a few hours, I had to give him a fighting chance. That night about 9, he was able to walk to the door but he fell over onto his side in what looked like a seizure. It lasted for at least a minute. (He had experienced another stroke) I thought he was not going to make it through the night. The vet was closed. My initial reaction was to take him to the emergency room to have him put to sleep, but decided against it because he began to raise his head and look around and was alert. He finally settled down and slept most of the night. I felt he could make it until the morning, and the blood test would tell us more. I checked on him all night. The last time I checked he was actively passing away. Needless to say I freaked out. He was gone in a matter of minutes, but it was still traumatic to witness. I don't think he was in pain, but guilt consumed me because I know I should have put him to sleep earlier that night. I wrote all that to say, PLEASE don't feel guilty about easing your pet's suffering. I now feel guilty that I did not because watching a pet die a natural death is not something I want to do again.