[Smurph]

Hello, my dog, a 9 year old Border Collie Australian Sheppard mix was recently diagnosed with cancer. He has a large tumor on his lung along with fluid in his lungs and lymph nodes are affected. He has come down with a bacterial infection which he can’t fight off without the help of his (inactive) lymph nodes or antibiotics. However, this has caused complete loss of appetite, so antibiotics are hard to feed him.
He is still alert, walks around (following us everywhere like a baby), wags his tail and occasionally will carry the ball around with him (not that he has enough energy to play, but still an interest). We also own his brother from the same litter (same exact age and breed). He eats everything and has energy like a puppy. They still interact as they did before the one got sick.
The issue my family and I have is can we prevent the death of our beloved family member, if not, how do we know when it’s time to put him down? Could the fact that his brother still treats him as if he were healthy an indication that it’s not his time yet? How do we know? Cutting his life short is not an option, allowing him to suffer is not an option, euthanasia is.
In my heart I believe that if we could get an adequate diet going he could regain energy, take some antibiotics (to help with the infection) and prolong his life for a few months. He may even be able to play ball.
Any input on this issue would be greatly appreciated!

[cigwyllt]

What a difficult time this must be for you. You could try tempting him with some honey - sometimes the sugar rush is enough to give the dog enough appetite to eat when previously they haven't been interested.

As for when it is time to let go - I really don't know how you decide - but I would say that while he still shows signs that he is enjoying life, following you around, wagging his tail, carrying his ball, then he has a good enough quality of life not to consider anything yet.