I had an 11 year old golden retriever who's health declined significantly after his 11th birthday. The breed is very prone to cancer and he did have some lumps, so I'm sure that's what it was. I took him in to get bloodwork done and have the vet give me an opinion on this nasty hacking cough that he had. The techs said they could do his vaccines at the same time and I allowed it.

Two weeks later I was putting my dog down after he went almost a week of barely eating and looking like he was struggling to breathe. I know I didnt lose too much time with my best friend, but even an extra couple weeks or months would have been worth his weight in gold to me.