Vomiting/no appetite

My mom's old dog, Casey, is suddenly demonstrating no appetite.This is a dog who never misses a meal. She has been throwing up foam, at times it appears to have some pink in it. She is not pooping as much as usual, and the one time she did, there seemed to be a lot of yellow grass like hay in her feces. The vomit also has some of the hay like grass in it.
She is 15, does not see well. She is overweight, but much less that she was when she and my Mom came to live with us....we have helped her drop at least 20lbs. She is a bit stiff in the legs, wobbly when she has to go up or down the stairs at our front door (only 2, very wide).
We took her to a vet yesterday, and he wanted a $1000 to run blood work ($190), and felt she may have pancreatitis.....just by looking at her. Said he would keep her for 3-5 days on IV to flush her system and provide liquid nutrients. Mom is on social security, and there is no way she can afford this. Plus, Casey is 15yo......we are realistic that she is reaching the end stage of her life, but willing to do what we can to make her last days/months comfortable for her. Any suggestions?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

At 15 years of age your mom's dog's inappetance and vomiting problem could be caused by many diseases of which pancreatitis is only one.  Other possibilities include liver or kidney disease, or even cancer.  And, at her age even pancreatitis can be difficult to treat.  

Since pancreatitis was high on your vet's list of possibilities perhaps your vet could simply provide daily treatment without performing blood tests or hospitalization?  You might be able to bring your dog into the vet's office for daily subcutaneous fluid therapy and injectable medications without leaving your dog at the hospital.  Additionally,  maybe your vet could instruct you in how to give subcutaneous fluid therapy at home.  

Your vet may be amenable to this.  I know that I often do this for my patients and their owners.