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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:30:25 PM | Hi
I know how hard it is to lose a pet. I work in an animal hospital, and have had to put a few pets down before it was their "time".
Ask youself, Is the dog suffering? Is he in pain? What is his quality of life like?
Sometimes putting a pet to sleep is better than keepiong them alive if they are in pain or suffering.
Just know you love your pet with all your heart, and they know that.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me
~Lisa | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:38:44 PM | Sunrisen;
Back in June of last year, I lost my beloved "Booger" to surgery, and a vet that did not care about him. I had my poodle for 18 years, and he had a few cysts. One massive cyst on his back that ruptured during the night. My vibrant little poodle went into the vet with just a leak in that cyst, and came out a broken, sick little dog. I will always blame that vet for operating on a dog that old. I have to live with the fact that I allowed him to do it, so I felt so guilty a long time. It was not his time to go, but I had to make the decision to put him down. I know the decisions that we make sometimes are heartbreaking, but necessary. God takes care of all his creatures great and small. Let your pet go. My heart still breaks, but I know that he is sitting by the hand of God, and that eases the pain, and the pets suffering. | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:45:23 PM | Dear Sunrisen,
I am so sorry to hear that you have to face making the decision to euthanize your dog. I faced that decision last April with my faithful companion of 15 years who I had hand reared from a puppy of 3 weeks. In retrospect it was the kindest thing I could of done for her as her kidneys had began to fail and the rest of her vital organs would have followed in quick sucession. By having her put down I allowed her a death in which she did not suffer any pain. She she died peacefully in my arms. Please believe that you are allowing your pet to die peacefully and with dignity. I would like to offer you some support thru this very distressing time.
Splodgester | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:49:05 PM | | Hi, I think I can look at this from another prospective. My beautiful German Shepard Kate is almost 11 years old and this year she has aged more than in the past 10. She has very bad arthritis and has trouble getting around and sometimes slips. She has lost weight and is generally going downhill. I'm in the same prediciment. I have no problem with putting her down at some point, I guess the problem is always - when is the right time. I would just say to watch her or him and when you see the quality of life is making your dog sad and in pain or distress, it's time. I think your dog might tell you when the time is right. Be strong and love your baby. Janet | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 4:00:52 PM | Yes i have.You do what best the animal not you.I know ilove my animals.But be selfcenter and made them suffer for you.
Richard | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 4:35:22 PM |  I have been dealing with this same painful event as you are. Snoop Dawg is a black lab, only seven years old and he was one of the pick of the litter. We also brought home the runt- his brother Jay Z. Honestly we never thought Jay would last he was always having one medical problem after another. Snoop, his brother took care of him it was a beautiful sight to watch as they grew up. We then adopted a ridgeback that was going to the poud, we call him Kojak. They are a crazy bunch, but they are the best dogs... Snoop started having seizures about a year ago but we got them under control- he then started moving a little slower, getting up was a little harder, he didn't come as fast as the other two. We took him to the vet who said his liver enzymes were really high but I don't think that is what the problem is..... He is laying on the couch now and I comforting him while I wait for my son to come home from S. Carolina from some army training and pray that Snoop holds on so John can have some time with him. I don't want him to suffer and I know putting him to sleep will hurt me more than him.. I can really feel your pain. My prayers are with you. | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 5:20:30 PM | | The best advice I was ever given on this topic was, " Animals have dignity too." One of my great loves in life are animals and I have had more than one leave me. The thing to remember is this, do what is best for them, that is the price we pay for their unconditional love. You are in my prayers. | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 5:43:51 PM | | The bond between human and dog is often greater than other human bonds. I had to make this decision this week. My dog, Stanley, whom I only had for the past two years (he came from the local pound) was already old when I adopted him. I had no idea how attached I would get to him and how much he would love me. He followed me everywhere, and I took him everywhere...camping, visiting, and rides to the beach with my other dogs. He was a retriever-lab mix and was very lovable. His past life was not very good, as I was told he was tied up to a doghouse most of his life and neglected. His teeth were broken (maybe from chewing rocks out of boredom) and his poor tongue hung out a little from his mouth when he slept. He had a great two years with me. His hind legs, however, became more and more troublesome for him, and finally he lost the ability to walk on them. I did take him often to the vet, who tried different remedies, untimately to no avail. I hated to see him lay there on the couch, unable to get down and walk. I held him up with a towel under him, hoping his hind legs would work. At the end he could only stand briefly, but ultimately fall down. He was still eating and drinking like normal, which made my dilemma all the worse. The vet urged me to put him to rest, so I finally said ok, and spent one more full day with him at the park, laying down with him on his blanket. The end of that day I had him put to rest by the vet, while I petted him. I cried and cried over this guy. I wondered if I did the right thing; was there any more I could do, should I have gotten another vet to see him. Euthanizing is very easy to do. It's the things that lead up to that decision that are hard. Stanley slept in my bed every night, putting his front legs up on the bed, so I'd have to boost him up. Often I'd sneek into bed, thinking he was asleep on the couch and wouldn't see me, but he always knew when it was bedtime for us. I buried him in a place near the ocean where we used to go often. Though I have 4 other dogs, all rescued like Stanley, there was something special about this dog. I was meant to have and love him and he was meant to share his live and love with me. I know I'll see him again but in the meantime....So, just to let you know you're not alone. | |
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Wenjo
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Joined: 11/22/2007
Msg: 209 | |
| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/1/2008 5:56:48 PM | | Oh...God...my heart goes out to you...I have had pets...and I had a dog for 17 years that I had to have put down...and it hurts so bad...pets are part of your family...and it is such a loss...it is losing someone you love...and the grief is the same...so...grieve...and don't listen to anyone that thinks that you should just get over it...cause..you won't...and pooh on them....you are losing a friend...and a piece of yourself..and it hurts..badly....but you are doing the right thing...cry...scream..and weep..it is a loss...oh...God...my heart is with you | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/2/2008 7:09:37 AM | If they are eating their meals,,,they are NOT ready to leave us,,,they may be in pain but they would still rather be with you.
,,,Fortunate to have two pass away on their own.
Cleo, a loving mutt,,,the first with liver disease,,,was sick for three weeks but ate right up to the end.
Sally, and equally loveable mutt,,,was the second, had been blind and diabetic for two years and even a cancerous growth too.
Maybe having two dogs at once,six or seven years apart helps too,,,they are buddies in the process.?
They ate like horses right up to the end.
"Lord father in heaven,
Take your ""daughters Cleo and Sally"".
Take them and cut them out into little stars
and they will make the face of heaven so fine,
that all the world will be in love with the night above."
william shakespeare | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/2/2008 4:55:46 PM | | I had to put dowm my dog of 18yrs Altough I loved him to pieces I could tell by his glazed over eyes that he didn't want to be the way he was anymore... The last greatest thing out of love for your pet is to let them go peacefully If they could do it themselves Im sure they would It's been a lot of yrs gone by but never a day goes by that I don't think of him... miss him and hope someday..we will meet over the Rainbow bridge | |
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Seappy
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Joined: 11/2/2007
Msg: 212 | |
| My pet is dying
Posted: 3/3/2008 5:11:47 PM | Weena, the cat that lived with me, had been mainly an indoor cat but travelled half way across Canada in my truck when I moved here. She was about 15 and suddenly stopped eating so I took her to the Vet. He gave me some fancy food to feed her and did a ton of tests which all turned out normal. I took her home but the next day she wouldn't eat the fancy food so around midnight I woke the Vet up and he said that he could meet me at the clinic but basically it was all over she was just old. She died on the floor with me by her about two hours later.
I buried her out back and sat around feeling like crap for a week or so until it came to me - "What would Weena want me to do?" So I quickly got off my butt and found out where the SPCA was and drove there. Walked in and went downstairs and there was Seappy saying "Grrr, hey take me home." So, of course, I did.
There was a woman from some religious group at the SPCA. She commented on Seappy and I asked her - "I heard someone say once that cats and dogs don't go to heaven." "Yes, that's true," she replied. "But with God all things are possible," I replied to her. So Weena, we'll see you there in the blink of an eye. Oh ya and Grrr still. | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/3/2008 6:57:59 PM | My dog Teddy, my best friend, TV star, and accomplished race car driver, would have been 15 yrs old this Friday, 3-7-2008.
I've been following this thread, trying to determine how I could ever find the courage to put him down once I knew that it was truly time to do so.....
Well,, I didn't have to make that terrible decision, He left me this evening, while sitting on my lap...
I've owned and lost a lot of dogs in my life, but I have never known a better dog than this one.
I think I've lost a part of myself tonight too
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/4/2008 7:17:50 AM | How very sad R&RT.. and for all who have lost a pet.
Being able to put down a sick animal is HUMANE.. isn't it a shame that we can't help HUMANS who are dying???? | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/4/2008 6:18:24 PM | When my Mother died she had 4 cats... I am down to the last of the 4 and he suddenly started going down hill these past few weeks.. my daughter took him to the vet and it turns out that he has lots of fluid in his lungs. they xrayed him and found tumors in his lungs... he is 16 and has followed me around like a old man this past year, laying at my feet no matter what room I'm in... we are giving him a antibiotic and lasic to drain the fluid off ... he may have a month or several but we are keeping up with the vet on a weekly basis until such time we may have to decide that he's in too much pain... as for today as long as he eats and gets around and we keep the fluid down in his lungs he's not in pain... we need to prevent stressing the old man out with the two younger cats... it is funny how animals are and what they sense because they aren't tormenting him now. One of them sleeps close by him... I have him sleep with me so I know he's not disturbed, and as long as it keeps going like this we'll see him die a natural death... but I have seen deaths door, and once you're facing it you know the right thing to do... you must let them go...
Felanie I agree with you, in many situations I think it's too bad we can't help our human loved ones who ask for it... I will say this... watching my Mother as she was failing and saw more limits on her then I ever thought I'd witness she looked at me at the end sitting in her chair and said "as long as I can sit here and talk with you, I have quality of life"..... I know she felt much pain... it's hard sometimes to make the right decisions in life, but when you do it with love in your heart who can blame you... | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/6/2008 8:44:46 AM | I JUST...had my dog put down, this past Saturday evening March 1st. (this is my second reply to this thread)
I had arranged for a vet to come to my ex's house and I was there with my 3 daughters.
The vet I called in was Susan Hetherington, out of the Delta area and she was very very good. I met her at the front door and she first introduced herself and then gave me a hug!
Panda didnt have to leave her favorite spot in the living room and we gathered around her to be with her.
The vet gave her some liver treats as a 'hello' and then gave her a shot of gravol to calm her stomach. The sedatives she was going to use on her could make her sick, she told us.
She prepared us for 'things/reactions' that we might see in the final process and was very kind, compassionate, reassuring and supportive!
About 10 minutes later, Panda was given her first sedative. She was laying down but with her head up, as we were still feeding her treats. But this just calmed her and made her feel better. Ten mins. later...another sedative...and 10 mins after that...a third sedative. This third one, the vet described would bring her to the state of where (if that were the situation) she could perform minor surgery. Panda was out cold. During all this there was reminiscing, some laughter as we remembered...and of course...TEARS! The vet then prepared Panda, by shaving a spot on her hind leg where the final injection would go. With one hand I petted Panda behind her ears and whispered to her, while the other...I laid on Panda's chest, feeling her heart beat for the last time...and feeling it slowly fade as her body was left lifeless and there was nothing left but our tears!!
The gradual process that was taken...was very peaceful and painless.
Susan left us alone for a few moments with Panda, while she went to her van to prepare a spot for her. Coming back with a blanket, my daughter and Susan gently moved Panda over onto it and wrapped her up. The vet didnt want to cover Panda's face but said she was going to...just as she was carried outside. My daughter carried her down the stairs and laid her in the van behind the front passenger seat...uncovering her face.
The vet told us that she'd even talk to her...as she often does...while transporting them back to the clinic in Ladner.
It was a very tough time for all of us but I was impressed with the entire way that Susan Hetherington handled the entire procedure! She was kind, caring, compassionate, patient...and she showed Panda dignity, right to the end, in the way that her body was handled and in her kind words!
I was so glad that I found her and that I had her come to the house, rather than have Panda have to go to a veterinary clinic.
I hope that by sharing my story...it will help in your decision...and possibly give you some choices to think about or some questions to ask your vet regarding the procedure.
I know its very difficult to say goodbye and yet we know we are doing the right thing.
Another thing that I will recommend...its a good idea for anyone who has an aging pet...to start thinking about what they want done...who is going to do...who will be there...where...etc.
I went through so much in the 2 weeks leading up to it...trying to find a vet to come to the house, arranging a time so that my daughters could all be there to say good bye, etc.
Being as its such an emotional experience, its good to plan ahead, somewhat...as we dont want to be trying to coordinate everyone when our pet is suffering and time is running out. We want to do this for our pets before they have reached the point of too much suffering. By waiting too long as well, its my understanding that things may not go quite so smoothly as they did with Panda. The 'things' she said 'may' happen...never did.
Good luck and my condolences to all who have to go through this or to those who already have and are missing their beloved pet...as I am missing mine!!
RIP PANDA-girl!
We love you and miss you so much!!!
OP...or anyone else who has any questions in this regard...I'm deleting my profile soon as I send this...but if you have any questions...
my email is paint_bynumbers@hotmail.com
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| R&RT
Posted: 3/6/2008 6:52:42 PM | Everything is gonna be alright. I promise.
Your friend,
M | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/7/2008 4:30:56 AM | Nothing ever ****ed my head more than when my cat of nearly 20 died....i felt just the same as you....i took the entirely passive option....
It just happenned one day that she stopped eating....then she stopped drinking then she just stopped walking...i just put her in the bedroom with me on a cushion and for three days to die.....**** my tears are falling on the keyboard now.....thats life...it really brings it home to you....i really loved her and there was no way i could end her life for as long as she was not suffering which she did not ...i wouldnt kill a human person....You just need to ask is your dog suffering....love andi | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/7/2008 5:03:42 AM | | My thoughts and prayers are with you . I had rescued a beagle and had her for eight years she was the sweetest and best dog I have ever had. She was pregnant when I took her in and me being the animal lover I am I kept two of the pups. I had to have her put down last june (07). The pain was almost as hard as the pain from my divorce. Then two weeks ago I had to put down her female pup, she was seven and had kidney failure. It was just too soon after having her mom put down! I love and miss them so much! I still have four more dogs to love, but they don't take their place! The only peace I get is knowing that they too are with GOD and are healthy and happy again, and with each other. My thoughts are with everyone on here that has had to go through this experience!! | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/7/2008 5:22:06 AM | Hi Sunrisen,
Coincidentally, I am just about to make that difficult decision about my dog, too. He's been with me for 13 years. I'm at work now and can't go write a proper message, but I'll write you when I get home.
B. B. | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/8/2008 10:02:36 AM | When the time is right, you will say goodbye dear friend, you can hold him gently, your heart will break, and yet, you can take a bit of comfort from the knowledge that his last moments were of peace and that you were the one providing this final act of love.
Been there, done that, the heart still mourns. | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/8/2008 11:16:39 PM | I've done this several times now with cats, and each time was just as difficult. I've come to realize that a couple of times I was "selfish" in not wanting to part with my beloved pets, and so I kept them around longer than I should have. They were ready to go and I couldn't quite let them. I've learned a lot from those experiences and promised myself that I would be more proactive in euthanizing an animal.
In my area, there are several mobile services that will do home euthanasia - it can be quite traumatic to load the pet into the car for that final visit, and very heartbreaking to return home without him or her. I think that these services are a god-send! But some vet's offices provide services more like funeral parlours, as some other posters have pointed out. You can also obtain such services as ceramic paw prints. I also took a clipping of their hair before they were euthanized, and kept it in a photo frame with a pic of them.
OP, you must balance your desire to keep your dog with you with the knowledge that his quality of life will eventually get very poor. The determination of when to euthanize has to be made with the pet's best interest of course. Even though no one is ever comfortable about death, one thing I would suggest is to think carefully about whether you want to be there when the needle is administered. As hard as it can be to stay, I think that for me it was better than to leave. I would have regretted NOT being there with my animals when they were being euthanized, since I would feel that I would have abandoned them at a crucial time - creating a certain sense of guilt that simply would not go away. So... think over very carefully how you will feel long after your dog has been euthanized. Will you have regrets if you do not stay with him or her? But please do ask someone to be at home with you afterwards.........
Be well........ | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/9/2008 7:43:07 PM | | I had to have my Annabelle put to sleep 2 summers ago. I wasn't there - my mother was and I regret not being with her at the end, my cruel work wouldn't let me leave. I wound up quitting my job shortly thereafter, I couldn't deal with that. She was only a 10 year old kitty. It was so heart-wrenching. My best friend gave me her as a kitten and he had only died 2 years before, I wasn't ready to lose her too, and it opened up a whole new load of grieving, and I still grieve from time to time for them. You will grieve more than you think and I hate people who say "it's just an animal." IT'S NOT JUST AN ANIMAL, it's a comanion and it had feelings and it loved you unconditionally and depended on you for food and shelter and warmth, just like a child. In fact, I still cry for her. And reading these posts, I'm crying right now because I know how much you and everyone else here who has lost a pet or someone you care about is hurting and will always hurt just a little until your own dying day. | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/20/2008 5:11:32 PM | Sunrisen I have been in your postion quite a few times over the past few years...allow your heart to guide you. A couple of years ago I had to euthanize three dogs within six months and a couple were euthanized two weeks apart. For a time I was confused about when was the right time and just prayed for an answer. Ultimately my dogs in their own way let me know when they were ready to go. I had originally planned to have the first one euthanized at home and the day she let me know she was ready, it also became clear that she did not want to be at home. She was happy and peaceful on her ride to the vet and for the first time ever did not seem the least bit stressed about being in the vet's office. I do stay with them as they are being euthanized. This and personally taking care of any cremation arrangements somehow helps me bring closure to the process of losing them.
Unfortunately I go through this a lot because I only adopt elderly, sick, or hard to place dogs, and usually have two to three at any given time. I am not sad when they go because I try to make whatever time they have on this earth as good as possible. When one passes on to the "rainbow bridge" it opens up a place for another dog that may otherwise not have a loving home.
Mareena  | |
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| My dog is dying
Posted: 3/20/2008 5:54:50 PM | I am so sorry. It hurts
I grew up with my dog. She was amazing. She was my best friend. I went in the navy, and my mom put her down, two days after I left. She bragged about it on the phone while I was in boot camp. I was devastated. It was so painful. I loved Ginger, and I still miss her. Never got to say goodbye to her. It is really hard.
I work in a shelter, they will make it easy for her, just not you. That is the hard part. Just be there and let her know that you love her....that is important.
Good luck...I feel for you. | |
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