Completely conflicted re. euthanasia

[DogMomDeb]

Originally Posted by JrzDefector

My old guy was scarfing treats frantically while the needle went into him. He had a ruptured tumor on his spleen that guaranteed he would die an agonizing death if I didn't intervene, but he was stuffing his face right up until the moment he passed. Your dog's tail doesn't really mean anything at this point.

Here's the thing that you may want to consider: You could go out for a few hours (not even a vacation) and leave the dog and he could suffer horribly and then pass in your absence. He could do it while you're sleeping and you might not even notice.

You have to do what you think is right, but he can't even follow his own instincts without falling to pieces right now. He can't do the things that make him happy and he's having constant trouble breathing. Factor out the vacation and consider whether you would want to live like that if you were a dog, knowing the situation would only worsen and that eventually you would basically suffocate.

If I were you - and I am not, so this is just my very personal opinion - I would give him a really good day with lots of snuggling and treats and then take him to the vet and let him go.

I don't think anyone on here would judge you for worrying about your vacation in this particular situation, but I think you need to step away from the guilt you're putting on yourself.

Yes - if dogs or cats die naturally it's in our sleep and we don't know whether the death was agonizing or not. Which is why we are lucky that we can prevent them from suffering a painful and confusing death.
OP - As was said above - give him the best day ever with your family and then let him go.
If you are uncertain about the procedure or have any questions, I can help you with that.

Oh and on the vacation part of it -
Let's say you don't go on the vacation, you lose money, a chance to recharge your batteries and have some fun with your family. Even if you won't mean to you might resent having to give it up - I'm not saying that this is a reason to euthanize your dog but just something else to think about. You not going on your vacation is not going to make your dog healthy again, it will just delay making the decision. Again think quality of life not quantity.
Or you do go on vacation but leave your dog with family. If your family is like mine they would be willing to do this. But you are giving them a big responsibility which really isn't right. They will have to decide when and if to do this - and it will be something that they will be hesitant about (which is human nature) and might put off until the dog is suffering (because we all don't really want to make that decision). Again is having more time really in the best interest of your dog.
I am not saying that you SHOULD euthanize your dog and then go on vacation. I am saying that if you decide to do that you should not feel guilty about it. As long as you are making the decision from a position of love for your dog and you are keeping his comfort in mind, you will come to the right conclusion.

[djmom]

You all are great. Thank you so much. He is not coughing today (yet), I'm going to try to delay this until Saturday am and have the kids read your messages then. They are both in exams now and a dance Friday and I'd like them to make it through that and calmly make a decision for what is best. It's my decision but I don't want them thinking that they aren't part of it, I really need them to buy into it as they are compassionate people. We just haven't considered what you all have said which is extremely helpful. I think I can keep him very comfortable till then and give extra love and maybe an extra Lasix <3

You have made it so clear that doing this earlier is not cruel. That was what was going through my head, like to make sure he was in the act of dying before doing this. I see now it is to alleviate/eliminate the chance of that panic that he felt this past weekend when we all really thought it was the end. I'm letting guilt get to me because yes, this dog has frustrated the heck out of me, cost a fortune recently and the conflict of vacation arriving before this is resolved. So I'm having a hard time thinking that somewhere inside me I'm doing this to make it better for me and not for him.

Bless all of you and your fur babies and thank you for taking time to help us.

[cleosmom]

Wow, first of all I do not envy your current place in life. Second, you've been given some excellent advice!!

I come from two places; a pet owner and a pet care provider in a kennel setting. I'm certain I know what ails your dog given the description and the meds, sadly not reversible

Last October, I sat for the better part of 14 hours with a client's dog, that thought the coughing was due to age, easy mistake if you're not familiar with symptoms.After getting the initial call from our kennel supervisor that Gracie was not acting her usual self (fortunate for us she's been a client for years so we were in tune with her "normal"). I set up an urgent appointment with the closest dependable vet. They begin with the tests and oxygen, none of us were certain she'd make it through the night, vet included. As she would have been unattended at night, I transferred her to the ER clinic that afternoon. The only time I left was to run home and tend to my own two dogs and then went back. if we were going to lose her, I was not going to allow to be without someone who loved her with her. I stayed in touch with her owners via texts and phone calls until they arrived at nearly Midnight.

With CHF, even the smallest changes can be challenging for them. We live in SE Idaho with a considerable elevation, they took her to their cabin once and symptoms worsened, only 1,000 ft difference in elevation. Gracie is still with us today, but like your baby the meds are at their maximum. (Which reminds me, I need to get in touch with her owners and go visit before it's too late.)

Evaluate the quality of your baby's life and move forward from there. Leave the vacation issue out of the decision that needs to be made. Even if you know in your heart that now is the time, it's going to suck! It will suck whether you give her the greatest gift or she passes in her sleep because you love her and she's part of your family.

Even the most educated person will ask all the "what ifs" there are to be asked, so don't get bogged down with that.

Sending hugs to you and yours during this time.