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An article on Dailymail.com quoted a "tired, broken-hearted vet" in South Africa as saying most people don't understand that if they do not stay with their pet during euthanasia, the pet ends up frightened and looking around desperately for their owner as they are euthanized.
Broke my heart. Vets say it is the responsibility of the owner to be there. I agree...it's hard but our last responsibility to our beloved pet.
For one of them, I didn't as it was hard but for two others I had to put down, it made not only the process bearable, but the subsequent grief was a lot easier knowing that they did not die alone and without their master.
Granted, the vet or and/or technician is "there" but only physically. They do not have the connection i did and still do to my friends.
And to be honest when the time comes, don't want to die alone either, so why should our pets?
I went in when my dog had to be put down and the only thing I wish I had been told was how fast he would go out. I thought I would be holding him as he died and instead he just went out like a light. I barely had time to put my arms around him.
I'm glad I was there, though. He's been through chemo with a drip, had gone into remission and in 6 months the cancer was back. So when the vet tied a tourniquet on his leg (to be sure she only had to put the needle in once), my dog's expression was "Oh, no,not again". But the vet had known my dog longer than I did and she was crying more than I was. I just kept it all inside.
The only thing that gave me some relief was first, my dog loved going to the vet and he loved his vet, so I didn't have to drag him in and second, I felt as clear as anything that he came back out with me when I left.
With my pet rats, it was different. One got sick with a virus and just went downhill no matter what we did. It's a pretty common virus that really does a number on pet rats. Just as I decided to have her put down, my second, favorite little rat also became ill. She wasn't nearly as sick as the first one, but I didn't want to see her go downhill like that. So I brought them both in to be put down at the same time.
I put my little rats in the hands of a vet tech and Smokey kept trying to jump back into my hands. I wish so much I had been there to hold her and I'll never forgive myself for not being there when the vet put them to sleep.
I had a cat that I had had for 20 years, when he was old and sick and could not go on I took him to the VET to be put down, I held him in my arms and he got the shot right into his heart and was gone instantly. I was SO glad that I had held him and been there for him.
That statistic makes me sad with a smidgen of mad in it. Yes, I understand that not everyone has the fortitude to watch death happen, but to leave a pet at that time seems such a betrayal. Yes, I also get that the pet most likely isn't holding me accountable. Death is part of life. Everyone has to deal with it sometime. Avoiding it might seem the easier way out, but what about the guilt or shame for not being there for a creature who looked up to you, trusted you? A twinge that you were not willing or able to tolerate reality? Of course it's never something I want to do, but I remind myself my pet is being released from fear and pain. One last kindness I can make available for them. I don't want to be left with the memory of a miserable scared creature (the one I left). It is somewhat reassuring to see them relax, see the pain retreat, and the pet I loved disappear compared to the misery they had before.
Not being there when your pet is being euthanized is like not going to the funeral of a beloved family member. Sad!
I was there when I had to put down my cat. It was very emotional but there is no way I would have handed off this cat to a stranger to do the deed all alone.
He got an injection which made him sleepy, then another injection which stopped his heart. It was very peaceful.
Real tough thread. The pets of my youth all left me in different ways, none through death, so when my buddy Eddie goes this will be my first time facing this. I'm just going to have to focus on the good times and the fact that I was able to give him a good home for some long after rescuing him off the streets of a bad neighborhood
And when you think about it, from the perspectives of the beloved pets that share our lives, their owners are their entire world, the love they share with their owners their reason for being. That's in both good times and bad.
When it's time to put a beloved pet out of his misery from an illness or condition that will only get worse, and from which there is no longer any relief, as heartbreaking as it is to make that decision, and to share the pet's last moments, you will know that your pet's last earthly experience will be the love that you shared, you'll know that you gave him a good life, you loved him and showed him that love every day, he knew you loved him and he loved you back.
my parents "arranged" for my first dog, totally loyal to only me, to be euthanized while i was at school. i don't know if i totally forgave them. I was plenty old enough to at least be told and to decide for myself to be with her. it was the cruelest thing to have done to both my dog and to me. she still has the biggest chunk of my heart.
An article on Dailymail.com quoted a "tired, broken-hearted vet" in South Africa as saying most people don't understand that if they do not stay with their pet during euthanasia, the pet ends up frightened and looking around desperately for their owner as they are euthanized.
Broke my heart. Vets say it is the responsibility of the owner to be there. I agree...it's hard but our last responsibility to our beloved pet.
I held my cat in my arms. She was hurting so bad and so frightened, I could not have done it any other way.
Dam, this was the hardest thread I ever had to get through. I was determined to read all the posts. If you all took the time to share, I had to take the time to read.
As an adult, I have always been there to say goodbye, holding the smaller ones in my arms, hugging the big ones. My wife didn’t think she could do it for the first dog we had together, Scooter, her first dog ever. I told her she would always regret it if she wasn’t there. She always thanks me that I convinced her to go.
Can I say something a little OT? We all know how much our pets improve our lives, how they truly are part of our families. I recently experienced something that reminded me how amazing and transcendent they really are.
We know how divisive things are at this time in our country. People have strong opinions and confrontations happen every day, some pretty ugly. We took our little girl to a dog park, one where they separate two areas, smaller dogs on one side, larger on the other. Over the course of about an hour, we must have said hello to twenty dogs, leaning over the fence to pet the big ones. We spoke with at least 10 other owners, if only to say ‘hi, how are you, you have a great dog’. We had a group of about 5-6 people sitting and talking for most of that hour. As we were leaving, I mentioned to my wife how nice it was that I couldn’t tell you who was a Republican, who was a Democrat, or who was independent. I don’t know how anybody we interacted with felt about President Trump, what they thought about the anthem issue in the NFL, or who they plan to vote for this Nov.
All we did for an hour was talk about our DOGS, and watch them play, making us laugh often. It was a true hour of peace, free from the stress of everyday real life, courtesy of our dogs. I realized that this play time was as beneficial for the humans as it was for the canines. Probably more.
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