My dog with a congestive heart failure is gone. Did I make the right decision? (natural, Boston)

[Jennyxjenx]

I’m going through the same thing with my little Zeus he’s also a shih tzu. He had to go to the emergency vet in the oxygen chamber for 24 hours and then the cardiologist did an EKG and we were informed his cordaie tendon in the heart ruputured. He has been on enapril and vetmedin for almost 2 years. They added lasix and he has been doing better it’s been 5 weeks but I wonder if he’s suffering? He barely moves around and when he does he’s coughing. I don’t want to be selfish so how do I know when it’s time? The last vet bill was over 2000 I’m financial hurting from that one.

[L.H.Weazilton]

Levi, my Yorkie buddy of 9 yrs is entering late stages of CHF. He progressed from stage 2 hart murmur 5 monts ago, with an occasional faint cough, to now a stage 4. Just this past Sunday was the first episode of passing out, getting excited welcoming visitors. Now he is coughing hard in morning. Then his legs go rubbery and breathing is labored for 8 hrs. Then he is fine and plays like nothing had happened. Today is not the end. But hard decisions are in the future.

[2Q&Lrn&Hlp]

Originally Posted by Marypinchesme

. . . I love my dogs as much as I love my children . . . I have 2 little Yorkies, I Make spicial food for their dinner I ground chicken Breast with oats and a little olive oil, and blue buffalo toy for their second meal. They get bathed and teeth brushed with Dr.cleaning once a year. They sleep in bed with us. My little 10 yr old female has so much love for everyone she wags her tail at a bush.
She has never gave us anything but love and joy. BUT, she had two tumors removed, just fat tumors, and he heard a heart murmur, so she coughs, she was breathing and panting, not sleeping well, also lost all hearing, so I put her on lasex so she drinking and peeing a lot, so it's up and down the steps all night. she whines some times and I can see labored breathing. There is no cure for this, but vets want you to keep coming in to add more meds tests ect.
What's the point? I feel this dog deserves better, why not let her go out before she is in pain and miserable. So if I can find a vet who will come to my home I will have her seddated and then put to sleep with me petting and loving her as I have the whole time she came into my life, until she takes her last breath.......

I, too, believe in protecting pets from unnecessary pain & anxiety. Many think they're doing their sick pet a disservice --that they're a bad pet parent-- if they don't keep them alive as long as possible, despite the situation . . . but they're forgetting that the pet just wants to feel comfortable, safe, & secure . . . things that they cannot feel when unsuccessfully fighting for every breath -or- unable to relax due to pain. It is often a kindness NOT to prolong pet's lives . . . when it would otherwise mean prolonging their suffering as well. . . .

[2Q&Lrn&Hlp]

This is an *excerpt* from the following/linked article . . .


"My clients frequently tell me how worried they are that they might step in too early. To this I reply,

"Better a week too early than an hour too late."

"I have seen what the 'hour too late' looks like and would do anything to spare pets and their owners this level of suffering.

"In my 12 years of veterinary practice, I have never had a single owner tell me that they wished they had waited longer to euthanize . . . but countless people have said that they wished they would have stepped in sooner."

"How to Know When It's Time to Let Your Pet Go"
https://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedaily...spective-11246



There's often no way to know for sure how long the fatal illness of a pet will take to run its course or become painful. . . . Often the pain can come on suddenly & in the extreme. . . .

So, I see nothing wrong allowing an animal to breath its last breath pain free & with those it loves . . . even if it might be a few months before the devastating effects of their illness may occur . . . in order to insure that it experiences no suffering.

Quality experiences --FROM the PET"S Perspective-- should be of paramount importance. An owner taking a pet that the vet has advised to euthanize for one more day of 'fun' -which it is no longer capable of experiencing at such a point- amounts to avoiding taking the pet's needs into consideration . . . whether intentional or not.

Animals do not show their pain.
It is instinct for them to hide it as much as possible.
So we shouldn't go by visible signs to gauge their pain.

By treating each day as if it's the last while our pets are with us, we can much more easily avoid the strong urge to keep a pet alive for any amount of time after they're already experiencing pain that cannot be mitigated.


Saying "I love you!" every day in actions is much more important than a 'special goodbye' in the case of an acute & serious illness -or- serious injury.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in euthanizing 'early'.

"Better ... too early than ... too late."

[Mari69]

I recently read Sabrina's post about making the decision to put her dog down. I know how agonizing that is as I have just gone through that very thing. The mixed questions in my head... Did I deprive her of a few more weeks or month of life together. I know I would have wanted to have her with me forever but the numerous trips to the vet and added medications were not doing much. She had an enlarged heart (heart murmur since she was born) and her breathing was so heavy. The cough made me so sad to watch her and the gagging at the end of each cough. Though she was going through this she still seemed content sitting with me. As a matter of fact her breathing seemed less labored when she was right next to me. Then we went into the pacing mode. This little girl could not find a comfortable spot and she paced all night for three nights. She stopped eating a couple days before and had her tail tucked under her as if she was anxious or scared perhaps. I found it so hard to watch her struggle but the vet offered an appetite stimulant to see if we could get her eating again so she could take her pills.
My girl had such love and respect for me that she dutifully took the pills but then went to hide them. She took food that I hand fed her and gently placed it on the floor. Was this truly her way of telling me that it was enough? I can't stop crying over my decision and it's hard to believe it will get easier. I just had my girl put to rest on the 14th of November and I am very conflicted as was Sabrina. I spoke with the vet and asked if she were his pet what would he do....the answer was one I didn't want to hear … 'be humane'. I should have maybe brought her home for time with just her. There is a giant hole in my heart but even worse is the guilt that I maybe should have waited to see if we could get her eat. These decisions come at such a price. I knew I couldn't bring her home in the shape she was and yet I'm truly sorry I didn't.

[WyoNewk]

I think most of us want to error on the side of keeping our pets alive too long. That's been me, and I do admit that I've waited too long to let them go. It's really difficult to have them put down before it's absolutely necessary, but I think that's better than waiting too long. I know I waited too long with the last dog I had throughout her life, a beautiful little yorkie. I was a wedding photographer and had a wedding to do on Saturday. When I got home it was clear she was suffering.

I held her all day Sunday and throughout Sunday night waiting for the vets office to open at 7 a.m. I think it was around 6 a.m. that she lost consciousness. I still brought her in at 7 a.m. for the shot to end it. I don't ever want to watch a loving pet go through that again. We owe it to them to stop the pain when it becomes obvious the time is near, and I should have brought her in on Sunday, even though it would have meant the vet had to come in on Sunday.

I'm getting close to that with my little silky. I hope I don't wait too long. We owe it to them to stop the pain and suffering when it gets to that point. The only real problem is knowing when it's gotten "to that point."

[Teacher Terry]

We have waited too long to make the decision a few times and it’s a big regret. In the past 2 years we have lost 5 old dogs. It’s heartbreaking but the right thing to do is not let them suffer. I heal my heart by adopting another in that dog’s honor.

[otterhere]

Originally Posted by Sabina02

My 12 year old, 21lb mixed breed dog was euthanized yesterday. I am completely devastated, especially that I'm not sure if I made the right decision. She was diagnosed with CHF about 18 months ago, but showed no symptoms until April of this year when she began coughing. Putting her on Enalapril and Lasix had significantly reduced her coughing and she was doing fine for w while. She seemed to be getting tired more easily, but other than that she was a happy, perky girl. Then one day in July, she got excited and fainted. My husband had to revive her. I rushed her to the vet, who had increased the dosages of meds she was already taking, adding Vetmedin to the mix. Then in October she fainted twice more, but was yet again revived and was doing quite well otherwise. Over sudden, about 9 or 10 days ago she started getting really bloated. I took her to the vet again last Monday, who said that her heart murmur level was already 6 of 6. He did some blood work, took x-rays, gave her some Lasix and other shots, an oxygen therapy for about 7 hours, and increased (yet again) dosages of meds. The following day (Tuesday) she seemed a little better, but by Wednesday she was bloated again. I took her to the vet again, who drained the fluids from her belly and said that she should be ok for 4-5 days. Unfortunately, she started getting bloated the very next day and began breathing really hard. She completely stopped eating and I noticed that she lost a lot of weight. She seemed very, very uncomfortable without being able to breathe well, so much so, that last Saturday I took her to the emergency vet somewhere else (our regular vet is not open on weekends). When we got there, she was immediately placed in an oxygen chamber, as the staff noticed she was having a hard time breathing. The vet recommended a 24hr oxygen therapy. She also recommended a cardiologist visit and a change of meds. She also said my girl only had weeks to live even if she had all of the above done to her. At that point, I have made a decision to end her suffering. I felt that if the first oxygen therapy didn't help, the second one might not be effective either. I also wanted to spare her the frequent visits to the vet, as they were very stressful to her, especially that she feared strangers (she was a rescue that was abused in the past). I only wanted to extend her life if it was a good quality life, and I felt that might not be the case. When they took my girl out of the oxygen chamber, she was breathing even worse, I thought she was going to suffocate. The was the deciding moment for me to have her put down.

Now that my girl is gone, I feel guilty that I decided to end her life. All kinds of thoughts go through my head. Did I make the right decision? For once, the oxygen therapy she had was only 7 hrs, the second one was supposed to be 24 hrs. Maybe the 24 hr therapy would've been more effective? Maybe different meds would've worked? I was reading somewhere on these boards that someone bought an extra month of good quality life for their dog doing the 24 hr oxygen therapy. Maybe I should've done the same? The worst part is that I had discussions about my dog's condition with 3 different vets (2 from our vet clinic plus the emergency vet) and NONE of them at any point suggested even mentioned euthanasia for my dog. Wouldn't they if there was no hope? I am upset and confused. On one hand I am glad that she's no longer struggling and that her death was quick and painless, but on the other hand I feel that I possibly robbed my girl off of a few weeks of good quality life, granted that her breathing could be put under control. She didn't seem to be in pain otherwise at all. She was responsive and wagging her tail to the end.

Please let me know what you think. I am kindly asking for constructive responses. I want to know the truth, even if it hurts.

I think feeling guilty and doubtful about that decision is perfectly normal; it's a terrible responsibility we bear, and it seems inevitable. We either feel we waited too long or acted too soon; very rarely do we feel we timed it just right. If we have to err, it's better that we err on the side of saving them some pain, but it doesn't seem to me that you did err.

Your dog's condition was terminal, was only going to get worse, he was already in distress with (it sounds like) very little quality of life, and in my opinion you went above and beyond with all those aggressive vet treatments that, at best, only bought a little more time. In my opinion, vets today go too far in "offering hope" in hopeless cases, but that's another post!

You did the right thing. This terrible feeling will pass in time, and you'll have peace about your decision to end your friend's suffering, which he was counting on you to do. Our pets have relatively short lifespans; that's an immutable fact, no matter what we do or how much we love them. Some owners can't face it and torture their pets with futile, painful procedures or even abandon them altogether.

He knew you were there for him. Sorry for your loss, and wishing you solace.

[SkyNSea55]

Originally Posted by otterhere

I think feeling guilty and doubtful about that decision is perfectly normal; it's a terrible responsibility we bear, and it seems inevitable. We either feel we waited too long or acted too soon; very rarely do we feel we timed it just right. If we have to err, it's better that we err on the side of saving them some pain, but it doesn't seem to me that you did err.

Your dog's condition was terminal, was only going to get worse, he was already in distress with (it sounds like) very little quality of life, and in my opinion you went above and beyond with all those aggressive vet treatments that, at best, only bought a little more time. In my opinion, vets today go too far in "offering hope" in hopeless cases, but that's another post!

You did the right thing. This terrible feeling will pass in time, and you'll have peace about your decision to end your friend's suffering, which he was counting on you to do. Our pets have relatively short lifespans; that's an immutable fact, no matter what we do or how much we love them. Some owners can't face it and torture their pets with futile, painful procedures or even abandon them altogether.

He knew you were there for him. Sorry for your loss, and wishing you solace.

Excellent advice. We lost our 11 year old pit mix almost 2 months ago. He was the most loving dog and my best friend. He had a cancer that took him very quickly. We could have done surgery, radiation and chemo but it would not have prolonged his life much longer. So we watched him deteriorate over a month’s time until we had to say goodbye at the vet’s office.

I had joined a canine cancer Facebook group after he passed wondering if I had done the right thing. Some people subjected their pets to painful surgeries and treatments. Some which worked. Most did not. I read about CBD oil to control pain and beat myself up for not knowing about that. Clinical trials, etc
After a few weeks I left the group. I couldn’t bear to see another sick pet and I also realized it did no good second-guessing myself.

As the previous poster said, our pets have relatively short lifespans no matter how much we do or how much we love them. After reading your post, you have done your best for your pet. You were there with him and knew his condition first hand. Remember “it is best to let our pets go a day too early than a day too late.”

I am fairly new in this grieving process also. I told my husband I didn’t want a Christmas tree this year... Knowing we did the right thing for our pet does not make the loss we feel any less. But I am also relieved that he is no longer suffering. And again, just trying to remember that our pets are here only for a short time. We need to love them and then let them go. Be good to yourself and know you did the right thing.

[GiveMeCoffee]

I think you did what was necessary, but those choices are never easy. She understands, and loves you for all the years you spent together. I hope you find peace someday.