Should I bring my dog with me when I have to put my other dog down? (cancer)

[hiero2]

While it is an ancient thread, I can add that the last time I had to put one of ours down, we used the home option. I had never heard of it previously, but somewhere, quite possibly in another thread here, I saw the possibility mentioned. So I asked our vet (at the time, now retired), and he said 'sure thing'. It was much more appropriate, for the dog and the family, doing it at home. I can also see the appropriateness of the doggy-day-care goodbye ceremony. It gives the dog a last bit of comfort, in a familiar environment, with familiar people. And it helps give the humans closure.

[bridgerider]

Thanks, hiero2.....I know for all future pets of mine, saying goodbye at home will be the first choice.

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

I have two approx. 9 yr. old dogs. The first one (female chocolate lab) became part of our family right from being weaned & was 4 months old when my husband died. The second one (male lab mix) came along about 5 months later via a shelter/rescue. We estimated him to be almost a year old when I adopted him. So it's been the 3 of us for almost 8 yrs. My male has terminal cancer & after surgery 3 weeks ago, we estimate he has 1-3 months left.

Should I bring my female dog with us when it's time to say goodbye? I don't know if my girl will need to see him passed on to know he's gone? Will she sense it anyway without having to go with me? Will it matter either way?

Thank you for your opinions & insight. I searched the threads & didn't find this topic; my apologies if it's been addressed.

My dogs have always been pretty nervous at the vet and I think that if we had brought our other two dogs in when we had to put our Golden down, things would have been less quiet and peaceful for our Golden. We were able to give her special treats and she had our complete and undivided attention.

When we returned home without our Golden our other two dogs rushed to greet us and after some sniffing they both laid down and looked sad for awhile. Dogs know more than we know.

[bridgerider]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

My dogs have always been pretty nervous at the vet and I think that if we had brought our other two dogs in when we had to put our Golden down, things would have been less quiet and peaceful for our Golden. We were able to give her special treats and she had our complete and undivided attention.

When we returned home without our Golden our other two dogs rushed to greet us and after some sniffing they both laid down and looked sad for awhile. Dogs know more than we know.

I was fortunate in that our vet practice was (& still is) chock full of amazing doctors and techs, and all our dogs truly loved it there. The happy vibe of their daycare was a big positive. But Moose collapsed in the snow one frigid day and my friend helped me take him to the vet. We got right in and said goodbye right then and there. Even tho I knew the day was near, I still assumed it would be a gentler decline. I hadn't taken time to make at home arrangements. In fact, I should see if his date of death coincides with the last time I posted back in '14.

[Scooby Snacks]

I had planned to do a home euthanasia for my elderly Great Dane who had advanced mobility issues. But when the time came (last June,) our vet who did the home euthanasia was unavailable. Faced with using a completely new vet or taking her to our usual vet's office and using the relief vet there, we opted for the latter. We took our second Dane with us. I'm not sure the home procedure would have been better for our dog. The result was the same and my old girl did not have vet anxiety.

My other old Dane does though, so I will make sure we do a home euthanasia with her. I will always take our other dogs with us also. I'm not sure if it's the wisest course of action, but it seems to me that it's better than just not seeing their best friend anymore without explanation.