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I think it's only normal to second guess yourself - "too soon? What if?" - but the truth is usually that we just can't face the fact the end is there. Just one more day, one more hour...
My biggest regrets have come from waiting and letting a dog get into a distress situation because I thought surely in the next hour things would change...or maybe the next hour...
My last boy was my heart dog. The vet said most likely he would pass quietly at home within 24 hour but he had an internal bleed, probably from hemangiosarcoma tumors on his liver. An alternate scenario was him literally bleeding out from a ruptured vein. I owed him more than that. He'd been a faithful, loving presence in my life for 7 years and we'd been through a lot together. I opted to take him in while he was still moving under his own steam, although he was very weak. I could see the fatigue in his eyes - it was time for him. Me? Selfishly, I wanted more time, even a little bit. We went to the vet and he told me the bad news, which we'd been expecting for months. I actually loaded Kidd back up in the car and got almost home for that last 24 hours and I couldn't do that either. We drove to a park and laid down under some trees and had a last final talk about life and the miracle of love, then I drove back to the vet's and released Kidd's spirit back to the skies.
Painful, yes - heartbreaking, and I'm not sure I'll ever stop crying when I think about losing him. But I know I did the right thing, I know I did. I always tried to do what was best for my dogs, and one more day was only going to be misery for him. In spite of my sorrow, I do have a great deal of peace knowing that I did the right thing for HIM given the circumstances. And that's what it's all about - putting yourself aside and doing what is right...and what's right may be to allow them to pass at home. But to make them pass at home because you just can't face up to what needs to be done - well, everyone has to decide for themselves, but the animal's welfare needs to be the first thing considered. It's all too easy to downplay that and be (mis)guided by what we wish to be rather than what we know deep in our soul.
Thus far I have had to put 2 truly excellent German Shepherd Dogs to sleep. I knew I was doing the right thing and that knowledge did not help me emotionally at all, it really hurts to put down a good, loyal, and trusted friend.
I think it's only normal to second guess yourself - "too soon? What if?" - but the truth is usually that we just can't face the fact the end is there. Just one more day, one more hour...
My biggest regrets have come from waiting and letting a dog get into a distress situation because I thought surely in the next hour things would change...or maybe the next hour...
My last boy was my heart dog. The vet said most likely he would pass quietly at home within 24 hour but he had an internal bleed, probably from hemangiosarcoma tumors on his liver. An alternate scenario was him literally bleeding out from a ruptured vein. I owed him more than that. He'd been a faithful, loving presence in my life for 7 years and we'd been through a lot together. I opted to take him in while he was still moving under his own steam, although he was very weak. I could see the fatigue in his eyes - it was time for him. Me? Selfishly, I wanted more time, even a little bit. We went to the vet and he told me the bad news, which we'd been expecting for months. I actually loaded Kidd back up in the car and got almost home for that last 24 hours and I couldn't do that either. We drove to a park and laid down under some trees and had a last final talk about life and the miracle of love, then I drove back to the vet's and released Kidd's spirit back to the skies.
Painful, yes - heartbreaking, and I'm not sure I'll ever stop crying when I think about losing him. But I know I did the right thing, I know I did. I always tried to do what was best for my dogs, and one more day was only going to be misery for him. In spite of my sorrow, I do have a great deal of peace knowing that I did the right thing for HIM given the circumstances. And that's what it's all about - putting yourself aside and doing what is right...and what's right may be to allow them to pass at home. But to make them pass at home because you just can't face up to what needs to be done - well, everyone has to decide for themselves, but the animal's welfare needs to be the first thing considered. It's all too easy to downplay that and be (mis)guided by what we wish to be rather than what we know deep in our soul.
So beautifully put. We have to be selfless and it isn't easy.
You don't want to be in a situation where the dog takes a sudden and painful/frightening turn, like a seizure, or a bleedout, or a collapse. Unfortunately, just like people, they rarely just go to sleep and don't wake up.
I have never written on a thread before, but have felt the need to write this.
My dog, a beagle, is currently 13 years old and will be 14 in October. She has had a hard life.
When she was 6 years old she ended up getting into our basement and ate some rat poison. We took her to the emergency vet and ended up having to go to a hospital where she had 3 blood transfusions and 1 platelet transfusion. She survived this ordeal, but it ended up triggering an auto immune disease to occur. She then had thyroid disease and since 8 has been on soloxine. Then at the age of 10 she had stage two lymphoma. They said if we did treatments this would buy her another year at most, with nothing 2-3 months. So we did treatments and ended up in remission 3 months later. Through all this they kept telling me she was not in pain. That was the most important thing too me. As long as she was able to have a good quality of life I would be willing to do anything for her. Around two years ago they heard a heart murmur and when they did all the tests they need to do they said she was in beginning stages of congestive heart failure. Over these past years she has added 4 medicines to her regimine. Now three years later, the vets are always amazed at how my dog is doing. She is one of those dogs that has a file 3 inches thick. They always say she is on the verge of receiving a 2nd folder. Needless to say I have only shared with you the major incidents, but she has had so many other things that she has been through throughout her life. But nonetheless, has always brought such joy and love into mine, my husbands and our three children (11, 9 and 7).
But the last 6 months have been hard on her. She has lost almost all of her hearing, vision in one eye, accidents on a regular basis in the house, cannot make it up and down the stairs without someone carrying her and has been losing weight. She has started to become skin and bones. But the last few days she has been having trouble breathing. I just assumed with the humid weather that this was what was affecting her. Then today she just couldn't stop breathing loudly and seemed in distress. When she went to drink her water she stood over her bowl and tried to get as much air in before taking a drink. When she went outside to urinate she fell over twice. I called the vet and she told me to bring her in to get evaluated. I brought in and after a chest X-ray, she told me that she has a pulmonary edema and only has 25% lung capacity and rest is filled with fluid. I asked her if it was time, she shook her head yes. But in meantime she gave her a Lasix injection and said she will give m enough for a week and I should talk to the family. After hearing this news I believed I am starting to see her for what she really is, a fragile dog whose quality of life is not really a good quality anymore. It seems she is just going through the motions to get by day by day.
After telling my husband this he called the vet to see if we should euthanize her today. She said no that she would like to see if the lasix will help and it could give her another month or two. WOW. So here I am at 4:30 in the morning reading all these stories of courage of owners who ended up doing what was right by their dog. Whether to let them be at home or take them to the vet to be put to sleep.
I have for the last 6 hours watched my dog struggle to breath while sleeping, if you can call it that, and she has had to go out because of the diuretic 5 times so far. She has had to get up and move around 15 times to find the right position to try and rest in. I guess what I am looking for is the right answer. There is never going to be a right time to make a decision as hard as the one I am faced to make now. I believe she has put up the good fight and deserves some peace, finally.
My hat goes off to all of you who have had to face what I am facing right now.... To do what is in the best interest of my beloved doggie. I love her with my whole heart and soul and hope I am going to be doing right by her later today. My heart is literally breaking at the thought of what I am going to do and I hope to God I am doing what is right.
I love you Lady Pepperdine of James, PJ for short!!!!!!
Buff, I'm very sorry for what you're going through today. PJ has been through so much in her life! She must be a real fighter. And she's had a good Mom standing by her, I'm sure that helped give her strength. Now she has that good Mom standing by her when she needs to go to her final rest. It's so, so hard, but her suffering will be over. ((Hugs))
I really feel for everyone who is in the situation of having a pet with a terminal disease or a debilitating process that makes life hard for them.
I am a vet tech and my husband is a vet and we do home hospice and euthanasias for pets. For him (husband) the criteria is quality of life. That should always be the determining factor in whether a pet should be euthanized.
Here is a link to the AVMA website where they discuss end of life/quality of life issues. http://https://www.avma.org/public/P...-Pet-FAQs.aspx
I will say that even though we all would like our pets to die in their sleep at home and as painless as possible but it rarely happens that way. I agree with everyone who says that it is a difficult decision but one that we as pet owners have to do as a final gift to a pet that has given us so much. It is an unselfish thing to help your pet pass away peacefully.
Everyone who is out there and in this position now I feel for you. I (we) have been there many times.
Buff - I'm sorry you have to go through this but you have been a good Mom to PJ - hold her, talk to her softly and tell her you love her - she knows what you're saying.
My male, Cerberus is going to be 11 in a few days, Sept 6. This question has been on my mind as I am noticing the signs of aging. He does not like going to the vet and that is very very stressful for him. Some dogs are better for the Dr. without the human parent in the room, mine does better when I stay. I honestly do not know that I will be able to make the choice to put my dog down. It has to be one of the most emotional and difficult choices to make.
There is a vet here that only does at home euthanasia. My dog is about 100lbs. He has been my best friend for 1/4 of my entire life. I have faith in that he will tell me, some how if this is what I need to do for him. He finds a way to tell me everything else.
As far as pain, my views on pain are a little different then most people. I have a high tolerance to pain. I would rather ignore a little pain then medicate myself. I was talking to the vet just a few weeks ago about pain and how do we know when they would want to be medicated. I will start a new thread for that topic, so I don't hijack this thread.
I need to read threads like this, to I can hear others thoughts and feelings about the topic I am going to be faced with sometime in the next few years.
The only thing I know for sure, I want to be holding him, telling him what a great friend he is and how much I love him, when he takes his last breath. I want him to not be afraid.
My little Abby (13 years old) is dying of end-stage breast cancer. She had surgery in August to remove her breast tumor, and at that time the vet warned me her cancer showed signs of spreading and to not be surprised if it returned in her lungs, brain, or bones. At the time of her surgery, she had a nagging cough that the vet chose to ignore.
2 months after her surgery, Abby is now dying. She stopped eating 4 days ago and is refusing water. She sleeps most of the time. She is breathing fast and shallow, but she looks restful and peaceful. She occasionally wakes up to wag her tail and change positions. I can tell that she is extremely weak and her time is near.
We have chosen to allow Abby to die at home. She gets very anxious and nervous at the vet - shaking and whimpering the entire time. I cannot allow her last moments on Earth to be in a place of which she is terrified, making this decision to keep her at home much easier. While it is hard for me and my husband to watch her slowly leave us, I know in my heart this is what she wants and where she wants to be.
16 years ago, I had my sweet Emily put to sleep. She stopped eating and drinking, and soon after that I came home to find her no longer aware of her surroundings. Her tail didn't wag. She just stood there staring into space. She had dementia and no longer recognized me or anything, really. The decision to have her put to sleep was much easier as she had no fear of the vet nor was she aware of what was happening to her. No one knows our pets as well as we do, and we know what the right decision is for each of them.
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