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I just had to put my cat down yesterday. They used Ketamine injected into her vein.
The vet told me of the possibility of the cat reacting. The vein is better because its faster. Some animals are too dehydrated and they have to go into the muscle. The muscle one tend to get more of a negative reaction. (this is what the vet told me)
It bothered me because I worried of natural death being best.
But my cat was gone in less than 10 seconds. She looked like she felt better from the beggining of the push. The vet did it gently and didnt just shove it in all at once/fast.
I think it was best in her case because she looked like it just felt so much better as she got relaxed from it. Her face didnt looked scared. It looked like she enjoyed it.
And I know that sounds wierd. But I am glad I stayed with her. I think if you are going to do it you should stay with them.
I just had to put my cat down yesterday. They used Ketamine injected into her vein.
The vet told me of the possibility of the cat reacting. The vein is better because its faster. Some animals are too dehydrated and they have to go into the muscle. The muscle one tend to get more of a negative reaction. (this is what the vet told me)
It bothered me because I worried of natural death being best.
But my cat was gone in less than 10 seconds. She looked like she felt better from the beggining of the push. The vet did it gently and didnt just shove it in all at once/fast.
I think it was best in her case because she looked like it just felt so much better as she got relaxed from it. Her face didnt looked scared. It looked like she enjoyed it.
And I know that sounds wierd. But I am glad I stayed with her. I think if you are going to do it you should stay with them.
I'm sorry about your cat.
I agree with you about staying with your animal through the euthanasia process. I generally adopt old animals, so I've probably euthanized more animals than most. I always stay with them as they are killed, either holding them if they're small, or kneeling by their side if they are large. Pehaps it's more about me than them, but I want the last thing they see and feel to be me. It's terribly hard but this is the only way I can do it and feel at all okay with it.
Apparently, I'm a coward. I did feel guilty about not being there... but, I knew I would be crying uncontrollably... it's so hard.
You are very strong.
Oh, no, I'm not strong at all! I fall apart immediately afterward. Being there is the only way that works for me but that doesn't mean that people who choose another way are wrong. You aren't a coward; not at all. If you were in the room and emotionally upset, your pet would know that and become stressed as a result. You know yourself and you know what you can handle. Your last gift to your pet was NOT being there, so he could die in peace. You made the right choice for your situation. You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Quote:
Originally Posted by World Citizen
You guys are heroes to stay with them.
Apparently, I'm a coward. I did feel guilty about not being there... but, I knew I would be crying uncontrollably... it's so hard.
You are very strong.
Oh my gosh, I cried the whole time. Maggie loved car rides and she was so happy to be taking a ride that day. I was sobbing the whole way to the vet. When we started the process, I just laid on the floor beside and sobbed quietly the whole time. Telling her how much I loved her and that I'd never forget her and that we'd meet again. Eventually I told her it was ok, she was a good girl and she could go. It was truly one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever had to do. Even after she was gone, I didn't want to leave her. I think the worst part, though, was that during the actual process, I had to fight the urge to just scream at our vet to stop--that I changed my mind and just wanted 5 more minutes with her, but I managed to control myself. Maggie was truly at the end of her life and I owed it to her to let her go. To ask her to stay alive would have been incredibly selfish of me. But still....*sigh*
For me, I absolutely had to be with my girl to the very end. But I sure don't think it's wrong to not want to be there. I just know that had I not seen the entire thing, I would have always regretted it and imagined the worst.
"I would have always regretted it and imagined the worst."
Thats exactly why I stayed too.
It really bothered me more to see the fast decline in health happening on the table before the shot. I am so glad I made special effort to hydrate her so it went smoothly.
SO GLAD.
I plan on getting the older animals too L when I get a house.
I hope I have the personallity to handle it like you do.
I plan on getting the older animals too L when I get a house.
I hope I have the personallity to handle it like you do.
It's good to "meet" another lover of senior dogs! I find puppies incredibly endearing, but everyone loves pups. It's the old dogs, the ones that are way past the cute stage, that get overlooked so often. Most people who see an old dog see problems--vet bills, arthritis, "they're gonna die soon and I'll be so sad", "can't train 'em"--so many rationalizations and reasons why they get left behind in shelters and in rescue.
I don't see any of those things. Old dogs are easy. They have reasonable expectations. A warm bed on a cold night, a sunny spot to snooze in, good food, a few pats and a leisurely stroll are enough to light up their eyes with joy and set their tail wagging. Lots of my old dogs had tough lives before they came to me and I can't change that, but I can make their last years good ones, and that's enough for me--and for them, I hope.
So, go for it. When you get your house, get an old dog or two and you'll see what I mean!
I agree about the older dogs - they are great. My sister adopted a 7 year old lab who she had only a few years, but they were meant to be together and when she lost her quite suddenly to bone cancer our whole family was with her when she crossed rainbow bridge.
I did have a euthenasia experience with my last dog that haunts me to this day. She had cancer and had gone into remission for 3 years after surgery to remove the growths and then it came back. When it was time to let her go I went with her (as did my family - our pets are family and we have always been with everyone as they made the transition) and I have to say it didn't go the way I wanted it to. She was such a strong fighter and she fought the injection. It was heart breaking and I felt as though I hadn't done my job to protect her from that discomfort. I learned a great deal from that experience and will always make sure my pet is given a strong sedative so he or she is out before they are given the medication to stop their heart and lungs. It still makes me cry to think about it and it's been 7 years since I lost my Maggie. She deserved better then that. I trusted the vet and I am sure she did the best she could but I still feel more could have been done to ease her transtion. That is the only time I have experienced that. I believe we must be their advocates from the time we adopt them until we let them go.
Well this was probably 1994 or 1995 so hopefully the drugs mentioned here are better than then.
My cat then had an iv ? shunt? or whatever still taped to his leg from a previous stay at the vet that allowed them to re-iv him, when I took him in for the final time.
The vet decided to use that for drug, the it said something to the effect of it being slightly plugged and having to do something , then my cat cried out several times. Obviously it caused him pain. Pain of opening the shunt thing and again when the drug hit his system. Several years later I read about some of the drugs being sort of harsh or caustic and suspected of causing quite a bit of pain.
Lesson learned - with the internet there is no excuse for not doing your research before you go to the vet - you have to ask them what their procedure will be and what drugs they will be using.
Years later, taking in a ferret I did some research. Most vet schools don't teach much about ferrets and its an elective anyway. The current standard procedure for euthing a ferret was a "heart stick" a needle with euth drug directly to the heart (no pre sleeping shot).
Some research found that there is no reason not to do as with dogs, a pre-shot of a anastesia(sp) sleep type drug and then and iv or needle to vein of the euth drug when asleep.
So there I am at the vets office with a fairly young vet insisting on doing a heart stick even though he's never done one before and hardly knows ferrets (that wouldn't have mattered to me anyway) I'm not having any of a heart stick no way and I'm insisting on the 2 part procedure. Heated discussion, checking with other vets. I finally win and the procedure, though heart wrenching seemed to go ok, no more additional pain that the normal associated with the needles. I suppose it might have cost more but I am lucky that that has not been an issue fore me with pet care.
Do your research, things are always changing, hopefully for the better, your vet may be behind.
Be your pets advocate.
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