It's gonna suck. He is my best friend. Were you able to go to class at all that day? I can't imagine I'll be up for that.
Pet Euthanasia
- Thread starter cyclonefreak5
- Start date
It's gonna suck. He is my best friend. Were you able to go to class at all that day? I can't imagine I'll be up for that.
I had to put my dog...kieko...down after she suffered a stroke, went blind in one eye and was suffering immensely. Possibly one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life. I'm in my 40's and cried like a baby for a very long time. Thought I could handle it (am tearing up just thinking about it) but it wasn't a good experience.
It was a bit more comforting to me that I have known my vet for a very long time along with many of his assistants. Taking her collar off was...well you know, but saying good-bye and letting go was the hardest part of all.
It was a bit more comforting to me that I have known my vet for a very long time along with many of his assistants. Taking her collar off was...well you know, but saying good-bye and letting go was the hardest part of all.
Last edited:
Just put my 14 year old cat down this past Monday. He has been diabetic since age 10 and his kidneys were failing so he hadn't been eating the past week. They tried IV's for a couple days to see if it would change, but he wasn't making any improvements. Kind of disappointed as a reliable site I found said it could take up to two weeks to see any improvements, but at over $100 a day and his age and health state, it would have been an expensive last effort. They said it was a flu like feeling that he had and he wasn't in any pain, so we brought him home for the weekend and took him back in on Monday. Very sad, I like to think I was his favorite.
Had a dog for 17 years and had to put him to sleep when I was 19. Was visiting my girlfriend in Minnesota at the time my parents brought him in so I wasn't there to say my goodbye. Point is he was more than just a dog, he was a little brother I never had. Miss him to this day. Hope all goes well and just know he isn't suffering anymore when you say goodbye.
I made it through most of the posts without get teary-eyed (although I read quickly), but this one was similar to my experience.
It's been 4 years for me, similar situation. My cat was 17. His sickness had been gradual, and he stopped eating and drinking. Vet told me the only option other than putting him down was to administer daily shots. I figured it was only prolonging the inevitable and wasn't cheap.
I told the vet I had to think about it, but it took me only about 10 minutes to realize what I had to do. I didn't want to, but I knew he wasn't going to be himself.
More direct to the OP, having to euthanize is a difficult choice, and it's no fun when the moment comes. I understood the reality of the situation and practicality, but I wasn't prepared for how many memories would come flooding to the surface. I told him how great a pet he was, and that he wouldn't feel sick anymore, and I'd miss him.
I would write more, but if I do I'll completely lose it.
Yeah, most people have been talking about dogs but cats are just as bad. I had a 17 year old cat that my ex refused to allow me to put down. The poor guy got worse and worse and it hurt me to just look at him when it was obvious that he was in pain and just didn't enjoy life anymore. He died one night behind the sofa. The night before I knew something was up because he didn't normally go there and he was having difficulty breathing. When I went to bed, I couldn't sleep at all. The next morning I found him dead and just felt like ****. Like after all the time he been by my side, I let him down when he needed me the most.
A few years later one of the other kitties had some serious health problems too. She went blind but managed to get along for more than a year; was pretty amazing. Eventually she too got to the point that there was no point in letting her suffer. After the first, I convinced the ex that the best thing to do was to have her put down. Was one of the best things I've ever done. As others have said, the animal knows it is time and trust you implicitly. Somehow they know that you are doing it because you love them ...
This is pretty much what happened to me. I don't even really care for cats that much, it's more my wife who has to have them. But we put down our 17 year old cat last year and it was miserable. It was really tough. My thoughts are with you and your family.
I just had to do this on Friday with my 18 yr old cat Max. My heart goes out to you and your pet. There is no easy way or OK way to go through this. It plain and simple sucks bigtime. I am sorry to tell you that, but I am being honest.
It was the right decision due to Max no longer having the quality of life that he was due, but it was also the hardest decision of my life. Its easy in the sense you know its the right thing to do to end his suffering, but its also aggonizing "playing god". This was the worst part for me, I just didnt want to be the one who said its time for him to go. I wanted God or Nature to take over, but I also wasnt going to let him suffer.
Another way to look at it is, if he would have died on his own in my basement by himself, this way I was with him and talked to him and comforted him. I couldnt stay in the room when it was actually done (because I woulda lost it), but it was quick and peaceful the vet said. Coming in with a live friend and leaving with a dead friend in a sack was also aweful. No sugar coating here, it was one of the worst days in my life. I wish nothing but luck to you and your pet, its a hard time, keep ur head up, do whats right for the animal, pray, have faith that you're doing the right thing and pray some more. Just so you know and see in every one of these posts, its OK to CRY and it kinda helps. I cried like a baby.
It was the right decision due to Max no longer having the quality of life that he was due, but it was also the hardest decision of my life. Its easy in the sense you know its the right thing to do to end his suffering, but its also aggonizing "playing god". This was the worst part for me, I just didnt want to be the one who said its time for him to go. I wanted God or Nature to take over, but I also wasnt going to let him suffer.
Another way to look at it is, if he would have died on his own in my basement by himself, this way I was with him and talked to him and comforted him. I couldnt stay in the room when it was actually done (because I woulda lost it), but it was quick and peaceful the vet said. Coming in with a live friend and leaving with a dead friend in a sack was also aweful. No sugar coating here, it was one of the worst days in my life. I wish nothing but luck to you and your pet, its a hard time, keep ur head up, do whats right for the animal, pray, have faith that you're doing the right thing and pray some more. Just so you know and see in every one of these posts, its OK to CRY and it kinda helps. I cried like a baby.
More than that, the animal probably has a sense that its life has been unnaturally long. When animals get sick and elderly in the wild, it dies quickly. Like others have said more than anything it bothers me when animals are being kept alive but in pain by owners who refuse to let go. It seems so unnatural to me that an animal would be strung along, so stiff with arthritis that it can barely move, for years. I know it's hard, but you either need to stop giving them all these medicines and let them die or take them in to the vet and end it for them.
My boxer is laying on top of me right now. I cannot imagine doing this. Of course, growing up in rural Iowa I had my fair share of dogs get hit by cars rather than living long enough to be put down. So be thankful for that, but this is never an easy thing.
C
CyBer
Guest
Why did I open this thread again, just makes me sad. My mom put my dog down last summer when I was up in Canada fishing. She couldn't get up off the floor (hip problems) and was taking heavy doses of pain killers to make her feel alright. Still sucks to think about.
I don't know why I opened it again either... Our pup turned two last July (my first dog, my wife and I's first family pet as well) and this just saddens me to think about it. I might have to leave work early and go home and play and lay around with Nova this afternoon...
Cyclonefreak5, I am sorry to hear about your dog. Give him the best last days!
Hard not to tear up looking through all this...
Last edited:
My advice is if you think it is time then don't hesitate. I know it sounds harsh but I say that for a good reason. I got my dog when I was 1, fast forward 15 years and he is in rough shape, he has cancer throughout his body and one eye had stopped working. My folks kept telling me it was time to put him down but I wouldn't let them do it because he still wanted to come sit with me all the time and seemed to be in good spirits even though the vet told me he was suffering, blame my stupid decision on being an irrational teenager and I was not ready to put my dog down whom had been with me my entire life.
I then tried to schedule to have him put down right before I was leaving to go on a fishing trip to Canada with my grandpa and uncle. Problem was that the vet was gone on vacation already and could do it after I got back. I was wanting to have him put down and then leave for Canada so I could get away for a week.
When I got back from Canada my parents met me at the door and told me that he had died while I was gone. It made me sick to my stomach to know that he had suffered longer than he needed to for my own selfish reasons and that I didn't get to say good bye to him. Years later my sister told me that my folks had him put down while I was gone since they knew I was really struggling with the idea of it but to this day have never fessed up to doing that. They have stayed strong with the story of him dying and burying him in the field behind the house.
The reason I say don't hesitate is that it allows you to do it on your terms and means less suffering for them. 16 years later I still get choked up thinking about it and wish I had done it weeks earlier like everyone told me to so I could have been there with him and say good bye.
I then tried to schedule to have him put down right before I was leaving to go on a fishing trip to Canada with my grandpa and uncle. Problem was that the vet was gone on vacation already and could do it after I got back. I was wanting to have him put down and then leave for Canada so I could get away for a week.
When I got back from Canada my parents met me at the door and told me that he had died while I was gone. It made me sick to my stomach to know that he had suffered longer than he needed to for my own selfish reasons and that I didn't get to say good bye to him. Years later my sister told me that my folks had him put down while I was gone since they knew I was really struggling with the idea of it but to this day have never fessed up to doing that. They have stayed strong with the story of him dying and burying him in the field behind the house.
The reason I say don't hesitate is that it allows you to do it on your terms and means less suffering for them. 16 years later I still get choked up thinking about it and wish I had done it weeks earlier like everyone told me to so I could have been there with him and say good bye.
I got the call in the afternoon/evening after classes. I don't really remember a lot of the details, but I couldn't muster up the energy to do much of anything that night. Just kinda sat somberly in a buddies dorm room. It was tough. The hardest part was feeling like I didn't have an opportunity to say bye to her.
This was her, Chance (the older one). The other was our puppy Zoey who actually had to be put down at 2.5 because of a really bad heart issue. Fortunately for me, my parents got Zoey while I was at college, so I wasn't anywhere near attached to her as I was with Chance.
Last edited:
Had to do it last month to our 13 year old terrier. You go in, they give him a shot of valium first to calm them down... then I just held him in my lap when they cave the next shot until he passed. Really sucked, but I was happy to see him not in pain anymore.
I used to think that way, then I had kids. Now they are everything, and the dog is just a dog.
Going to hug my dogs now. Good luck and doing the compassionate thing is right no matter how hard. Grieve and give an other dog a good home.
Why did I read this. I'm crying at work right now and don't even know you or your dog. Good luck man and sorry for your loss. I am not looking forward to when I have to make the same choice.
