Pet Euthanasia

[Cybyassociation]

We put down our 15 year old Rat/Fox Terrier last year. She was a freakin tank. We moved into a new house 2 years before and she was already going deaf and was losing her sight. She would come down the stairs, stand about on the 3rd step from the bottom and jump. That dog would fly and hit the damn wall every time and bounce back up. When our parents went down to the Texas game last year, they took her to a kennel where she stayed for 4 days and decided to stop eating. By the time they picked her up, she was too weak to walk.

Definitely a tough thing to go through. I'm glad I wasnt home for it. My brother had Monday off after Texas so he came home for it. No thank you.

 

[alarson]

My\my family's dog went about a year ago. He'd been acting differently and when my dad took him into the vet, the diagnosis wasnt good, and we were going to have to put him down. Before we could go in and see him, however, the little guy had other ideas and he went on his own at the vets office.

That night, as i was watching tv, futurama aired the Jurassic Bark episode. Already one of the saddest moments you'll ever find in a cartoon, now for me its forever tied with losing my dog too.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uU7-X0iHes]Futurama: Jurassic Bark Ending - YouTube[/ame]

 

[NATEizKING]

I posted a little before but it was definitely a very tough thing to do. I got online immediately after hearing what was wrong trying to see what the chances were of recovery and any options there were available. I found out cats can live with up to 90% kidney failure but the vet told us he was too far gone. Not sure I agree with the decision to take him off IV's so quickly, but the expense was just too much for the chances of survival and the state that he was in. After he stopped eating for a few days we took him in and found out the bad news. Luckily he was a bigger cat with a lot of body fat and the pain wasn't more the equivalent to a flu. We brought him home on Friday and spent as much time as we could giving him a great last couple days in hospice before taking him to the vet on Monday. Every time someone woke up in the morning he would be waiting at the bathroom door for some sign of life. Loved just being in a room when the family was around and knew too well how to get your attention to make you pet him. He had a problem with spraying in certain areas of the house so we had gates to block him off. We have since removed the gates and it's only been 8 days but I feel like every time I walk through one of them I will always immediately think of him.

 

[Jonecy]

Wow, I'm a mess after reading that b/c this thread definitely hits close to home for me too. All of these posts really show the incredible bonds we develop with our pets. I personally believe it's b/c they are so loyal to us and are pure at heart. They obey and do not judge. They bring a different kind of joy to our lives that humans can't provide, so it can be really difficult when they're gone.

It's also only a matter of time before I'll have to put our 4.5 year labaradoodle (Timber) down as well. We came very close to losing him twice already. The 1st time came as a puppy after he got neutered b/c of complications from the anesthesia, but he rebounded after 2 weeks in ICU and a lot of TLC at home over the next several months. My wife and I were recently married when we got Timber and he was our first pet/kid. Nursing him back to health was really tough (feedings thru stomach tubes, expensive meds, constant monitoring, frequent checkups, etc.....) and there were numerous times where I thought he wouldn't wake up the next morning, but he ended up slowly getting better over time. Looking back, that experience ended up bringing my wife and I a lot closer. We found out that as long as we were always there for each other, we could overcome an awful lot of heartache.

This past April Timber's belly suddenly filled up with fluid and he was eventually diagnosed with both Liver and Kidney disease (which is a pretty lethal combo for dogs, let alone humans). The vet thought he might have a couple weeks at best, so again, we thought we were going to lose our best friend at a young age. After doing a lot of research, we decided to change his diet drastically and put him on a unique combo of food/supplements/medications/probiotics. I wanted to be proactive as much as I could instead of just sitting around and watching his health slowly decline. It's now 6 months later and I'm happy to report that he is back to being a pretty healthy and happy dog overall.....and subconsciously, I'm back to thinking Timber will be around for along time (although deep down I know that's not true).

Some good advice that our vet gave us was that once he can't (or doesn't want to) do 2 of his 3 favorite things, it's time to let him go b/c his quality of life isn't there anymore. We've done everything we could to give Timber a good life up to this point and he's rewarded us 10 fold from the joy he brings our family (we now have a 2 year old boy who absolutely loves Timber), but his time will come sooner than later and that will bring us immense sadness.

Best wishes with your pets and helping them pass on to the other side. There's no easy way to go about it, but you need to do what's right for the pet when it's time.

 

[Jonecy]

I posted a little before but it was definitely a very tough thing to do. I got online immediately after hearing what was wrong trying to see what the chances were of recovery and any options there were available. I found out cats can live with up to 90% kidney failure but the vet told us he was too far gone. Not sure I agree with the decision to take him off IV's so quickly, but the expense was just too much for the chances of survival and the state that he was in. After he stopped eating for a few days we took him in and found out the bad news. Luckily he was a bigger cat with a lot of body fat and the pain wasn't more the equivalent to a flu. We brought him home on Friday and spent as much time as we could giving him a great last couple days in hospice before taking him to the vet on Monday. Every time someone woke up in the morning he would be waiting at the bathroom door for some sign of life. Loved just being in a room when the family was around and knew too well how to get your attention to make you pet him. He had a problem with spraying in certain areas of the house so we had gates to block him off. We have since removed the gates and it's only been 8 days but I feel like every time I walk through one of them I will always immediately think of him.

You really can't beat yourself up for making the decision you did, especially if it would become a financial strain to you and your family. Regardless of how important pets are to us, you need to make the best decision for your human family first......regardless of how tough those decisions can be. Maybe your cat would've gotten better with more time on the IV's, but maybe he wouldn't have or maybe he would have for only a short period of time and then you would have to do it all over again. FWIW, it sounds like you made the right call, so try not to beat yourself up over it.

 

[ianoconnor]

I feel like we need a group hug at the A&M tailgate.

 

[d30fan]

I've lost 2 dogs in the past 4 years. I held both of them as they past. Hard as it was, they were both in pain and unable to enjoy life as they had. Terrible experience to go through, but better than watching them suffer. Yes we do have very special bonds with our dogs. I was certain that I didn,t want to ever go through it again, but I didn't last six months until I brought a new English Cocker puppy home.

 

[BlackHawk]

Holy h*ll, thanks for making me explain why I'm in tears at work! Really sorry to hear about your dog, Cyfreak. I don't know how I will ever be able to deal with this situation when it arrives with my pup. Will be thinking of you and your family.

 

[SerenityNow]

It's going to be very tough, but I look at it this way:

I had 2 black lab sisters from 10 months old until 10 and 11 years old. The first died suddenly and I had to come home and find her in the back yard. The 2nd had cancer a year later and I had to watch her waste away until I knew it was time to take her in. Staying with her was one of the hardest things I had to do, but she deserved to have her "mom and dad" with her in those final moments.

All of the years of joy and happiness and silly things I still fondly remember make it all worth it. I wouldn't have given up those 10+ years with Annie and Nellie because of the inevitable I had to face in the end.

Now my daughters and I are working on my wife to bring 2 more puppies home. It's been 2 years, and I'm really starting to miss not having dogs in the house.

 

[Senolcyc]

There's really no "good" way to lose a family dog. I've had to pick one up off the street after it was run over by a dumb *** redneck in a homemade "monster truck." So that was pretty horrible. Time will heal.

 

[timappelgate]

There's my guy! He's 13 and I dread the day I have to be called about my parents taking him in. He is always the first one I greet when I go home to visit.

 

[Max57]

Really? Losing an animal is worse than losing someone you know? Im not judging, just surprised many people feel that way.

Trust me ... I've lost pets and I've lost family members. There's no comparison. I respect the opinion of those who state that but my guess is they've not suffered the loss of someone close (child, spouse, etc.)

 

[Senolcyc]

Trust me ... I've lost pets and I've lost family members. There's no comparison. I respect the opinion of those who state that but my guess is they've not suffered the loss of someone close (child, spouse, etc.)

People who say their pet is just like a child have never had a child. It is one-trillionth the same, if that.

 

[SerenityNow]

I've never lost an immediate family member, so I certainly would never compare the two. My thought is for most people, there is room enough in our hearts for people and pets, and losing a pet can be amazingly hard for even those with children.

I would never judge either, and my hope is I will never have to compare the 2.

 

[Jonecy]

People always want to compare things, but IMO, there's no reason to compare something like this. Losing something or someone you love is really hard, regardless of what it is. The closer you are to that someone or something, the harder it is.

 

[psychlones]

Over the past couple of weeks, the health of my 13 year old golden retriever has been deteriorating and he is going downhill fast. He can hardly stand up nowadays and we're planning on taking him to the vet to be put down soon. I really don't know what to expect from the whole thing. Anyone that has been through it before have any advice?

I decided to make my first post here after registering 5 years ago, because I thought this thread deserved it and I could actually contribute to this topic.

I didn't read the entire thread, but I did want to mention the option of having your pet put down at home rather than taking him to the vet. We just had to have 13 1/2 year old mutt (meant in the best sense of the word) Tucker put down last month, and yes, it was very, very hard.

We have two vets we work with, and one of them does home housecalls for treatments as well as for times like this. We were able to let Tucker rest peacefully at home without having to put him through one more tough trip to the vet. Some people might not like to associate their home with their pets' passing, and I respect that. But for us, it was a comforting option, and I just wanted to make sure others knew that was an option.

Regardless, you have my sympathies...

 

[CRcyclone6]

had to do this to our cat and dog within a year of each other. very hard to do. we had them both cremated and placed in a nice urn with their collar. try and think of the good times.

 

[TXCyclones]

Worst day of my life - and I've lost one parent and other loved ones. While I knew it was the right thing to do I felt like I'd murdered my dog. It is stunning how quick and how peaceful the whole thing was. But tears were streaming down my face, my wife was crying, the vet nurses were crying, and the vet had a hard time keeping her composure. Its been probably 8 years and I still feel like crap that I did this to my dog. Be prepared.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

There is something about your pets, they never lose their innocence in our eyes, and I think that is what makes it so hard. Our pets never do anything to deserve their ultimate fate in our eyes, and definitely never deserve the suffering they endure. All they ever did was be a faithful friend and source of affection. The comparison to children is quite appropriate as we unconditionally love them.

People are different. People change, have flaws, screw you over, generally lose their innocence.

Not saying it's right, but I definitely understand being more broken up about losing a pet than losing an acquaintance.

I think a bond with a pet can be tighter than that with a human because pets just love us, no matter what. There's no judgment or pettiness, just love.

Both of these are so true. Unconditional love.

 

[mike4cy]

People who say their pet is just like a child have never had a child. It is one-trillionth the same, if that.

Yep it is not the same...because they are completely different. Loved ones fill a different void in our hearts and lives than pets do.

You can't compare the love for a pet and love for a spouse or child. I would do anything for my baby girl, just because the same is not true for my dog does not mean I won't be beside myself when he is gone.