Euthanasia

[Longclaw]

I respect people's decision to sedate or not to sedate. Just want to get that out of the way before I ask a question.

When I was a kid, we moved half way across the state. The vet gave us sedatives for our cat so that he wouldn't freak out about travelling. I guess it worked... he was so terrified about losing control of his own body that it took a long time for him to even realise that we were in the car. I wonder if this could be why some animals fight sedation? The feeling of 'control' slipping away is frightening for them, as they don't know what is going on? I guess there's no real answer to that question without anthropomorphising even further.

[Legz]

This thread is heart wrenching.

I have had the horrible loss of 2 dogs, last year my heart dog and then early this year her daughter, they were both 15yrs.

WE had 2 very different experiences, jo my heart dog had cancer, dementia and blind (already lost one eye to a tumor) and was slowly fading. She was pampered, coddled and spoilt and preferred to sleep her days away at the end. We Knew her time had come when she stopped eating and we had to carry her out to the garden to toilet (small terrier). We took her to my vet and we stayed with her and held her and spoke to her and she was calm and relaxed and she basically just fell asleep in our arms, very very peaceful. We were all a mess crying and sobbing (whole family) but she was part of the family and used to the crying and cuddles that she got when one of us was having a bad day.

My other little dog that went earlier this year had a very sudden rapid decline that involved seizures and sudden loss of vision over 2 days and she was rushed to the emergency vets late at night after a seizure she wasn't coming out of. She was very distressed, panting, hyperventilating and shaking. We were again a mess but knew it was time, she had already been rushed to my vet earlier that day who warned us that we had until he end of the week, if we had known it would be that night we would have had her done at our vets. Anyway we were offered sedation which we agreed to as she was so distressed. She didn't fight it and soon fell asleep in our arms, However when the the euthanasia drug went in she started arching up and screaming/howling, so much so the vet tried to hold her mouth shut (i felt like punching the vet for this) i was so angry. We just kept holding her and talking to her and kissing her and she passed away but it was horrible and very different from the fist time. The vet and vet nurse were cold and uncaring and just didn't seem to give a sh*t.

As for souls, well i will just tell about a dream i had with my heart dog. I was devastated at her loss and had a dream about 6 months later that was so vivid that she had come back, and i was running around telling everyone it was just a dream she had died. In the dream i soon realised she was gone and was just visiting and telling me she was ok and it was so peaceful and i awoke with such a sense of relief and peace that she was ok, like she had come to me to reassure me it was gong to be alright. I don't know what others will make of it, and some may think just a dream, but i truly believe she came back to give me some peace.

[Cosmolo]

I think thats true Longclaw- while i am no expert, i think the sedation takes away physical control first so when the mind is still there, it becomes very stressful.

I respect everyone's right to make the decision they want to for their animal- but that decision can't be made when people don't even know they have a choice. ;)

[jackie_a1]

I researched a little prior to Evie being pts.

I just want to say thankyou Deelee. That is all I had meant by my prior comment.

I personally like to be informed regardless of how 'heart wrenching' or 'confronting' it is so I know I am making the best decision. And no to those who are itching to write it. It doesn't mean because you don't research you are making the wrong decision or being irresponsible. It just means I ME prefer to arm myself with knowledge as it was the first time I had to euthanise MY own pet so I wanted to be sure it was the right decision and unlike other people cost was something I had to be aware of, aswell as body disposal.

Like I have written before if this thread distresses you or what's written distresses you then I advise perhaps not to continue to read or post under this thread. It never was meant to upset or make any members cry.

I was curious to see who else had stayed with their pet. It is no judgement on owners who haven't or don't want to stay with their pet.

[rastus_froggy]

I've actually found this thread quite distressing.

I responded in good faith and then came back to read other people's responses.

It's painful enought to recall the deaths of beloved pets and share that without finding out that someone thinks it was irresponsible to not do more 'research' or that my vet may not have chosen the most humane method of pts.

Another here.

This thread is the first time I have written about my boy being PTS (and it has been just over a year). It was the hardest thing I have ever done and I am only just now beginning to be able to talk about it. There are very few people in my real world who even know that I had him PTS as I just can't talk about it. When they ask how my dogs are I say fine thanks and don't go into individual detail.

Another point on the whole trusting your vet thing, I said before that I trusted my vets judgement in how it was done and I feel that there is a mutual trust there with my vet as when I took my 100% healthy boy in, there were NO questions asked, they just did what I requested.

On the cost issue, I would never want to know the monitary (sp?) cost of taking my pets life. But that is just my opinion.

;) to everyone who has ever had to go through having an animal PTS.

[jackie_a1]

You might not want to know Rastus but I need to know. I'm not made of money. I have to and had to ensure I had the correct amount of money to be able to pay for the procedure or any thing else that might acquire additional costs. I couldn't just assume I'd have enough money or just go in guessing. Some vets have different payment options.

[dee lee]

You might not want to know Rastus but I need to know. I'm not made of money. I have to and had to ensure I had the correct amount of money to be able to pay for the procedure or any thing else that might acquire additional costs. I couldn't just assume I'd have enough money or just go in guessing. Some vets have different payment options.

I was the same. I called (in tears) and asked how much it would cost etc so I didn't have to deal with it after the event.

In the end my OH was able to come with me and he dealt with that so I could spend extra time with Evie and then walk out without talking to anyone.

Rastus-Froggy- I know how you feel.

I didnt tell very many people and every now and then I run into someone who asks me what happened to my other dog? That hurts so much.

I found the other video/euthanasia thread much more distressing. I didnt watch the video and was horrified by the idea of it.

I am glad this thread was started, not only has it been enlightening but it allowed me to talk about my experience, which has been a little cathartic.

[Abigail]

This thread is heart wrenching.

I have had the horrible loss of 2 dogs, last year my heart dog and then early this year her daughter, they were both 15yrs.

WE had 2 very different experiences, jo my heart dog had cancer, dementia and blind (already lost one eye to a tumor) and was slowly fading. She was pampered, coddled and spoilt and preferred to sleep her days away at the end. We Knew her time had come when she stopped eating and we had to carry her out to the garden to toilet (small terrier). We took her to my vet and we stayed with her and held her and spoke to her and she was calm and relaxed and she basically just fell asleep in our arms, very very peaceful. We were all a mess crying and sobbing (whole family) but she was part of the family and used to the crying and cuddles that she got when one of us was having a bad day.

My other little dog that went earlier this year had a very sudden rapid decline that involved seizures and sudden loss of vision over 2 days and she was rushed to the emergency vets late at night after a seizure she wasn't coming out of. She was very distressed, panting, hyperventilating and shaking. We were again a mess but knew it was time, she had already been rushed to my vet earlier that day who warned us that we had until he end of the week, if we had known it would be that night we would have had her done at our vets. Anyway we were offered sedation which we agreed to as she was so distressed. She didn't fight it and soon fell asleep in our arms, However when the the euthanasia drug went in she started arching up and screaming/howling, so much so the vet tried to hold her mouth shut (i felt like punching the vet for this) i was so angry. We just kept holding her and talking to her and kissing her and she passed away but it was horrible and very different from the fist time. The vet and vet nurse were cold and uncaring and just didn't seem to give a sh*t.

As for souls, well i will just tell about a dream i had with my heart dog. I was devastated at her loss and had a dream about 6 months later that was so vivid that she had come back, and i was running around telling everyone it was just a dream she had died. In the dream i soon realised she was gone and was just visiting and telling me she was ok and it was so peaceful and i awoke with such a sense of relief and peace that she was ok, like she had come to me to reassure me it was gong to be alright. I don't know what others will make of it, and some may think just a dream, but i truly believe she came back to give me some peace.

SO sorry for what you have had to go through with your dog putting up a fight with the euthanasia, poor little girl. AND as for the vet and nurse trying to keep her mouth shut - gosh I hope their end is not a peaceful one! I already know that this world is made up of alot of uncaring individuals but it still never ceases to disgust me when I read such things.

[poodlefan]

One horse (broken leg)

One cat (18 years old and going into kidney failure)

No sedation, no thrashing. I was there both times as I will be for any of my dogs if they require it. Yes, its upsetting but I won't have them die isolated in the arms of a stranger. I don't care how upsetting I find it, I consider it my duty to them. I'm usually OK at times like that. Its afterwards I fall apart.

Edited April 27, 2010 by poodlefan

[labsrule]

I cannot believe how insensitive this thread has become. I am incensed about this as this thread was based on answering the following questions:

how many of you have had to euthanise your pet? And who of you stayed through the entire process?

NOT A DEBATE ABOUT SEDATING VS NON SEDATING and upsetting people who chose to post about their experience at having to PTS their beloved pets and reliving the heartache and heartbreak they went thru at the time and now maybe making them question if the sedation option was the right one and maybe worried that their beloved pet may have suffered unnecessarily .

Don't give me the "people should know what is available and what their options are excuse". A new thread should have been started on that subject so this one is confined to people being able to share their experience by answering the OP questions and thus keeping this thread on topic and treating the subject of euthanising people's pets with the respect it deserves. Having to PTS my beloved boy was the worst day of my life and no doubt many others feel the same way, and people should be sensitive enough to realise how devastating it is to have to make this decision and how difficult it has been for posters to share their stories, without the actions of their vets being called into question over the sedation issue in this thread.

I am removing my post on my story from this thread in protest!

[Cosmolo]

I disagree with you labsrule and others have commented they do too- i think its important for people to know what their options are and threads go alot more off topic than this all the time.

In saying that- my intention was NEVER to cause offence or be insensitive to the loss of someone's pet- i know how awful it is- and if thats what has occurred, then i do apologise.

[labsrule]

I disagree with you labsrule and others have commented they do too- i think its important for people to know what their options are and threads go alot more off topic than this all the time.

In saying that- my intention was NEVER to cause offence or be insensitive to the loss of someone's pet- i know how awful it is- and if thats what has occurred, then i do apologise.

Well of course you would, you started the whole sedation vs non sedation debate.

Let me ask you have you ever had to PTS any of your own dogs/pets?

[Little Gifts]

Labsrule I too thought it was getting a bit heated but then I realised this is a painful area we are touching on. There is no one right way to have your animal sent on its way and I guess there is no one way of remembering or feeling it. I know I did the right thing by my boy and that is all that matters. Like others I have never really shared any details other than on this thread because who wants to know anything more than your beloved buddy is gone and you are sad?

And to continue the whole thing about how different vet experiences can be - my vet never charged me a dime. I expected a bill in the mail but instead got a card and flowers delivered to my home from them. (and my continued loyalty to that vet and her surgery)

[Cosmolo]

Yes- i know what its like to lose a pet. And i am allowed to have a different opinion to you, just as you're entitled to disagree. I have apologised if there was any offence caused- but i am posting based on my experiences, just as everyone else is.

I said multiple times that everyone has the right to decide how to send their pet on their way- there is NO right or wrong. Where we disagree is that i think everyone also has the right to make informed choices about their options.

If the OP would like me to go back and delete my posts i will do so- but i do believe others have learned from many of the posts in this thread and i don't think that is a bad thing.

[Gilypoo]

Silly me didnt even know that this thread was different to the video one.

Everyone knows their animals best and has the right to decide what they want to do for their animals in their final stages. Unfortunalty money does come into it for some people and they shouldnt be flamed for that. At least they are doing what is best and not letting the animal suffer.

I personally didnt know that sedation was an option until I read this thread. I have seen 2 cats cross the rainbow bridge. One was an elderly cat (not mine) that was very unwell. (I was doing work experience at the vet), they put him in a litlle sleeping bag and gave him his needle. He did fight it abit but purred the whole time. The elderly owner couldnt handle it and left before the injection was given. I was there the whole time and did what I could to comfort the pussy cat.

The 2nd was a stray cat that I adopted. She was my first pet (by 1st I mean that I had to pay everything for). I got her from the same vet that I did work experience for. I didnt know it at the time but she was a VERY VERY sick cat. Some one had shot her with a lead bullet that couldnt be removed and it was slowly killing her. When her eye sight finnaly went she walked into the heater (yes it was on) and paralised her self. I made the heart wrenching decision to give her the wings and took her to the vets and they let me cuddle her while doing it.. She didnt fight. I dont think that she had the strength to..

I think people need to know that the option is there if they need/ want it.

I have enquired with my local vet and they have informed me that they do house calls should I need the option when my 2 girls leave me...

Just my opinion...I probably shouldnt have replied to this thread whilst at work cause now i have blotchy eyes

Edited April 27, 2010 by Gilypoo

[jackie_a1]

I have said also numerous times this thread isn't meant to distress anyone. It was never my intention and I have read all of your posts and thankyou for sharing your experiences.

It is a sensitive subject so it's up to people as individuals to decide if they want to continue to post here.

[~*Shell*~]

I had to put my gorgeous dobe girl to sleep at 5 years old. The whole family stayed with her through the entire process. I wouldn't have it any other way. She was completely calm about the whole thing - she had probably suffered some kind of stroke so she would go from manic with glassy eyes to completely normal and back again in a few moments. Our vet said it was probably something to do with brain damage due to the stroke and damage to her neural pathways because of it. Her brain just wasn't firing the right signals to the rest of her body causing seizures.

We were lucky in that she spent her last half an hour or so on earth in her normal state (after a huge seizure) - she had her favourite toys with her and her family there so she just wanted to lie around and have her tummy and ears rubbed.

It still makes me tear up to think about her - I have no idea what I'll be like when Zero passes. Danika was just devine and I loved her to death but Zero is my heart dog. I cry now thinking about what it will be like to lose him.

Edited April 27, 2010 by ~*Shell*~

[labsrule]

Yes- i know what its like to lose a pet. And i am allowed to have a different opinion to you, just as you're entitled to disagree. I have apologised if there was any offence caused- but i am posting based on my experiences, just as everyone else is.

I said multiple times that everyone has the right to decide how to send their pet on their way- there is NO right or wrong. Where we disagree is that i think everyone also has the right to make informed choices about their options.

If the OP would like me to go back and delete my posts i will do so- but i do believe others have learned from many of the posts in this thread and i don't think that is a bad thing.

I actually asked you if you had ever had to PTS any of your own pets. After I had posted that question, I actually re-read the whole thread again and found your post below"

I haven't been there for my own dogs as i haven't had one euthanased yet but i have seen many dogs at the shelter put to sleep as well as taking a clients dog for them. The latter was horrible- they sedated him but not enough and let him stress for 20 minutes before injecting the lethabarb. I don't understand the point of sedating dogs before euthanasia.

I don't really think you can fully understand the depth of feeling and emotion involved in having to make the decision to PTS your own dog, particularly if you have raised it from a puppy and then being there with them and watching them die. It is very different from losing a pet any other way and I know this personally, as one of my dogs died in their sleep and the other was tragically killed, so I didn't have to make that fateful decision for them or watch them die

I didn't say that you weren't allowed a different opinion to mine - I said that a new thread should have been started on the sedate vs non sedate debate and this thread should not have been hijacked for that purpose.

[OSoSwift]

There is no right or wrong when it come to staying or not, sedating or not. The right decision is the one the owner decides upon.

[furballs]

My first dog, a beautiful border collie x had cancer and I decided to let her die naturally at home as it was going to be painless for her. The morning that she died, she was acting weird, then her front legs collapsed and she laid down and passed out. I rushed her to the vet to have her euthinased in cased she woke up and suffered. There was no way I was going to leave her side even though her body was "fitting", all I cared about was that she knew I was there when her heart stopped.

My second dog had to be euthinased at 15 yo because she collapsed and couldn't move so I took her to the vets straight away. I couldn't imagine not being there when my beloved pet takes his/her last breath. As hard as it is watching them die, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I have always planned on having a mobile vet come out to my house to do this so my dog can be as comfortable as possible, but unfortunately circumstances didn't allow it.

I would also like to add that when I took my 2nd dog in last year, the vet nurse was absolutely wonderful and made it much easier for me.

Edited April 27, 2010 by furballs