Question Pet Euthanasia....

[Little Miss Muffet]

I had to put my dog to sleep today, she was old and had a hard time urinating on her own. I feel so horrible! 🙁 I did get her cremated though; I will be given her a proper burial. So it brings me to this question... have you guys ever put a dog to sleep or had a pet die? How did you guys cope with it?

 

[Bexieh]

I'm so sorry about your dog. That must be awful 🙁 I've personally never had a pet put down. Of the other two I've had one disappeared and one got ran over and I was too young to remember them all that much. Touch wood nothing nasty ever happens to my kitty! But recently my aunt and uncle had their cat put down. She was just a young thing bless her. They're not sure how it happened but something had caught her tail and basically pulled it and managed to kinda break her spine in the process. Poor thing barely made it home :'( I don't have much in the way of words of wisdom but I suppose just hold onto the fact that they're not in pain anymore and don't have to suffer. Focus on the good times you had with your dog! I'm sorry for your loss ::heart::

 

[HalloweenRain]

I had a dog for fifteen years, as she got older she became lame and would drag herself around. It was awful. We took her in and the vet gave her the pink death. I cried for weeks, but after a while I was just happy not to see her in pain anymore. It's just best to think about your pet not being in pain. It also gets easier if you throw away the chew toys and the bed and all the stuff that is a reminder. I did keep her license though.

 

[sisterofmercy]

So sorry for your loss.

No I haven't as of yet. We had a scare with my dog a little while ago as she was really ill and wouldn't eat, but thankfully it wasn't as serious as we thought and she's fine now. Even then though I was in bits to see her so weak. I honestly don't know how I'll cope when she dies, she's been around since I was little so would be weird without her.

 

[Jodast]

Sorry to hear about it. We had our dog put to sleep when I was 12. He was very ill and it was the kindest thing for him, to be honest. We felt awful having to do it and haven't had a dog since.

A couple of years later we got two cats which both died in 2007 of natural causes within 6 weeks of each other and I found that a lot harder to deal with. With the dog, we knew that the time had to come and there was a certain ammount of mental preparation, but with the cats it was quite sudden. They were quite old but didn't appear to be that unwell and I didn't take their deaths at all well.

 

[patriot1123]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Your dog will not have any more pain or fear now, and you must focus on that.

I suppose I'm a lot older than a lot of people here, and I've had the experience several times (we've had lots of dogs). Oddly, of all the dogs I've lost, most of them passed on their own. We've made the difficult choice three times and it's never easy.

 

[xfivebyfive]

My first cat ever lived to be 21 I had her for the first 13 years of my life and we had to put her to sleep because she got cancer. It was hard and I loved her a lot but it was the right thing to do because I would have hated her to be in pain. Its not worth it to put a pet through treatment sometimes because its painful and hard, not to mention expensive, and the pet is in pain that whole time and doesnt understand, its not like people they dont understand it might get better.

My ferret at the moment has been getting sick and its getting to the point where we will probably have to put her down soon 🙁 Even if you know its for the best it doesnt make it any easier.

 

[Sweet J]

It's never an easy thing when confronted with the choice of either preforming a mercy killing, or continuing to see your friend/pet in pain.

I suppose you have to take into account a lot of things, their character and whether their pain is bad enough that their short life left with shear agony as a bedfellow is the humane thing to do, and if not, you extend them some compassion.
Or whether the vet conveys that their pain is manageable until death, and or, they've still got at least a few days to weeks of health left. That is, let them go when their body does in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by familiar faces.


Thankfully I've never been in that situation, most of my dogs and subsequent puppies have gone different ways, one male ran away when I was a kid, and one female that had 11 puppies* when I was 7 years old died just 2 years ago after being her sole carer for 13 years.

*oh, all 11 Collie puppies were given away to farmers in need.

The best way I found to deal with my dogs death was to hold my fond memories of them in my heart and grieve like I would for any friend, depending on how close you were to your pet this might help.

Digging the grave of my pet dog of 13 years, had an unpredicted effect of becoming a kind of final act that extended my gratitude and respect to her for being such a good friend for so long, and having kept my family safe all that time, to prepare her last resting place, and to lay her down into the earth was surprisingly an effective way to say goodnight.
Truth be told, I still miss that old friend.

 

[white avenger]

I've had dogs all of my conscious life. Each has been special, each has been a special friend, and each will have a place in mm heart for as long as I live, and, God willing, much, much longer than that. Some were killed in accidents of one sort or another, and some have had to be relieved of the suffering that this life has given them. I have grieved for each and every one, and feel their loss even now. But each time that I lose one of my special friends, I am reminded of something a kind old country minister told me when I lost my first one, and it has always given me a bit of comfort.

There is nowhere in the Bible where it says that there are no animals in heaven.

Years later, I came upon the legend of the Rainbow Bridge,



Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...



I hope that this will give some comfort and even a little hope to all who have lost a special loved one.

 

[PassionBecoming]

My animals are like my furry kids (Yes, including the cats. *grumblegrumble*) I haven't had to put any of my own down or have one die yet, but I have had many family pets leave throughout my life. I have always been a dog person and have loved pretty much every dog I've come across since I was old enough to remember.

Last October, my parents had to have the dog I pretty much grew up with put to sleep. She was a 16 year old Shih-Tzu, who we were told four years ago wouldn't live another year. She was an awesome companion, loved kids, and loved being around the family. I will always miss her.

On my dad's side of the family, all pets have their own burial spot at our cabin, on a hill on the point where there is a gorgeous view. I am always comforted to know that my furry friends are resting at their favorite place to visit.

Also, to add to what @WhiteAvenger said about pets, Heaven, and such, I had ordered a book a couple years ago and I ended up reading it in one night when I was in the hospital after giving birth to my first baby. It was awesome and I highly recommend it! Will I See My Dog in Heaven? by Jack Wintz (The puppy on the cover look very similar to my dog. 🙂 )

 

[BuffyElevated]

Oh my gosh I'm so sorry you had to go through that! I've never had to experience this but I know friends who have and it's a heartbreaking thing.
I personally am for it in cases of animals that need to be put out of their suffering. A friend of mine had a dog who had cancer in her bones and it was making every day more and more painful for her. In cases like that, I feel like euthanizing the dog was a more humane thing to do than to let her go on in so much pain.

 

[Cast No Shadow]

Aw that's sad, hope you're bearing up ok.
I've had three cats, a rabbit and a hamster put to sleep. The last cat was just an awful thing to go through, not that I loved any of the others less, but I was old enough to deal with it.
It's always gonna be hard, but you WILL be ok in the end.

 

[Abbeycat]

I'm so sorry about your dog. [MENTION=11831]littlmissmuffet[/MENTION]

I lost two dogs in one week. One dog couldn't walk at all. Her kidneys were failing her. So we had to put her to sleep. and then before the week was over that Sunday, we had to put our other dog to sleep because his liver was falling apart and failing him.

It's so hard. I don't think I've ever grieved for anyone the way I grieved for those two pets. It's hardest thing. I didn't feel like eating. I still have their collars. It takes a while and I'm not sure I'm ever truely done grieving over them.

there's so many days where I think about them or something the new dog does that one of the old dogs use to do.

My dad started looking at dogs on petfinder the very next day. It wasn't because we wanted to replace Max or Samie. My dad just wanted to have a dog in the house again. It's too weird for us to not have a dog in the house. I think my dad has always had a dog around. And my dad wanted a dog that was 1 years old. So now we have Oliver.

 

[wickedtiger86]

I am sorry about your dog.

I have two dogs at the moment and just thinking about losing them . . . is painful.

I lost two of my cats two years ago. They both had a genetic defect where they built up sediment in their bladders. The first one, Jayne, died from complications on his own, but the other, Xander, I had to put down. I know it was the right choice but it is still difficult. I had them both cremated and they are in my library in boxes that look like books, stacked on a shelf. I still miss them sometimes, but I know that I gave them a pretty cool life when they were around, and I just try to think about that. . .

 

[Astral]

I am sorry to hear but I have never had to go through that. I have only ever had cats that have only gone missing but I have never seen one die.

 

[Taake]

I'm so sorry for your dog! That is such a hard thing to do 🙁

Not too long ago we had to euthanize our family cat, she grew to be almost twenty years old and the last two years of her life were more or less miserable because we were too reluctant to put her down... at that time she had become diabetic (I didn't even know that it could happen to a cat), her teeth were starting to come out... and once we found out that she had grown blind we knew that it was time... and yet we still dragged out feet because we couldn't bear to part with her.
(I'm tearing up a little now because I miss her so much, she was the best cat ever, such a little freak cat.... she was tiny, had giant ears far too big for her head and protruding teeth that made her look like a little vampire)

She was put down by our vet at home though, where she would be comfortable (she was terrified of going anywhere else) and I still hate to think of that day because no cat will ever compare to me... me and my sis were both allergic and still little Kitty was worth suffering through it for (yup we named her Kitty... lol Kitty-cat... it's clever when you're like six years old 😉)

So I hear your pain, nothing will ever replace that darling pet, but at least you'll know that you did what was right for them. That's the thought that comforts me.

 

[This Year's Girl]

I'm really sorry to hear about your dog, I understand that you must be very sad. I've actually had to put down 2 dogs and 1 cat growing up because of really horrible circumstances. The dogs were really sick so I had some time to accept what was going to happen, but the cat had a very horrible accident, so that was more traumatic. I still think of all my animals and I do miss them, but keeping them with us for our sake hadn't been right. We did everything we could.

I know it sounds like a cliche but give it time. Allow yourself to be sad and angry and everything else your feeling, but know that it gets better. One day you'll remember your friend and it won't hurt the way it does today, but right now it's only natural to feel like you are feeling.

Hugs!

 

[Jod]

Ahh sorry to hear that @littlemissmuffet poor you, its awful when pet/part of the family has to be put down. I had my cat for about 15 years and she ended up having to be put down a few years ago and we also had her cremated. She was more than a cat to us and were all still sad that shes not here and we miss her. We coped by finding photos of her and trying to smile, time goes on and it helps but the sadness turns more into positive thoughts and memorys of them. We also thought that we were a loving family and had nice little home for another new family member so we decided to go to the rspca and take home a new cat -marley 🙂
Marley will never replace my minstrel but we saw the oppertunity to help another.
I hope this helps and i hope you will be ok, were all here for you if you need us. X

 

[ItMustBeBunnies]

[MENTION=11831]littlmissmuffet[/MENTION] - I'm really sorry, hon.

I had to put my dog Bandit down last year. I had him since I was around 7 years old. I couldn't even remember what it was like not having him around 🙁

He had dementia, and was going deaf, etc. I hated so much having to put him down, but it felt cruel to let him keep going the way he was.

there's so many days where I think about them or something the new dog does that one of the old dogs use to do.
.

That happens to me aswell. My new puppy Dexter does things that are so like Bandit. Like, he likes to sleep under the coffee table like Bandit did etc. Dexter is a little nut job though, Bandit was much more placid. I can just see Bandit looking down from Heaven or whatever and seeing Dexter and rolling his eyes, lol.

I still miss Bandit alot, and think about him often but I smile more when I think about him now instead of wanting to cry. He was a great dog and was very well loved.

 

[Little Miss Muffet]

Thank you guys so much!! :')