Options when a Dog is being put to Sleep

tazwaz

Ryan I am so sad reading this, it's brought back so many memories for me and its been 2 1/2 years since my dog had to be put to sleep.
U'll have a lot of sad days, weeks and months ahead of you but try and remember that u've done her a massive favour, u've released her from any pain and suffering.
rip misty

falabo

RIP Mitsy, it sounds like she has a fabulous life with a fabulous owner.

strandroad

This is such a moving thread. Our dog is not getting younger and he has battled cancer already so we know we will have to face it in the next couple of years. Thank you for starting this thread.
I hope you will hold on to the best memories of Mitsy; she must have been comfortable and comforted having you there with her.

Gael23

Im fortunate enough to not have faced this yet but my guy will be 13 in a few weeks so I know time is not on our side.
He got very sick about a year ago and things didn't look so good, I couldn't even bring myself to go and see him at the vets because in case he didn't make it, I didn't want that to be my last memory of him.
I think being in the room must be a really hard thing to do. But as the someone already said, we all love our pets dearly so we owe it to them in a way.

Bannasidhe

ryanf1 wrote: »

Im fortunate enough to not have faced this yet but my guy will be 13 in a few weeks so I know time is not on our side.
He got very sick about a year ago and things didn't look so good, I couldn't even bring myself to go and see him at the vets because in case he didn't make it, I didn't want that to be my last memory of him.
I think being in the room must be a really hard thing to do. But as the someone already said, we all love our pets dearly so we owe it to them in a way.

I really believe we owe it to them to be there. They deserve to know we love them right up to the end.

Although it broke my heart to hold my beloved Gráinne dog as she died, at least I know she didn't feel like I had abandoned her. I couldn't have left her to die with strangers and do get some comfort from knowing that she felt how much I love her right to the end of her life - just as she let me know she loved me when she gave me a last kiss just before they injected her.

I really think she knew she was leaving me and was thanking me for ending her pain and saying 'see ya soon - bring treaties.'

strandroad

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I really believe we owe it to them to be there. They deserve to know we love them right up to the end.

I agree with you, I couldn't leave my guy alone for this.

Wondering if vets make home visits, and how to arrange cremation if they do?

Eastcoastryan

Hi, I hope you guys dont mind me posting again but maybe if I can explain the various feelings I've had since yesterday then if somebody is reading this and they are going through the same thing, it might just help.

As I mentioned in an earlier post.. I cried and cried non-stop yesterday after Mitsy was put to sleep, I am a 29 year old guy and I felt no shame, I had different emotions yesterday from extreme sadness to guilt to happy memories. I didn't sleep well last night and kept thinking I could hear Mitsy walking around and at one stage woke up and thought I felt her on my bed (It's horrible when you realise she isn't) but I guess these are all normal things. I am a little better today and hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier.

I am going to drop a Thankyou card into the vet today because I felt I left the surgery yesterday without saying thanks properly. A friend of mine sent me on a beautiful poem that I think fits very well, I thought I'd share it with you. It's called "We Have a Secret"



We have a secret, you and I
that no one else shall know,
for who but I can see you lie
each night in fire glow?

And who but I can reach my hand
before we go to bed
and feel the loving warmth of you
and touch your silken head?

And only I walk woodland paths
and see ahead of me,
your powerful form racing with the wind
so young again, and free.

And only I can see you swim
in every brook I pass
and when I call, no one but I
can see the bending grass.

Lastly, for anybody who says things to you like "It's only a dog".. clearly they aren't lucky enough to have experienced the love and bond that exists between humans and pets.

RIP Mitsy 2002-2012 xx

bluecherry74

Ryan you have me nearly in tears at my desk, that's a lovely poem. I went through the same thing with my dog 2 years ago and my cat 2 years before that, so I know how heartbreaking it is. After my cat was put to sleep I kept imagining I could hear her little bell in the house. Her name was Mitzie, incidentally.

It sounds like your Mitsy was a lucky dog to have you as her person.

jimf

Eastcoastryan wrote: »

Hi, I hope you guys dont mind me posting again but maybe if I can explain the various feelings I've had since yesterday then if somebody is reading this and they are going through the same thing, it might just help.

As I mentioned in an earlier post.. I cried and cried non-stop yesterday after Mitsy was put to sleep, I am a 29 year old guy and I felt no shame, I had different emotions yesterday from extreme sadness to guilt to happy memories. I didn't sleep well last night and kept thinking I could hear Mitsy walking around and at one stage woke up and thought I felt her on my bed (It's horrible when you realise she isn't) but I guess these are all normal things. I am a little better today and hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier.

I am going to drop a Thankyou card into the vet today because I felt I left the surgery yesterday without saying thanks properly. A friend of mine sent me on a beautiful poem that I think fits very well, I thought I'd share it with you. It's called "We Have a Secret"



We have a secret, you and I
that no one else shall know,
for who but I can see you lie
each night in fire glow?

And who but I can reach my hand
before we go to bed
and feel the loving warmth of you
and touch your silken head?

And only I walk woodland paths
and see ahead of me,
your powerful form racing with the wind
so young again, and free.

And only I can see you swim
in every brook I pass
and when I call, no one but I
can see the bending grass.

Lastly, for anybody who says things to you like "It's only a dog".. clearly they aren't lucky enough to have experienced the love and bond that exists between humans and pets.

RIP Mitsy 2002-2012 xx

you have nothing to be ashamed of i am nearly twice ur age and when i had to put my beloved millie to sleep last year 2 weeks before christmas i just wanted to be left alone to cry myself better fool me it doesnt work that way sorrow has its own way of fixing us big hard fellas ha ha

but it does get easier as time goes by i still miss her everyday but im now at the stage where im remembering the good times we had together you may think now thats it no more dogs i could not go through that again but believe me you will soon have another dog to start all over again with imho it would be a shame if you didnt because from your posts here you certainly deserve to have and feel the love that only those little sloppy dribbly faces bring

when and i dont mean if you get a new little bf post a photo try and have a good xmas you deserve it i have a funny feeling this post is going to go on and on and on

keep the spirits up

jack presley

Thanks to everyone who has shared their stories here. My lads are 7,7 and 4 so hopefully I won't have to go through this for a good few years yet and to be honest, I hadn't thought about what I'd do or how I'd handle it if they did have to be put to sleep. But having read everyone's stories here, there's no way now I'd let them go through it without me being there with them.

These are the first dogs I've ever had and I know I'll be lost when it's time for them to move on but this thread has has filled me with a bit of hope for when the awful day does come. The greatest line came from Ryan himself when he said about people who say "it's only a dog" not having being lucky enough to have experienced the love and bond that exists between an owner and a dog. I can agree wholeheartedly with that.

DBB

Ryan, my heart is breaking for you.
Like many others here I can totally empathise with what you've just been through (was away and offline the past few days so only seeing this now).
However, I'd like to thank you for this thread, which is both heart-numbingly sad, but uplifting at the same time because of the support, empathy and help everyone rallied around to give you, an owner who clearly adored your dog and did the most difficult, emotional, but merciful act in the end.
It really is the last great act we can do for our old or sick pets in the end, to hold them and tell them how great, and how loved they were as they slip away without pain.

RIP Mitsy.

purplesnack

I'm glad no one can see me right now because I'm in bits after reading all of that. OP, my heart goes out to you..... making the decision to put a beloved pet to sleep is nothing short of gut wrenching. But while you may feel devastated and guilty, know that you have done the right thing. Years ago we had a cocker spaniel who was very sick for ages. We tried to convince ourselves that she wasn't too bad because we just couldn't bear the thoughts of losing her. By the time we made the difficult decision, she was so sick that the vet couldn't find a vein give her the injection. It was so selfish on our part and I would never let that happen again. My entire family was with her at the end and we were all inconsolable. It was awful.

I have my own two now and I dread the thought of that day coming. But I would never not be with them at the end....I just couldn't let them face that on their own. Myself and my other half had them at the vets for their boosters a few years ago. On the vets wall there was a poster that was just a list of thoughts from a dog's point of view. most of them were funny and were exactly what we'd expect a dog to be thinking. The last one though nearly destroyed the two of us and it was:

'When my time comes to say goodbye, please be there with me. Knowing you are there beside me will make it so much better'.

OP, you and Mitzy were so lucky to have had such a bond and in time, you will have that again. I wish you all the very best.

Jen Pigs Fly

This thread made me cry

have a 10 year old lab X who is starting to slow down

my biggest reminder and reason why this thread struck such a chord with me, is the cat who is 16 years old, she has severe hip dysplasia, is senile and in the last week has started limping and being unable to walk properly, and today she has started to throw up.
She has been tested for everything possible and she's in to see the vet very regularly, I do know that very soon she will be seeing the vet for the very last time

I know both will let the family know when it's their time to go, I hate to think of any of them suffering and we're all doing our best to keep them, especially the cat, in the best of comfort but it's hard when you can see her deteriorating rapidly ...

I have never had a pet before these 2 - got the cat when I was 6 and dog when I was 12, so I have never gone through the euth route before, reading this thread has put my mind at a bit more ease ...

Eastcoastryan

Hey again, thanks for all your replies... I'm crying again!!

I'm going to try and post a pic of my gorgeous girl so you can put a face to the story.. I have never added an image so hope it works.

andreac

She was gorgeous and you can see the special bond you both had. Hope you are doing ok.

abacus120

Ah She is a beauty,every time i log into this thread i cry,hope the days get easier for you

Bannasidhe

abacus120 wrote: »

Ah She is a beauty,every time i log into this thread i cry,hope the days get easier for you

I cry every time too - it's kinda nice knowing I'm not the only one.

OP she is a beauty and obviously devoted to you - I assume those are your legs..

jimf

Eastcoastryan wrote: »

Hey again, thanks for all your replies... I'm crying again!!

I'm going to try and post a pic of my gorgeous girl so you can put a face to the story.. I have never added an image so hope it works.

this reminds me of that song if a picture paints a thousand words

this pic says it all true loyalty and friendship in that face lucky you

Stheno

Aww she looks lovely there, so relaxed.

RIP Misty, OP take care of yourself.

Eastcoastryan

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I cry every time too - it's kinda nice knowing I'm not the only one.

OP she is a beauty and obviously devoted to you - I assume those are your legs..

Yeah, they are my legs.. when I lay on the couch, that was her spot!

Bannasidhe

Eastcoastryan wrote: »

Yeah, they are my legs.. when I lay on the couch, that was her spot!

She loved you so much. That pose just roars 'MINE'.

notlongleft

Well I have also cried reading this again. Lovely poem and she was a beaut.

Called out to my home house and our poor little girl at home got v excited to see me home and hopped up and down the stairs after me but unforunately managed to make herself sick doing it. Trying to tell my parents that the time is nearly here but dont think they want to know yet she still seems happy but has slowed an awful lot since the summer and although she will see 2013 I dont think she will see the summer:( Hopefully she will see her 19th birthday, a very old lady she is.

They are all the best dogs in the world and I dont think that anyone who has not had a dog can understand. They are your best friend in the world and we love them so much. We are lucky that we can say goodbye and be there holding them at the end and make sure they know they are loved.

Bubblefett

Eastcoastryan you should be very very proud that you were with her in her final moments- it's so very hard. The most tragic thing about dogs is how short their lives are.
Your story brought me back to the day my girl was pts. Being with her when she went so the hardest thing I ever did, I rubbed her ears and spoke to her as she drifted off. I still bawl thinking about it.
You never stop missing them but you always know they'd the best life possible.
RIP Misty, enjoy playing with the other doggies on rainbow bridge x