Animals as part of your family??

[thekingofNY]

I don't know if there is a thread here, but there used to be one on og i think relating to this, but if there is one here; please move this there.

How do you other people deal with having to put down a dog/cat/whatever that you had since it was a puppy/kitten/whatever. Mine was part of the family, I cared about him more than anyone else in my immediate family. However he was in way too much pain just laying down, it would have been cruel to keep him alive.

I smoked a bowl a minute ago and just tried to think of all the good times we had. I was going to get a ton of beer and proceed to get wasted, but I don't know, I know it won't change anything and I do have to go to work tommorow, my alternative is some bacardi that has normally my better half drinks, however I don't really like liquor, or actually cheap liquor. She had prior important obligations tonight and I don't feel like leaving the house.

 

[Tarkus]

When I worked at a vet, I had to bring in my dog to put her down. The saddest thing was no one wanted to help (well my mom did, but she is too little to help any). I had to carry my dog in, who at the time weighed more than I did, and hold off a vein for the doc to inject the euthansia. I had done this hundreds of times, but never with my own dog....while she was licking me even. The worst part was bagging her up, I had to stuff her body into a trash bag (to put in the freezer for the pupcicle man to come and get) all by my lonesome. It was hard work getting a 130+ lbs dog into a large size trash bag, and then pick up and put in a freezer. It was hard work physically and emotionally it was pretty tough too. Good girl Delilah, I know I kept you suffering too long......

On the plus side, it was the first day Daisy jane and I hugged!

 

[Guest]

We had to put down our dog a couple of years ago and it hurt me more than the passing of some people because i was the one that had to take the decision of putting down the dog. She was sick and there was no alternative, but it still breaks my heart thinking about it.

 

[BirdDawg]

All of my dogs have been part of the family, and none has been easy to let go. I keep waiting for the one who will let me off the hook by dying quietly in sleep, but it hasn't happened yet. It never gets any easier, even with experience. Right now I've got a 14 year old, seemingly in good health, but at the point you realize something major could go wrong any minute. He's been my constant companion all these years, born and raised in my house. Comes a time, though, when you have to realize there is no longer any quality of life and the kindest thing is to let them go. I am grateful for the time I've been given with each of my dogs, and each has left memories that will never die. Perhaps this story will help:
Why dogs don't live as long as people
by Robin Downing, DVM

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owner, his wife, and their little boy were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, the owners told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old boy to observe the procedure. They felt he could learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. The little boy seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.

Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

The little boy, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year- old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

 

[stretchpup]

Quality of Life.

That's what I'm here to provide my animals.

When Quality Of Life goes down, it's time to put your feelings aside and start thinking about the animals and the life they are living.

Animals weasel their way into our hearts... and it sounds like you did the right thing. Nothing is more selfish than keeping a pet with poor quality of life because a human can't let go emotionally.

 

[GOT_BUD?]

We had to put down our dog a couple of years ago and it hurt me more than the passing of some people because i was the one that had to take the decision of putting down the dog. She was sick and there was no alternative, but it still breaks my heart thinking about it.

Same here. We had to put our 15 year old afghan hound down a couple of years ago. It was a shitty couple of days.

 

[Tarkus]

Yeah, putting your own animal down can be hard at times. And the sad fact of the matter is most dogs will not just lay down and die. I have known only a handful of dogs that have slipped quietly into death during sleep or rest, most dogs will continue to fight and live, even through the crappiest of health. They are just not built to give up, so we unfortunately have to put them to an end.
If your dog is really in bad shape, and then one day seems a lot better...be careful. 9 out of 10 dogs that die on their own will have a sudden surge of energy right before the end. Almost every owner I knew would come into the vet and say "Oh my goodness, so and so made a miraculous recovery!! Jumping and barking and my he feels a lot better." Then they would come in heart broken a few days later. Sad, but dogs will almost always do that if they are gonna die on their own.

If you have to take your dog in to be put down, please do not act too sad. Dogs pick up on when we are uncomfortable and what not, and will act accordingly. I have had to take so many dogs away from their owners to be put down simply because the owner was crying uncontrollably. The dog would then think they needed to protect their owner, and would try to do so, only to put itself in more misery and have the owner cry even more. The best thing you can do is bottle it up until the dog is gone. By all means feel emotions, but please....make it easier on your vet and try not to freak out your dog.

Oh, and if you are gonna hold your own dog, don't act like you are getting the shot. "It's ok, it's ok, it's ok, ouch ouch. Hold on buddy," most dogs get antsy around that sorta thing. Remember, they pick up and feel what you are feeling.

 

[Classyathome]

It's hard - I've held 2 canine friends as they slipped away, over the past couple o' years. We got them from the pound, they lived posh, indoor lives, and they went with no pain. Each was 17, oddly enough, and they were 16 year companions to each other.

They were part of our family pack, but they were dogs, and not as difficult as watching someone you love die.