Putting my dog down tomorrow--advice requested

My heart breaks for you and your family. Dogs do love unconditionally and turn out to be the most loyal of companions. Sounds like your pup is a great one. I can’t imagine life without our dog. She and I have seen many an adventure. And once upon a time she helped me fight off the black dog at its fiercest. But as she gets older I know it is inevitable and part of life and someday she will not be with me. Know that you have loved that dog and provided a beautiful home and family and the memories will never leave you. Courage.

If possible, I suggest you have the vet come to your house to do it.

Some vets will do that, and I'm still glad we chose to do it that way when we had to have our two dogs euthanized in quick succession a few years ago (one had lymphoma, and to this day I regret putting her through the pain of chemotherapy).

I think being in a familiar environment would make it a less traumatic experience for your friend. As I say, though, I don't know whether that's possible in your case.

Taro wrote:

If possible, I suggest you have the vet come to your house to do it.

Some vets will do that, and I'm still glad we chose to do it that way when we had to have our two dogs euthanized in quick succession a few years ago (one had lymphoma, and to this day I regret putting her through the pain of chemotherapy).

I think being in a familiar environment would make it a less traumatic experience for your friend. As I say, though, I don't know whether that's possible in your case.

I hope you will do this. It is terrible to lose a pet you love but at least he is spared the trauma of going to the vet. You can hold him in your arms so the last thing he feels is your love.

Sorry to hear this. It sounds like you gave your dog a great life.

My dog is still with me, but he did receive a terminal diagnosis recently. Writing about my life with my pup has really helped me emotionally. Whenever the mood strikes, I'll just sit down and type up a few paragraphs about something we did together or about some quirk of his that I want to remember. If I'm feeling down about how things are going, a few minutes of this kind of writing usually boosts my mood and leaves me laughing about something we did together instead of moping moping about the present.

Try to find a mobile vet who will come to your house. It really makes a difference to have it done in the privacy of your home and not have to drive to the vet's office and sit in the waiting room, etc. It takes kids a long time to deal with losing a pet. Our border collie died and my youngest son would still cry about it three and four months later. There is no magic story you can read them or toy you can buy them that will make it any better. You just have to let them cry when they need to and get them to talk about their feelings.

I deeply appreciate your kindness at this stage of your dogs' life.

Because I worked in an animal shelter for more than 5 years, I know how many people cut and run at the end of their dogs' lives. They drop them off at the local animal shelter, "surrendering" them, and carelessly drive away, relying on the organization to handle ending the life of their disposable pet -- with some measure of mercy. I saw dozens and dozens of good old dogs frightened and confused at the very end of their lives, and staff members who were severely demoralized by the requirements of their jobs.

It takes moral courage and responsibility to be there at the ending of your pet's life with dignity.

You will know whether to do this at home or the vet's office. The office option is not always the bad one, especially if there are family members who don't want to accompany the pet into the procedure room and some who do.

Dogs are a wonder of creation, IMO. Thank you again for being a responsible pet owner in a nation that all too often ignores the old, the ill and those who cannot speak for themselves.

You are not God, so stop playing God. Would you put your dad down if he had cancer? What about your son? Let the dog fight it out until the end. Dope him up so he's not in pain.

you are not god wrote:

You are not God, so stop playing God. Would you put your dad down if he had cancer? What about your son? Let the dog fight it out until the end. Dope him up so he's not in pain.

May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your crotch hairs.

you are not god wrote:

You are not God, so stop playing God. Would you put your dad down if he had cancer? What about your son? Let the dog fight it out until the end. Dope him up so he's not in pain.

You're making an assumption that there actually is one, aren't you? While an undergrad, I worked on an acute rehab unit, 3 to 11 shift, went to school during the day. An oncology ward was just down the hall. I used to assist the RN's there to load the bodies up and take them to the morgue when the patients passed. At least 2 to 3/week, many of which i got to know well, as well as their families. They would have what is called a "morphine cocktail" they would mix up for the terminal patients in huge pain. It only worked for a while, and in the latter stages of the disease the screams that came from that ward were sometimes to much to deal with. So to answer your question, if my father or son were in that state with no recourse, damn right I would. And I would want someone to do the same for me. We treat our animals with more compassion an many cases than our pets.

I've had two dogs, a black lab mix and a border collie mix. Both of them were great dogs.

The black lab wasn't getting up off his hind legs one morning. We kept trying to save him for a week, and he died. We got the border collie a couple years later. After 10 years he was walking very wobbly, and hung on for a couple of keeps but kept getting worse. We kept trying to save him but he died. He was an absolute angel. The vets were no help in either case. I buried them both in the back yard. IMHO it was much better for them to have those last days. My wife passed a few years later after suffering for the last few years. All that time that we were together was so precious to me, especially those last days, hours, minutes. I miss her terribly and am so thankful we've had this time together.

I'm really sorry OP. I miss my dogs very much and dream about them a lot. Give your kids a hug, I'm sure they need it as much as you do.

When you're ready for a new dog, your local ASPCA chapter would love to see you.

I'm really sorry for your loss.

That must have been a really long time ago. The drugs they have used for the last 15+ years keep patients pain free until the end.

The only reason people don't do this with pets is the cost. Putting a pet down is always the cheapest option. As much as self righteous pet owners talk about how hard it is to put down a "member of the family", the truth is that they realize it's just a freaking dog and there is no way they are going to spend ten grand to make it feel better.

Don't make the same mistake Candy did,

"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog."

new drugs wrote:

Putting a pet down is always the cheapest option. As much as self righteous pet owners talk about how hard it is to put down a "member of the family", the truth is that they realize it's just a freaking dog and there is no way they are going to spend ten grand to make it feel better.

This!!! So sick of hearing people talk about how hard it is for them. Just admit you don't want to spend the money on a pet.

I agree. The last week I was in agony and terrified and didn’t understand what was happening to me (because I’m a dog and don’t understand the concept of tomorrow) was TOTALLY worth it. I got 6 minutes of petting a day and as many snausages I could eat! I was ok with being tortured because it made my owner feel a little better that he didn’t choose to put me down or drive me to the vet.

For all you dogs on earth - look for an owner like this. He loves dogs SO MUCH that he will do anything to make sure you don’t die 1 second too early.

I am sorry for your loss. We lost our beloved dog.

Same as you, cancer and failing body. He still smiled and enjoyed out company. I held him and looked into his eyes as he passed. He laid his head on my knee as he closed his eyes.

We had no regrets. He was at the stage where his kidneys were failing and a decision had to be made.

That's your job.

I'm surprised by the number of posters who favor euthanasia for ailing pets. Ask yourselves, how many of you would choose to help a sick family member die? Why is it an acceptable and honorable choice for beloved pets but not beloved relatives?

youth anastasia wrote:

I'm surprised by the number of posters who favor euthanasia for ailing pets. Ask yourselves, how many of you would choose to help a sick family member die? Why is it an acceptable and honorable choice for beloved pets but not beloved relatives?

It's made to be "honorable" because we want to feel good about choosing money over the life of an animal. Just accept that it is a stupid animal and you CHOSE to kill it.