Posted on 12/23/2018 6:35:14 AM PST by Chickensoup
When do we put Rover down?
I have always thought that when an animal becomes sick, old, diseased, and is in pain, senile or unable to manage that the kind thing to do would be to euthanize it.
However, it seems that I am in the minority with that opinion.
Our good dog of 15 years is now senile, is anxious and barks, has poor vision and little hearing. He barks almost constantly, cannot remember where he is or where we are. He is a sad old mess.
I have been advocating putting him to sleep.
Others in the family see me as advocating family murder.
I thought that was odd, until I discovered that acquaintances have approached the family members with NURSING HOME options for the pets that one can no longer care for. At a price.
that none of them can afford.
As the primary care taker of this animal I see that continuing his life is causing him undue suffering. I am also frustrated at the limitations on my life. I suppose I am selfish.
I now know people who have animals with joint replacements, insulin, cardiac meds and other complicated measures. I find it surprising. Perhaps I am just too old?
There was a time where the decision to put down a beloved animal was considered an act of courage. I thought it was a part of the process of maturation and acceptance of life's limitations.
Now I am faced with people telling me that the dog deserves to live out all of his natural life in whatever condition it presents.
Am I so out of touch? Is animal euthanasia no longer a decision?
I don’t know how you convince family members that it’s time.
I suspect that, when it comes to pets, just as when it comes to people, that it’s easy for people who aren’t bearing the burdens to “know” what should be done and to second-guess the caregiver.
In humans, of course, I’m talking about people who think nursing home care is never the right option, or who think hospice is never the right option.
If you live in or near a metropolitan area, you might look into hospice care for pets. I didn’t know that such a thing existed, until recently. I talked to a lady whose granddaughter is a veterinarian and that’s what she does. Hospice for pets is basically euthanizing an animal at home.
Some veterinarian practices don’t call it that but will sometimes do the same thing. A friend of mine had a beautiful, sweet old yellow lab with arthritis. She was developing some other medical issues as well. One day she just could not get up any more. When my friend called the vet’s office, they offered to come out to her home. My friend is a petite single lady who couldn’t get the dog to the office by herself. My friend’s dog was put to sleep in her own home in her own bed with my friend by her side.
The hospice approach might make your family members more willing to accept euthanasia.
If you have any doubts a vet will give the best opinion. Go off his/her opinion and nobody can say you made the wrong call.
i have put dogs to sleep. My 1 old boy developed cancer at 14, we put him down. His girlfriend died 2 days later when she saw he did not come home.
Do what you feel is right for you and your pet. (it’s not murder!)
I have a cartoon of a man approaching St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. In the cartoon, a dog is bounding towards the man.
St. Peter is saying something to the man along the lines of “So, you’re little Bobby? Rex here hasn’t stopped talking about you for the last 60 years or so!”
FWIW, I think they will be waiting for you.
If he is that far gone I would euthanize as he is not happy and I don’t think that’s how you want to remember him. Our almost 15 year old maltese mix is partially deaf and has canine cognitive disorder and sundowner syndrome. Early stages. After sleeping in a crate all his life he can’t stand to be in a crate anymore, was anxious in the dark, and had his sleep wake cycles reversed. He also was looking confused and just out of it. All that gave him anxiety. He has been on selegiline for a month now and there is major improvement. Awake during the day, more eye contact, seems more with it, plays with his toys and is his old self. We are letting him sleep on the couch on a blanket. He is happy there and sleeps all night and some extra in the early evening. He’s not in pain and has no other issues. If he winds up in pain or cannot control his bodily functions I’ll be dialing the vet. The med for this doggie dementia is pricey through a vet but 1/3 the cost online with a vets prescription that the vet was happy to authorize. It has made a big difference. Good luck with your decision.
I am so sorry for what you are facing. We have had to make this decision several times for our cats, and it never gets easier. In your heart you know when their daily life has deteriorated to becoming a burden of pain, confusion, or incapacity. All lives end. You can’t make Rover young or well again. By choosing to end your pet’s life a little earlier you may spare him considerable suffering in those final weeks or days.
We had a cat who was often incontinent and my wife wanted to put her down. I objected on the grounds that it would establish a precedent. I'm probably just being paranoid..?
I thought this was metaphor for the Mars lander until about 3/4 of the way in. My opinion is that a dog is a dog. But to euthanize a dog doesnt’ seem right if we’re pro-life in every other regard. I let our dog die a natural death when it got old and blind. Came home from church one day and she was dead on the back porch. Good lesson for the kids about the aging process and illness.
Is he suffering?
We just put our sweet girl down, she had Lymphoma, it was heartbreaking. Once she got to the point of really having problems getting up, lying on the floor all the time and breathing difficulties. It was time. We both think of her constantly. I think of the Will Rogers quote. “If there are no dogs in heaven, when I die I want to go where they went.” So true. Sorry about your pet. Ask your vet for advice.
It's your dog, it's your choice, the dog and the neighbors get no vote.
I put my own animals down rather than 'have them put to sleep'.
I go in the woods with a shovel, fresh ground meat, the dog and a pistol.
I feed the dog, bury the corpse, shed a tear, say a prayer and leave the woods.
I left out a step, it is too much of a trigger for snowflakes.
Case closed, no one else gets to vote, the key phrase is, "It is my dog".
That’s a shame. Sorry to hear it.
I had to make this decision this past May when I lost my Teddy. He was 14, suffering glaucoma (though managed well) and suddenly went into Kidney failure.
The Veterinarian saw my grief at the prospect of losing Teddy and suggested he could "go another 45-60 days on medication to manage his pain."
Teddy gave me so many good years, how could I be so selfish to make him go a few more days do avoid the inevitable? What kind of master would I be to him?! I couldn't do it. I had to love him enough to let him go.
At that point I made the necessary arrangements to do what was necessary. I took Teddy for a car ride, his favorite thing to do. He wouldn't even sit up to put his head out the window as he always did. He laid on the seat, nose up in the air as I had the windows down for him, and took in his last ride. I cried the entire time, me a (then) 55 year old man saying goodbye to his best friend.
We stopped to get something to eat together, and then I took him back to the Vet to ease his pain.
I laid there with him as the Vet put in the first, then second drugs that would send Teddy to the Rainbow Bridge. Once it was over, I spent some time with him continuing to pet him and tell him how much I loved him and would miss him.
His bed is still where it was that day. His ashes are on my fireplace mantle along with his picture, collar and leash. I miss him every day.
They're FAMILY. Unfortunately, we outlive them and we're the ones who have to make the decision for them. God gave us dominion over all the earth and with that comes the very responsibility we have for our canine companions.
That's how I see it and I hope this helps you.
The more you discuss it among your family and close friends, the more armchair opinions you’ll get. Meanwhile, the dog has a poor quality of life, one worsening by the day. I say you should stop discussing it and just go through with the final procedure. Just assume that some will not like it.
They aren’t even the primary caregivers. If they are that dedicated, perhaps they want to adopt him in this condition.
I’ve had to do it before. It is gut wrenching. Oh, yes, it is. But it’s something that must logically be done.
Forgotten where I found this...a long time ago-
-The Last Battle
If it should be that I grow weak,
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.
You will be sad, I understand;
Don’t let your grief then stay your hand.
For this day more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.
We’ve had so many happy years -
What is to come can hold no fears.
You’d not want me to suffer so;
The time has come, so let me go.
Take me where my needs they’ll tend
And please stay with me until the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I’ve been saved.
Please do not grieve - it must be you
Who had this painful thing to do.
We’ve been so close, we two, these years -
Don’t let your heart hold back its tears.
If your vet thinks that your dog should be gently eased out of this apparently miserable parody of life, then I would HIGHLY suggest you have him come out to your house and do it there, in the dog's familiar surroundings, surrounded by his beloved people. I've done that with the last few cats, sparing them the trauma of car rides they knew either ended up at the vet or the groomer.
It's a heartbreaking situation, one I don't envy you. I wish you strength and wisdom to do whatever the right thing is.
“When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
But … you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.”
CS, you are right and I still miss pets that I had to put down decades ago.
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