Having to put my dog down

[955i]

This is really hard to write, but it looks like I may have to have my dog put to sleep next week.

 

He has a heart murmur that is causing stroke episodes due to clots being pushed into his brain.

 

Over the past two days he has started loosing control of his back legs when walking and can no longer get ito the car, something he was doing fine last week.

 

As a last ditch try I took him to the vets today and got some new tablets to try and stem the issue, but watching him I really don't think they are going to help.

 

I have had Jasper for 15 years and he has been a faithful ecology dog accompanying me on site (and I have even convinced people that I have him trained to find butterflies ).

 

This is going to be the hardest decision I have ever had to make, but I can't see its fair to keep him when his quality of life is so much less than it should be.

[steve_b_wales]

Have a read of this. I hope it gives you some comfort.

 

If it should be that I grow frail and weak

And pain should keep me from my sleep,

Then will you do what must be done,

For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.

You will be sad I understand,

But don't let grief then stay your hand,

For on this day, more than the rest,

Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,

You wouldn't want me to suffer so.

When the time comes, please, let me go.

Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,

Only, stay with me till the end

And hold me firm and speak to me

Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree

It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved,

From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don't grieve that it must be you

Who has to decide this thing to do;

We've been so close -- we two -- these years,

Don't let your heart hold any tears.

 

 

Steve.

[Guest]

Hang in there must be a hard decision to make

[Sprackles]

My sympathies mate. Last year my 17 year old Jack Russell went the same way. He was happy enough but could barely walk until 1 day he seemed to have had a stroke. His face changed and he just wasn't there anymore.

Took him to the vet and that was it. Once it was over the vet felt around and said he had a large tumor in his stomach.

I was heartbroken but the final act of love and kindness I could show him was to not let him suffer.

Still miss him but know I did right by him at the end.

[Ricko]

I had my dog put down in 2001, I have a picture of him next to my bed, I will never have another dog like that again, it is probably more heart wrenching to have a faithful dog put to sleep than anything else.

I cried more when Trigger was put down than when; my best mate died, when my nan died, when i got divorced (woo hoo), than when Frank Sinitra was shot by the Nazis in Von Ryans Express.

If the old lad is suffering then you know what needs to be done.

[mfletch]

Its so hard and just reading the post takes me back to when I had to do the same.

 

Its like loosing a member of the family

 

I never had another dog afterwards I cant go through that again.

[Imperfection]

Having a pet put to sleep is the ultimate act of respect for a faithful friend in my opinion.You're allowing them to slip away peacefully and without pain which is sometimes better than what we humans ever get.Very hard and like loosing a family member,but you've given them a fantastic life and thats what you should always remember.

[DSPUK]

I am a cat man rather than a dog man but I feel your pain - I lost two in a year and cried like you have never seen - both 18 - dog -cat it's the same - the Vet kept saying try this try that but in end you know you should have done it a long time ago - it's 4 yrs now and I have tears running down my face as I write this - we have another cat although I said I wouldn't have another - but I hope next time I think of the cat's feelings not mine. - I am not saying it get's easier with time but you will remember the good times were longer than bad times.

 

dave

[ordnance]

Sorry to here about the decision you have to make. We had to get our 5 year old jack Russel put down last week because of kidney failure. Its a very hard thing to have to do even if its the right thing. It was a very sad house last week, i give it to my girl friend as birthday present she loved the dog and we are still cut up about it.

 

I am sure you will do whats right for the dog.

 

Peter.

Edited October 15, 2011 by ordnance

[oscarsdad]

I am sorry to hear that mate, a very upsetting time bit sound like it is the best thing for him.

 

All the best

 

Anthony

[Thelongwayup]

If he is ill in a way which can't be put right then you are making the right decision. Lost two of ours in the last few years. First one, my best mate was ill and we had him on tablets and injections which gave him another week with us. However, he went downhill very quickly and couldn't eat or drink. Just cried as he laid down for the last time. I spent an hour by his side whilst we waited for the vets to come to the house as he yelped when we tried to pick him up to put him in the car. I really regret not doing the right thing by him and letting him go when we should have done the week before. We tried to keep him going in the hope he would recover. Deep down I think we knew he wouldn't and were selfish in pushing him on that extra week.

 

Our second one started to struggle to stand up one day. We knew he was old and had started to lose weight for the last year. He got a bit unsteady on his feet at times but was always relatively active. When he struggled to stand that day though and lost his appetite which was odd in itself we knew it was time to make that call. We don't regret taking him that day and was at his side and stroking him when the vet closed his eyes for the last time. It was very peaceful almost like he fell asleep.

 

Only you and the vets know what has to be done and I don't envy anybody who makes that call. It's a hard one but necessary.

 

You have my sympathies 955i.

[955i]

If he is ill in a way which can't be put right then you are making the right decision. Lost two of ours in the last few years. First one, my best mate was ill and we had him on tablets and injections which gave him another week with us. However, he went downhill very quickly and couldn't eat or drink. Just cried as he laid down for the last time. I spent an hour by his side whilst we waited for the vets to come to the house as he yelped when we tried to pick him up to put him in the car. I really regret not doing the right thing by him and letting him go when we should have done the week before. We tried to keep him going in the hope he would recover. Deep down I think we knew he wouldn't and were selfish in pushing him on that extra week.

 

Our second one started to struggle to stand up one day. We knew he was old and had started to lose weight for the last year. He got a bit unsteady on his feet at times but was always relatively active. When he struggled to stand that day though and lost his appetite which was odd in itself we knew it was time to make that call. We don't regret taking him that day and was at his side and stroking him when the vet closed his eyes for the last time. It was very peaceful almost like he fell asleep.

 

Only you and the vets know what has to be done and I don't envy anybody who makes that call. It's a hard one but necessary.

 

You have my sympathies 955i.

 

Problem is the vets don't know what to do apart from try to part me with my cash!!

 

Talking about heart scans at £250 a go when we already know he has a heart problem. These people have a licence to print money at the expense of others heartache.

[Boromir]

Mate if you do make the decision be there with him to the end, its something I never had the chance to do as he was hit by a car or lorry, I keep thinking to myself if he was left dying in pain on the edge of the road or if he died strait away. Point Im trying to make is I would rather see them go out happy looking at his best friend and owner that is comforting him. Than him having an agonising painful wait to move onto a better place.

[Muggins.]

Having a pet put to sleep is the ultimate act of respect for a faithful friend in my opinion.You're allowing them to slip away peacefully and without pain which is sometimes better than what we humans ever get.Very hard and like loosing a family member,but you've given them a fantastic life and thats what you should always remember.

Spot on............ couldn`t have worded it better.

I`ve done it three times, none was easier than the last but if we have these companions we know full well the end has to come.........sometime.

Edited October 15, 2011 by Muggins.

[mikky]

sad news....had my dog 17 years,in the end i took her to the vets,held her in my arms while they put her to sleep... i cried non stop for three days,that was 10 years ago and i still miss her

 

mikky

[unapalomablanca]

Put him down asap. Have a spell without a dog then get yourself the same breed. You wont forget the one that died but human nature distinguishes between the death of an animal and a human. It was just a dog and the next one will prove that as you will love him just like the one that died. As for the vets they are tossers that overcharge knowing you will cough up, i knew someone that paid a grand and the dog snuffed it 4 days later despite their expert advice!!!

[tigger]

Sorry to hear that buddy it rips your heart out but it does get easier i have never cried so much when it happened but it has to be done, Make sure you take him out for one last time take some photos of the pair of you together and put them up around the house and you will always remember him it is really nice to look at them especially if im feeling a little low he always pirks me up again stay strong ATB :good:

[magman]

15 years is a good age

Been there done that and i wouldn't change a thing you will never have another like it or the next they all have there own personality

[Dirty Harry]

I put one of mine down last year because of a heart murmur. It got to the stage where when he got excited he just colapsed. A few minutes later he was up again but a bit confused. It was the only thing that could be done and if we had kept him alive it would have been for selfish reasons.

I cried like a baby but it was right thing to do.

 

You know what has to be done.

 

Harry

[aldivalloch]

Our old dog took ill at midnight last Wednesday. She'd been relatively fine up till then - pretty good for a 16-year-old, in fact, still able to go little walks and scrounge at meal-times. But I heard a dreadful clattering from the kitchen and when I went in she was having a fit in her bed. She came round, but spent the next two hours pacing up and down in a highly agitated fashion - she must have walked miles round the room, aimlessly bumping into doors, cooker and washing machine, and there was nothing I could do that would calm her.

 

Two further massive fits followed in close succession, leaving her semi-conscious, so at 4.15 am my wife rang the out-of-hours vet service. Two vets were in the house within 15 minutes. They did a quick summation of the situation and we agreed there was no chance of recovery, so they did what needed to be done, reassured us that it was absolutely the right thing, and told us that their bill could easily wait until we felt up to coming in to pay it.

 

I got up early on Thursday morning and buried her in a corner of the garden, next to her sworn enemy the cat.

 

And on Friday we received a hand-written card from the vet practice offering their sympathies for our loss.

 

So I know how you feel, 955i, but there comes a time when you have to do the right thing, no matter how tough it is.

 

As for those posters who, let's say, don't have complete confidence in the motives of their vets, well, don't tar the whole profession with the same brush. Read my post again - two vets in the house within 15 minutes of a call, at half-past-four in the morning, sympathetic, supportive and happy to discuss their diagnosis and recommendation.

 

And no, it didn't cost an arm and a leg - the total bill came to £70.

 

I'm intending to have another dog when the time's right. She won't ever replace the last one, who was as fine an animal as we could ever have hoped for, intelligent and utterly trustworthy.

 

She was to all intents and purposes a rescue dog, as she came from a "home" that had no interest in her comfort, health or welfare, and I'm sure she would have had an early death due to neglect if we hadn't taken her.

 

Sadly, there are still many dogs in the same position, needing a caring home, so we'll look for one of them.

[Pheasant Feeder]

Had to make the decission in late March this year, hardest bit was she was still as bright as a button but her back end had gone. Spent over a grand on an operation that she never fully recovered from then the other side went. We again had a talk with the Vet and the tablets were changed, his advice - which I think was good advice was 'see if there is any improvement but agree a timescale, and if there is no improvement by then accept the inevitable.'

When she needed a helping hand to get up the back step and was struggling to pee we made the decission.

 

Booked her into the Vet's and stroked her head till he confirmed she had passed on. Terrible time but I'll do it again for all the reasons given by others already. It is the ultimate emmotional price we have to pay for the years of service they give us unconditionally.

 

I'm very much a pragmatist and believe that if we had not domesticated dogs, then most would live much shorter and harder lives in a world where they have to fend for themselves. But due to our actions they live longer more comfortable lives and ultimately, when they can go on no more, it is also our actions that have to help their passing.

 

Be strong for your friend, he's relying on you to do the right thing.

 

ps. I've still got her picture on the inside of my locker door at work.

[Outlander]

Sorry to hear this sad story it's avery hard decision to make. we have just had our 19year old cat put to sleep not a decision I wanted to make but it was the best for her.

Outlander.

[kent]

Problem is the vets don't know what to do apart from try to part me with my cash!!

 

Talking about heart scans at £250 a go when we already know he has a heart problem. These people have a licence to print money at the expense of others heartache.

 

I was thinking what a hard desision till i saw his age, you owe it to him- dogs have short memories and live in the today. Its natural for you to want to do the best for him but all the money in the world won't change the fact that he is a sick dog at the end of his days, shame the vet didn't help you make the best choice from the off. They leave a big hole when they go but think of the dog

[Big_Paulie]

Mate, I am so sorry....

 

My Collie is getting old. I can feel the day coming and it makes me ever so sad. He's ok for the minute but he's as deaf as a post and a daft old thing.

 

I really hope people on here and everywhere else will be as thoughtful when his time comes in the next few months.....

 

P

[BenBhoy]

hard hard time mate. nothing anyone can say can really help i'm afraid mate, though steve's poem touched me. i had to have my terrier put down 3 years ago, but i still miss him. was a friend i knew i could always rely on, in terms of work and at home. but as has been said, if you know he's hurting, not able to be the dog you know he should be, then it is certainly the correct decision.

 

try hard to remember the best days and massive cliche but time is the best healer.

 

be thinking of you.