Discussion
A subject close to our hearts I guess as pet owners.
Our Jack Russell is 14 . His mother (also ours) had a litter of six, she passed at 14. I've just been contacted by the owner of one her litter, likewise she passed recently..at 14. Our best friend owns another of the litter and she's knocking on heavens door big time, deaf blind the lot.
Well sadly our little terrier suffered two major fits a few weeks back when we were away. He kind of went downhill a few weeks earlier. He went to the emergency vet and was prescribed steroids and epilepsy tablets, his bloods came back normal.
They wanted to do an MRI on his skull as think its a brain tumour, more bloods and I guess we all know about the costs. It's like tugging on your heart strings whilst simultaneously draining your bank account. We refused.
He's basically lost the plot but can still manage a walk and bark at the postman. He can still hoik through the dog flap and still do his jobs in the garden. More tellingly his tail is constantly down, he just looks beaten but we've no idea how much is down to the drugs needless to say the lights are on and he's not really there. We've reduced the meds to the minimum but no real change.
We're tempted to just use up the meds in the next few days and let nature takes its course rather than keeping him going in some kind of spaced out state.
Any thoughts? I think my wife is in agreement but you know how it is, mixed emotions.
Our Jack Russell is 14 . His mother (also ours) had a litter of six, she passed at 14. I've just been contacted by the owner of one her litter, likewise she passed recently..at 14. Our best friend owns another of the litter and she's knocking on heavens door big time, deaf blind the lot.
Well sadly our little terrier suffered two major fits a few weeks back when we were away. He kind of went downhill a few weeks earlier. He went to the emergency vet and was prescribed steroids and epilepsy tablets, his bloods came back normal.
They wanted to do an MRI on his skull as think its a brain tumour, more bloods and I guess we all know about the costs. It's like tugging on your heart strings whilst simultaneously draining your bank account. We refused.
He's basically lost the plot but can still manage a walk and bark at the postman. He can still hoik through the dog flap and still do his jobs in the garden. More tellingly his tail is constantly down, he just looks beaten but we've no idea how much is down to the drugs needless to say the lights are on and he's not really there. We've reduced the meds to the minimum but no real change.
We're tempted to just use up the meds in the next few days and let nature takes its course rather than keeping him going in some kind of spaced out state.
Any thoughts? I think my wife is in agreement but you know how it is, mixed emotions.
Sounds like he should be put down
It's never easy when it gets to this point, but if the drugs are just turning him into a zombie and you have a risk of fits if he comes off, it's time.
Definitely recommend doing it a home and its always better slightly too early than too late. I'd look at booking in a time in a week or so and giving him his 'best week'. it's what we did with our cat and don't regret it.
It's never easy when it gets to this point, but if the drugs are just turning him into a zombie and you have a risk of fits if he comes off, it's time.
Definitely recommend doing it a home and its always better slightly too early than too late. I'd look at booking in a time in a week or so and giving him his 'best week'. it's what we did with our cat and don't regret it.
It’s our responsibility to take responsibility for their wellbeing.
If the time has come, you know what needs to be done. Listening to vets is probably the worst thing to do at this point in the dogs life unfortunately. They can’t be trusted to think of the dog above profits. That’s down to you.
If the time has come, you know what needs to be done. Listening to vets is probably the worst thing to do at this point in the dogs life unfortunately. They can’t be trusted to think of the dog above profits. That’s down to you.
I had my dog PTS in June. 9th June. She would have been 17 last week. She was 8 weeks when I got her.
It's tough but the right thing to do.
Skye went to the vet's in the boot of the car, she loved travelling in the car. The vet told me to reverse to the back and he took care of the old girl in the boot.
No stress, no drama, a kind way to go.
I was in bits. Took her home and buried her in the garden.
She went downhill quickly. Head trembling and losing balance, a few days of being sick.
I knew it was time and you do/will know too.
She even came over and nudged me with her nose a few mins before I took her to the vets.
It broke my heart.
It still does.
Good luck.
It's tough but the right thing to do.
Skye went to the vet's in the boot of the car, she loved travelling in the car. The vet told me to reverse to the back and he took care of the old girl in the boot.
No stress, no drama, a kind way to go.
I was in bits. Took her home and buried her in the garden.
She went downhill quickly. Head trembling and losing balance, a few days of being sick.
I knew it was time and you do/will know too.
She even came over and nudged me with her nose a few mins before I took her to the vets.
It broke my heart.
It still does.
Good luck.
We had a hellish time losing 3 in the space of 8 months.
If only there was a pint of hindsight handy when you need one, in all 3 cases looking back we wished we'd have taken the decision none of us wants to make a few days or in one case a couple of weeks earlier.
You can only make that choice with what you see in front of you.
If only there was a pint of hindsight handy when you need one, in all 3 cases looking back we wished we'd have taken the decision none of us wants to make a few days or in one case a couple of weeks earlier.
You can only make that choice with what you see in front of you.
moorx said:
I would agree with others. It is horrible to make that decision but we do owe it to them to prevent them from suffering.
Better a week too early than a day too late.
My thoughts are with you x
This sums it up (but is heart-breaking)
This always makes me well up, and I don’t really wellBetter a week too early than a day too late.
My thoughts are with you x
This sums it up (but is heart-breaking)
Edited by moorx on Tuesday 29th September 19:34
up about anything at all.
OP. Hope you’re ok.
My 12 year old rescue cat was ok until the weekend. He's suddenly lost all energy & appetite.
He is peacefully asleep on the sofa & I think he may well be gone by the morning.
It's absolutely horrible basically watching him die, but I honestly think that this is better than getting a vet to prolong his life by a few days/weeks - the stress he would experience just from taking him in the car just doesn't seem right.
He doesn't appear to be in any pain & is comfortable. It's almost as if he knows that the end is nigh.....
He is peacefully asleep on the sofa & I think he may well be gone by the morning.
It's absolutely horrible basically watching him die, but I honestly think that this is better than getting a vet to prolong his life by a few days/weeks - the stress he would experience just from taking him in the car just doesn't seem right.
He doesn't appear to be in any pain & is comfortable. It's almost as if he knows that the end is nigh.....
Biker 1 said:
My 12 year old rescue cat was ok until the weekend. He's suddenly lost all energy & appetite.
He is peacefully asleep on the sofa & I think he may well be gone by the morning.
It's absolutely horrible basically watching him die, but I honestly think that this is better than getting a vet to prolong his life by a few days/weeks - the stress he would experience just from taking him in the car just doesn't seem right.
He doesn't appear to be in any pain & is comfortable. It's almost as if he knows that the end is nigh.....
Sorry to hear that. My sympathies He is peacefully asleep on the sofa & I think he may well be gone by the morning.
It's absolutely horrible basically watching him die, but I honestly think that this is better than getting a vet to prolong his life by a few days/weeks - the stress he would experience just from taking him in the car just doesn't seem right.
He doesn't appear to be in any pain & is comfortable. It's almost as if he knows that the end is nigh.....
Biker 1 said:
My 12 year old rescue cat was ok until the weekend. He's suddenly lost all energy & appetite.
He is peacefully asleep on the sofa & I think he may well be gone by the morning.
It's absolutely horrible basically watching him die, but I honestly think that this is better than getting a vet to prolong his life by a few days/weeks - the stress he would experience just from taking him in the car just doesn't seem right.
He doesn't appear to be in any pain & is comfortable. It's almost as if he knows that the end is nigh.....
How is he this morning.He is peacefully asleep on the sofa & I think he may well be gone by the morning.
It's absolutely horrible basically watching him die, but I honestly think that this is better than getting a vet to prolong his life by a few days/weeks - the stress he would experience just from taking him in the car just doesn't seem right.
He doesn't appear to be in any pain & is comfortable. It's almost as if he knows that the end is nigh.....
We recently had to put down our old collie and the vet came to the house to do it.
I cannot recommend this too highly
garythesign said:
How is he this morning.
We recently had to put down our old collie and the vet came to the house to do it.
I cannot recommend this too highly
He's actually perked up considerably - I was 100% convinced he would not last the night! No idea what happened but.We recently had to put down our old collie and the vet came to the house to do it.
I cannot recommend this too highly
I also have a work colleague who had a vet visit his house & put his dog to sleep - far better than the stress of the car journey.
Alternative to home visit, our dogs loved being in the car, our vet is happy to come out to the rear (staff) entrance and do the business in the boot of our estate car whilst we comforted them, 2 were PTS like that, sadly the last one to go suddenly deteriorated in the middle of the night so it was the emergency vet in their surgery who it must be said were very kind.
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