Being present when your pet is PTS
Discussion
johnxjsc1985 said:
cheers all, today reminds me just how important to my everyday life my Dogs are and have been for over 20 years now I don't know what I would do without them
We've only had our rescue spaniel for 4 weeks, couldn't imagine life without him & nothing would make us part with him.At least you're given the choice. We've lost two cats and a dog over the last few years and none have had the luxury of having us there with them. If you can; be there.
Our moggy Duke was a rescue and having developed hyperthyroidism he went in for some checks and the vet decided he felt something lumpy where he shouldn't and thought a small investigation was needed. Duke was about 10. While on the table, the vet found tumours and the decision was made to let him go while under the anaesthetic. There was no one with him, but he wasn't aware.
Our dog Cameron went in for a standard checkover and inoculation. and while having his joints checked for dysplasia etc the vet managed to aggravate a pre-existing injury that he'd probably had from pre-birth. Cameron had a tear in his diaphragm and while being manipulated, organs moved and got stuck. He was KC registered from a long lineage of quality dogs, none of the litter were / are affected so I count this as a freak occurrence. Over the next few hours he was increasing amounts of discomfort that meant an emergency vet call. He died in the car on the way to the vets. He was 8mths old.
We adopted a pair (brothers) of Norwegian Forest Cats after Duke had gone. We also moved to be nearer to schools for the kids. Nearer meant in town as opposed to out of town. We were in the house less than 6mths when Erik went missing on Christmas Day. We searched for about a week all in, when a random call to SSPCA concluded that their Chief Inspector had been on that day and had attended an RTA at which a cat had been euthanized at the road side. Erik was chipped and that information was made available some 10 days after the fact. The Chief Inspector didn't even scan Erik for a chip, and admitted as such. He simply looked after the casualty and took him back to the morgue. I cannot forgive that as we were 250m up the road. I will never support SSPCA because of the way they treated Erik and us as the owners, especially as I didn't even get an apology. Again, no one was there and Erik was 5.
They give to us, so we should give them the ultimate support back. It's what they deserve and I hate not having been there in the situations above.
Our moggy Duke was a rescue and having developed hyperthyroidism he went in for some checks and the vet decided he felt something lumpy where he shouldn't and thought a small investigation was needed. Duke was about 10. While on the table, the vet found tumours and the decision was made to let him go while under the anaesthetic. There was no one with him, but he wasn't aware.
Our dog Cameron went in for a standard checkover and inoculation. and while having his joints checked for dysplasia etc the vet managed to aggravate a pre-existing injury that he'd probably had from pre-birth. Cameron had a tear in his diaphragm and while being manipulated, organs moved and got stuck. He was KC registered from a long lineage of quality dogs, none of the litter were / are affected so I count this as a freak occurrence. Over the next few hours he was increasing amounts of discomfort that meant an emergency vet call. He died in the car on the way to the vets. He was 8mths old.
We adopted a pair (brothers) of Norwegian Forest Cats after Duke had gone. We also moved to be nearer to schools for the kids. Nearer meant in town as opposed to out of town. We were in the house less than 6mths when Erik went missing on Christmas Day. We searched for about a week all in, when a random call to SSPCA concluded that their Chief Inspector had been on that day and had attended an RTA at which a cat had been euthanized at the road side. Erik was chipped and that information was made available some 10 days after the fact. The Chief Inspector didn't even scan Erik for a chip, and admitted as such. He simply looked after the casualty and took him back to the morgue. I cannot forgive that as we were 250m up the road. I will never support SSPCA because of the way they treated Erik and us as the owners, especially as I didn't even get an apology. Again, no one was there and Erik was 5.
They give to us, so we should give them the ultimate support back. It's what they deserve and I hate not having been there in the situations above.
I made that mistake and its haunted me ever since. My beautiful girl needed sedation for a CT scan and the results meant that she needed to be pts. Rather than let her come round and then pts when I arrived I opted to keep her under. It seemed the best option and with hindsight I can't see another solution but not being there has really got to me ever since. Bawled my eyes out either way so makes no difference.
I put Jake to sleep 2 weeks ago. He'd had a reprieve on the initial visit because he was so full of himself but the following night he had fits that lasted over an hour. It was very distressing, yap, yap, yap constantly. It was almost a relief when the end came. My poor old Jake but at 17.5 years of age he's had a good innings.
as pet owners you know if you have done the right thing over your Pets life and they know it too. Sometimes events conspire to prevent us from doing what we would like to do but measure over many years of love and care I don't think people should beat themselves up if the end wasn't perfect. We have had 6 troubled rescue Dogs not one of them went to sleep at home the way we would have liked. I can say without exception none of them suffered and we did everything we could to extend their lives and the quality of it. I was my GSD Izzi'e back legs for about two months I used to have a towel under her back legs and carry her around the Garden to do her business but because she wasn't stressed or unhappy I was glad to do it. I am looking at a white German Shepherd called Roxi who is fast asleep after her meal oblivious to the events this morning they are just so resilient and ask for so little but give so much.
Sadly, I had to have my beloved 13 year old Bosley put to sleep about a fortnight ago, as failing limbs and dementia had finally beaten him. I was so glad (a) that I was present and (b) that the vet came to our house.
It being a sunny day, he spent his last few hours sat on a blanket in the sun, then when the vet arrived, the act itself took only a few moments. As someone above said, you just feel them go limp in your arms; there's no evident distress or discomfort.
I can't say I enjoyed it, but I would not have wanted it to happen without me there to hold him in his last moments.
It being a sunny day, he spent his last few hours sat on a blanket in the sun, then when the vet arrived, the act itself took only a few moments. As someone above said, you just feel them go limp in your arms; there's no evident distress or discomfort.
I can't say I enjoyed it, but I would not have wanted it to happen without me there to hold him in his last moments.
I remember when the family lab was put down. Chocolate lab, called snuff. We'd got her when I was 5, and she died when I just turned 22.
She had an ulcer in her mouth that had made eating virtually impossible - but when the vet looked at her he found that her kidney's were teetering on the edge and an anaesthetic would almost certainly push them over it.
He said he'd come round and do it at our home (he had been her vet since she was a pup, my sister had babysat his daughters so we knew him well).
My last memory is her waddling arthritically round her garden wagging her tail slowly and looking round, straight at me. Tail still going. She was always a happy old thing.
We then joined her on the lawn as a family whilst it was done, and she lay on my fathers lap.
Bawled my eyes out then, and have tears in my eyes as I write this ten years later.
But I wouldn't change a thing about it and I know I would have regretted not being there for her.
She had an ulcer in her mouth that had made eating virtually impossible - but when the vet looked at her he found that her kidney's were teetering on the edge and an anaesthetic would almost certainly push them over it.
He said he'd come round and do it at our home (he had been her vet since she was a pup, my sister had babysat his daughters so we knew him well).
My last memory is her waddling arthritically round her garden wagging her tail slowly and looking round, straight at me. Tail still going. She was always a happy old thing.
We then joined her on the lawn as a family whilst it was done, and she lay on my fathers lap.
Bawled my eyes out then, and have tears in my eyes as I write this ten years later.
But I wouldn't change a thing about it and I know I would have regretted not being there for her.
I was present yesterday afternoon when my old horse (30 years old) was put to sleep. Quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever had to do to date but I wouldn't have left her on her own at all. She had given me 11 years of happiness and owed me absolutely nothing so of course I was going to be with her at the end no matter how difficult it was for me.
Doesn't process in my mind pet owners who choose not to be there. Selfish IMO
Doesn't process in my mind pet owners who choose not to be there. Selfish IMO
Emmapuma said:
I was present yesterday afternoon when my old horse (30 years old) was put to sleep. Quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever had to do to date but I wouldn't have left her on her own at all. She had given me 11 years of happiness and owed me absolutely nothing so of course I was going to be with her at the end no matter how difficult it was for me.
Doesn't process in my mind pet owners who choose not to be there. Selfish IMO
My friends who came to the end of their lives did so with my arms wrapped around them, quietly talking in their ears about all our wonderful times together. I wanted them to be calm and at ease and they where and as hard and so difficult it was for me I would never allow my own grief to transfer to them. I have never had a doubt that the time was right for each of them and I could never see a situation where I wouldn't be present for their last moments I considered it a privilege to be so close to them. The moments after are just so awfulDoesn't process in my mind pet owners who choose not to be there. Selfish IMO
[quote=Emmapuma
Doesn't process in my mind pet owners who choose not to be there. Selfish IMO
[/quote]
That's harsh. Some people simply can't cope with the upset. Me, I've always been there. Others in the family couldn't cope with it. The last thing a pet needs in it's last minutes are people grieving and getting upset before the event.
Doesn't process in my mind pet owners who choose not to be there. Selfish IMO
[/quote]
That's harsh. Some people simply can't cope with the upset. Me, I've always been there. Others in the family couldn't cope with it. The last thing a pet needs in it's last minutes are people grieving and getting upset before the event.
Our 11 year old Weimaraner, Kasey fell ill at the start of last week. Typically she perked up when I booked an appointment at the vets who thought she might have Cushings disease. She was due back last Friday for more tests but on Thursday night really took a turn for the worst.
My wife and I agreed we needed to call the emergency vets as we were that worried. It turned out that Kasey had fluid on her heart and tumours in her spleen and heart. The two vets (another one came in to help) drained the fluid off Kasey's heart without sedating her as they weren't sure she'd survive the sedation. When they found the tumours their expressions changed and the seriousness of situation quickly became apparent.
After an honest discussion about what to do, she went to sleep for the last time in my arms just after midnight last Thursday. The vets thought she might only have a couple of days left, after 11 wonderful years I didn't want her final days dictated by pain & suffering and selfishness on our part. It was the very least I could do to make sure I was with her for her final moments.
She has left a massive whole in our lives and the house just feels empty. Telling my five year old son on Friday was awful. However the wonderful tales people have since recanted about things Kasey did when they came to visit us really helped us over the weekend.
My wife and I agreed we needed to call the emergency vets as we were that worried. It turned out that Kasey had fluid on her heart and tumours in her spleen and heart. The two vets (another one came in to help) drained the fluid off Kasey's heart without sedating her as they weren't sure she'd survive the sedation. When they found the tumours their expressions changed and the seriousness of situation quickly became apparent.
After an honest discussion about what to do, she went to sleep for the last time in my arms just after midnight last Thursday. The vets thought she might only have a couple of days left, after 11 wonderful years I didn't want her final days dictated by pain & suffering and selfishness on our part. It was the very least I could do to make sure I was with her for her final moments.
She has left a massive whole in our lives and the house just feels empty. Telling my five year old son on Friday was awful. However the wonderful tales people have since recanted about things Kasey did when they came to visit us really helped us over the weekend.
I had my 12 year old cat Geldof PTS over 18 months ago now. She's the B&W one staring at the camera here, taken just over a month before the cancer finally reached the point where I did the kindest thing.
I will never, ever forget that moment in the vets where she went to sleep in my arms. Even now writing this I have tears in my eyes, and whilst I'll never stop regretting making that decision I'll also never stop knowing it was absolutely the right thing to do. So many people on here helped me through that decision, and I can never thank them enough for doing so. Thread here, if you want a read.
I will never, ever forget that moment in the vets where she went to sleep in my arms. Even now writing this I have tears in my eyes, and whilst I'll never stop regretting making that decision I'll also never stop knowing it was absolutely the right thing to do. So many people on here helped me through that decision, and I can never thank them enough for doing so. Thread here, if you want a read.
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