when to call it a day with our beloved pooch ?

whatamess_2

Having just read this thread felt that I must respond.

I had my devoted greyhound pts last friday, she was 12yrs with bad teeth creaky hips, going deaf, dodgy ticker, failing kidneys and becoming dirty in the house.

I could have prolonged her life with dental work, tablets etc, but the time had come.

She was retired from the race track at 2yrs so she had been given 10 years of a good life and had given me 10 years of devotion.

She hated the vets but i went in with her and held her, it was painless for her and she had a dignified end.

You will know in your heart when the times right, I did.

shykins

thankyou for this thread its a something i am going thru myself at the moment so i can really sympathise with how hard it is

my german shepherd is over 13yrs old and is all but deaf and blind, he has a little incontinence as well but i can cope with that.. the thing is in the last 2 weeks he has started wavering or collapsing on his back legs and it tears me everytime i see it happen.. he has also started to look old now

he likes his walks but cant go far and sleeps much of the day.. i always said i would never let him suffer but its hard to decide whether he is or isnt..

like u i dont want to do it too early but then i dont want to feel i did it too soon either.. i do hope u are all right and i will know when the time is right cos its really hard

sorry wasnt tryin to jack your thread its just reading this has really made me think again aboutit all
x

balmaiden

Shykins,
My dog went "off" her legs 3 months ago that was the begining of her problems really.We called the vet he gave her an injection of steroids and she is on medication, but apart from being stiff she has no problems that way at the moment.
Dont know if you have seen a vet but you never know,sometimes things can be done.

shykins

balmaiden thank u yes he has been to the vet and is on steroids and has been for over a year not...but if we increase his dosage altho it eases it, its actually worse cos he jumps around like a puppy and hurts himself

problem is hes 13 and thats VERY old for a GSD

its hard isnt it u dont want to wait til they are suffering but on the other hand udont want to deprive them off enjoyable life either

<sigh>

momisa

I feel compelled to add something although I have cats.

My eldest, just turned 15 has been with me for 7 years. On my first visit to the vets I was gently advised not to get attached to her as she was terribly underweight from the neglect she had suffered. I am now in a position where I feel I have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with my cats as I feel I may love them too much

However, around 4 years ago she was diagnosed with a heart murmur and there was no way of knowing how long she would be around. There are times when I think it's her time to go and I've called the vets many times in tears over this. My vet, as others have suggested, is comfortable with me requesting the final injection.

On that note, I just wanted to point out that my eldest is always stressed when taken anywhere in the car but is always on a high when we leave the vets :rotfl: Based on this I asked my vet sometime ago about the possibility of visiting me for the final deed so that my eldest would at least be comfortable in her own home and my other cats would have a better idea as to what's happened too. It would obviously cost more but it may be something you want to consider.

All the best

summerday

Gosh, a real lump in my throat and tears in the eyes after reading all these sad posts.

My Mums labrador is 15 and has been a real part of the family. He has arthritis, is doubly incontinent and can barely hear. Yet none of us feel the time is right to have him pts. Sure, his quality of life has decreased and will do so further, but we feel that he still enjoys life, he is restricted to the kitchen and sleeps a lot, can't go on walks but goes into the garden and still wags his tail like a mad thing when my mother comes home. Whoever said you will know in your heart when the time is right, I agree. When he seems to be in pain a lot, or is unable ton walk, or never seems happy, that will be the time. But he really has been such a special part of the family that it is not yet time despite the constant cleaning up.

You will know in your heart when the time is right for your dog OP.

foreign_correspondent

I think its a very difficult decision. I had to take my dog to be put to sleep when I was about 18, it was very sad, but it was the best thing to do, he was getting very ill.
Since then I have had a little rescued terrier x corgi type mongrel, who was lovely and very bright. She developed diabetes last year, at a good age (probably 14 or 15) but was still very sprightly and lively! She was on treatment for it, but whilst they were trying to get the dosage right she had a spate of incontinence, caused by the diabetes, and related urinary tract infections.
Luckily she recovered from this but sadly went on to die unexpectedly in her sleep a few weeks ago.
However, when she was incontinent it was very distressing to see- it would come upon her very frequently and without warning, and she would desperately try and alert someone to let her out (even going upstairs and waking people at night, even though she new upstairs was out of bounds, and never went there otherwise) but very often she would start to pee before she could let us know, or before she could get to the door.
The poor little thing was so upset by it - she had been a good clean dog, and looked so distressed and guilty about it all, despite us all trying to reassure her. She had learnt peeing in the house was wrong and was distressed that she couldnt 'behave' for us. She would be running desperately for the door and peeing at the same time, and afterwards would look miserable.
If her incontinence had carried on like this I would have had to seriously consider having her put to sleep as it was causing her too much stress and anxiety. She was obviously confused about not being able to control herself in this way.
Sometimes putting a dog to sleep can be the final act of kindness - at least you can pretty much control the circumstances and allow the dog to have a peaceful comfortable death. There is no need to feel guilty about it, in my opinion it is the best thing we can do for our lovley old dogs - preventing them from suffering.
Yes, we dont do it to humans, but to be honest when my time comes, if I had the choice I would be tempted, compared to some of the alternatives!

balmaiden

Momisa,

thanks for the post, we always have the vet to visit us at home now, the old girl cant get into a car.
Any animal we have had put to sleep has always been "done" at home I would rather not eat for a month rather than drag them to the vets for their last send off. we have even aranged for her to be cremated as my O/h is not able now to see to her resting place as he has with all our other cats,dogs,hamsters,gerbils,fish!!!

Foreign corespondent,

Thanks for the post, My dog is slightly different with her problem,she is constantly dribbling urine and is really not aware of it she has no sudden urge to go to the loo, so fortunately she is not stressed by it. Although she does bark for me to change her blanket in the night if it is wet but she seems unaware or unconcerned that she is the culprit!!

After this somewhat depressing post a footnote to say the dog is sitting in the garden at the moment enjoying the sun and watching (through her cataracts) the world go by.On days such as this the final decision seems a million miles away, but tomorrow who knows?

tigs78

Sorry to hear what you and your dog are going through. I went through a similar thing two months ago and had to make the decision to let my beloved cat go. She was 19 and I'd had her since she was a kitten, she had various medical conditions for the last 4 or 5 years of her life that meant daily tablets and monthly injections. Many people may have decided to have their animal put to sleep months or years before if they were in the same situation but I owed it to my little girl to keep fighting for her all the while that she was enjoying life. When the time came I had to put her feelings over mine and I just knew that she couldn't fight anymore.

The Greatest Gift

I always knew this time would come,
From the very instant our eyes first met.
How I loved you then! How I love you now!
I made a promise then, and I will keep that promise now...
You will not suffer from a pain that will not heal;
You will not know the loss of a life remembered, now gone.

It is for me alone to make this decision,
The price for the bright joy and pure laughter
You brought me during the time we shared.
I am the only one who can decide when it is time.
When my hope dies, and my fear rides high,
Just when I need you most, I must let you go.

It is for you alone to tell me when you are ready
For without your guidance, I will not know
When to lay my grief, my guilt, my anger
My sorrow and my selfish heart aside
And give you this last gift, this greatest gift.
Your eyes will speak to mine, and I will know.

The pain of this moment is excruciating.
Tears stream down my face in a river of sorrow.
And my heart drowns in a pool of grief.
For you have spoken and I have listened,
And unlike other decisions I have made
This one brings no relief...no comfort...no peace.

For if there´s one thing you´ve taught me,
If there´s only one thing I´ve learned...
Unconditional love has a condition after all,
I must be willing to let you go, when you speak to me
I must be willing to help you go, if you cannot go alone.
And I must accept my pain so you can be free of yours.

Go easily now, go quickly now,
Do not linger here, it is time for you to leave.
Go find your strength, go find your youth.
Go find the ones who've gone before you.
You are free to leave me now, free to let your spirit soar
Rest easy now, your pain will soon be gone.

I pray I will find comfort in my memories...
In the dark and lonely days ahead.
I cannot say I will not miss you, I cannot say I will not cry.
For only my tears can heal my broken heart.
But, I promise you this; as long as I live,
You will live, alive in my mind, forever in my heart.

So I give you this last gift, all I have left to give,
And this will be my greatest gift...sending you away.
It is the measure of my unconditional love...
For only the greatest love can say,
"Good-bye, go find the bridge, we'll meet again,
Loving you has been the greatest gift of all."

shykins

balmaiden my old boy was sat in the sun yesterday too .. usually he gets better in the summer cos of the warmth on his bones i guess but this year he isnt... my ex husband came round and he said looks like its his time soon so i guess kind of confirming what i was thinking

gosh its hard isnt it... i do hope everyone of us in the same situation has the strength to do the right thing at the right time

funny enough my boy loves going to the vets.. weird isnt it so i guess thats where it will happen .. i wish we could cremate him ourselves like we have other pets but hes just too big so i spose the vets will deal with it ..dont really know what the procedure is or how much it costs anyone got any advice? (hope thats not thread stealing from the OP sorry if it is i will start a new thread)

xx