Euthanasia - sedation before euthanasia injection

m33r4

Our little darling Millie Moo developed a lump in her neck (jawline) last September. We watched it for a while but then took her to a vet who assured us not to worry as Chihuahuas were prone to bad teeth which inflamed the gland in that area. A couple of months later the lump got larger and we took her to another vet. Again we were told not to worry about it. In February Millie Moo started to cough as though she was trying to cough out something. We took her back to the vet and this time asked for the lump to be excised, thinking that was causing her pressure in her neck leading to her coughing. When the vet got Millie Moo on the operating table she phoned me and told me it didn't look good. She appeared to have a lesion in her throat and the lump in the neck was suspicious. It was devastating news. I was at work at the time and suddenly went numb and felt a heavy load crushing me down. Over the phone, I calmly asked the vet to remove all she could but the vet refused to touch the lesion in her throat due to high risk of bleeding, informing me that it was not operable. I asked her to remove the neck lump as much as she could as Milie Moo was coming home. Biopsies went sent off that day and a chest X ray that day revealed shadowing on her lungs.

When we collected the Moo from the vet that evening she was groggy with the anaesthetic but was fighting it off trying to keep steady on her little feet. The vet informed us that the shadowing on the lungs did not look good either. 3 days later I got a phone call from the vet to confirm the biopsies came back positive for cancer.:( ... I wasn't going to give up on her so easily. She showed no signs of pain, her appetite was normal, she loved her walks, she raced up and down the stairs without any trouble. I didn't want to even think about euthanasia at the point.

I got Moo referred to a pet hospital in Derby and she had a CT scan to see the extent of the cancer. That evening we were told she had cancer in the throat and lung cancer as well as the lymph node in her neck. I asked if we had any chance of keeping her pain free and prolonging her time with us through chemotherapy. She was put on Metoxicam, codeine and chemo was started. Dogs, unlike humans, are given very low dose chemo so have less harsh side effects.

For the next 2 months, on a 3 weekly basis, we took her for pre-chemo bloods to see if her white cell count was enough for her to undergo chemo. The bloods came normal each time and the next day she would undergo chemo for half an hour. We never left her there but waited for her to have her bloods and chemo done. She only vomitted a little and once 1 day post the chemo session for which she didn't require any anti vomit medication. She never lost any fur either. After chemo she would go on her walk as normal. She had great days but she also had some bad days with her cough. The chemo slowed the disease down but it wasn't a cure. She would cough when laying flat mostly in the nights and I would have to sit her up to relieve the cough. She did very well until her appetite began to fade and she had to be put on appetite stimulant in order to get her interested in any form of food. She was losing weight fast and was almost skin and bones towards the end. As her walks became harder for her and her cough started giving her pain (she would tremble and moan after coughing) we knew that it wouldn't be fair to put her through any more We adored her, she was a piece of our hearts and always will be and we were desparate to keep her in our lives...

The time came for us to call the vet. We wanted her to go from the comfort of her home. When the vet came home I told him that due to the chemo Moo's veins had collapsed, expecting him to find another solution to get a canula in. However he still attempted to get a canula in with Moo in obvious pain and screaming. He then tried to get the canula in the other paw with the same result. I told him to stop as I couldn't put my Moo through this. My hubby gently reminded me that Moo was in pain with her cancer and we were doing the right thing. It was at this point that the vet suggested sedation. He would inject sedation drug into her muscle and once she was in deep sedation he would then euthanise her in the kidney. I wanted reassurance this was pain free and was told yes. The vet injected sedation in Moo's back muscle (not sure why he chose there) but that also hurt her and she tried to bite him. As Moo was heavily sedated and with her crackly breath from her lung cancer, I held her in my arms while the vet injected the blue vaccine in her kidney. I held her and told her I loved her, my hubby and daughter were all with her stroking her head and telling her it was ok, we loved her more than anything and hope she knew that....

It seemed to take a good 5 minutes before my Millie Moo's crackly breath stopped......:( ...We were crying our eyes out while the vet was listening for any signs of life with his stethoscope .....then he told us she had gone

That was and still is too hard for me to think back on. I think about her every day. She was the smallest member of my home but had the biggest love and impact on us all. She gave us unconditional love, was always happy, never had a bad day, never had a bad bone in her, loved and impressed everyone who met her and that's even people who didn't like Chihuahuas and she had the best smile of any dog we have seen:)

We miss her and always will....

The reason for this post is for others who may have a concern about their dog not to always trust what the vet says. Get it investigated ASAP.

Another reason for this post is for others, who sadly have to have their family pet euthanised, to ask about sedation first as canula insertion is a horribly traumatic experience. When the pet is sedated then canula insertion is easily done and the euthanasia can be much more easily administered. I wish I knew about this - I would have saved my Millie Moo from the pain she went through in the final minutes of her short little life.

Letting go of a loved member of your family is never going to be pleasant but I hope this post informs you about a possible option of sedation first.

brovahelpa

i have just read your post with tears in my eyes. It brought back to me when, after 18 months of chemo, I had to hold my girl as she went to the bridge. My heart goes out to you. Your girl left you knowing your love for her and she's now at peace. Give it time to let your pain heal. God Bless.

Shoshannah

Such a sad story. I'm sorry for the loss of Moo, but having read your post it sounds like you made the right decision for her.

Euthanasia can be a traumatic experience. If it's any comfort, I know the vet would not have wanted Millie to be upset and euthanasias can be uncomfortable for everyone.

I like to use sedation first. The sedation injection is usually given in muscle - the main options are the neck muscle, back muscle or leg muscle. I tend to go with the neck for larger dogs, or the back for cats and smaller dogs. Any intramuscular injection can sting a little bit, but it only lasts a couple of seconds and I find this preferable to heavy restraint and struggling with the legs. I used this method to put to sleep my own cat a couple of months ago.

It's a rare case when I don't use sedation - usually if a dog/cat already has a intravenous catheter in place, or if they are so poorly that they are already very flat.

You can always ask your vet for this option, most are happy to oblige. But you can expect a quick little sting from the needle in some animals.

xxx

joansgirl

I have had to have 3 animals put to sleep, one large dog (Golden Retriever) and 2 cats. The vet has always used sedation first. Always. It seems to be standard practice with the vets round here.

zaksmum

When my last darling old dog was PTS the vet injected a heavy sedative into his leg, he went into a deep sleep with me cuddling him and telling him he was such a good boy.

Only when he was totally out of it with the sedative did the vet inject the blue liquid that was to stop his heart.

He just went calmly and gently to sleep and the vet waited a couple of minutes before listening to his chest and confirming he was gone.

Broke my own heart though. Still chokes me up today, six years later.

harveybobbles

It's awful doing any PTS.

I work with animal rescue and out of the 6 of us, I'm the only one who will take a cat, dog, rabbit, etc to be PTS.

Only once did we sedate a dog - but even that was hard as we couldnt get the needle in, so we had to give it some calms and let them kick in first.

dawnie1972

I had my dog PTS recently and don't think the vet used sedative but Milo was so weak by that time that the vet said his body was shutting down, he was PTS in the boot of my car (I have a Renault megane scenic so there was plenty of room), but the vet did have to take him out the back of the surgery to put the intravenous line in as he was worried that Milo's veins had collapsed, so when he came back out to the car he already had the drip thing in his leg. The vets couldn't have made it any easier/comforting for me but still an experience I never want to go through again x

Slinky

My poor Merlin was PTS in 2012. I knew nothing about the process and relied on the vet doing the right thing for him. He wasn't sedated, and screamed as he was injected with the blue liquid that killed him. It was the most horrible thing I've ever been present at and that includes being with my father as he died.

I wasn't aware I would have to ask for sedation, the process wasn't explained at all, and this was with the vet who had treated him for 18 years. I thought he would gently slip away but it was nothing like that at all.

I still feel guilty about it knowing it wasn't how he should have gone.

meritaten

awwwww hunny, what a traumatic experience for you. I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved Millie Moo. my deepest sympathies.

my experience with my previous pets (Two dogs and Two cats) was that the injection was given and they slipped away within moments.
and it wasn't blue either - the vets said it was an anaesthetic drug given in a huge overdose. Perhaps they now work to different guidelines?

Shoshannah

meritaten wrote: »

awwwww hunny, what a traumatic experience for you. I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved Millie Moo. my deepest sympathies.

my experience with my previous pets (Two dogs and Two cats) was that the injection was given and they slipped away within moments.
and it wasn't blue either - the vets said it was an anaesthetic drug given in a huge overdose. Perhaps they now work to different guidelines?

It is a form of anaesthetic drug - some are blue, some are pink, some are green... the bright colours are artificially added so it is always abundantly clear what is in the syringe. It's NOT something you would want a mix-up with.

meritaten

all I can say is what I experienced. I have never had a pet PTS with two drugs. its only been one and all four times the pet has passed peacefully. and its been by injection directly into the vein.