When to put a dog to sleep
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A dog owner's toughest decision revealed
Working at a veterinarian hospital, I inevitably received those dreadful phone calls from owners asking if it was time to put their beloved dog to sleep. Unfortunately, I was never able to give them that straight heart-aching, black or white answer they were ultimately craving for. As I listened to them compassionately, in the midst of their sobbing for help, I always faithfully stuck to my personal opinion that as owners, it was their ultimate choice since they knew their dog best, having lived and rejoiced with him or her for so many years.
I always advised the "It's all about quality of life" philosophy and suggested them to rationally check if their dog had more bad days than good.
These were those compassionate owners truly concerned about their dog's over all wellbeing. They were trying their best to cope with the idea that their dog's life was coming shortly to an end and were gathering their emotional forces to be prepared for their final day.
These were clients dealing with their pet's chronic diseases for years and willing to do all that could have been possibly done to help their pet manage sickness as comfortably as possible. When their dog's days were getting close to an end, as veterinary staff, we suffered as well, since we have seen these dogs for many years and grew emotionally attached to them. We found ourselves in tears many times, hugging the owners as the pain and sorrow seemed to seep deep into the animal clinic...
As dog owners, we all would love if our dogs could live much longer lives. For some occult reason, when dogs turn geriatric, it just feels as if their lives have come to an end too soon, and way too too abruptly. The years spent together seem to have passed much too quickly and in such a merciless manner, that it just seems yesterday when they were prancing around in their early puppy-hood stage...
We all as well would wish our dogs would pass peacefully in their sleep as they put their head down on their favorite pillow for the last time. Unfortunately, many pets suffer as they age, either being crippled by arthritis or even worse, debilitating diseases such as cancer. As we work our best on relieving most of the pain through the miracles of modern medicine, there comes a specific moment where we can clearly see our pet's bodies turn frail and eventually give up.
If dogs could talk, the process of putting a pet to sleep would be much easier, but since dog's have been spared the gift of voice, we must read into more subtle signs depicting physical deterioration. Here comes into place my personal advice of ''owners only knowing their pets best.''
Only owners are ultimately capable of knowing how their dog copes with physical pain and how they respond to everyday life. It is in my belief, that at a certain point, the dog itself will express it is time to go. There is just that something in their behavior, (that perhaps only owners may perceive) that will suggest they are ready for the Rainbow bridge. It could either be a look in their eyes, an expression on their face or the simple lack of a tail wagging.
However, regardless of personal opinion on when to put a dog to sleep, I must admit that as a veterinary assistant, I have seen some cases where the euthanasia procedure seemed to be done at a too premature stage or at a too advanced stage.
I have seen owners go for the procedure right upon diagnosis of cancer or kidney failure. In these cases, the dogs may still have had a few good weeks or even probably months. Yet, owners may have not been able to afford the financial burden that comes along these diseases or may have not been able to withstand viewing the physical deterioration of their best friend. Some perhaps simply wished to spare their dog from any suffering at all...
In other cases, the dog seemed to have gone way over the stage of "admissible deterioration", in an unnecessary spiral of mental and physical pain. In these cases, I know the owners very likely were unable to "let go" and tried their hardest to hold on to their pet as long as they possibly could until their dog was only a lifeless shadow.
The way in between is in my opinion, "the golden way to go". If you are debating over whether it is time to put your dog to sleep remember to cherish every day and every moment with your dog, because those very last days will always be in your heart.
When your dog's time comes, he or she will let you know it is time to cross the Rainbow Bridge in a leap of faith. Dogs unlike humans do not fear death because they live in the moment. Do not worry for your dog, he /she will be in a better place and best of all, will be eternally pain free.
Very likely, if you stay for the euthanesia procedure, you may literally see your dog look into your eyes for a last time almost to say: "Thank you owner for loving me so much" then she will take a deep breath and peacefully drift into better life, looking over you for many years to come..
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What happens during your pet's euthanasia appointment
- What happens during a pet's euthanasia appointment
If your dog or cat has arrived to a point where his or her body is frail and there is nothing that more that can be medically done, your vet may suggest to schedule a euthanasia appointment. As sad as...
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So sorry to hear that Misty. I hope we really will get to see our beloved pets again in an afterlife. My most sincere condolences.
Thank you alexadry. I have dedicated a hub to my experience of losing 'Lady' and what a great dog she was. If you get the chance I hope you will read it. The link is: http://hubpages.com/hub/My-Beloved-Dog-Died-Yester
I too believe they go to an afterlife, and we shall be reunited with them there. :)
thank you so much alexadry. it is sunday nov 16 ' 08 and i am strugggling with this decision
Whichever decision you make,, I wish the best for both of you, kind regards,
Thanks for the comments. I am dealing with the decision to have Butch put to sleep. He is suffering with an enlarged gland in his neck and is 15 years old. The vet suggested surgery to remove it but also said at the same time he could die in surgery because it is close to main veins in his neck. We oppted not to do surgery and put him on medicine instead. It seemed to work for about 2 weeks. Then he started throeing ueverything he ate all the time. Took him back to the vet and he put him on some different meds.,but the same thing has happened again. Now he has lost a lot of weight and you can see his ribs and backbones, plus his stomache keeps making loud popping noises. I am so distrought as to what to do for him and our family's opinions and different friends tell me i am being crule. Any comments would be appreciated.
I know this is a very hard decision... what can I say? You really know your dog best, does he still show any care for life? Like is he still wagging his tail and walking around ok? How is his appetite? What did the vet say? I am sorry but I really cannot make this tough decision for you. All I can say is that you may try your best and see if he sends you any clues that he is ready. If he seems to be in lots of pain, is deteriorating and really nothing seems to help, then I guess freeing him from the pain may be the best option. If done at the right time there is no cruelty, it is an unselfish act of love. I will give you a link that may help;
http://www.helium.com/knowledge/165040-testimonies
My best wishes for what ever choice you make.
I put my baby Papaya to sleep Jan 14 09. She was at the end stage of breast cancer her lung s were filling with fluid. Shes had 2 surgeries to remove tumors and chemo and threw all that she was fine. The Chemo slowed down the rate of speed of the cancer, but not the cancer itself. Finally I had to make the devestating decision to put her to sleep and I held her threw it all. Papaya was 12yrs old and I gave her all the love I had in my heart. But the look in her eyes said she was tired and I painfully dreaded the day that was to come. I pray to GOD everynight that I did the right decision because I've never killed anything in my life. If you make the choice remember to love them more, feed them all the good food and pray with them to hope that one day you'll be reunited with them. Papaya lives forever in my heart and a team of amazing people took good care of her. My house is quiet, I have two other dogs and they know something is different. I shed a tear everyday for my beloved Papaya and know in my heart if there is a GOD he loves are Doggies and Cats to......She is in a place where pain is no more.......
Very sorry you had to go through all that. 12 years old is a very good age for a dog with cancer or not. You did a LOT. Having worked at a vet hospital, I can tell you that many owners would have given up earlier because of the costs involved in providing care for pets with cancer. You DID NOT kill your pet, you let her go in a pain free and unselfish matter. She did give you signs of getting tired of her aching body and as a sensitive owner, you were able to read the cues. I am sure Papaya is watching you from the above with loving eyes and thanking you for providing her with a great life.
My best wishes.
I had to go through putting my dauschand Doby under it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. He was only 6 years old but he had broken his back and he only had three legs when it happened. I took one look at him though and knew it was the right thing to do. I had to call my mom who was in Oregon at the time to tell her I had to put her dog asleep she loved that dog more than anything pretty much but she knew it was the right time and she didnt want her dog in pain it had to be one of the hardest decisions of my life
Sorry to hear about Doby. I am sure he had a great life with you and your mom. It looks like he was ready to go. You gave him freedom from pain and from being crippled, which is the most compassionate and unselfish thing an owner can do. Yet the decision is alway so hard. My deepest condolences.
I had to put my best friend to sleep in Jan when bone cancer was discovered in her leg. It had already begun to travel in her body and I was told that getting it all with treatment would be next to impossible. Driving to the office that day was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I know that she did not have to suffer the pain from her cancer any longer.
Bone cancer is a mean disease, with a very pooor prognosis. It never gets better, only worse. Euthanesia may be the hardest thing to do but it ultimately is also the kindest especially when pain becomes a daily companion.
My dog is 16 1/2 and she has been losing so much weight, and her legs don't want to go anymore, the vet said her spine is deteriorating, but her blood and everything came out good, but he put her on meds for two weeks to make her comfortable, then its my decision to put her down, because she is only going to get worse, I feel like I would be a horrible person to put her down, she is my world and it breaks my heart to even thinking about making this decision.....any advice.....
I just made this very hard decision myself last week. It is literally the hardest thing I have ever done, but I feel it was in the best interest of my dog, who was a very proud chihuahua. She was about 21 years old, and I had her for 16 years. While she was mostly blind and deaf, there is no one thing physically that I can point to (no cancer, diabetes, etc.) and say was the reason for my decision, but there were many signs that she was ready to leave this world. Her spirit was gone. A very social dog when younger, she had no interest in petting or people or other dogs anymore, would not go for walks anymore, no kisses were given anymore (she was a very generous kisser in her younger years). She stopped using peepads and just went wherever she happened to be. The thing that made the decision the hardest was that she looked physically to be okay - so much so that people would mistake her for the younger dog in comparison to her 8 year old sister. However, I know my dog, and knew that at some point, her body began to outlive her mind and she stopped enjoying any part of this life, and quite possibly had learned to live with ongoing pain in her old bones and joints. So I took the step to preserve the dignity that she had throughout her life, as hard as it was. I think that's what people in this situation need to look at: does my dog want to live this way, or do I want my dog to continue to live this way for my needs?
The one thing I have to hold onto from this process is that when I held her as the initial sedative kicked in, but she was still awake, she relaxed in my arms in a way that she hadn't been able to for the last few years, which I believe was a wonderful feeling for both of us.
Your experience is very touching and I am sure it will help out many other pet owners out there debating on this tough decision. Thank you for contributing.
this was the weekend we had to put TYCO to sleep,14 years of loyal service and we would not let him go thru this alone.he was always by our sides so he at least deserved not to be alone,I think he was ready,he was old and tired,he tryed his best everyday to be TYCO but he sure slowed down,we struggled for a year with this decision,but he finnaly made up his mind,heart breaking,yes.but its gotta happen,we miss him,
This is an unpleasant topic, but one that is important to bring up so many dog owners (and other Pets for that matter) know when it's time to say goodbye. Thanks for sharing good information on this heart tugging topic.
Re: Your second -to-last paragraph.
I stayed. She did. She knew I loved her, and I knew she loved me.
Thank you for sharing your experience and caring words.
My dog is othewise in fairly good health except for the beginning stageof kidney and liver disease. We just adopted or 15 yr old in Nov 08. He began losing balnace and vestibular syndrone was tenatively diagnosed but now he is paralyzed in both front legs. Parethesis (sp?) is what a new vet told us. We are giving him massage and accuppunture but if he doesn't get over this soon I fear we will otherwise have to put him to sleep because we aren't able to keep up with the needs he has and I never get any sleep. We will try this for another week or two but then I fear this difficult decision will come. He is otherwise alert, happy and in no pain. He remains in all other ways the same dog he was the day before this happened to him. Reading your article helps. I am about to read your next article about what happens because we are debating if it should come down to this whether to do it at home or in an office. We rescued him from months of being in a shelter and he doesn't like institutional type locations such as vets. I really need to understand this process better. Our last dog died peacefully in her sleep at age nineteen so I have never been through this before. Thanks for the article.
I am so sorry to hear that. Bless your heart for taking so much care of him! It does not sound like your vet came with a clear diagnosis as of yet, right? .I wonder if there may be some issue with the spinal cord, like a nerve being affected from a lesion ( ie possible tumor) or some sort of trauma. Has this been ruled out? Are there ticks in your area? Sometimes ticks cause symptoms of paralysis but they are usually short term. Any racoons in your area? Just wondering...
Did the vet prescribe any meclizine for the dizziness? did it help? does your dog's condition sound like this?
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&a
Sometimes the above condition is caused by chronic kidney failure. I really hope that something can be found to help him even though he doesn't sound like he is in any pain. But I can imagine the trouble of him not being able to move about. I really hope he could somehow get better, and if worse comes to worse, I can tell he really has a loving caring owner, that will be close to him until the end. My best wishes, and keep me updated if you wish.
I have a swedish vallhund and he is now 16 years old and you can tell that in the past few years that he has gotten slower and he has lost most of his hair. Its a sad thing but as long as he is of good health he will be will us. I would hate to think if he did develop something and I had to make that decision. It would be heart breaking
A dog is a dog, so the saying goes. Yet they come into our lives, entering a place in our souls where few people are allowed. The experience those of you here have gone through must be heart-wrenching. As my 16 y.o. Blue marches toward that curtain call, we both remain active participants in what is surely the greatest dog's life i've known. Thank you, alexadry, for this great piece.
And thank you blue dog for the beautiful words. We often forget that dogs live in the moment and do not think of death in the same way we do. They seem to have their own philosophy of life and therefore live life to the fullest. Great examples for all us humans indeed!
Whn my dog was dieing, I did not have her put down, even though I knew she was not long for this world. She is the reason I started to write about things we did together threw her eyes. Honey Girl had Stomach Cancer and some kind of Cancer that gave the tumers all over her body. I will tell you other than haveing to take care of her so long, like cleaning up after her,and the hip displacia, where I had to take her in and out of the house to do her job outside she was a Chocolet Lab, and I will tell you other than the time I spent with her with the cancer and the time she was dieing I would not change a second I spent with her. I am glad I took care of her to the end, granted there are some ligetament reasons to put down they are few and far between, most of the people are trying to take the easy way out because they can not handle the fact there beloved pet is dieing. I say if you loved your pet you would not put it down. My dog died with her eyes closed and a smile on her face with her mouth closed. I have been topd by a pathologest not even people die this peacifully. This is why I choose to name my writeing site after her, because of the great love I had and still have for her, she died a few days before I started to write of our adventures together, and you should be ashamed of you even sugesting to the public to youthenize their pets. If you love them you would take care of them to the very end like I did, but it all adds up to the money factor, you said you work for a vetenarian, this is why you suggested this it keeps you working and food shame on you again. Do the right thing and recant this article, what kind of a murder are you that you would kill off your pet like this, I guess if your parents or Grandparents were terminally ill you would kill them off like this also
Dear Honey girl,
I really am sorry about what happened to your girl and I admire your willingness to keep her with you to until the end. Not many owners indeed are willing to take care of their pets in the compassionate way you did. If you read my article carefully I do not tell people to ''go and kill their dogs'' I simply help owners figure out if their dogs have given up in life.
However, it is unfortunate that pets often cannot be given the same medical care as humans. So to answer your question, no of course, I would not kill my grand parents simply because diseases in humans are much more manageable.
In veterinary care, sometimes owners cannot afford their pet's care which is very sad, but in most euthanesia cases the level of their pets suffering is unacceptable.
Pets are unable to talk, and I am sure that at times if they were gifted with words, they would ask to be spared from any more suffering.
I have seen terrible things in my years working at the vet. Dogs suffering in unimaginable ways, moaning, unable to eat, skinny as skeletons, simply shadows of themselves. These dogs have given clear signs of given up, and in these cases the most loving act of humans is to simply let them go...These dogs have died peacefully as well and have left the world among their human owner's embrace.
Imagining myself in the same scenario, with a terrible sickness where there is no pain relief, I would as well want to be deprived from the pains of this physical word. My aunt had cancer and she repeatedly was asking God to let her die. The day she died was the biggest relief. We all wished though she was spared those last days of suffering as only strong drugs could give her relief and they were becoming less and less effective. There are times where pain is unbearable and no human person would like to see their pet or themselves suffer this way..
I really thought the same way you did many years ago, but after working for a vet, I changed my mind completely. This was after seeing the ways many pets suffered. However, sometimes I do get very sad, when I see pets that could perhaps have enjoyed another week or two...
You were fortunate that your pet left this world in such a peaceful way, but this is not the standard. There are also horrible sufferings where the dog appears listless and unwilling to live. These are the cases, where putting a dog to sleep is the most compassionate thing to do even if it ultimately is the toughest choice..
A very nice hub! I can't bare to think of ever putting my little girl down...I love her so much! It's amazing how much your dogs can change your life, for the better!
- Random
Honey Girl: You make a good point: If my parents or grandparents were terminally ill, in great never-ending pain and discomfort, with no quality of life, and they verbalized to me that they wish to leave this world, I would do everything within my power to grant them that wish and to end their misery. Dogs, obviously, do not have the thought processes or verbalization to relay this to us, so, as dog owners, it is our responsibility to make sure that our best friends never have to suffer and lead a miserable existence. It would be nice if life ended exactly when it should, before the body and mind make their descent into disrepair - but unfortunately, this rarely happens.
I take great offense to your comments, as the act of putting my dog down, for me and I'm sure for most of us, was one done out the greatest of loves - and one that still, and always will, hurt me in my heart. Your situation cannot be generalized to apply to everyone else.
P.S. As a writer - you should always run spellcheck before posting.
I had to put my dog that I had since he was a puppy down about two years ago. He had diabetes for the last three years of his life and it was so far the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my 31 years. I have another dog now who is 10yrs old and I always pray that when its his time that he will just fall asleep. I was told when the dog loses their interest in their favorite everyday things and if they are just not themselves anymore that that is the time because they are now suffering. I didnt want my dog to suffer so I was with him the entire time and the vet did everything in her power to help him while he was sick and I still go to her when my dog or cat are sick. Im sorry to everyone who had to go through that and I know how you feel. Bless you all and your beloved pets.
"Toughest decision a pet owner has to make" - ain't that the truth. But your comments provided support for a decision we had to make recently with our golden.
No, no matter what decision is made the end result still hurts. I have had my "Yeller" dog, for 12 years and she has suffered with seizures for about 9 out of those 12 years. She is to the point where she has lost most of her teeth and can barely eat. She has a rotten oder to her. I can see her slowly slipping away. Every day I do my best to make her eat and lead her where she needs to go. Then I find myself pondering what the best decision is for her. She I put her down and keep her from suffering any longer or should I just let her die naturally. Reguardless the decision is not easy. The end result is still the same. It still gets the eyes flowing and lumps in the throat. I have seen my childhood dog die when I was a teenager and the pain is all the same. You bring the pet in your family and give them love and attention and it is not nearly long enough. They are no different then a family member. Its all hard...
I love pets... and several times I have already considered getting one... One of the reason because I still didn't do it, it's related to the fear of facing the situation mentioned in your hub!
mistyhorizon2003 says:
13 months ago
Having just had to make this decision (Sunday), and personally raised the vein to allow the euthanasia, I know how hard this is, but knew it was the right decision to make for our beloved greyhound Lady.