My wife and I made the difficult decision to euthanize one of our dogs this week who had cancer and was showing severe declines in quality of life. It was a tough decision to make because she was the best dog ever and we both loved her very much. Unfortunately, we took the dog to the vet and when she laid on the table and the vet stuck her with the needle, she blew a vein. He then stuck her in another leg with a second attempt and the same result occurred. Each time he was only getting a small amount into the veins and the poor dog was not liking getting stuck with the needles. You could see she was struggling to hang on because there was just not enough in her system to put her to sleep. Not to mention she was very scared. My wife was bawling and the dog was shaking and just looking at me with that look wondering what the heck was going on? I could not believe what I was witnessing?

As I tried to comfort my wife and the dog at the same time, the vet continues with the 3rd, then the 4th shot. The 4th was successful and the dog passed within seconds. I still can see the dog looking at me with that look wanting it to stop. My poor wife has been a mess and feels the dog went through torture. In a pain sense,I don't feel the dog suffered much from pain as much as fear and the sticks of the needles. So why am I telling you this? Probably just to get it off my chest a little because its been a very difficult week.

One choice I am confident with is that we were there with her and held her until she was gone. I've been told so many who have euthanized a pet did not have the courage to be in the same room. Not saying its right or wrong, but in my opinion the first thing the dog does when you leave the room is miss you and wonder where you are and why you left? I just can't imagine the poor dog going through all that trauma alone. We had the dogs cremated and my wife picked up the ashes Friday on her way home from work. She told me she petted the bag all the way home and cried. This has hurt her 10x more than it has me and I know how I feel so that sucks.

We have the dog home now where she belongs.

Our pets are family in so many ways. So sorry you guys had to go through this.

I went through it too Harley.

The quality of life factor really is something people need to consider with pets.

We felt more selfish clinging to our dog's existence, then to humanely end it.

She was clearly suffering and no matter what we fed her she was wasting away.

The vet feared she would die on the operating table.

As far as being there when euthanized... we did, but I realize it's not for everyone.

I'm not real sure if I'd be able to do it again honestly.

The look on our dog's face when the light in her eyes disappeared is still burnt in my mind.

That was 3 years ago.

I feel for you brother and your family.

Your story honestly brought me to tears.

I have an 18 year old cat who was diagnosed to be in the early stages of kidney failure at his last checkup. The thought that his quality of life could decline and cause us to be in that kind of situation terrifies me to no end. Knowing this and reading your words leaves me both speechless and completely feeling your pain.

So sorry for your loss.

I had to euthanize my cat back in October, she had terminal kidney lymphoma. My vet took a completely different approach to the procedure. She came to my apartment, gave my cat a very strong sedative so she was almost unconscious and then was able to take her time finding a good vein to use (my cat had severe anemia at the end and most of her veins were collapsing). A very quick and peaceful ending. Sorry you had such a rough time, ask your vet about home euthanization if you need to do it again in the future.

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was take the final trip to the vet with my first dog. She was ready, but it was still hard for both of us. Our vet was great - he put us in a room and told us to take as much time as we wanted before he came in, and he also explained how the procedure would work. I am really grateful that she passed quickly and peacefully.

Harley, I am so sorry you had and your wife had to see your best friend's suffering compounded in the final moments. I hope you will remember two things. One, your dog was suffering tremendously already and euthanizing was the right thing to do. Two, you and your wife obviously loved your dog and have a treasure trove of memories of much better days to recall. I hope you will focus on those cherished memories.

Sorry to hear it, it's always very tough. Have solace that you were good parents and it couldn't ask for more.

I had to put my beagle down due to cancer at 14.

I remember calling the vet at 4 PM and saying can we have a couple more hours, she said sure. He wasn't moving for a couple weeks. He looked up at the sky and saw a bird fly, that was the biggest moment for him for a few days - so I knew it was time. I picked him up and put him in the car.

That was the first time I saw my mom cry, I was 31 at the time. She didn't come to the vet.

My Dad couldn't go in the room with him. So it was me and my sister. My dog was afraid. He stared at me for like 10 seconds and my sister says he was probably saying Thank You. I also agree, I will never forget the look on their face. I don't believe it's our emotions pressed into theirs, it's that moment everyone realizes what's happening. It is sad to think dogs can't speak a word of English but communicate better than most people. I remember telling him all of the good stories he created for us, stealing/eating an entire chocolate cake and living to talk about it, all of the socks he stole/tried to eat, etc.

I always kissed him on the nose, and he'd breath out really fast in response. After he was done, I kissed him on the nose and there was no reaction. He never wanted to be alone, so even after that, I had trouble leaving his body there by itself.

It was a month later we purchased a new beagle puppy who is nothing like him at all. It makes us appreciate him that much more, he was the perfect dog. He made me realize all the mistakes we made and we try to improve on with our new dog, for instance the new dog has a fenced in yard to run around in.

I worked at a Pet Insurance agency at the time, where people could bring their dogs in to work and I would see the word "Beagle" every day. It didn't make anything easier, I cried at work too. I think it took me a month to get through the hard stuff, but I still thought about him every day for a few months. It may take her a long time to get through it, but as anything else, time heals all.

The years of life before this occurs has to make up for the biggest gift you can give them back when the time is right. Remember that you treated them better than other owners may have not, so they were adopted into the right family, what more could they have asked for?

(01-17-2016, 09:49 PM)Yojimbo Wrote: I had to euthanize my cat back in October, she had terminal kidney lymphoma. My vet took a completely different approach to the procedure. She came to my apartment, gave my cat a very strong sedative so she was almost unconscious and then was able to take her time finding a good vein

Most good vets can make arrangements to euthanize at home. I have done that with the great majority of my animals that we have had to put down. It is so much easier on the animal being at home. Each one I have held in my lap as the drugs were administered and talked softly and petted them as they fell off to sleep. It is then so much easier for the vet to inject the drug that stop their heart. For my cat, the vet was able to inject directly into her heart after she was unconscious. I recommend that as that time approaches for anyone, you make some calls and find a vet willing to come to your home to administer the drugs. Also ask them if they will put them under before administering the fatal drug. It may cost a little more, but your pet is worth the peace and tranquility that method brings.

I feel for you. My dog has become a huge part of my world and it's sad to watch her get older but that's life. Don't know if I'll ever be prepared to go through something like that although I would. Lots of respect for you for sticking in it until the end for your buddy.

(01-18-2016, 12:37 PM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: Sorry to hear it, it's always very tough. Have solace that you were good parents and it couldn't ask for more.

I had to put my beagle down due to cancer at 14.

I remember calling the vet at 4 PM and saying can we have a couple more hours, she said sure. He wasn't moving for a couple weeks. He looked up at the sky and saw a bird fly, that was the biggest moment for him for a few days - so I knew it was time. I picked him up and put him in the car.

That was the first time I saw my mom cry, I was 31 at the time. She didn't come to the vet.

My Dad couldn't go in the room with him. So it was me and my sister. My dog was afraid. He stared at me for like 10 seconds and my sister says he was probably saying Thank You. I also agree, I will never forget the look on their face. I don't believe it's our emotions pressed into theirs, it's that moment everyone realizes what's happening. It is sad to think dogs can't speak a word of English but communicate better than most people. I remember telling him all of the good stories he created for us, stealing/eating an entire chocolate cake and living to talk about it, all of the socks he stole/tried to eat, etc.

I always kissed him on the nose, and he'd breath out really fast in response. After he was done, I kissed him on the nose and there was no reaction. He never wanted to be alone, so even after that, I had trouble leaving his body there by itself.

It was a month later we purchased a new beagle puppy who is nothing like him at all. It makes us appreciate him that much more, he was the perfect dog. He made me realize all the mistakes we made and we try to improve on with our new dog, for instance the new dog has a fenced in yard to run around in.

I worked at a Pet Insurance agency at the time, where people could bring their dogs in to work and I would see the word "Beagle" every day. It didn't make anything easier, I cried at work too. I think it took me a month to get through the hard stuff, but I still thought about him every day for a few months. It may take her a long time to get through it, but as anything else, time heals all.

The years of life before this occurs has to make up for the biggest gift you can give them back when the time is right. Remember that you treated them better than other owners may have not, so they were adopted into the right family, what more could they have asked for?

Man, this entire thread has been tough to read, but especially this post.

I have a beagle myself, and she's 13.  Up until recently I've tried to not even think about the day I have to make that decision.  But she's really started to show her age.  She's losing her hearing, which in and of itself is heartbreaking.  This was a dog who could hear a potato chip bag crumple from across the house, who now can't even hear me come in the house.  She's got a couple of lumps on her side, which I pray isn't cancer, but I know can't be good.  And I can tell she's having more and more trouble with arthritis.

She still moves pretty good, but it's in more and more limited doses.  She gets some pep when she wants to, but she pretty much sleeps all day.

But yeah, I know it's coming sooner than later.  And I'm not sure how my other dog is going to react either.  He's always had her around and he'll be alone for the first time ever.  I can't even imagine how much it's going to suck whenever it's actually time.  Like I said, I hate even thinking about it.

I do think that whenever the time comes I'm going to try to have the vet come to the house though.  My beagle absolute hates the vet and freaks out even when I pull into the lot.  So I would like to try to have her be as least anxious as possible.

Ughh.. Sorry to the OP and everyone else who's been through this.  ***** terrible.

(01-19-2016, 03:20 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Man, this entire thread has been tough to read, but especially this post.

I have a beagle myself, and she's 13.  Up until recently I've tried to not even think about the day I have to make that decision.  But she's really started to show her age.  She's losing her hearing, which in and of itself is heartbreaking.  This was a dog who could hear a potato chip bag crumple from across the house, who now can't even hear me come in the house.  She's got a couple of lumps on her side, which I pray isn't cancer, but I know can't be good.  And I can tell she's having more and more trouble with arthritis.

She still moves pretty good, but it's in more and more limited doses.  She gets some pep when she wants to, but she pretty much sleeps all day.

But yeah, I know it's coming sooner than later.  And I'm not sure how my other dog is going to react either.  He's always had her around and he'll be alone for the first time ever.  I can't even imagine how much it's going to suck whenever it's actually time.  Like I said, I hate even thinking about it.

I do think that whenever the time comes I'm going to try to have the vet come to the house though.  My beagle absolute hates the vet and freaks out even when I pull into the lot.  So I would like to try to have her be as least anxious as possible.

Ughh.. Sorry to the OP and everyone else who's been through this.  ***** terrible.

I'm right there with you.  My Blue Tick/Lab mix is thirteen.  Hearing is going , but not too bad....eyesight is getting bad , and the arthritis is beginning to slow her down....although she can still motor from time to time.  It's the stairs and climbing that gets her.  She has some lumps too....but the vet said they were fatty deposits/cysts.  If your dog shows no pain with the cysts.....it's most likely the same thing.  God.....I dread that day.  She goes everywhere with me.

(01-19-2016, 03:33 AM)Wyche Wrote:   She has some lumps too....but the vet said they were fatty deposits/cysts.  If your dog shows no pain with the cysts.....it's most likely the same thing. 

My vet guessed that was the same thing with mine, I guess just by feeling them.  I made the decision to not even do a biopsy on them, which makes me feel like kind of dick, but still makes sense to me.  Even if they come back cancerous I wouldn't choose to try to treat it.  She's so old already and the last she had her round of shots that damn near knocked her out.  It's not a money issue as much as I don't want her to lose any quality of life or be in any unnecessary pain at this point.  But yeah, she shows no sign of pain from the lumps. 

Man, does she like to sleep nowadays though.  She's got made as far as that concerned.  Couches, doggy bed, my bed, she gets her pick.  And I think that's alone is something I can take comfort in.  All of us really.  The fact of the matter is that we all have likely provided a helluva life for our pups. 

This is not to scare you, just part of my beagle's story. He had a checkup a week before and I asked what all the lumps were on him, she said fatty deposits.

A week later after having steroid medication for a rash on his foot, he was walking towards me and collapsed. The absolute worst thing was he did that on my birthday. I thought, I'll never have a good birthday again.

But I do! It definitely stung but it just gave me a connection with him that I won't forget. The doctors wanted 10K to operate. It was hard to tell him that he was 14, and beagles expectancy is only 15 - so it wasn't "worth" it. It's hard to say money is worth more than life, but his quality of life would have suffered.

One thing I will tell you, is to get your dogs orthopeadic beds. One of my sadder memories is he wasn't moving much and sleeping a lot, I decided to buy him 3 or 4 ortho beds. He went to each of them and slept on each of them throughout the house. He obviously wanted them. Get them an ortho bed.

When the time comes, the vet will ask if she/he is having more bad days than good. That is when you know. Also obviously eating/drinking, pooping OK. When dogs decide it's time, they will go outside and not come back in.

When we brought him home from the cancer specialists, he decided to sit outside in the rain in the front yard. I covered him with an umbrella and sat there with my sister. A van drove by full of kids and slowed down, stopped, stared, then kept driving. That was the most rude thing I had ever experienced in my life. As if the adults don't understand what was happening.

With my new beagle, we will not let her suffer. It took a long time for the whole family to come to a consensus that he had to be put to sleep (almost a month of suffering). My mom especially couldn't understand it, which was the biggest broken heart of all, I couldn't convince her.

I actually just had to put down my 12 year old lab Shepard mix yesterday. We had been putting it off forever but he started to yelp out of the blue so I knew I had to do it. It sucked! I'm still in kinda disbelief that he's gone and look for him if I walk into a room where he would normally be in certain spots. Sorry to all that lost pets and to all that will. It sucks hard!

(01-19-2016, 03:55 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: My vet guessed that was the same thing with mine, I guess just by feeling them.  I made the decision to not even do a biopsy on them, which makes me feel like kind of dick, but still makes sense to me.  Even if they come back cancerous I wouldn't choose to try to treat it.  She's so old already and the last she had her round of shots that damn near knocked her out.  It's not a money issue as much as I don't want her to lose any quality of life or be in any unnecessary pain at this point.  But yeah, she shows no sign of pain from the lumps. 

Man, does she like to sleep nowadays though.  She's got made as far as that concerned.  Couches, doggy bed, my bed, she gets her pick.  And I think that's alone is something I can take comfort in.  All of us really.  The fact of the matter is that we all have likely provided a helluva life for our pups. 

Ha! I hear you.  Mine has always slept wherever.....she used to sleep under the covers with me...but she is 70 pounds, and it got a little crowded when I got married....lol.  Now, our bed is too high for her to get in anyway.  She does a lot of sleeping, and she is now getting doted on by two little girls, that fight over who the dog will sleep with.

I feel very good about the life of my pup.  She hasn't got to run as much as she could have, but boy has she been pampered.  Our dogs used to roam free......until we found our Rottweiler on the highway on the way to work/school one awful morning.  That was a terrible day.....my poor father had to go scrape him off the road and bury him, I'll never forget watching him break down before unloading the dog to bury him.  Awful day.

(01-19-2016, 08:31 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: This is not to scare you, just part of my beagle's story. He had a checkup a week before and I asked what all the lumps were on him, she said fatty deposits.

A week later after having steroid medication for a rash on his foot, he was walking towards me and collapsed. The absolute worst thing was he did that on my birthday. I thought, I'll never have a good birthday again.

But I do! It definitely stung but it just gave me a connection with him that I won't forget. The doctors wanted 10K to operate. It was hard to tell him that he was 14, and beagles expectancy is only 15 - so it wasn't "worth" it. It's hard to say money is worth more than life, but his quality of life would have suffered.

One thing I will tell you, is to get your dogs orthopeadic beds. One of my sadder memories is he wasn't moving much and sleeping a lot, I decided to buy him 3 or 4 ortho beds. He went to each of them and slept on each of them throughout the house. He obviously wanted them. Get them an ortho bed.

When the time comes, the vet will ask if she/he is having more bad days than good. That is when you know. Also obviously eating/drinking, pooping OK. When dogs decide it's time, they will go outside and not come back in.

When we brought him home from the cancer specialists, he decided to sit outside in the rain in the front yard. I covered him with an umbrella and sat there with my sister. A van drove by full of kids and slowed down, stopped, stared, then kept driving. That was the most rude thing I had ever experienced in my life. As if the adults don't understand what was happening.

With my new beagle, we will not let her suffer. It took a long time for the whole family to come to a consensus that he had to be put to sleep (almost a month of suffering). My mom especially couldn't understand it, which was the biggest broken heart of all, I couldn't convince her.

Terrible.  I guess I would be more concerned if mine seemed disinterested.  She is ALWAYS on the hunt for food.....always.  Don't sit anything down unattended unless you're finished

She still likes to play tug of war, and even still runs after the kids and barks at them from time to time.  She still barks at ANY passing animal outside, she even still likes to rough house with me at times.  She just isn't as active as she once was, and stiffness in the joints have slowed her up a bit.  Even at 13, if she is left at home and thinks she should have gone with you, your trash is in the floor.  Stubborn ass hound.

We buy pets knowing this is going to happen, and yet it's unbelievably sad. Last month we were within a day of having to do it to our 5 yr old Rottweiler. He has a disease where the white blood cells attack the red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are between 40% and 50%. (Percent of what I don't know.) He didn't move for 2 days and we thought he was sick, but then if felt something else was wrong. I took him in and his count was 14%. Two transfusions later and it was only at 18%. Dr not very hopeful but we put him on meds. For 3 weeks I had to get up at several times in the night because meds couldn't be given together or with food. He gets up to 34%. Then he stops eating because the meds are making him sick. We take him off the really powerful one, but he maintains in the low 30s which is acceptable if not ideal. His appetite is back. He is about to start a new one to try to get him up higher. We spent a lot of money and time and anxiety getting him here, but I thought "what wouldn't he do for us?" Nothing. I did pass on the slightly better replacement drug that would be $280 a week for the not quite as good at $30 a month. He weighs 140lb so his meds can be quite expensive, but $280 a week? Any way he is good for now, but I don't think he will ever be completely safe.

(01-19-2016, 09:26 AM)Cure4CF Wrote: I actually just had to put down my 12 year old lab Shepard mix yesterday.  We had been putting it off forever but he started to yelp out of the blue so I knew I had to do it.  It sucked!  I'm still in kinda disbelief that he's gone and look for him if I walk into a room where he would normally be in certain spots.  Sorry to all that lost pets and to all that will.  It sucks hard!

The first night afterwards I had dreams he was at the front door waiting. That was sad. When he was 8 weeks old he went on his first walk at night, and dad came back to the front door with an empty leash (lol). Of course parents hate puppies and all the work they need (like a baby). The kids were furious (I was 17 at the time).

5 minutes later, we noticed at the back door step, he was sitting there waiting to come inside.

It made absolutely no sense, he didn't know the neighborhood yet, he was still young, and it was pitch dark out. But he managed to come home by himself and wait.

My brother in law gave me the best advice I will pass on to you, the hardest part is over.

Here is our new puppy, 4 years ago:



This was recent, when I realized she's a badass:

ive had to put down a health dog because he bit a tresspasser... sadest thing ever.

Recently my dog had a back injury and could get up and walk or go to the bathroom and was in a lot of pain (she bit me when injury occured) probly out of reaction. After a few weeks she was doing better then ahd a set back and seemed very very bad. it broke me cause i was at the point i knew we should have her put down but took her to a different vet got a shot for her and a few weeks later she is much better.

But just the thought of having to put her down even knowning it would be best for her at that moment broke my heart.

My condolences to all here who have lost their pet.  I have a 10 1/2 year old little man, shih-Tzu/poodle mix that is my pride and joy.  He's getting older though and slowing down a lot lately. He's not his younger spunkier self, that's for sure.  I already dread that day for him and I.