Need Help From Those Who Have Put a Pet Down - Page 2

Madisson · ‎10-13-2011

On 5/31/2014 gazelle77 said:
at that age... I would let them have the best months of their lives.. let it go.... and then decide when they let you know... when it is time to go. My 19 year old cat died at home in her bed. She died from kidney failure also. She slept the last three days of her life .. and I was there with her when she died at home.

If your cats were young, than I would certainly do the therapy if you could afford it. But, with a cat so senior, I think this is something that is not going to get better and you are just prolonging the inevitable. I wish you strength in whatever decision you make.

Gazelle77, thank you for your support. You think like I am thinking. If she were younger or did not have the arthritis, I would do the fluid therapy. It's so hard to make this decision, but I think it is the best one for my cat.

Some people do drugs. I do shoes....Celine Dion

Shaunac · ‎09-22-2010

""She is in pain all the time."" This is no way to live. Relieve her pain with meds or end her pain and put her down.

Madisson · ‎10-13-2011

On 5/31/2014 just bee said:
I would want to know my pet wasn't in pain. When I make that decision to euthanize a pet I always hold that pet during the process.

Our vet has a more private exit in the back of the building so a grieving owner can leave and not have to walk through the front office. I imagine this considers the other clients' feelings, too.

It's a good idea.

Just bee, I know what you are saying. My cat is already in pain from the arthritis. The x-rays show bone spurs all over her body. Sometimes she limps so badly that I think she broke her leg.

Your vet sounds very sensitive to his client's feelings.

Some people do drugs. I do shoes....Celine Dion

Madisson · ‎10-13-2011

On 5/31/2014 Shaunac said: "She is in pain all the time." This is no way to live. Relieve her pain with meds or end her pain and put her down.

Shaunac, I hear you. The vet has her on glucosamine daily for the arthritis, but I don't know how much it really helps. It's hard to let go.

Some people do drugs. I do shoes....Celine Dion

Shaunac · ‎09-22-2010

Madisson, sounds like the glucosamine isn't working. Ask for an alternative. I have a 19.5 year old dog with kidney failure. He's fine now, but when he no longer enjoys life and is in pain, I will not hesitate to end that pain. I'd rather be in pain from losing him than to keep him here in pain to satisfy my need to have him here with me. Good luck, I know its hard.

Madisson · ‎10-13-2011

On 5/31/2014 ktlynam said:
To me, it is all about quality of life for my pets.

How long would this fluid therapy last? How much comfort would it give your cat?

No one knows a pet better than its family/care taker. If a cat no longer grooms itself, can no longer control its bathroom habits, is in pain with no relief, then it is time to do the most loving thing a caretaker can do and relieve it from its misery. To me it makes no sense to eek out a few more weeks or months of life when all that life consists of is more pain and continual degradation of comfort.

ktlynam, the fluid therapy would be daily for the rest of her life. It could give her a longer life--maybe one-three years. I don't know that I want her to suffer with her arthritis and chronic urinary tract infections for one-three more years. Her UTI's are pretty much continuous now, so she is on a daily low dose of antibiotics. So far, she is pretty good with her bathroom habits, but when she has a UTI, she will go outside the box for some reason.

She used to be such a mischievous, lively cat until the arthritis set in. You think like I am thinking--the quality of life is what is important.

Some people do drugs. I do shoes....Celine Dion

Chalcedony · ‎05-12-2010

Madisson, it sounds like you have already made your decision and that is fine. It is so very hard to let go but know that you're doing so out of love for your precious pet. They trust us to do nothing less.

Krimpette · ‎03-09-2010

Years ago, I had to have one of my two cats put down due to very advanced kidney disease. The two cats had been together for more than ten years. The one that I had to put down was the dominant cat. The remaining cat lived more than another ten years alone, loving life because he was no longer having to put up with the dominant cat. There never seemed to be a separation issue in this case, though I've heard of it in many others. Oh, how I miss those fur babies, to this day.

just bee · ‎03-10-2010

On 5/31/2014 Madisson said:
On 5/31/2014 just bee said:
I would want to know my pet wasn't in pain. When I make that decision to euthanize a pet I always hold that pet during the process.

Our vet has a more private exit in the back of the building so a grieving owner can leave and not have to walk through the front office. I imagine this considers the other clients' feelings, too.

It's a good idea.

Just bee, I know what you are saying. My cat is already in pain from the arthritis. The x-rays show bone spurs all over her body. Sometimes she limps so badly that I think she broke her leg.

Your vet sounds very sensitive to his client's feelings.

It took us a long time to find a vet we could trust. I like him because the first thing he does is get on the floor and play with our dog.

We had two dogs before our current one and they both had challenging health issues (of course, they did -- they were half Boxer!); our boy was put down before his sister.

I was holding him and the shot acted much faster than I expected. He slumped and his head hit the floor. I felt horrible. Better-half felt horrible. Our vet didn't say a word. A couple years later when it was time to bring in our boy's sister, our vet came in with two syringes. The first to relax and put our dog to sleep, and the second to euthanize her.

He simply said: "I don't want what happened to D_____ to happen to A_____." All the patients he sees, and he remembered what happened two years previously and still felt bad about it. This confirmed that we had made the right choice in vets. When he said that, Better-half burst into tears.

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~

spot555 · ‎03-09-2010

You're the ONLY one who can make that decision for your situation. Look into your cats eyes, & ask her....you'll get her message when it's time. I've done that with many of my pets- they ALWAYS let me know when they're ready.

Another thing that makes it much easier is having a vet come to the house for the final "shot". This way the pet goes in the comfort & peace of their home, instead of a place where they feel anxious.