How do you know when?

[katieliz]

wishing you the strength to make the right decision and peace of mind once you've made it. take care, many blessings to both you and your boy.

[Anja1Blue]

Originally Posted by Mrs.K

To me it sounds like you already know the answer yourself.

Personally, I would Euthanize. The issue is not only his anxiety and aggression, it is the pain, that he can't walk by himself, the severe arthritis and his age. The only reason he probably snaps at you is due to the pain.

You are the only one that can manage him. What if you are down yourself? Let's say your back went out and you can't lift him for days?

He's had a good long life. Let him go with dignity and don't try to squeeze every second out of his life. Even if he likes his food and overdrinks. Just from the description you've given. I couldn't watch him being in that severe of pain that he needs sedation. We can give them gift to let them go and release them from their chronic pain.

Hang in there (((HUGS)))

I agree with this 100%. Not all dogs will stop eating/drinking when they are at the end - most of mine have continued to do so, in some cases still taking treats as the vet was administering the euthanasia drug. This is not, in my opinion, an indication of anything other than the instinct to survive, which can be stronger in some individuals than others. I think the decision to end a life is extraordinarily hard, in part because of our love for them and because we do not want to be without them. We keep them alive for us, not because it is necessarily in their best interest. After many years, when I allowed some of our dogs (and cats if we had them) to go on far longer than I should have, I determined to try and look at it from the dog's point of view - do the bad days, hours, minutes outweigh the good ones? If the answer is yes, there is no light at the end of the tunnel, and even though my heart is breaking, I let them go.

My thoughts are with you..........
___________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge

[Stevenzachsmom]

I just want to tell you how sorry I am you have to make this difficult decision. I understand completely. My dog is 14. She has good days and bad. The good days aren't great, but I tell myself she is doing alright. The bad days seem like the end and I consider calling the vet in to PTS. It really is darned if you do and darned if you don't.

I hope it gives you some peace to know that you provided your boy a wonderful life. You are making his last days as comfortable as possible. And....you are making your decisions based on what is best for him. That is a very selfless thing to do.

Adding my blessings to katieliz's.
Hugs,
Jan

[atruepastime]

Thank you so much for your support, you have all helped me do what I didn't have the courage to do and while it has been an emotional roller coaster of fond memories and tears, it was bittersweet to wake up this morning and my old boy wasn't whining and struggling to stand up and to get on with his day anymore. I put him to sleep yesterday and it was the most agonising day of my life. He is the first dog I have loved with all my heart and I am eternally grateful for knowing him.

As a 12 year old girl I could walk him anywhere off leash a busy shopping mall street or in the bush and he never strayed from my side, I never thought anything of it then, just thinking that it was what dogs did. Always so calm and loyal, I was truly blessed to have known such a dog. Thank you for helping me end his pain, I am so inexpressibly grateful. Nobody else I knew had the heart to tell me what I needed to hear, probably in fear of how it might break my heart to hear it. Thank you so much, I am glad his suffering has ended.

[katieliz]

thank YOU for loving him as you did. love transcends everything. he is not gone from you, his energy is now in your heart and in your mind. many more blessings to you as you work through this incredible loss. and someday, when the time is right...there will be another one who will once again bring joy into your life. take care.

[KentuckyGSDLover]

My guess is everyone here knows exactly how you're feeling right now. My sympathies to you and your loss.

[DKHarris]

Having just put my lab of 13 years down last Friday I know what you are talking about. When I look back I know I made the right decision. It sounds like you did as well. Zoe went from Healthy to bad in about 6 months. She had so much pain in her neck and back she could not lay down. She would pace all day and night. We had to force her to lay down and once she relaxed she was asleep in seconds from being so tired. I miss her. I have had a dream about her almost everynight. Great memories. Just remember being a great parent and doing the right thing is hard. Congrats on being a great parent!

[Anja1Blue]

Originally Posted by atruepastime

Thank you so much for your support, you have all helped me do what I didn't have the courage to do and while it has been an emotional roller coaster of fond memories and tears, it was bittersweet to wake up this morning and my old boy wasn't whining and struggling to stand up and to get on with his day anymore. I put him to sleep yesterday and it was the most agonising day of my life. He is the first dog I have loved with all my heart and I am eternally grateful for knowing him.

As a 12 year old girl I could walk him anywhere off leash a busy shopping mall street or in the bush and he never strayed from my side, I never thought anything of it then, just thinking that it was what dogs did. Always so calm and loyal, I was truly blessed to have known such a dog. Thank you for helping me end his pain, I am so inexpressibly grateful. Nobody else I knew had the heart to tell me what I needed to hear, probably in fear of how it might break my heart to hear it. Thank you so much, I am glad his suffering has ended.

You did the right thing, gave him one last gift, and you are already beginning to feel the sense of relief that comes when you realize a beloved family member is suffering no more. It's not just the pain they go through, there is emotional suffering too, as they struggle to understand what is happening to them........

He will always be with you, because in your memory he will live on. Be good to yourself now, it will take a while for the grief to pass - in the meantime you might like to check this website www.petloss.com - it is gentle and compassionate, and you can put your boy's name on the Rainbow Bridge list - he will be remembered every Monday along with all the other pets.
_________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge

[Pepper311]

So so sorry. I lost my 16yr old dog a year ago and I still cry every now and then. It's hard but we have to do what's best for our pets.

[WaterBound]

I don't really have the exact answer to our question. I lost my Buddie in March and am still kind of sad over it.

Buddie had cancer and it metastasized. He had a 2+ year fight. The vet said the tumor was finally on his liver and could not be removed and he said Chemo is hopeless at this stage. Basically he told me to watch out for him being lethargic. He would start internal hemorrhaging and hence slow down. That would be the time to put him down.

He lived 2 years after his surgery to remove his major tumor. And another year of life after it reached his liver.

His final year he had arthritis. I had to carry him, 76lbs, daily for him to urinate and defecate. At first the supplements really helped and he could get up again. But soon it was steroid time.

Just when we started pain killers he looked like he was doing really well. However I found him in the living room a few weeks later. He was actually looking really good his last two weeks until the end.

My hand got really tore up carrying him daily the last year. When he passed I looked at my hand and thought I would chop it off if it could bring him back. But in the end it was just his time and I thought about if I should have put him down earlier.

I could not think of when I should have done it. I thought of my grandmother and thinking **** we pulled the plug on her.

We brought her home and when we turned the machine off. We prepared the body. We removed all of the tubes and turned her over and cleaned all of the leaking fluid. We wrapped her jaw shut and turned on the A/C to wait for the police and the funeral home techs.

She did not die because we wanted her to. It was because the insurance and Doctors thought she was a veggie and would not wake up again. They forced our hand and so we brought her home and kept ALL the meds going, no hospice garbage, until the hospital gave the order to recall the equipment.

Now if I think of Buddie. He was ALL THERE till the last moment. He was totally alive and himself till the bitter end. Like my grandmother I don't think there was a day I could think of as the day I would have put hm down. He fought until the very end. He enjoyed every **** bite of BBQ I fed him at the end.

In fact I know it was bad, but that dog ate better than most humans. I actually fed him human food from the start. I like to cook and enjoy great food. He would never eat the same thing twice. Like if he had some Beef Chow Mein one night he would refuse it the next day. I cut up every piece of meat for him because he preferred his meat in small pieces. You could throw a porterhouse in front of him and he would refuse it until you cut it up for him. He loved sushi, but only nigiri sushi. He loved and enjoyed all of the gourmet food you can imagine. He liked lobster, but not shrimp. He liked cheese, but no eggs.

I know the food was bad and probably contributed to him only living 13+ years. I don't feed my other dogs human food like him. However I know and he knew he was loved and cherished till the end. He was happy by our backyard fires and BBQs even though he could not run and do his hurricane spins anymore. He was really something. People used to think he was possessed. Even though I had to pick him up all the time he was eager to smile and very affectionate till the last day. And I KNOW he enjoyed every morsel of gourmet food I fed him till the end.

Looking back there was not one day I would go back and take away from him... or me for that matter...

I just picked him up and bagged him to minimize the rotting. I found a crematorium and stayed the night holding my friend until they were open in the morning. He stayed nice and soft until I put him in the furnace. His fur was still shiny and golden. I slept with him outside to minimize the methane and Co2 build up.

No matter what you both had the time of your lives together and you should never forget it.