putting a pet down
 

anyone have any experience with this? knowing when is the right time?

going through it right now and it's so hard.

I did it many years ago. It was a family pet that we had had for many years and when the time came, my mom called me because she didn't think that dad could handle it. I thought I could, and I guess I did but it wasn't easy. And I'm not one of these types that considers pets to be as important as children.

But we knew it was what was best as the poor dog's life was not one that any animal should live. He could not hold himself up to eat or drink and we had to help him with that. The shot that the vet gave him was quick and painless.

We had a parakeet put down many years ago, because she developed quite a few tumors suddenly (we never did find out if it was cancer for sure), and she began to lose weight, become listless, and have severe difficulty getting around. My mom took care of it. I was sad, but at the same time I was glad she wasn't hurting anymore.
Hugs for you...losing a pet is never an easy thing :(

I asked my brother, who is currently entering graduate school to be a veterinarian- but more importantly has worked in a vet's office for more than 6 years- and he said the best way is to ask a vet. A vet will tell you, or will help comfort you if it's not really the best option yet. There might be something else you can do... but they're also very good (assuming, like anything, that the doc you're dealing with is a good doc to begin with) at telling people the how's and why's... and when it's time to let go.

Ask yourself what you would want if you were your pet. Is s/he suffering? Is there a chance of meaningful recovery? Are you hanging on for your own sentimental reasons? There's no easy formula, only your best intentions and your love for your pet. *hugs*

the right time is when your pet can no longer enjoy life, and there's no hope that he'll be able to enjoy life in the future. You said it's hard, which means you care about your pet .. . so you'll know when the right time is.

You know your pet better than anyone- you should know when it's the right time and your pet is in pain or no longer enjoying life, and it's not just a temporary problem that there's a possible way to fix. Some pets might be happy to no longer be physically active, for example, while others may be noticeably depressed.

I've had to have quite a few pets destroyed. A rabbit, a hamster and a budgie were all put down at the vets after having strokes that impaired their mobility, or other age related problems. My father had to shoot two rabbits himself after they developed flystrike and we didn't want to make very distressed, suffering rabbits (who were being literally eaten alive) hang on for another couple of hours and have the added trauma of being transported and taken to a strange place, when instead they could be shot right in the garden where they'd always lived.

The worst was my dog. There were a couple of near misses in the past, but both times there were solutions that not only kept him alive, but kept him pain-free and doing the same things he'd always enjoyed doing. Towards the end of his life I noticed he was losing interest in his walks, was quite listless and spent a lot of time grumbling to himself. I'm very glad we never had to make the decision about when enough was enough as he then had a stroke that completely destroyed his sense of balance and although it was horrible to see him like that, it meant we never had to make the decision.

It's hard. When I was 15, we had to put down the dog we had had since before I was born, and that I grew up with, riding him like a horse and picking his nose and sharing ice cream cones and everything else little kids like to do with dogs. And he loved it, and kept coming back for me. I love that dog.

Anyways, he made a rapid and sudden decline, and after about a week, couldnt stand up anymore. It was pretty clear that it was time.

We bribed some of the workers laying pipe in our neighbor's yard to dig out a grave with their backhoe and put him in there, complete with small headstone. Illegal, but we're back in a bunch of woods anyways, no harm done.

This is what a good vet will tell you. As somebody else said, take the pet to the vet and see what the vet says. If there are some easy, non-invasive things to be done that can make the pet's life easier, the vet will know. But the key is, does the pet have any _quality living_ left? Or will you keep it alive at an increasing cost to its happiness and mental well-being.

We learned the hard way. My wife's cat came down with cancer. My wife didn't want to give up on the cat, and the vet -- not a great vet -- said, well, this is the protocol to follow to keep the cat alive. And it did keep the cat alive, but after a few weeks of pills and special food the cat was back to the low quality of life it had been at, as the cancer progressed. In the end, we were force-feeding it. Finally, in its pain, it went off to hide and die on its own. Its last two months were nothing but sickness and debilitation.

Flash forward. Another cat, my cat, came down with a kidney problem at the age of 14. The vet, a different vet, said, you can keep this cat alive if you give it 100 cc of XYZ solution in its neck, with a needle and IV bag, every two days. And we did that for three years. Frankly, both we and the cat came to dread those sessions; but they were only five minutes long, every two days. And he got a nice reward every time, which he looked forward to. Except for those five minutes, his quality of life was fine.

He entered a slow, comfortable decline which lasted three years. At the end, he was sleeping most of the time. Then he stopped eating. I took him to the vet, a different vet, who said, "Cancer," again. But this vet said, "This is the end of his quality life. Anything we do to prolong his life _will not make it quality life._" And after the last time, I was ready to listen. The cat and I had some time together, and then the vet put him down later in the day. I was there, of course, as any pet owner should be. Though it's hard.

When I was 25, we had to have the dog I'd had since I was 8 put to sleep. Absolutely one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

I agree with everyone else, talk to your vet and see what they say. In my case, my dog was 19 years old, and had hit the point where she couldn't stand on her own and was obviously in a lot of pain. My vet even agreed to make a house-call for me so I wouldn't have to scare my dog with a drive to the vet, which she'd always dreaded anyway. I always thought that was incredibly cool of her to do that for me, and I don't think she could really know how much it meant to me.

I've had to put down two dogs, miss them both but have new ones which bring me more happiness than most of the people I know.

The first was the dog I grew up with, he got cancer, grew tumors, it was probably the hardest thing I had to do, but he told me when it was time. You know how they can do that. The second was 13 and got hit by a car, was not expected but a blessing in disguise.

I get choked up thinking about my current dogs, they are young and healthy yet, I've had three friends recently put their dogs down. Vets have changed a lot, they came to the house and really sympathized, I heard nothing but good and it was three different vets. Apparently not like it used to be. Just hang in there, better days are coming.

Making the decision to end my dog's suffering was the single hardest thing I have ever gone through. But she was 16, lost her hearing, her back legs were giving out and finally, I found her having an apparent stroke. We hung on for several days hoping against hope she'd get better, but she didn't.
What really ticked me off was the vet when I brought her in. She suggested maybe her lack of balance, her loss of function control were due to an ear infection!!! Maybe she was trying to see how I'd react to maybe not putting her down, but her suffering was so obvious, she didn't even get her usual nervous in the car, as if she knew (I am crying again as I write this and it's been 3 years).
Like Blaise and Lurkette said, you know your pet best, you will know when it's time. I wish you all the strength and peace you will need.
Check with your vet and see if they will come to the house when the time comes. In New Jersey, it's against the law, which I thought was very unfair.

I'm so sorry :icare: :(

it is a very difficult time as a pet owner to make the right decision... i had to put a pet down a couple years ago and it was very difficult... the way i knew it was time was when he started giving up and no longer had a spark of happiness in his eyes, that was how i knew his illness was finally something he could no longer bear and have quality of life and my vet agreed that it was time.

Analog gave great advice, consulting a vet is a wise idea and may help you clarify your choice.

my heart goes out to you.

Sweetpea