Putting your dog down.....

[General Lee]

I appreciate the responses. All my pets in the past the vet has done the deed. These last several days my 14+ year old lab has taken a turn for the worse. As I prepare for his time I was afraid he'd take a huge turn downward this weekend and that I may have had to do the deed.

He had quit eating, his hips are gone and he is deaf. He can't stand for very long and sometimes his back end gives out and he does a face plant. We started cooking chicken, beef, venison and rice and he has been eating that and he'll make it through the weekend. I will make an appointment this week for the vet to come out. I secretly hope he will just go in his sleep.

 

[MF283]

I carried my 15 year old Lab to the Vet years ago, he just came out & gave him the shot in the bed of the truck, it didn't work, the dog was going hysterical while he ran back in for another dose, i got so mad that he didn't charge me.
I've put several down since then, last year i put a 15 year old Border Collie down, yes, it has torn me all to pieces on each one, i just tell myself that it was done in love.
It was harder last time, i figure it's easier to drive the tractor back to the barn than driving the truck back from the Vet.

Ronnie

 

[newbury]

I appreciate the responses. All my pets in the past the vet has done the deed. These last several days my 14+ year old lab has taken a turn for the worse. As I prepare for his time I was afraid he'd take a huge turn downward this weekend and that I may have had to do the deed.

He had quit eating, his hips are gone and he is deaf. He can't stand for very long and sometimes his back end gives out and he does a face plant. We started cooking chicken, beef, venison and rice and he has been eating that and he'll make it through the weekend. I will make an appointment this week for the vet to come out. I secretly hope he will just go in his sleep.

As I read this I feel your pain, exactly one week ago Ellie, the Corgi in my previous post, was at the vet in ICU with her tongue hanging out, my son was crying in his room, and I was trying to keep it together.
Half an hour ago she "bunny hopped" coming back from a "bathroom break".

Remember the good times you shared and if he needs to go make it easy and painless for him.

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

I appreciate the responses. All my pets in the past the vet has done the deed. These last several days my 14+ year old lab has taken a turn for the worse. As I prepare for his time I was afraid he'd take a huge turn downward this weekend and that I may have had to do the deed.

He had quit eating, his hips are gone and he is deaf. He can't stand for very long and sometimes his back end gives out and he does a face plant. We started cooking chicken, beef, venison and rice and he has been eating that and he'll make it through the weekend. I will make an appointment this week for the vet to come out. I secretly hope he will just go in his sleep.

very sorry to hear that, there's just nothing we can do when a pet gets old and can't function. Hardest thing my wife and I have ever gone thru. Only thing that has ever helped us is to get another pup soon after so it keeps our brains busy, each pup we have got over the years is responsible for helping us cope with loosing an old friend, we are on our 5th now and each time it gets harder.

 

[PhysAssist]

Frankly my past and present dogs deserve it more than me .

That group includes you, me, and everybody I ever met...

 

[PhysAssist]

very sorry to hear that, there's just nothing we can do when a pet gets old and can't function. Hardest thing my wife and I have ever gone thru. Only thing that has ever helped us is to get another pup soon after so it keeps our brains busy, each pup we have got over the years is responsible for helping us cope with loosing an old friend, we are on our 5th now and each time it gets harder.

Hi Kenneth,

As a couple who in part, bonded over our love of large breed dogs (she had a St. Bernard when we met) , and as such in 26 years together, have had to send 5 of our family members on before us, I learned long ago, that it is best for us, if we have at least 2 dogs, hopefully of staggered ages, so there is always a dog in the house. (2 others died before their time of other causes.)

When we lost our boxer in 2005, it only took me about 6 months to feel like not having a dog was worst thing possible, but my SWMBO, was heartbroken, and it was STILL over her objections that I brought our next dog (an 18 mo old English Mastiff, who desperately needed to be rehomed) in 2008.

I knew we needed another dog before our boxer passed, but that was only a few moths after having lost our 2nd Newf (at 13 y/o) in that year- we lost the first 9 mo before to Ca at age 15.

All 3 were d/t Ca from the contaminated food that came from China.

Luckily, we got our current 18 mo old greyhound/boxer mix last December, because we lost the Mastiff in August last year due to an incompetant vet
I think I could perform a lethal injection to our dogs or other pets, if necessary, but I prefer to have the vet do it, so I can concentrate on making sure the dog knows I am there and loving it/him/her.

I HAVE stitched lacerations on both horses and dogs, both ours and family and friends, when necessary.

In that respect, they are just like humans, only more reasonable.

 

[MF283]

I have 2 kids & 4 dogs here at home, the dogs belong to the kids. They do everything with me on the farm & most times when the kids call for one, they'll come to me first.

I love dogs, they're comforting loyal & a pain in the butt at times, couldn't live w/o them. My daughter's Aussie goes to work with me everyday unless he hits the pond or rolls in horse poop in the mornings.

We've always had a shop dog as we call them at our outdoor store, some folks come in just to see the dogs & they're great for keeping youngn's occupied while mom/dad are shopping, we always tell customers to bring their dogs in as well to get pampered & loved on instead of leaving them in a vehicle.

Life without a dog, i couldn't imagine it.

Ronnie

 

[MH8675309]

If you decide to do it yourself - use slugs in the shotgun. I know this sounds like a no brainer but a man I know had to kill his akita and he used bird shot and well, it didnt go good at all. Ive done it a few times and always used a slug. One time was enough.

 

[flusher]

My avatar is an Old English Sheepdog. In the 1970s when my kids were grade school we had Heidi, an OES. Contracted blood poison at age 6 and had to be euthanized. We lived in the city then, so doing it execution style was not feasible.

During the 10 years I lived on my ranch in Tehama County, CA, my neighbors were horse people. They had to put down a total of 4 animals during that time, always euthanized by the vet, even though pulling the trigger was an option.

 

[farm boy00]

Well I would do it myself. I've learned young that it's the price you pay.

When I was 12 I carried my pup who wasn't even a year old to her grave, she was hit on the road cause I let her out and forgot to bring her in cause I slept in from working the day before, cried for a hr.

Before we had to put down my horse. He was too old. I had good memories with him. He was a highly breed barrel horse and I remember running speed shows and every time my family though I was going to fall of cause he was to fast. We went to put him down at night. First shot his skull was so thick it didn't work and we had to chase him for 10min with a bullet in his head and the second one dropped him. And those had worked with any other horse ever.

So after that I've learned that you just need to do it yourself