I’m not sure how old my cocker spaniel is because I got him from the pound but it’s clear that he’s getting close to the end of his life. He had was almost deaf from neglect and blind in one eye when we got him and now he’s completely deaf and has cataracts that make it difficult for him to see anything at all. His back legs are starting to go out, he can’t make it up and down some of the steps and he’s less interested in his food all the time although he still loves people food. He sleeps away most of the day, but he still comes out in the sunshine with me and once he gets his legs under him he bumbles around the yard with the cats and gets some exercise. He has accidents at times but he knows that he won’t get in trouble for it anymore. He’s still happy though and that tells me it isn’t time yet. He still grooms the cats, wags his little butt when he’s happy and sniffs his way around exploring things. With all of my other dogs there was a point where I just knew when I could start to see the misery in their eyes and I think he still has some time. I’m trying to get used to the idea but I start crying whenever I think about it. At least I’m home all day now and can take care of him and help him in and out.
We put one of our cats down just before Christmas (Dec 15)… we’d had her for 15.5 years, ever since we moved into that house. She was “my” cat, while my sister had another one that ran away some years ago.
It was a rather sudden decline, but a cat that used to eat everything (chicken, shrimp, milk, licorice, rice, carrots, you name it, she loved it… except for cat food!) stopped eating at all, and she spent all of her time sleeping on the treadmill (so my mom couldn’t use it!) and didn’t roam around the house anymore. The vet did a blood test and X-ray, but in the last week her abdomen became so full of fluid… we think it may have been cancer, but we don’t know (damn water opaque to x-rays!) We waited long enough for my sister to come back from university, and then brought her to the clinic to put her down.
I agree - there have been few things in my life that have been that hard. I’m crying now just thinking about it.
Jim’s cat is 13 years old, and is starting to limp around the house (we’re guessing arthritis, since there doesn’t seem to be any injury and it’s getting worse, not better with time). We’re not planning to put her down for a limp, but it’s the first sign of things to come, and it’s a sad day. She’s been Jim’s shadow since she was a kitten - I know he’s going to miss her like crazy when she goes; how do they get so much personality into such a tiny body?
Last week my 13 yr old pit bull had a seizure. For over an hour she was immobile, able to move only her eyes and eyebrows. I thought for sure she wouldn’t survive the night. She came out of it and we took her to the vet the next day. If we’d taken her to the emergency clinic I’m sure they’d have put her down based on her age. I’m glad we waited. She also has an issue with her spine. It’s not congenital, it’s injury-based, with probably some arthritis thrown in, but now she occasionaly gets swelling and pain mid-back that we’re treating with anti-inflammatories and a pain pill if she needs it. The vet did say that once older dogs develop any health issues they tend to progress rapidly. He did a blood test to check her kidney function, and we go back in two weeks for a follow up test just to be sure (she was dehydrated from the back spasm thing, being in pain and having mobility issues).
By far the hardest part was not knowing what was going on, how much pain she was in, and what should we do to help her. Thank god we have a great vet.
I’ll agree with others on here, and say that sending Bo on “The Big Sleep” was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m missing that big, mad mutt of mine so badly, but I knew it had to be done!
I still tear up at having our dog, Mira, put down 5 years ago. She’d been our dog from when I was age 6-22.
It’s so hard having it done; it almost makes you wonder if it’s worth having pets, when you know you have to go through that pain. Then you see the sparkle in their eye, the wagging tail, the goofy dumb things they do…
I’d just like to give all dog owners some good advice. If you want to avoid having to go through my experience, please, please make sure your dog is used to a muzzle before you take it on that final trip.
Our old girl is almost 14, deaf, and sometimes she stumbles on the 2 steps from the yard to the house. Her coat is somewhat raggedy, and she’s got some round tumors that you can easily feel when you pet her. But her appetite is good, and when I take her out, her tail is wagging and she still has to sniff everything.
Our vet had told us she’d probably live to be 12-14, so based on that, she’s near the end. She sleeps a lot, but then, she always was a semi-animate throw rug. She’ll still come to me when she has to go out, and she still likes short walks, lacking the stamina to do the mile and a quarter around the neighborhood.
Still, I know that day will be sooner rather than later. My husband and I have already agreed we won’t try heroic measures and we won’t let her suffer. I only hope when the time comes, we can do it together. When we had to have the cat put down, I had to deal with that myself because of his work.
Sorry for your loss. Just went through the same thing with one of my cats. I didn’t know what to expect. I thought she was pretty zoned out before the final shot but she lifted her head in what appeared to be recognition of what was going on. It was brief but most unnerving.
This is so miserable. Every day he gets a little worse. I don’t think that he can even see shadows anymore and when he can get up he’s been walking into door jambs and walls and falling down stairs. He just wants to be touching me because it’s the only affection he can feel now.
I’m starting to hate myself since the incontinence started… Every morning I wake up to a big mess to clean up before I’m fully awake and then spend the rest of the day re-washing floors every few hours to keep the animals from tracking it all over. One of the rugs is completely ruined. I can keep myself from letting him know that I’m upset but I can’t stop myself from feeling this massive frustration at having to clean up these messes all day long. Then I hate myself some more because I think that it shouldn’t bother me relative to losing him soon. Then I feel guilty as though I’m wishing that he would hurry up and die because I’m so selfish that cleaning up after him is getting to me and I need a break from it. It feels like all I do is cry lately. It also scares me that if my partner ever needs that kind of care that I won’t be able to hide how much I dislike it.
I’ve found that I tend to wait just a little too long before taking my pets for the Big Nap. You don’t want to take them too soon, but inevitably I’m kicking myself for not taking them the week before. It’s a tough call. You’ll know when it’s time.
Yeah, luckily our vet lives right down the road and comes over to check on him every few days. My partner was raised on a ranch and is more practical and less emotional about it. We’ve agreed that they’ll make the call since I’m way too upset to be sure I’m being reasonable about it. I’ve always know when it was time before so I think I will this time too.
Pets have only one real shortcoming: they live so much shorter than us. I feel for your losses.
We felt a bit of that when our Jazz was diagnosed with possible cancer (he was only 6, and very healthy) this October. Fortunately it turned out to be a false alarm, but the week that it took to get those results in was awful.
Hold on a second, you told your mom if she couldn’t do two out of three of her favorite things you were going to put her down?
Seriously though, the 2 out of 3 sounds like pretty good advice. When we had to put our dog to sleep, another thing that was mentioned was 1 month too early is better than 2 weeks too late.
Good luck, I’m sure you will make the right decision when the time comes.
I want to add to the camp that for the most part, dogs seem to let you know when its time. They have their different ways, but for the two animals I have had to put down, it was very clear to me it was time (even through my denial). Although talking with the Vet is definitely a good idea, try not to worry about it too much, it will be better for both of you if you enjoy the time you have left with each other.
He’s the only dog I’ve ever known that thought hedgehogs were some kind of spiky ball.
One night, while in a local park, he found one and had me chasing him all around, til eventually I cornered him in the garden of what used to be the park’s warden. Then it was just occupied by normal tenants, but I bet they never expected to find a man wrestling with a dog for a hedgehog, on their front doorstep at midnight. Something to tell their grandkids about, I suppose?
Eventually I learned not to chase him, but to sit down as if unconcerned, and then he would circle me, getting closer and closer, until I could eventually grab his collar.
All of my dogs thought ‘chase’ was a great game. If I want them to come back I just start up the car and call them and they come running so that they don’t miss a ride. Then I drive them around for a few minutes so that the trick keeps working.
Something to tell their grandkids about, I suppose?