Pets MEGA Cats VS Dogs - POLL!

[doris delay]

we've had a few dogs in the past, and they've all had to be put down. it's seriously heartbreaking, hopefully if your mum makes the decision to do it, she goes with the pet.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Before taking this advice to heart I'd like to hear opinions from people involved in veterinarian care (n3o, I'm looking at you ).

*enters thread*

Would you put your pet down, if you felt it was the best decision.. or would you wait it out?

It really depends on the individual situation because there are many factors involved with making the decision.

I believe that the basic rule to euthanasing pets is that it should be done when the animal is suffering, when their quality of life has drastically reduced and they are clearly not happy. The majority of the time the pet's owner can definitely tell when this point has been reached. Sometimes it can be a bit ambiguous, as PI said her kitty had good days and bad days, but ultimately when the time comes it is usually quite clear that the pet has had enough.

As GenericMind said, it's the most painful part of owning pets, the fact that we live so much longer than they do (except some of the larger parrots who live for 50+ years). But it's also a fact of life that we must deal with, and be prepared for as responsible pet owners.

My mum called me this afternoon informing me she was planning to put down our dog sometime next week, he's 11 years old and suffers from diabetes needing regular insulin injections, he moves around alot slower then he use to but he's still relatively active.

I live out of home and have been doing so for almost 2 years so i don't see him often, the reason behind putting him down is we're going away for 7 weeks to Europe, and my mum is concerned he will fret as he is very attached to her, and may need to be put down whilst we're away by her sister.

Mate, I say this with the utmost respect to your mum but I honestly don't believe that is a legitimate reason for euthanasing your dog. In the vet clinic I worked at you would actually have a difficult time getting us to agree to do such a thing....

Your dog might fret for a few days when you guys leave for Europe, but he will be just fine without your mum. If he is going to stay with your aunty while you're away, I'm sure she will take good care of him and he will still be here to welcome you home in 2 months time. It sounds like he is relatively healthy and it would be a shame for your mum to cut his life short just because of her fears that he will fret.

 

[AmorRoark]

n3o - can you comment (generally, not even specifically in this situation) whether it's passe to ask the vet if they could comment on their opinion of putting down a pet? As I said before I reckon how you frame the question is important. Putting myself in vet shoes and someone asking me "well, what would you do???" in a close-call kinda situation might make me feel uncomfortable. At the same time I imagine this type of question is pretty common and not very unreasonable. As a lawyer-to-be I know a LOT of lawyers HATE commenting when someone asks "what would you do?". I was wondering if it's the same...

 

[n3ophy7e]

Yep it gets asked quite frequently. Obviously in the same respect that it's not always a good idea for lawyers to voice their personal thoughts/beliefs to their clients, vets and vet nurses have to be really careful about what they say in response to such a question, and who they say it to. But I think a lot of the time that question would get answered honestly, for the sake of the pet. Know what I mean?

 

[malakaix]

Mate, I say this with the utmost respect to your mum but I honestly don't believe that is a legitimate reason for euthanasing your dog. In the vet clinic I worked at you would actually have a difficult time getting us to agree to do such a thing....

Your dog might fret for a few days when you guys leave for Europe, but he will be just fine without your mum. If he is going to stay with your aunty while you're away, I'm sure she will take good care of him and he will still be here to welcome you home in 2 months time. It sounds like he is relatively healthy and it would be a shame for your mum to cut his life short just because of her fears that he will fret.

This is how i personally see it, but as im not the one who takes care of him; including the insulin injections, i rarely see him.. i don't know where my opinion stands, it almost feels selfish for me to say to her 'dont do it' if she genuinely feels she needs to.

If it were totally up-to me i would try and organize him to stay somewhere with someone reliable to give him his injections, i personally dont think i could bring myself to do it unless he was at a point where he was so physically ill that he's unable to move.

I'm going to be going over there this weekend to see him and also talk to her about it, and bring up some of what you guys have said here and see how she feels about her decision.

 

[dynamo]

Putting your beloved pet down that you love and consider a member of your family is an extremely hard decision and will always break your heart ive had to do it for a 2 dogs now and it doesnt get any easier , but the cold hard fact is , if you know deep down in your heart it will be best off and end the suffering it endures on a daily basis , please dont be cruel and hold on to it till the last diabetic , arthritic pain enduring moment and just do the right thing. Grieve all u want its fine to do so , BUT if the only problem is the dog being a bit frantic due to her not being with her and needing injections and not where she is used to at least give it a try , maybe even try it before the leave of abscence just to see how it goes..?

Putting your pet down is always a shitty hand to be dealt , i hope it works out :s

 

[Belisarius]

1.) For your situation, I wouldn't put the dog down, but that's just me.

2.) For my part, I'd only put down a pet if their condition was clearly terminal.

I have two black cats, myself; one's middle-aged, but the other is getting on 16 and already having some health problems. She probably has a few more years on her, but putting her down will break my heart; I've already sworn never, ever to get another cat or dog once they go. I love them to death, but I can't put myself through that on a regular basis.

 

[malakaix]

I forgot to mention he is also blind, with very partial sight due to cataracts.

Considering the diabetes, allergies and blindness, he seems to still be very active. I went over there this afternoon and had a chat with my mum about it; she seems to be more concerned about the people that will be taking care of him (our aunt/cousins) where in the past they haven't taken as great of care of him as they could of (accidentally locking him in a room and forgetting about him for a day), this was before all his illness's.. so it's an even greater challenge for them to remember injecting him twice a day with insulin, feeding him, taking him outside etc.

They also don't want the responsibility if for some reason he does become critically ill to have to put him down. My cousin who would be taking care of him is very self-absorbed and would likely forget to show as much care as the dog needs, unfortunately theirs no one else who can sit for the dog.

My mum was struggling to come to a decision when i was over there, she really doesn't want to do it, but shes terrified of coming back to a dead dog from a diabetic episode due to the lack of care on our relatives behalf, we had a canarie a few years ago, we had it for almost 2 years.. we only went away on holiday for 2 weeks, came back and it was dead.. it was in the care of our cousins/aunt, it looked like it had died of dehydration as there was no water in the bird bowl.. i'd rather the the dog not die like that and i think that's what my mum fears the most, i can tell she wants to be there for when he pass's on.

I get the feeling that she won't do it, but i don't know for sure.

 

[n3ophy7e]

I really empathise with your mum's situation mate. I can imagine how torn she is.
Has she looked in to boarding facilities, or professional petsitters, or even someone from your vet clinic to possibly mind him while you're away?? Seek and you shall find the help you need.

 

[AmorRoark]

Yep it gets asked quite frequently. Obviously in the same respect that it's not always a good idea for lawyers to voice their personal thoughts/beliefs to their clients, vets and vet nurses have to be really careful about what they say in response to such a question, and who they say it to. But I think a lot of the time that question would get answered honestly, for the sake of the pet. Know what I mean?

Word. Thanks.

 

[TINK]

I personally have had to make this decision and it is a VERY difficult one. When I put my dog to sleep, I had made 4 appointments to do it. Each time I cancelled. Then, out of the blue I knew it was time. Made the appointment and took her in. Never second guessed my decision because I knew it was time.

In my experience, most people have a hard time euthanizing their animals, but know instinctively when the time is right. I have often been asked when will I know the time is right? My only answer is you just will. Can not explain it but you will just know.

I have worked in the animal field for over 20 years. There is another set of pet owners that just decide that the animals illness or issue is just too much of an inconvience. One vet I worked for treated parrots. This guy brought in this beautiful double yellow headed parrot and told the vet that he wanted to euthanize the bird because he was too loud. I convinced the owner not to euthanize him and to sign him over to me and I would find a home for him.

It never ceases to amazing the different levels of emotion there is when it comes to pets.

I hope it works out for you. I know the heavy loss of a beloved pet and the sadness that follows.

 

[AmorRoark]

That sounds like a kind-of fucked up owner. People who don't understand the realities of their pets' species demeanor don't deserve them in the first place.

 

[n3ophy7e]

That sounds like a kind-of fucked up owner.

How's this for a fucked-up owner:
One of our clients was moving interstate and it was too expensive and too much of a hassle to ship her cat to her new place. So she came in and asked us to euthanaise him. He was only 3 years old, really affectionate/smoochy and very handsome, with no health or temperament problems at all. We offered to rehome the cat and assured her that because he was a young and really lovely cat he would find a good home very quickly. But she said she would prefer to euthanaise him.

PREFER to euthanaise him!!!

She was adamant, despite our best efforts to dissuade her.
In the end we just got her to sign the euthanasia form, and she paid for the procedure, then we waited until she left the building and promptly ripped up the form hehehe. It's very illegal to do that but wouldn't you have done the same thing?
I took the cat home overnight and the next day I rang around a few friends Within 2 days we found the kitty a perfect home with a young couple who had a young daughter. He is still to this day (6 years later) a very loved pet of this family.

Happy endings rock

 

[lostNfound]

^ What a heartless bitch. What would she prefer if she couldn't afford a plane ticket to take her daughter on holidays.

Some people....... FFS

I've had to take two dogs to the vet in the past to have them put down due to ill health and/or old age.

No one else could go, they were too emotional. So was I ffs, but I took them anyway and held their paws while they were shaved and injected. I looked into their eyes as the drug did it's thing. I watched the eyelids flutter until they closed forever.

Sure it's hard to go, but I couldn't bear the thought of my pets being put down alone in a cold blank room at the vet.
The least I could do was comfort him while he passes so he didn't go alone.

RIP Doug.
RIP Rex.

 

[n3ophy7e]

^ What a heartless bitch. What would she prefer if she couldn't afford a plane ticket to take her daughter on holidays.

Some people....... FFS

I know right! I still remember her face like a photograph in my mind, if I ever come across her in the street I might just kick her in the cunt

 

[lostNfound]

^ hahaha.

I just LOL'd out loud at that in the office.

 

[n3ophy7e]

I've had to take two dogs to the vet in the past to have them put down due to ill health and/or old age.

No one else could go, they were too emotional. So was I ffs, but I took them anyway and held their paws while they were shaved and injected. I looked into their eyes as the drug did it's thing. I watched the eyelids flutter until they closed forever.

Sure it's hard to go, but I couldn't bear the thought of my pets being put down alone in a cold blank room at the vet.
The least I could do was comfort him while he passes so he didn't go alone.

RIP Doug.
RIP Rex.

Aww that nearly brought tears to my eyes lNf
RIP Doug and Rex

It is really hard to say goodbye, and even harder to be there at the time of death, so kudos to you for being there with them. You're right, it would've been infinitely better for them to have you there at the end.

 

[TINK]

It never ceases to amaze me how fucked up the human race can be.

 

[mr.buffnstuff]

do whats right, if its suffering and has a bad quality of life put it down iv put down my friends boxer dog, some sick lambs and a cat. a shot through the head with a rifle is all it takes for a painless end

 

[Fawkes]

^ i understand that's how some people in the rural areas do it, but man, shooting an animal is a little barbaric. i'd much rather my pet go peacefully and quietly.

thankfully, i've actually never had to put down an animal. growing up my mom insisted my cats be indoor/outdoor animals. one was killed by a car and another just never came back. i moved away when she put down our dog. some of your stories are gut-wrenching.

we have three strictly indoor cats and our oldest is 7 and i can't imagine the pain of losing one of them. they're like my children.

that is a terrible story, n3o! i'm glad it worked out in favor of the cat, but my god, to think someone so selfish! i actually knew a girl (she was a pretty well-known bler, in fact) who moved to a different apartment which did not allow animals so she put her 2 or 3 year old cat down. he was so pretty and sweet. i remember her telling the story that when they were putting him down, he somehow maneuvered enough to bite her on the hand before he passed. poor guy.