Our dog is gone and my heart hurts

[Scuba]

Over the weekend, we decided to put our dog down. We are heartbroken and miss him so much.

It was a very difficult decision because he still had some life in him. He could walk, albeit more slowly, he was eating and eliminating normally, and he still wagged his tail. He didn’t look or act like a dog that was on his deathbed.

However, he had congestive heart failure, arthritis, and disc problems in his back. He was on 6 drugs a day, twice a day and most had to be administered with a pill popper. He was becoming increasingly resistant to taking his drugs and had bitten DH a few times. He had also gotten very irritable with his pet sitter and his groomer, to the point that neither wanted to work with him any more. He was groaning a lot more, couldn’t seem to get comfortable, and was no longer able to get up on our couch or bed even though our furniture is all low height mid-century type pieces. He no longer wanted to be touched except for a few certain areas around his head.

All of this led us to the conclusion that his quality of life was poor and he was likely in more pain than could be managed with the pain meds he was on. Most of his life, he was a sweet and gentle dog. The aggression was likely pain-driven as well as driven by the steroid he was on which he needed to breathe.

I feel guilty - sometimes thinking we had him hang on and suffer too long and other times feeling like we should have allowed him to live longer.

In the end, I know we tried our best to give him a good life, and we chose to end his life because we could see that he was suffering. We had him for 10 years after rescuing him as a young (2-ish) dog. We loved him and are still a bit in shock that he’s no longer with us. I’m sure time will help us heal, but it sure hurts to lose him.

 

[Lucie]

Scuba, I’m sorry for your loss. I share your pain. We lost our 12 year old golden doodle last month. My heart still aches, but less every day.

You did the right thing. Prolonging his suffering would only be for the benefit of the people who loved him. Not him. Almost everyone feels guilty around the timing of euthanasia:Questioning whether it was too soon, too late, unnecessary.

He sounds like he had a long and wonderful life. Enjoy the good memories!

 

[old medic]

Sorry to hear, Its a hard decision to make, but it is more humane than letting them suffer.

 

[Ronstar]

Sorry for your loss Scuba, but you did the right thing in ending your pup's suffering.

 

[f35phixer]

Sorry Scuba, Been there done that.

Not a political statement but I believe Humans should also have right to say good bye when they want too.

 

[Midpack]

You can only do what you think is best for the dog. We’ve had 5 dogs, and had to put down 3 of them at advanced age (Encephalitis @12yo, Bladder Cancer @12 & Stomach Cancer @16). Their quality of life made it clear what we had to do, you don’t want them to suffer. Just know that as much as it hurts, eventually what you’re left with is hundreds of wonderful memories of your time with them - it’s well worth it!

 

[target2019]

Scuba, these are tough times. But you still have many memories of the greatest friend.

 

[lauradrops]

So very sorry for your loss, I felt that heartache as well.
Thank you for having the courage and strength to love your pet enough to not want them to suffer. It's not an easy decision, but it's the compassionate one.

 

[street]

That is a tough deal!! We were dealt with a similar scenario and had to do the same thing.

 

[Dawg52]

Sorry for your loss. It's never easy to let one go. But you did what was best so don't feel guilty.

 

[Dreamer]

I am sorry for your loss. We had to put down 4 of our 5 cats and it is not easy. We now have a 9 year old cat and I hope that when the time comes (years from now) that she passes on her own.

I hope that your heart heals soon. Try to remember all of the good times with him.

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

You did the right thing. I know how tough this is, and we recently faced the exact same decision with a dear pet. You know that you will need to eventually do this, but how do you pick the time? Wednesday at 1:30PM versus one more day or two... I really struggled with this.

You took care of your pup while they were here - the fact that you were administering several meds to keep them healthy and more pain free than they would have otherwise shows that you really took care of them.

But I know this feeling, and it's bad. You'll get through it. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

Sorry for your loss Scuba, it's hard but you did the right thing. Been there myself, twice. Took me 5 years to get another dog. I should have done it sooner.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

So sorry for your loss. But I think you did the right thing. If the quality of life is no longer there, then it is best to do what you did. May he Rest In Peace. You gave him a good life.

 

[Bamaman]

Unfortunately, dealing with aging pets is something we all have to go through. We had a pit bull and a Rottweiler that both were suffering with cancer.

We have two house cats under 2 years old that may have a long lifespan. But they're having to deal with us as aging parents--and may have to bury us.

 

[MRG]

I'm sorry for your loss. It's never easy to make that call.

We lost our two senior dogs last year. The first guy was easy to see and decide. He told me he was done in his own way. The other girl looked and acted normal but her kidneys failed. Our vet gave us some herbs that helped her for a while but eventually they stopped. I found our vet was very good at helping me see what needed to be done.

 

[Chris7]

So sorry. We know how difficult it is to lose our fury friends.


We recently had to put our Basset down. She was 12. Some days she seemed to still have life, but was on 2 meds for chronic conditions and most of the time she just wasn't happy. I feel it is better to let them go with some dignity then waiting so long that they can't function at all. Sounds like you made the right decision.


Fury friends do not share our longevity. So we love them for as long as we can. After a time, we have always found it healing to begin sharing our love anew.



cd : O)

 

[nap470]

Very sorry for your loss, Scuba. I've had to go thru it twice with 2 of my 3 dogs. I knew it was the right decision, but doesn't make it any easier at the time.

Our current dog is 11 years old and issues are now starting to magnify. Five months ago she was diagnosed with diabetes, and it has been a complete dietary lifestyle change for her and us. Two insulin injections per day and no treats. She also went blind but we did eye surgery and she now sees fine. It is an expensive disease. So far she has responded pretty well to the disease, but we know things will continue to decline over time. She is the best dog we have ever had, and all of our dogs have been wonderful.

 

[skyking1]

:hug:

 

[Car-Guy]

Been there too many times... It hurts me each time since I miss my dogs more than most people I've known.

 

[Dash man]

I’m sorry for your heartbreak Scuba. We went through a very similar situation five years ago. However, the memories are fresh and we laugh over the good times and we smile at the memories we had with our best buddy. Memories live forever.

 

[Jerry1]

I’m sorry for your loss. We had a dog for 15 years and I couldn’t believe how much it hurt to put her down and be without her. Knowing you did the right thing doesn’t help much, but rest assured, you did the right thing. Waiting until some future time would not make the decision any easier and the dog was clearly suffering. Wishing you well as you process this change in your life. No doubt, this stuff hurts. Take care.

 

[Rianne]

Truly a painful experience. I'm sorry your heart is breaking. I used to (still do) see images of other dogs that look like my loved ones that passed. We've had dogs our entire marriage (38 years). They live in your heart forever. They understand love. Be happy and know you did everything you could. I still tear up when I think of our first dog.

 

[Sue J]

Scuba, so sorry for your loss.

We went through this last summer. It was so painful, but it does get a little better with time. I think about her often and now it's with a smile and a nod.

 

[pacergal]

Hugs to you, the loss of our pets is a big heartache.
You did the right thing. Our last dog was aggressive due to pain also, and needed to be put down earlier than we hoped.
Our current guy is getting close to that decision. It's a tough one, but one we do out of love.