Preparing To Saying Goodbye To Your Pet

[Teacher Terry]

When I know the end is near I feed them steak, do their favorite things and make their last days perfect. The last 3 I have had the vet come to the house. I have done dog rescue for 18 years and have 8 urns in my closet. Many were old when I got them and until recently I always had 4. Their remains will be mixed with mine and buried. I always rescue another in their honor. It’s so very painful.

 

[travelover]

We lost our 14 year old greyhound two years ago. She had lymphoma and we knew her time was near. Suddenly one morning she couldn't even stand and we knew she needed to cross the rainbow bridge immediately. Unfortunately, the vet said "Sorry, we are all booked up. You can bring her in at 7 PM when we close and we'll try to help you." Instead we were able to take her to a vet ER and they were able to take her right away. I wish I'd planned it and had a visiting vet do it a few days sooner. It would have been easier on everyone.

 

[Scuba]

Our dog was recently killed at a doggie day care. The owners have been served with felony animal abuse charges. It’s been one of the hardest things we’ve had to live through.

That’s horrible! I’m so sorry. That would be very shocking indeed. And your poor dog. How sad.

 

[Scuba]

I’m very sorry you and your kitty are going through this. As others have said, heart meds can keep a pet alive a long time. Our dog was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2018, and we finally put him down 3.5 years later. It was a very hard decision for us because he was still eating, drinking, peeing and pooping normally.

However, he had gone from 1 med twice a day to 6 twice a day over time, and had become increasingly difficult. His groomer couldn’t cut his hair any more, his pet sitter didn’t feel comfortable giving him his meds, and he had to be muzzled at the vet. He had even bitten both DH and me.

We finally accepted that although his physical functions were still normal, he must have been in pain to have become increasingly aggressive. This was a dog who was a Certified Therapy Dog and visited patients in the hospital for five years. His former temperament was very calm but over time his discomfort level must have driven him to bite.

We had him euthanized at home this past April. It was very sad. Five days later, DH had a major heart attack. This helped us get over the grief of losing our dog in a hurry. It was actually a blessing that with DH’s sudden health crisis, we no longer had a dog with so many special needs. We do still miss him though.

 

[DrRoy]

We kept her very close when we thought it was the last day. The previous one, I stayed with her through all at the vet until she was out of pain.

 

[Rianne]

Pets are precious. They love you unconditionally, always forgive, and stay in our memories forever. To this day I mourn pets from 40 years ago. Even longer, goes back to childhood.

When our German Shepard passed, I swear I saw her in the distance on occasion. When our labrador passed, the smallest gesture reminded me of him. They're connected to your heart. They'll always be there, no matter how many years pass. All I can say is cherish the time you had with them.

 

[pacergal]

Oh, darn. I am crying right now. So many loving stories.
We recently put down our baby boy, a Shar pei /pitbull rescue. He was the most wonderful guy. At least 12 years old, so pretty young, but I really believe he was older than 2 when we adopted him from the humane society.
Canine dementia got him and he went downhill so fast.
No way am I ready to get another dog yet. I still have his picture and the paw print on my desk.

We have been without a cat for about 20 years, last one was so special.

It is the hardest but most loving thing we can do, let them go when they need too, not when we want them too.

OP-- you simply lavish love on them, special treats, spent as much time as you can.
Once you make the decision, it gets a tiny bit easier.

My heart goes out to you, you will know when the time is right/needed.

 

[Koolau]

Yes, losing a pet is very difficult. I'm so sorry.

My Vet told me that I had taken excellent care of my pet for all those years. "Don't be selfish now. Continue that care and let him go."

 

[Toast]

I am sorry that you are going through this.

The most endearing words I know is that grief will have it's way with you. Try to understand that grief is telling you that the relationship lost was worth having, and honor that through your memories.

I have had many pets I have loved, and I have all of their ashes that will be combined with my ashes when I die. That comforts me.

The above post could have been written by me.

My dogs have always been one of the greatest joys in my life. I'm sure you feel the same way about your cat. When it's time, letting a cherished pet go is so difficult. But, we let them go because we love them.

 

[badatmath]

Our dog was recently killed at a doggie day care. The owners have been served with felony animal abuse charges. It’s been one of the hardest things we’ve had to live through.

OMG that is the worst. I am so sorry I can't even say.

 

[SecondAttempt]

You all are making me tear up. I've lost several pets over the years, all at a very old age. The easiest were the ones that died suddenly in their sleep, most likely heart attacks or strokes. It is really hard to make that PTS decision but I suspect most of us wait too long. I've always been fortunate to have "country vets" even in a big city and they seem to know when it is time to let go.

The funny thing is that I learned today that one of my best friends from childhood died recently of covid. And while sad, no tears.

Isn't it funny how dogs, that will do anything serve our wishes, and cats, that just expect us to serve their wishes have the same impact on us.

 

[RobbieB]

When our German Shepard passed, I swear I saw her in the distance on occasion.

I believe in dog ghosts. We (both of us) saw "floating stuff" from time to time after one of our dogs passed. And the cat made horrible noises also.

The haunting stopped after we got another dog and the cat was quite happy being chased by the new puppy.

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Be in the room. Do not bail out on your pet because its " too hard"

Steel yourself . Be there

 

[Bamaman]

The hardest part about having pets is losing pets.

We were on vacation in June and they called to tell us our 8 year old Rottweiler died while she was in a kennel of what we assume was a heat stroke. We miss her so much.

We have a pair of 2 year old kittens that are inside only cats. It's hard to think about, but they may actually outlive us.

 

[Koolau]

You all are making me tear up. I've lost several pets over the years, all at a very old age. The easiest were the ones that died suddenly in their sleep, most likely heart attacks or strokes. It is really hard to make that PTS decision but I suspect most of us wait too long. I've always been fortunate to have "country vets" even in a big city and they seem to know when it is time to let go.

The funny thing is that I learned today that one of my best friends from childhood died recently of covid. And while sad, no tears.

Isn't it funny how dogs, that will do anything serve our wishes, and cats, that just expect us to serve their wishes have the same impact on us.

We had a cat that for 10 years met us at the door, yowling as we unlocked it. When she passed, we still heard her quite often. It was both spooky and kind of soothing at the same time. YMMV

 

[easysurfer]

My Cat is On His Tenth Life Now

Update on my cat ...

I thought he was a goner. Signs were pointing that way. About a week ago, my vet was telling me about how cats with an enlarged heart don't fair well. That there's a chance of them having a heart attack or paralysis on hind legs from a blood clot.

I guess one way to know for sure is to get an ultrasound done. Not cheap. Can go for about $600.

I had one done as I'm wasn't about to give up on my cat without knowing at least the extent of his heart damage. Got the ultrasound result today. Ends up.. he has a NORMAL heart! .

Not only that, but this seemly heart failure is actually due to an overactive thyroid and is about 95-98%% curable with the right treatment!

Normal never sounded so good!!

I expected the worse news and got the best.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Congratulations..

 

[Born2BRetd]

That's great EasySurfer. Looks like that was money well spent!

 

[finnski1]

Update on my cat ...

I thought he was a goner. Signs were pointing that way. About a week ago, my vet was telling me about how cats with an enlarged heart don't fair well. That there's a chance of them having a heart attack or paralysis on hind legs from a blood clot.

I guess one way to know for sure is to get an ultrasound done. Not cheap. Can go for about $600.

I had one done as I'm wasn't about to give up on my cat without knowing at least the extent of his heart damage. Got the ultrasound result today. Ends up.. he has a NORMAL heart! .

Not only that, but this seemly heart failure is actually due to an overactive thyroid and is about 95-98%% curable with the right treatment!

Normal never sounded so good!!

I expected the worse news and got the best.

 

[REWahoo]

... he has a NORMAL heart! .

Not only that, but this seemly heart failure is actually due to an overactive thyroid and is about 95-98%% curable with the right treatment!

Normal never sounded so good!!

I expected the worse news and got the best.

Wonderful!

 

[easysurfer]

That's great EasySurfer. Looks like that was money well spent!

What is a bit creepy is had I not opted for the ultrasound, they were ready to put my cat on heart medication assuming he had a bad heart.

Or I bet some owners who couldn't afford or wouldn't want to spend that much might have put him down.

 

[skyking1]

that's excellent news!

 

[Toast]

Fantastic news! So happy for you and your cat.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

What is a bit creepy is had I not opted for the ultrasound, they were ready to put my cat on heart medication assuming he had a bad heart.

Or I bet some owners who couldn't afford or wouldn't want to spend that much might have put him down.

It's pretty common, unfortunately. We have spent about $10,000 over the last 18 months dealing with various issues with our 3 (two of which are senior and one of which is no longer with us) and I am very thankful we have the means to get them the best care when needed. I often think that our animals have gotten better medical care than at least 50% of the world's human population.

 

[Oakster]

The best gift you can give to your pet is to have enjoyable, close time while they are here, and see them through to the end. Take a little while to grieve for sure, but there are plenty of pets out there that need saved from the pounds. Dont let that love you have for animals go unused.