Preparing To Saying Goodbye To Your Pet

So sorry old medic. Your dog had a really long life and I am sure a great one.
 
We had our dog for 10 years before having a child. He is like a family member. Whenever we went on vacation, he always stayed with parents or in laws. We would never board or any of that garbage. He is 12 now and has a few years to go. With that being said, after our child was born, he is simply a dog. We love having him around, sleeps with us each night (which I wouldnt recommend, allowing pets to sleep in your bed) and has the good life. When he goes, I cant say I will be extremely upset and go into a depression like some people. We call him our furry child, but its nonsense. If you think a pet is the same as a human child you're delusional. And yes, we were once those people who valued our pet over people, and at that time we too were delusional.

We would pay for the service to have someone stop by the house and euthanize him whenever the time comes. Its probably only a couple hundred dollars more to do that than take him to the vet. Although he does like going to the vet. Doesnt even care when he gets shots. Ill probably dig a hole and burry him in the woods on our property. Let mother nature reclaim him instead of burning him to dust.
 
I have always tried to steel myself to that process, so that my furry friends don't think they are doing something wrong. But each and every time as they start administering the drugs, I start sobbing uncontrollably as I hold them. They really do become part of our families if even for a short time.



Heck... I couldn't write that couple of sentences without free flowing tears.


To the OP, I am glad you found out everything was OK.
 
So sorry Gumby, ExFlyBoy5 and Old Medic. It is definitely so hard.

We lost 4 cats within the last 2 years. We originally had 5 cats. I swore up and down that I wanted no more animals. My DH really missed having a cat. When my daughter's family and us, decided that their cat would be happier living with us (due to 2 dogs that she did not like), we took her. Daisy, our cat, is around 11 years old. She is definitely happier here and doesn't spend 3/4 of her life hiding. My daughter's family sees her regularly. I am back to saying that once she is gone (hopefully not for a long time) that I want no more animals.
 
Our last cat died two years ago and we decided not to get another one. The problem is that we have developed an enjoyment of traveling for up to a month at a time, and that's not a good thing for either the pet or for us.

Even though it was the right decision, there does seem to be an emptiness in the home, and I often find myself looking around and wondering where the critter is. There is a very good reason that dogs and cats have domesticated humans. It's a wonderful relationship.
 
I had my amazing best friend hero dog put down. He was crippled with arthritis. Problem hips for a couple of years, and very recently a front leg was becoming unusable. He was still wagging his tail whenever you looked his way, and no problems with appetite. The vet who came out said yep, often the labrador skeleton gives out before their spirit but it's a matter of getting him out of pain. He died in his cushy corner at home, a happy dog snarfing peanut butter cookies.

I want to recommend if it's offered in your area, especially for a big dog that can only walk with pain, but any dog really, using an at home euthanasia service. It's only a little more expensive than going to the vet office. The place I chose charged $795 for everything including individual cremation with ashes returned in a cedar box to your choice of vet and a clay paw print.
 
skyking1 said:
I'm sorry Medic. It is a huge void. I know you talked about going without for travel and camping in your retirement. We talk that talk too but last time I only lasted 3 days before rescuing our two.
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LOL... Its been mentioned and DW vetoed any idea of another for now.
We went to tell our Grandson the news and he took it very well... said He felt sorry for him hurting that much. He was camping with us and seen how I had to lift him in and out of the camper several times... He was falling trying to climb the stairs.. Smart kid for 10.

Our vet charged $35, carried him in at 54 Lbs, sat with him the whole time, and brought him home and buried him beside his brothers out at the edge of the woods.

Thanks to all for the thoughts and words.
 
braumeister said:
Our last cat died two years ago and we decided not to get another one. The problem is that we have developed an enjoyment of traveling for up to a month at a time, and that's not a good thing for either the pet or for us.

Even though it was the right decision, there does seem to be an emptiness in the home, and I often find myself looking around and wondering where the critter is. There is a very good reason that dogs and cats have domesticated humans. It's a wonderful relationship.
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It's been a while since someone commented on this thread, but this post hits home for me right now.

On May 1st, we had three cats, ages 18, 17, and 13. Early May, we lost our 17 year-old due to old-age health issues. On Mother's Day night, we lost our 13 year-old due to complications from extensive dental surgery (the final being a complete break of the lower jaw that was bleeding). Yesterday, we lost our 18 year-old due to cancer of the bladder.

For the past three months, we have been dealing with our cats like we were running a hospice. As such, we never really got to properly mourn the loss of each cat because we jumped right into dealing with the surviving cats.

Now, they are all gone, and DW is not interested in adopting again. We don't travel much, and we really don't have plans to do more. But I don't know how long it will take to stop looking for one of our cats. I was the primary feeder, and I was solely responsible for the litter boxes and cleaning up "messes". I managed nearly all of the vet appointments over the years.

There is a real large void right now, as we've had cats (and dogs earlier in the marriage) for nearly 40 years. It's going to be rough for me for a while, particularly since DW clearly doesn't want to adopt again. This is some uncharted territory for me, and at the moment, all I have is tears and sadness at the loss of our furry friends.
 
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I am sorry for the loss of your fur babies.
It is so hard when they pass, they are such a big part of our lives.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your kitties. I've read that when comes a time there are more bad days than good days, that's when is the right time to help them cross the rainbow. I know it won't fill the void, but have some comfort that you were blessed to have the times that you did with them.

I was the one who started this thread almost 3 years ago when one of my cats had and overactive thyroid and I thought it was struggling with how to say goodbye (as my vet at the time seemed to be preparing me for that). My two cats now are senior cats about 14.5 years old. In the back of my mind, I know that in a few years from now, I may have to help them cross the rainbow.
 
Our Kerry Blue Terrier turns 11 later this month and it's hard not to think ahead even though we still do daily walks of 5+ miles. We will almost certainly get another dog but, as when we lost our previous dog, we may take a break for a bit. Luckily, we have a friend who loves dogs and Sedona so he is happy to dog/house-sit and make a vacation out of a visit if we are traveling without the dog. We have used Rover in the past and know there are other possibilities for combining house/pet sitting in a popular tourist area like ours.
 
That's a lot of loss in a short time, statsman. Take care.
 
Statesman, that’s a ton of loss in such a short time. The closest I came to that is I lost two dogs a couple months apart and also lost two very good friends. Then two years later I lost the other two old dogs a few months apart. At one point it occurred to me that I had rescued four older dogs and that when they got old, it was going to be terrible.

Two months ago, I lost my little Maltese Amy, who had just turned 11. At eight years old she was diagnosed with heart disease, but within a year it progressed enough to go on medication. I knew that the prognosis was not good as the most any dog Has ever lived with it at that stage was three years. Half the dogs are dead at 18 months and she managed to live two years.

She was a very unique dog in that she could actually see TV. She loved action movies, and would bark at animals. She also took a dislike to the weather lady who had a very big nose, and I always had to turn the channel when she came on because she wouldn’t stop barking.

She also would stare into your eyes for very long periods of time, not breaking eye contact. Everyone that ever came in contact with her, including the vet said that they felt that she was stealing their soul. She was given to me after her show Dog career was over and I had her for six years. I still have her half brother Max and it worries me because him and Amy share a dad which also has heart disease. Amy, unfortunately, had it on both her mom and dad‘s side.

Obviously the Breeder didn’t know about it when they were breeding. When many health issues became apparent in many of the dogs that had been bred they had them all sterilized, and then they had to quit showing because you can only show an intact dog.

Amy had really slowed down and was doing a lot of sleeping. One morning she woke up and was pooping blood so I called every emergency vet until I finally got One to come over to put her to sleep. At that point it was easy to make the decision because she kept running to the potty pad thinking she had to poop and it was beyond sad.

Six weeks before Amy died a little black dog, lost her mom and was going to have to go to the shelter. She had only been out of the shelter a year and hadn’t done well before and I saw her on Facebook. She was the same age as Max, which is eight and he definitely needed a buddy since he had never been alone a day in his life. He has very bad, separation anxiety if he doesn’t have a person or another dog. The next day, Tessie was brought to my house and her and Max got along great. So that was very lucky for everyone involved.
 
I am really sorry for your loss... when I lost my closest car a few years back I was devastated... she was a lap cat that really loved attention... she would sleep on my lap for hours... it took me a couple of months...

We finally did adopt another but had her less than 12 months (died at 18 months) when she got FIP...

DW wanted another so we have adopted another... but she loves my wife a lot more than me... and is not a lap cat.. DW also tamed a feral cat that is inside half the time... she also is into my DW... so I do not have a lap cat and even though we have 3 it is not the same...

Sometimes it is hard to fill that hole even with another...
 
I lost my wife in December 2022 and a couple of months later had to put our dog down because of bladder cancer. I was a mess for a year or so after that. I did get another dog from a local rescue and it has been great for me and him.
 
Teacher Terry said:
Statesman, that’s a ton of loss in such a short time. The closest I came to that is I lost two dogs a couple months apart and also lost two very good friends. Then two years later I lost the other two old dogs a few months apart. At one point it occurred to me that I had rescued four older dogs and that when they got old, it was going to be terrible.
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Yes, it was. But to be fair, only the loss of the 13 year-old was a shocker. The 18 year-old and 17 year-old had been fading for several months, so they weren't a huge surprise. Despite that, their loss was heartbreaking, especially with the 18 year-old.

The expectation was at some point the 13 year-old would be the sole survivor, and we would adopt an older cat to pair up with him. We weren't sure he would have done well as an only cat. Seems the universe had other plans.

DW is already planning (pushing!) for the carpets to be steam-cleaned, and for the rearranging of the furniture. It doesn't look like adopting will be in our future. I am honestly depressed about that prospect, and yet I am expected to be excited about the future. 😿
 
If it is really something that you want I would push to adopt again... as I tell my DW at times, it is ALSO my house... and you said you do all the work...

Now, if you were not adopting like one of my sisters because they travel a bunch a month at a time... that is different... it would put a crimp in those plans...
 
statsman said:
Yes, it was. But to be fair, only the loss of the 13 year-old was a shocker. The 18 year-old and 17 year-old had been fading for several months, so they weren't a huge surprise. Despite that, their loss was heartbreaking, especially with the 18 year-old.

The expectation was at some point the 13 year-old would be the sole survivor, and we would adopt an older cat to pair up with him. We weren't sure he would have done well as an only cat. Seems the universe had other plans.

DW is already planning (pushing!) for the carpets to be steam-cleaned, and for the rearranging of the furniture. It doesn't look like adopting will be in our future. I am honestly depressed about that prospect, and yet I am expected to be excited about the future. 😿
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Since you do all the work, I would say it’s your call about if you want to have future pets. I find laminate floors to be a much better choice than carpet when you have pets. I didn’t get my first pet until I was 50 and I will never be without one.

When I was married, I did all the work and my husband understood that we would never be without a pet. When we divorced I took the dogs. At least we didn’t fight over them. He loved them, of course, but didn’t want to do the work.
 
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