Having to Euthanise.

[BCBunnies]

I am so sorry you are having to come to this decision about your dog, I've had to do the same in the past. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers here.

 

[patandchickens]

It's sad, but sounds like you're doing the right thing. Big hug.

For most vets AFAIK it is standard procedure to do the two-shot version (sedative then the shot that actually stops the heart). The only two times I've seen it done otherwise were a) with a very frail dehydrated cat where they had SO VERY much trouble getting a vein that they didn't want to fool around, just did the actual euthanasia straight off, she was for sure 'ready to go' and it seemed peaceful; and b) my first cat, in heart failure, being done on a weekend evening in the vet's home workshop on an emergency basis, and for whatever reason he offered me the choice of 2 vs 1 shot, and I said to skip the sedative as the cat was fairly out of it at the time, but I guess because of his enlarged heart it took multiple *large* injections of the euthanizing agent before it worked, and he struggled and seemed upset, and I will never again elect to skip the sedative.

I would think, for a basically-healthy animal, you would really want the sedative first, it doesn't add that much to the cost and either will make no difference or will make it easier for the animal.

Big hug,

Pat

 

[Orchid]

I am so sorry you have to do this, it is always hard no matter the reason.

I have always elected to have the two-shot euthanasia, so they fall asleep first. I've heard too many sad stories about the one-shot not going well.

 

[pbjmaker]

 

[aubreynoramarie]

im sorry you are making this decision, i know its hard

I know youre doing the right thing but in the end i might be a little perturbed by the boarding company. Being the owner of an aggressive dog we are always keeping our eyes 100 yards ahead when the dog is out of the house and scanning the neighborhood for anything that might rile him up. As a boarding company you are trusting them to act with the same amount of care, thats why youre paying them to take care of your dog. not just for his safety but for the safety of others as well. id be somewhat outraged that your dog "escaped" from their kennels. What if it was someone elses dog that escaped and got hit by a car, or escaped into a kennel with an aggressive dog? I feel very badly for your situation, and would not go back to that kennel in the future

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I don't blame the kennel at all. They knew about him running off, but I'm guessing because I stated it so emphatically and because he's a 10 lbs poodle that is ridiculously agile didn't help. I wish I could describe how agile this dog is, as well as how tenacious he is when he wants out. He will climb 6 foot cyclone fences and will rip his body apart in order to claw his way through a welded wire fence. He has clawed a glass door to the point we had to get a new one and he has destroyed a screen door in a matter of hours. He won't stop. He "plans" ways to get out and will plan on how to get out of your grasp. I just know that he would really injure someone if not handled correctly.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

yeah, those dogs are smarter than heck. once again im sorry you have to go through this

 

[twentynine]

Last time I had a small animal put to sleep was in Feb 2011, vet used a single shot into the abdomen, no shot in the vein. Big Sam, just laid down and drifted off to sleep, no struggle to find a vein. It did take a few minutes for his heart to stop, but he was not conscious.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
Oh sweety!

I SO feel for you right now. I will pray for you and Pogo.

When I put Foenix to sleep several weeks ago, they asked if I wanted sedation. I said yes, just because with how nervous he was....oh..I hate thinking about this. But with how nervous he was I am glad I didn't make his last moments more fearful. He would have been so tensed up, the last thing he would have felt was the urge to bite the Vet...I really didn't want this already very negative experience to become moreso. I think sedation on an otherwise healthy and with-it dog is the most humane way, and honestly much easier for you as well.

I am so sorry.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

earlier this year, we had to have our english mastiff put down due to aggression. He had killed another dog, and bit off part of my mom's finger. After explaining the situation to the vet, they instructed us to bring him in with a muzzle. They said we could not be in the room with him at the time. I'm not sure exactly what transpired, if they sedated or not, but I think due to the aggression issues, they wanted less people in the room in case something happened. of course, he was a 160 lb dog, so he was capable of doing a lot more damage.

a year earlier, we had our first dog PTS, partially due to aggression. When we called (a different vet) asking for a price, they gave us two numbers- a lower cost if we chose not to be in the room at the time. I'm sure that the lower cost option meant no sedative, but when presented that way, it just seemed heartless. Whether or not I choose to be in the room at the time, I should be offered both options. That's my big pet peeve about some vets around here- they dumb down their explanations and information gets left out.