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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thank you for your long, detailed story about your
baby's passing. It is one more confirmation to me that my baby didn't need to be
put through the extra pain of tests in his last day. We had to help him to
go at the vet. I am glad your baby went on its own and had those last hours
of pleasure with the family. My baby was almost 13 and had a huge growth in his
mouth and an advanced heart murmur and his sight was going. He ws very tired
near the end, so much that I let him pee on the porch and cleaned after him. His
bowels had been slipping for months increasingly. I refused to allow him to be
put under for dental cleanings, lest he not wake up. His oral tumor was
bleeding out the morning I took him and the vet said it usually has spread
on to other parts of the body. I had thought his hips and spine were bothering
him when he hesitated at the steps and needed so much help to get up them. He
would try anything to please me. It makes me cry to think how painful he
must have been those last weeks.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I want to encourage any drooler who has never
had to euthanize a fur kid, to read about the process ahead and understand
the way it should go. Older, sicker dogs can experience a collapse of the veins
if given a sedative before the euthanization, causing the prepared vein to fail.
It is very upsetting to have the vet search for places to administer the shot.
Older dogs can already have poor veins with heart disease. It might not be best
to let them give the sedative. Also, you aren't sure how aware your baby is
in his last moments after a sedative. It should be an informed decision, and it
should be your decision. It caused me to have doubts and more distress as she
gave him two more injections, the last in his chest. She said he wasn't aware of
anything, but before she gave the last shots, he raised his sweet head 3 times
until I told him it was ok to lay his head down and go sleepy.I'm not saying she
did anything wrong, but it made the dreaded decision much worse for me. My baby
needed us to let him go, but the experience should have gone better than it did.
I know it isn't a subject we like to think about, but it is better to understand
ahead of time because you might not have time to study it when you have to make
the decision.I had taken my neighbor to the emergency the morning her pet was
euthanized, and it went so quickly. One moment the Beagle was walking in circles
on the floor, and the next moment he received a shot on his mama's lap and he
fell asleep. I assumed it would be like that always, but my assumptions were
wrong. I am sorry to be so gloomy, but if it saves one fur mom or dad my awful
experience, it will be a good thing. My sympathies to you and all sad
droolers today. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>