Comments on: The euthanasia question

By: Danica

Danica — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:56:52 +0000

Dear Dr. Jones, my heart goes to you when you have to make those critical decissions, I could not do it, when my beatifull Bichon Frise (Coco) was ill with lung cancer, I went through a lot of trouble, even Chemo 2 times, but they said he was not getting better, but nursed him till the last minute, carried him on my soft down pillow to to give him comfort, and he was as loving as ever even the last moments of his life, he was peacfull and was not demonstraiting pain, I ordered oxygen for him to make his breathing easier, I built him nice coffin, stained and varnished it, I think I am going cooko, he was only 13, I still have Minie the Lhasa Apsos, she seems to be o.k, she is 14 now and fat. I am afraid to face another loss any time soon, best regards, Danica

By: Skye

Skye — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:04:56 +0000

Yesterday I had my 13 and 4 month old terrier put to sleep. It was harrowing. He had a heart problem and Cushing’s disease diagnosed 4 months ago and did not repond well to the best ‘ medication which is called trylostane. I don’t know what sent him into renal failure – whether it was the Cushings or the medicine for the Cushings. He was not eating or drinking when I took him to the vet.He also had a ‘shadow’ on his liver [perhaps a growth]. After a day he had renal failure and it all seemed a downhill slide. He was sedated and getting thinner and had nausea and diaorrhea. I decided for putting him to sleep. It was a very hard decision but I did not want him to suffer any more. I was there when he died. A catheter was still in his paw and the vet gave the injection – nembutal – and his neck stiffened as if trying to sit up and his eyes opened for a few seconds. It was so sad and I just said I loved him as he breathed his last. I just hope there really was no feeling or consciousness or anything. I wonder if 13.4 is an ‘average’ age for a terrier to die or is it a bit young?

He filled the house with joy – he was the most wonderful plucky doggy. He followed me in the house and out into the backyard. He loved his walks and watched tv, read, and listened to my talking to him. He was such a wonderful dog friend. Now that it is raining where I am it seems the sky is crying with me .

By: Kristen Chesnut, RN, JD

Kristen Chesnut, RN, JD — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:34:21 +0000

I recently had to put down my dog, Sophie, a small shephard mix. Sophie was a high-energy dog who loved life more than any dog I’ve ever been blessed to care for. She was not the brightest bulb, nor was she easy to train (NEVER, ever learned not to jump on visitors!) but she embraced every aspect of nature and loved it all – rain, snow, wind, heat and cold. She loved to chase birds and squirrels, and she never met a human being she did not adore. . .other dogs were another matter. I have two others, both larger, and she regularly stomped them both! I tell you this because even when she was riddled with cancer, and had ascites, was raising her hind leg to her abdomen for the pain, she STILL wanted to go HOME from the vets. I could not bear her suffering and elected euthanasia. It was the most awful process I have ever witnessed. She fought us (three adults trying to hold her down) like a banshee. She struggled against the drug, and the vet had to use TWO full lethal doses before she went down. I do not believe I’ll EVER be alright with this awful end for this wonderful, wonderful animal who loved me and loved life so much that she fought death in such a way. If ever I need to do this awful thing again, I will ensure that the dog is tranquilized FIRST. Sophie did not deserve that anguish.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:31:29 +0000

I just had my cat euthanized this morning and after crying for 3 hours, I decided to search and decide whether I made the right decision. He was only 2 and a half but his kidneys had completely failed. About two weeks ago, Oscar began acting really weak so I immediately took him to the vet for treatment. His kidney tests maxed out the machines at the vet and he stayed in the hospital for a week on IV fluids before they told me that was all they could do and we would just have to see what happens. His condition got worse. When I took him in for his appointment today, I knew that this would probably be the only option left for Oscar. On the table, he still loved on me. I feel so terrible. He had not been able to urinate for a couple of days now and had lost a lot of weight. His breathing was getting raspy. I still feel terrible.

By: Suzanne Hogg

Suzanne Hogg — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:04:15 +0000

hi there , i live in Australia and to follow on this topic i have to say that this is the most hardest thing for anyone to do. I myself cannot and will not do it as I have learnt that God is the only one who can say its time to “come home” dont worry all you pet owners they do live on in heaven in the green pastures when our heavenly father and saviour are , they await us where we will live forever with them in the kingdom of Heaven. I have found a wonderful thing called GLYCONUTRIENTS and highly recommend it to all you animal lovers try it on your sick animals and see what happens please email me for more information or go to Mannatech site.My 19 cat Oscar is still going and since i have applied this in his food i have never ever seen him like this before he is back to his kitten self. Dr. Jones I encourage you to use this on your clients animals and see the results for yourself. Finally all you Christians remember that Jesus died for us and took ALL our diseases on that cross he can also heal every disease when you start quoting and applying the word into your animals life. God bless you all

By: Sharon Mullins

Sharon Mullins — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:45:12 +0000

I lost my 17 year old Shih Tzu Mandi last year primarily of old age and it turned out I didn’t have to have her put down. Something told me to go home early that day from work. When I got there I picked her up and sat in our chair with he and stroked he and talked to her for about 45 minutes and I was blessed that God saw fit to let her die in my arms. It was hard to lose her but I felt good knowing I had been right there with her, loving her. I still have one that is 18 this month. Molli is getting very frail but she isn’t sick so I am hoping I can be there for her too. I also have a cat that is 19. But then I have 2 1year olds. Shih Tzus Annabelle and Bailey. So life goes on around my house. I am grateful there are vets like you that really care about our furry children. They are so precious to us………..Sharon

By: Rena Murray

Rena Murray — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:56:34 +0000

How timely this post is. I had to put my seventeen year old dog down on December first. She simply did not want to live anymore and I could not bear to see her suffer. I had it done in our yard with her in my arms. I have to be with them in that last moment.

By: Debra Owen

Debra Owen — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:09:32 +0000

I had to put down my 17 year old cat in 2006 – his pancreas was failing and he was getting sicker by the day. I treated him like a baby until I knew it was time to let him go. He died in my arms – bless his heart, he just got to the point where he could not keep food on his stomach…and would wretch until he cried.
Last year, I had to put down my 8 year old female German Shepherd. She had a spinal disease…that deteriorated her vertebrae and discs so badly…that she could barely walk. Once the vet x-rayed her back…and I saw the deterioration – I had to make the decision to let her go. Missy was in pain…and the vet could not promise me a positive surgery option. She died in my arms as well. Both pets will remain precious memories for us….we have a wall of fame for our pets. One of my friends told me that she will not get a pet because they eventually die – I told her that no matter HOW BAD it hurts to lose them….the love and joy shared while they are here – is worth the pain. Once we leave here – God takes all HIS creations back unto Himself. We will see our loved ones and deceased pets again. There is a special place in heaven for compassionate – loving pet owners and caring vets!!!
God gave vets the knowledge to release HIS hurting creatures from pain. Euthanasia is a blessing. It just broke my heart to watch my babies experience pain. We treat animals better than we do terminal humans.

By: Becky

Becky — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:05:26 +0000

Our family had to make the decision just a month ago. Our very old 40+ horse went down and we couldn’t get him back up, our vet said it was probably a stroke or heart attack. Buster was like a 1,000 lb. dog nobody ever told him otherwise. He was a rescue and always gave so much of himself to thank us. He was my sons babysitter in the beginning and his constant companion for everything after that, even when we retired him he was always there for us, to tell our troubles to, to hug, to make us laugh at his unhorse like behavior and us for him,special food for our senior, an extra treat just because he was Buster, an extra brushing, anything he needed. For all the heartache and as much as we miss him, we knew it was the only thing to do, we were all with him at the end. We will miss him terribly and can’t replace him, but we know he’s in a better place now and our memories of him will carry us through til we meet again.

By: Annette

Annette — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:14:38 +0000

I am in total agreement with K (#16)
The cat purred to say, “Oh, THANK YOU for releasing me from this pain, I just can’t bear
it any longer.” This is a very hard thing to do,
but the animal is soooo much better off. They DO have souls, but unlike humans, they are not given the ability of free choice which is probably why
they are so much better than most humans I ever met. They are obedient to their creator. God
gave us dominion over the animals. This means
we need to respect them and care for them as we
would want to be cared for. When the most precious soul that ever put four feet on this earth (to me anyway), my last cat that had to be put down, it had become a issue of great contention between my husband and I. He would ONLY look at the good and say, “See…he seems to
be really TRYING …” He refused to see the grimace on the cats face when he made those efforts or the depression or the overall daily struggle my “baby” endured. I finally got so mad, I just told him. “I hope you realize that
on this earth you are like God to that little one.
Think of yourself in that shape. What would you want God to do? Continue to watch you try and
make the best of it, or bring you home to paradise?” About 2 days later, the cat “threw a clot” and with all his other ailments (hyperthyroid, cancer, blind, deaf….) and now
couldn’t walk, God made the decision obvious
of which I’m thankful.

When I spoke with his cancer doctor a week later
he seemed surprised when I told him of this struggle and that IF the decision had been mine alone, he’d have been put down 2-3 months earlier
as that is when I noticed a HUGE change in him.
He said, “I didn’t know”. I guess he listened only to my husbands voice during our visits because he had not in any way spoken of the option of putting him down. I was the only one
who raised it, and he always just said, “Well,
you will know better than I when that time is right.” I DID know. I still (ok, admittedly a skeptic here) think that because he had a rare form of skin cancer that had only been documented something like 2 times in vet journals as having occurred in cats and they were always getting other vets in to see him, taking pictures, etc,
I often fear that he was a source of interest to
them and thus they saw a disease and not a little
soul crying out in pain. Not meaning to be too hard on them however, because given his situation was so rare, they had to learn as best they could
so they’d be better prepared in the future to treat other cats. It still grieves my heart.
I feel like I “let them” experiment on him or something…and truly, I have had animals my whole life and loved them all but this little guy
was my heart. I even told his docs that. You be especially careful with him, because that is my heart you are dealing with. I want what is BEST for HIM, not for ME. The fact is, the owner will be hurting and sad no matter when the pet’s time is, but the pet’s suffering can be shortened. Prolonging the death doesn’t make it easier on those who loved their pet. It makes no difference
what so ever. You hurt. Period. But at least
you can have the satisfaction of knowing you didn’t allow THEM to have to suffer any longer than necessary. And that cat loved us sooooo much
that he would have tried to be the most pleasant possible little character regardless of his pain.
Only about 2 hours before he died, I thought he
must be thirsty, but he couldn’t lift his little head. I put (his favorite) whipped cream on my fingers and let him lick it off. Then fancy feast.
Even then, blind, deaf, unable to walk or even lift his head, he tried to nourish himself and
purred at my efforts. What a blessed gift he was.

Dr. Andrew, you really need to see this as an act
of mercy, as the ability to end excruciating suffering, rather than to end a life. By the time
a cat even SHOWS pain, I’ve learned, it’s beyond
anything we could EVER bear ourselves, so to wait until we think their pain is great is cruel.
When pain is apparant, the prognosis is irreversable, (18 yrs old, blind, deaf, cancer, hyperthyroid,etc) there is no reason to wait other than our own selfishness.

It’s now the 1st anniversary of his death. I guess I just had to give credit to his memory.
A finer (4legged) creature has not been born
and I thank God nearly daily for the privilege and blessing of being entrusted with his care, with his very life for 17 of his 18 years here on earth.

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:25:09 +0000

Euthanasia is a hard decision to have to make but wanting what is best for your beloved pet does make that choice easier. To IRENE: I had a friend with a beautiful black wolf mix. Take a good friend with you, but do not let your friend suffer. Perhaps your vet would do a home visit?
ROBERT & RHONDA: As stressful as your loss was, please do consider adopting a new pet. I have been both routes. My beloved Miku died suddenly in my arms 2 weeks after getting a clean bill of health. I thought my heart would break and I would never love another dog as much. Eventually I adopted a 5 year old English Setter from Above and Beyond English Setter Rescue and realise that, although Miku will always hold a special place in my heart, Maddie needed someone to love her. Being a girl, I feel more protective towards her, but over a year after she came to us, my husband and I both love her and daily say how wonderful she is and how lucky we are to have her. What a healing the responsibility of another dog has been.

By: Lorraine Turco

Lorraine Turco — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:02:48 +0000

Hello Dr. Jones. I have had many animals and have had to put them all to sleep, for the exception of one doggie. She died going out the doggie door at almost age 16. I got to spend extra time with Toby as I knew she was nearing the end.She was sleeping alot and becoming incoherent. I layed with her & rubbed her alot. I also had to put my Bubba down, he was a 12 yr. old king lab. The year before he got where he couldn’t get up. I took Bubba to the vet and he gave him a shot, so Bubba made it another year. He had arthritis since he was 5 or 6. He back end would creak and he hopped when he ran. He was afraid to go up small steps towards the end and fell several times off of a blow up bed, close to the floor, but he would get so scared. I decided it was time. He got scared when my son and I took him to the vet, but Dr. Scheer also thought it was time. Some ladies in the vet’s office scolded me for putting Bubba to sleep, he could still walk but he was also having trouble breathing. Danny & I hugged him & told Bubba we loved him. I also had to put MissyAnn down, my little Boston bull mix at age 12. She was diagnosed with bone cancer. The vet in OK. said she could amputate her back leg, but again, I didn’t want MissyAnn to suffer anymore. She was diagnosed one week and I put her to sleep the next. I got to hold and rock her in my arms for the week and tell her how much I loved her. I had her creamated as I wasn’t staying in OK and wanted her ashes with me. My other babies I was able to bury. I am crying as I write this to you as after years, it still is painful to lose a much loved baby. And they are our babies. It’s not easy to do, but I feel the little guys look for us to care and do the best we can for them, even in dying. I also feel we will see our babies again one day. Thank you for your websites and I’m so glad I found your books and information. Sincerely, Lorraine Turco

By: K

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:28:58 +0000

Please consider that the reason the cat was trying to purr was to thank you because it knew you had done all you could and was now giving it the peace to be whole again. I believe that God would not have given us such creatures of great love and not have a place for them in Heaven. Those who say animals have no soul have never truely known unconditional love, God gave us these creatures as a gift, and to honor them when their suffering is great by being with them as we give them their truest freedom is the kindest way we can show our final act of love. To everyone who has had to make this toughest decision, please know that your animals appreciated that you would be there with them to the end, as they were ever ready to be there for you.

By: Belinda

Belinda — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:04:54 +0000

Hi Irene:I know it is hard to let go, but if your dog is in pain wouldn’t it be better if you euthanized him? Is he still enjoying everything he did before? All you have to do is ask yourself one question. Is he in pain? If he is and the medication is not helping I believe you will find your answer. I have a cat that is 20 years old. I only had him for 2 years. He is healthy in every way except that is as a little arthritis. He is on a homeopathic medicine for this. He also has a little bit of stress in his life, which is a younger cat named Mittens. So sometimes he gets blood in his urine. The vets don’t know what causes this. He is taking a pill for this. I see him still enjoying the things he has always done, since I took him in. He is a little slower but aren’t we all. When Caramel’s time comes if I have to put him down to stop his suffering than I will do so. I have done it before with other furry friends and it isn’t easy, but I knew at the time it was the best thing to do. I only wish there was a way we could let humans die without pain and suffering. Take care Irene

By: Carol Johnston

Carol Johnston — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:43:57 +0000

Euthanasia is not something we want to think of or talk about. It always lingers somewhere in the back of our minds, knowing that someday the day will come. Three years ago, we lost our beloved Rusty, a little red 12-year-old mini poodle. He suffered from a ruptured heart valve, diabetes, went blind (we had an opthamologist put implants in his eyes to regain his sight), but six months later, he began having uncontrollable seizures. Two emergency vets, our two vets and the pathologist who did one last blood test, all agreed that he must be put down immediately. Even though our heads were telling us it had to be done, our hearts just didn’t want to let him go. It turned out to be the kindest thing we could do for him. He couldn’t be disconnected from the intravenous, so when we went to the clinic, he struggled to get to his feet, but fell over against the side of the cage. We just laid him down on the nice soft blanket, put our arms around him and spoke softly to him. The vet came in and we told him we were ready and within 5 seconds, he was gone. We had him cremated and he has a special place in our wall unit with all his pictures, favourite toy, collar, tags, etc. (Tears are streaming down my face as I write this.) It was not a matter of trying to decide. It was obvious and we were thankful that our very kind vet was able to immediately end his suffering. We often feel guilty, wondering if we kept him alive too long. We now have other dogs, but this special little puppy mill survivor can never be replaced and will forever have a place in our hearts. Our other dogs are now on Dr. Jones’ supplement. I only wish it had been available years earlier. Thank you, Dr. Jones, for your kindness, compassion and courage in going against the flow of conventional veterinary treatment.